News
F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter crashes in South Korea; pilot safe
An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, crashed in an agricultural area about 11.5 miles from Osan Air Base at approximately 9:45 a.m., May 6.
Worries grow about Ukraine nuke plant amid evacuations
Anxiety about the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant grew May 7 after the Moscow-installed governor of the Ukrainian region where it is located ordered civilian evacuations, including from the city where most plant workers live.
Fearing Russian capture, US strips sensitive tech from M1 Abrams tanks headed for Ukraine
Earlier this year, the Biden administration relented after months of pleas from Ukraine and agreed to send the country its most lethal armored vehicles: the Abrams tanks. But with Ukraine gearing up for an expected spring counteroffensive in its war with Russia, these powerful tanks are months away from reaching the frontlines of the battlefield. Abrams tanks won’t be part of the initial spring assault.
Business
Lockheed Martin reorganizes space business
Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest defense company, will streamline its space segment into three business lines focused on national security, commercial civil and strategic missile defense systems.
Tucson-based Raytheon joint venture gets $1B for Javelin missiles
A new $1 billion contract for Javelin anti-tank missiles — used to great effect by Ukraine against Russian tanks — will keep Raytheon’s Tucson missile factory busy for years.
Israeli firm reveals unmanned submarine BlueWhale
Israel Aerospace Industries has developed a new unmanned submarine, the BlueWhale, designed for covert intelligence-gathering operations, the company said May 4.
Latvian government approves $110 million Naval Strike Missile buy
Latvia’s government last week voted to authorize the acquisition of Naval Strike Missile anti-ship weapons to bolster the country’s Baltic Sea shore defense capacities.
Defense
First looks at major 2024 defense policy bill come this week
House Armed Services Committee leaders will unveil the first outlines of their annual defense authorization bill this week, providing hints at their plans for defense spending and military training changes in fiscal 2024.
US Army revising how it develops, deploys advanced networking gear
The U.S. Army is leaving behind what it formally recognizes as “capability sets” for an approach to upgrading networking gear multiple generals said is more fluid and applicable to the service’s 2030 and 2040 goals.
Marine Corps wants $13 million for automated war zone delivery drones
The systems are designed to carry payloads of up to 150 pounds over distances of up to nine miles in containers secured underneath.
Veterans
Thousands of Afghans escaped the Taliban with the help of private veteran groups. Today, many remain in limbo, held in a compound in the UAE
About 2,100 Afghan refugees remain held in a sprawling compound in the United Arab Emirates more than 18 months after they were evacuated from Afghanistan largely by private groups working with the State Department.
