News
At the Pentagon, push to send F-16s to Ukraine picks up steam
Kyiv has renewed its request for modern fighters in recent days after the U.S. and Germany approved transferring tanks.
Zelensky urges allies to send long-range missiles
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that his country needs long-range missiles to help combat Russian missile attacks following a blast in the Donetsk region on Jan. 28 that killed three people.
Business
Warren to FTC: Block L3Harris-Aerojet deal, undo Northrop-Orbital ATK
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, an outspoken critic of corporate consolidation, wrote Friday to the Federal Trade Commission to urge it to oppose L3Harris Technologies’ $4.7 billion bid to buy Aerojet Rocketdyne.
US Army selects four companies to build new tactical truck prototypes
Mack Defense, Navistar Defense, Oshkosh Defense and an American Rheinmetall and GM Defense team will build prototypes for a Common Tactical Truck after the U.S. Army awarded them deals worth a cumulative $24.3 million.
L3Harris delivers experimental navigation satellite
L3Harris delivered the experimental Navigation Technology Satellite-3 to the Air Force Research Laboratory for its final phase of integration and testing, keeping the program on track for a late 2023 launch.
ViaSat sees Marine’s ‘SATCOM as a service’ buy as harbinger of change
Commercial SATCOM providers have long urged DOD and the services to move from buying bandwidth in fits and starts using short-term contracts to service-style contracts that resemble a civilian’s average mobile phone or cable TV/Internet plan.
Italy taps local defense companies to work on next-gen warplane
Italy has signed a deal with its leading defense firms for the development of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) aimed at producing a new sixth-generation fighter with the U.K. and Japan by 2035.
Defense firms flock to Hungary amid EU isolation
The Hungarian government and its state-owned holding N7 have signed three joint ventures in December alone, part of a large-scale spending spree for new weapons and production plants.
Defense
US Navy suspends work at four West Coast dry docks over seismic risks
The U.S. Navy will immediately suspend submarine repair work at four dry docks in Washington state, following new concerns about their ability to withstand seismic activity, service leaders told Defense News.
Marine Corps officially opens Guam base, with an eye toward China
Camp Blaz will ultimately be home to about 5,000 Marines.
Hypersonic ARRW missile criticized for lack of test plan
Racing to prototype and field an operational hypersonic missile, the Air Force skipped some typical testing steps — and now should go back and address them, the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation said in his annual report to Congress.
Veterans
High turnover on House Veterans’ Affairs Committee again this session
Once again, the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee will begin its work this year with more new members than returning ones.
New evidence declares soldier POW before death in Korean War
Army scientists recently added a new chapter to the story of a 19-year-old Army private presumed to have died fighting in the Korean War in 1950.
VA caregiver program needs better outreach and data to serve disabled vets, panel says
The Department of Veterans Affairs needs to step up outreach and coordination to caregivers of disabled veterans to ensure that they are aware of available programs and they understand the eligibility requirements for each, a key VA advisory panel has recommended.