News

Navy warship sails near Spratlys after U.S. explicitly rejected Beijing’s South China Sea claims-
The Navy sent a guided-missile destroyer on a freedom-of-navigation operation in the South China Sea on July 14, a day after the United States officially rejected Beijing’s claims there.
 
U.S. efforts to deal Islamic State ‘enduring defeat’ on hold-
Hopes of delivering the Islamic State a lasting defeat in Iraq and Syria have, for now, fallen by the wayside, according to officials with the U.S.-led coalition, despite a ramped-up crackdown on the terror group’s network of cells and facilitators.
 
Dozens of lawmakers opposed to Ligado’s plan. Can they undo the FCC’s decision?-
A week before the Federal Communications Commission officially signed off on a plan for Ligado Networks to use L-Band spectrum, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee, sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, warning the plan could harm the Global Positioning System.
 
 

Business

Defense Innovation Unit issues contract for unmanned orbital outpost-
The Defense Innovation Unit has awarded Sierra Nevada Corporation a contract to build an orbital laboratory that would serve as a kind of unmanned space station, the company announced July 14.
 
Army wants early industry input on JADC2 battlefield concept-
When it comes to the Army’s contribution to a new joint architecture for battlefield command and control, the service said it will collaborate with industry in the very early stages.
 
Lockheed’s IRST stealth detection pod passes Air Force milestone-
The Air Force is a step closer to fielding the Legion Pod infra-red search and track (IRST) system on its F-15 and F-16 fleets — a passive sensor that gives pilots a long-range ability to track stealthy aircraft without giving away their own presence.
 
 

Defense

Lord hopes to loosen weapon export restrictions in next six months-
The Pentagon’s top weapons acquisition official on Thursday called for another review of what defense technology is export-restricted, in an attempt to ensure the United States remains a defense technology provider of choice for other nations.
 
First KC-10 heads to Boneyard as Pegasus comes into the fleet-
After nearly four decades of refueling aircraft around the world, in peacetime and war, the KC-10 Extender has begun its retirement.
 
Air Force cancels its Open Skies recapitalization program after U.S. pulls out from treaty-
The U.S. Air Force on July 14 officially rescinded its solicitation to overhaul the OC-135 Open Skies aircraft, cancelling the program two months after President Donald Trump announced the United States’ withdrawal from the Open Skies treaty.
 
Hypoxia-like events becoming less frequent in Air Force fleets-
Air Force Safety Center data recently obtained by Air Force Magazine suggests that the rates of hypoxia-like events recorded in the service’s F-22A, F-16C/D, F-15C/D, A-10C, and F-35A fleets are decreasing in fiscal 2020.