All Department of Defense articles – Page 3
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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service’s force structure, senior Pentagon officials have directed the US Army to end procurement of “obsolete” and “outdated” aircraft platforms, including the Boeing AH-64D and General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle uncrewed aerial vehicle.
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NewsAurora completes wind-tunnel testing on experimental fan-in-wing design
Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences is a finalist in an X-plane competition organised by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to deliver a vertical-take-off-and-landing-capable aircraft that can also fly at fixed-wing-jet speeds.
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In depthLockheed will not protest Boeing win in USAF sixth-generation fighter effort
Although the military airframer was unsuccessful in its bid to produce the US Air Force’s forthcoming sixth-generation fighter, Lockheed Martin plans to incorporate design features from the prototype into the F-35 chassis for an aircraft that can deliver “80% of sixth-generation capability” at a reduced price.
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AnalysisTrump Administration takes aim at reforming sluggish arms export system
The creaking bureaucracy associated with the USA’s Foreign Military Sales system has long been the subject of criticism from Pentagon leaders and defence industry executives.
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NewsSierra Nevada expanding Australia presence amid AUKUS optimism
The American military systems integrator recently opened a subsidiary based in Adelaide, which will help support Australian acquisition programmes including the Boeing P-8 and Northrop Grumman MQ-4C, while also expanding the domestic production of defence technology.
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AnalysisWashington moves to deepen industrial ties with Australia amid regional tensions
Under an initiative dubbed the Regional Sustainment Framework, the Pentagon aims to push certain maintenance, repair and overhaul functions forward to overseas partners around the Indo-Pacific, with Australia as the initial target.
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In depth‘There is no kill switch’: Pentagon denies F-35 rumours as calls grow to ditch US defence products
With allied governments and industrial competitors now openly discussing possible cancellation of orders for the American stealth fighter, the Pentagon’s F-35 office is officially denying unsubstantiated rumours it can remotely disable the jets of overseas operators.
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NewsCollins advances bid to supply new F-35 power and cooling system
Although the Pentagon has not decided how to address long-term power and cooling needs of the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter, aviation systems supplier Collins Aerospace is hoping to oust current provider Honeywell Aerospace on the lucrative programme.
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NewsPentagon deploys additional aviation assets to US-Mexico border
Some 650 military aviation personnel from the US Army are being sent to the USA’s frontier with Mexico, including Sikorsky UH-60 and Boeing CH-47 helicopter crews, as part of Trump administration’s ongoing border security push.
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In depthF-15EX deemed effective against fifth-generation threats in Pentagon evaluation
The latest version of the venerable Boeing multi-role fighter has been assessed as operationally effective in an air superiority role by Pentagon auditors, including against fifth-generation aircraft operated by adversary forces.
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NewsNo more ‘must win competitions’ for Lockheed under de-risking strategy: CEO Taiclet
Chief executive James Taiclet says the defence giant has repositioned its portfolio of development programmes, including by accepting some short-term penalties in 2024 on a secretive aircraft development programme.
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NewsPentagon reduces withholding on F-35 payments, citing Lockheed’s progress on TR-3 development
Although the much-delayed Technical Refresh 3 update to the F-35 stealth fighter remains a work in progress, manufacturer Lockheed Martin has made sufficient advances that the Pentagon is now only withholding $3.8 million per aircraft, down from $5 million previously.
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NewsUS Air Force expands funding for sixth-generation engine development
Despite uncertainty over the future of its sixth-generation fighter development programme, the US Air Force is committing fresh funding toward a separate effort to develop a propulsion solution for “future air dominance platforms”.
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NewsTrump Administration orders military aircraft to support border crackdown
The Pentagon says fixed-wing transports will be used to repatriate some 5,000 undocumented migrants detained by US customs officials, while additional rotary-wing assets and crews will be deployed to the US-Mexico border to support monitoring efforts.