All Department of Defense articles – Page 10
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NewsUS lawmakers describe unknown objects as nothing new after classified brief
After receiving a classified briefing from US defence officials, members of Congress say the recently shot down unidentified aerial objects appear similar to hundreds of other unknown objects reported by American aviators in recent years.
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NewsAdjusted radar settings likely behind rash of USA’s unknown object detections
The Pentagon says it has been more closely scrutinising the airspace around North America after an incursion by a Chinese surveillance balloon, including increasing the sensitivity settings on radars that previously were not reporting small, low-speed objects.
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NewsUS F-22s shoot down unidentified high-altitude object over Alaska
The Pentagon says at the direction of US President Joe Biden fighter aircraft shot down an unknown object off the coast of Alaska around 40,000ft, with military officials describing the craft as posing a hazard to commercial aviation.
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NewsLawmakers frustrated with Pentagon balloon response
Members of Congress are grilling US defence officials about the military’s response to a multi-day incursion into North American airspace by a Chinese surveillance platform, and many are not satisfied with the answers.
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NewsChinese spy balloons have passed over five continents: Pentagon
The US military says what it describes as a Chinese intelligence gathering programme has sent balloon airships all over the globe, including Central and South America, Southeast Asia and Europe.
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NewsUSAF downs Chinese balloon off Atlantic coast
Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors from the US Air Force shot down the surveillance vessel on 4 February off the USA’s East Coast, with Washington denouncing the balloon’s presence as a violation of territorial sovereignty.
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NewsPentagon tracking high-altitude Chinese spy balloon over USA
The US military says it is monitoring a large surveillance balloon travelling over North America that it believes originated in China.
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NewsAurora and General Atomics advance in DARPA seaplane project
The aircraft manufacturers will develop designs for full-scale demonstrators under the ‘Liberty Lifter’ programme, which seeks to produce a heavy lift aircraft that can take-off and land without ground or ship-based infrastructure.
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NewsDARPA, Lockheed successfully test experimental hypersonic weapon
It was the second test flight of the scramjet vehicle known as the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept, which Lockheed is developing in conjunction with the Pentagon’s secretive research branch.
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NewsUSAF launches AI-powered airlift planning competition
The Air Force Research Laboratory digital event invites researchers from around the world to improve the planning of airlift operations using artificial intelligence-driven algorithms.
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NewsAurora advances to second phase of DARPA ‘active flow’ flight-control experiment
The Boeing subsidiary is designing an aircraft for the US military that can fly without traditional mechanical control surfaces, as part of an attempt to increase aerodynamic performance.
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NewsUSA transfers third Lockheed C-130 to Niger
The donation is the third of the Lockheed Martin cargo transports Washington has provided the Niger air force as part of counter terrorism efforts in West Africa.
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NewsNewly reported UFOs display ‘unusual flight performance capabilities’: US intelligence
After analysing some 366 newly identified instances of unidentified aerial phenomena, US intelligence officials have determined roughly half to be normal aerospace clutter, while an unspecified number suggested unusual flight performance capabilities.
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NewsLockheed finalises contract for another 398 F-35s, misses 2022 delivery target
The $30 billion deal with the US government covers aircraft for the USA, Belgium, Finland and Poland, and comes as Lockheed missed its 2022 F-35 delivery target due to an ongoing pause in flight operations.
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NewsCongress passes spending bill, funding military and averting shutdown
The House of Representatives approved a spending package that includes $858 billion to fund the US military, averting a shutdown that would have affected numerous defence procurement programmes and regular operations.
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NewsCongress proposes military spending plan with $7bn for aircraft procurement
A spending plan to fund the US government through September 2023 would provide roughly $7 billion for the acquisition of new defence aircraft and $45 billion to support the Ukrainian military.
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NewsPentagon taking unidentified aerial phenomena ‘seriously’
Government officials say a newly created office to investigate sightings of unknown aerial vehicles near US military aircraft has already received hundreds of reports, some of which they think pose a potential national security risk.
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NewsAurora wins DARPA contract to develop ‘active flow control’ X-plane
The X-plane effort aims to produce an aircraft that uses so-called active flow control, rather than traditional aerodynamic control surfaces such as rudders and flaps, to improve flight performance.
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NewsFewer A-10s but protections for F-22s, EA-18Gs and F-15s in US defence policy bill
If approved, the behemoth bill to fund the US military through 2023 would allow some reductions to the A-10 fleet, but prohibit retirements of many other types, including fighters, tankers and transports.
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NewsUS military to explore use of sustainable aviation fuel
A directive from Congress included in the 2023 defence spending bill would require the Pentagon to establish at least one refinery and production of a 10% SAF fuel blend by 2028.