All Department of Defense articles – Page 2
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In depthLockheed confident in F-35 prospects despite effort to reduce US purchases
The airframer’s chief executive says international demand remains strong following recent battlefield successes, and there is a strong likelihood US lawmakers will plus up the Pentagon’s stealth fighter acquisition in the upcoming defence budget.
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NewsLockheed takes ‘significant losses’ on classified aeronautics programme
Although Lockheed executives remain bullish on the secretive programme’s long-term prospects, the effort generated $950 million in losses during the recent second quarter, tied to setbacks with design, integration, testing and performance of the classified air vehicle.
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NewsL3Harris aims to sow ‘pure chaos’ with swarmable long-range munitions
Starting with the kinetic strike Red Wolf and electronic warfare Green Wolf, L3Harris aims to offer the USA and allies a long-range munition that can deliver a variety of battlefield effects at low cost and high volume.
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AnalysisPentagon moves to dramatically expand access to small drones for combat units
The US military is moving to dramatically expand access to small drones for its frontline combat units in a new initiative unveiled by the US Defense Secretary Pete Hesgeth.
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NewsDARPA ends Liberty Lifter programme as agency scuttles plans to build heavy-lift flying boat
The secretive Pentagon research agency says the Liberty Lifter programme has proven the viability of building an amphibian transport aircraft capable of operating in heavy sea states, but that it will not pursue assembly of a demonstrator.
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NewsBell advances to build phase of secretive DARPA high-speed VTOL contest
Bell’s concept for an advanced tiltrotor-jet hybrid aircraft will move into the build stage of the US Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s Speed and Runway Independent Technologies X-plane contest, after defeating rival finalist Aurora Flight Sciences.
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NewsUS lawmakers mull limit to Coast Guard helicopter retirement plans
The move comes after legislators approved more than $24 billion to fund modernisation of the Coast Guard, including more than $3 billion for the procurement of fixed-wing, rotary, and uncrewed aircraft.
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Analysis‘Brightest explosion that I’ve ever seen’: inside US effort to develop a bomb for Iran’s nuclear sites
The US military’s top officer says development of the bunker-busting 13,600kg (30,000lb) GBU-57 bomb began 15 years ago and involved significant use of supercomputers.
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NewsUS Air Force seeks to retire all A-10 Warthogs by 2027
Congress must approve the plan, which would see the US Air Force accelerate retirement of its entire A-10 fleet by two years.
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NewsTrump Administration ‘all in’ on F-47 but plans minimal funding for F/A-XX naval fighter
A senior Pentagon official tells FlightGlobal the Trump Administration will focus resources on developing a sixth-generation fighter on the US Air Force’s F-47 programme, with the US Navy’s new carrier-based equivalent in a holding pattern.
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NewsPentagon acquisitions process ‘inadequate’ for modern threats
An independent review by the US Government Accountability Office describes the Pentagon’s acquisition process as “inadequate” in adapting to evolving threats and integrating emerging innovation, while taking too long to deliver new equipment.
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NewsUS defence secretary casts further doubt on E-7 acquisition plan
In recent congressional testimony, US secretary of defense Pete Hegseth gave the clearest indication yet that his Pentagon has soured on the battlefield value of Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning and control platform.
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NewsRaytheon increases AIM-9X production rate to 2,500 missiles annually
A $1.1 billion contract from the US Navy will support additional production of the heat-seeking missile at a time when Western military leaders warn that stocks of precision munitions are dangerously insufficient for protracted high-intensity conflicts.
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NewsHoneywell: software change could offer 25% boost to F-35 power, cooling
The aviation systems manufacturer is positioning itself as the low-risk choice for a much-anticipated Pentagon programme to upgrade the onboard power generation and cooling capacity of the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter.
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In depthTrump plan for gifted Qatari 747 confounds aviation observers and ethics experts
Aerospace analysts say converting a questionably sourced aircraft for presidential transport does not make financial sense and poses a myriad of security concerns, while ethics lawyers say the move violates rules against American officials receiving gifts from abroad.
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NewsUS accepts Qatari 747-8I BBJ for presidential transport
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has accepted a Boeing 747-8I Boeing Business Jet from Qatar to serve as Air Force One, a mission that will require extensive modifications.
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NewsUS Army completes first flight with GE Aerospace T901 turboshaft
The army’s head of aviation procurement confirmed the recent milestone, amid ongoing uncertainty around the future of the new GE Aerospace turboshaft engine.
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NewsDARPA to fund assembly of only one High Speed Vertical Take-Off and Landing design
Bell and Aurora Flight Sciences have taken radically different approaches in a Pentagon X-plane contest to develop an experimental aircraft capable of taking off and landing vertically, while also achieving fixed-wing jet speeds in horizontal flight.
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NewsPentagon sending decommissioned F-16s to Ukraine for spare parts
The US Air Force says it is providing non-operational Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters to Ukraine to support the sustainment of Kyiv’s fleet of used jets provided by European allies.
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NewsUS Army targets ‘obsolete’ aircraft for cuts, including AH-64D and MQ-1C
In a sweeping overhaul of the service’s force structure, senior Pentagon officials have directed the US Army to end procurement of “obsolete” and “outdated” aircraft platforms, including the Boeing AH-64D and General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle uncrewed aerial vehicle.