News
‘No condition’ where U.S. should conduct nuclear test ‘at this time’-
The top military officer in charge of the U.S. nuclear arsenal said Sept. 17 there is “no condition” right now where he would recommend conducting an explosive nuclear test, though that could change in the future.
U.S. hopes to name Qatar as major non-NATO ally, official says-
The United States hopes to move forward with naming Qatar as a major non-NATO ally, a status that provides foreign nations with benefits in defense trade and security cooperation, a senior U.S. official said Sept. 17.
Business
Companies are lining up to build a replacement for the MQ-9 Reaper drone-
As the U.S. Air Force embarks on a new effort to field a replacement for the MQ-9 Reaper drone, multiple defense companies are stepping up with new, long-range, stealthy design concepts for the emerging MQ-Next competition.
Former defense contractor sentenced for taking $4 million in kickbacks, bribes-
Over a three-year period, an Oregon businessman solicited as much as $4.1 million in illegal kickbacks to steer defense subcontracts that worked on helping wounded veterans.
Space Force issues $298M contract for new anti-jamming satellite design-
Northrop Grumman was awarded a $298 million rapid-prototyping contract to design a new anti-jamming communications satellite payload for the U.S. Space Force, the Space and Missile Systems Center announced Sept. 16.
Army backs off idea to submit its own bid in Bradley replacement competition-
The Army is backing off a plan for the service to submit its own bid to the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle replacement competition after it indicated its intention to offer up its own design in a draft request for proposals posted in July.
Lockheed aims for laser on fighter by 2025-
“Lockheed Martin is working to fly a laser on tactical fighters within the next five years,” Lockheed laser expert Mark Stephen told reporters Sept. 16. “We’re spending a lot of time to get the beam director right.”
Trump administration readies major arms sale to Taiwan-
The Trump administration is expected to soon approve another major weapons sale including drones to Taiwan, according to congressional and administration sources.
Defense
Space Force official argues funding should match ‘huge’ space responsibilities-
Military space budgets will need to grow to adequately support air, land, sea, and cyber operations as global warfighting grows increasingly intertwined, and as the Pentagon solidifies its plans for offense and defense in the cosmos, a top Space Force official argued this week.
AFRL rethinking strategy for Golden Horde networked collaborative weapons program-
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory is rethinking its approach to the Golden Horde networked collaborative weapons program and the lab’s commander had a meeting with a key stakeholder on Sept. 17 to determine the path forward.
U.S. Navy is short almost 100 fighter pilots-
A rash of technical and safety problems has left the U.S. Navy’s fleet short by about 90 fighter pilots. Fixing the issue is an uphill battle, a top aviator said last week.
Testing points to relevance of hyper velocity projectile for Zumwalt destroyer’s dormant guns-
After the successful destruction of a cruise missile by a Hyper Velocity Projectile in a land-based test, the case for the U.S. Navy’s stealthy Zumwalt-class destroyers adopting the fast-flying ammunition has strengthened.
Veterans
Major veterans suicide prevention legislation advances, but without discussion of guns-
Congressional lawmakers reached a deal this week to send sweeping veterans suicide prevention legislation to the White House later this month, but the plan for now will abandon any serious discussion about gun safety for at-risk veterans.
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