All Department of Defense articles – Page 7
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NewsIran-linked UAV reportedly struck US base by approaching behind friendly aircraft
Unconfirmed reports suggest an Iranian-backed militia group was able to strike a US base in Jordan by flying an uncrewed aerial vehicle behind an American aircraft preparing to land at the site.
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NewsCroatia approved for $500m Black Hawk purchase
Arms export regulators at the US Department of State signed off on the deal between NATO member Croatia and US helicopter maker Sikorsky for eight UH-60 Black Hawk multi-role rotorcraft.
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NewsAdditional US manufacturers join USAF autonomous fighter effort
Three additional aerospace manufacturers – Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman – have confirmed they will participate in a US Air Force effort to develop autonomous fighter jets known as collaborative combat aircraft.
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NewsLockheed warns of fresh TR-3 schedule risk as F-35 shipments slow
Lockheed Martin chief executive James Taiclet has warned of another potential schedule slip for the F-35 programme’s Technical Refresh 3 (TR-3) activity, as shipments of the fifth-generation type fell below triple figures last year.
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NewsPentagon unveils first-ever national strategy for defence industry
The new National Defense Industrial Strategy hopes to address significant challenges that arose within critical manufacturers following the Covid-19 pandemic, including lack of critical inventory and labour shortages, and a slow-to-adapt government acquisition process.
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NewsAurora begins fabrication of X-65 ‘active flow control’ jet
The Boeing subsidiary is under contract by the Pentagon’s secretive Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to design and fabricate a novel aircraft that uses so-called “active flow control’ to manoeuvre, rather than traditional mechanical aerodynamic surfaces like flaps and rudders.
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NewsUS Congress restores funding to F-35 adaptive engine programme
Although the Pentagon wants to move on from the Adaptive Engine Transition Programme, lawmakers in the US Capitol approved $280 million in 2024 to fund the research programme that generated two prototype adaptive cycle powerplants for the F-35 stealth fighter.
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NewsUS Congress halts KC-135 replacement until USAF produces stealth tanker acquisition plan
The 2024 defence spending plan approved by lawmakers in Washington bars the US Air Force from issuing a formal strategy to phase out the ageing Boeing KC-135 tanker fleet, until the service produces an acquisition strategy for the Next Generation Air-refuelling System survivable tanker.
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NewsUS defence spending bill could expose new details of sixth-generation fighter development
Language included in the 2024 US defence spending plan will require the Pentagon to provide greater insight into how it plans to develop and field the next generation of combat aircraft, including sixth-generation fighters and autonomous support jets.
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NewsUS Congress approves nearly 12% reduction to A-10 fleet
For the second consecutive year, lawmakers who control US defence spending have approved the retirement of some Fairchild Republic A-10 attack jets, a move long-sought by US Air Force leaders.
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NewsPratt & Whitney wins sole-source contract for F-35 engine upgrade
Although the Pentagon had already declared its intent to advance the Engine Core Upgrade programme for the F135 engine, the sole-source contract announcement solidifies Pratt & Whitney’s position as the F-35 propulsion supplier for another decade.
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NewsPentagon invests $3.7m in composites manufacturer Qarbon Aerospace
The contract with Texas-based Qarbon Aerospace will support the design and manufacture of advanced lightweight continuous fibre thermoplastic composite structures intended for national defence aviation applications.
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News‘Kinetic and non-kinetic’ solutions needed to defend against uncrewed aircraft: Pentagon
The US military’s top officer focused on countering uncrewed aerial systems says addressing the growing threat will require a mix of offensive and defensive equipment, including interceptor missiles, electronic warfare and microwave and laser-based systems.
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NewsPentagon orders AC-130J strike in Iraq
The lethal action follows other strikes in Syria, which Washington says it ordered against Iranian-affiliated groups in response to aggression against American ground and naval forces in the region.
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NewsAurora proposes fan-in-wing aircraft for DARPA Sprint competition
Revealing the second of four designs for DARPA’s Speed and Runway Independent Technologies aircraft development programme, Boeing subsidiary Aurora is opting for a blended-wing-body approach using fan-in-wing rotors for vertical lift.
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NewsUSA launches F-15 strikes and B-1 flights over the Middle East following MQ-9 downing
American air power is on full display across the Middle East, with a B-1 bomber flight and lethal strikes from F-15 fighters coming the same day a US Air Force MQ-9 UAV was downed by rebel fighters in Yemen.
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NewsTextron Aviation wins $100 million Pentagon contract to sell turboprops to foreign governments
The Foreign Military Sales agreement allows Textron Aviation, over five years, to deliver to overseas buyers aircraft including Cessna SkyCouriers, Grand Caravan EXs and Beechcraft King Airs.
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In depthUS strikes targets in Syria after attacks on American bases
Without revealing how the operation was carried out, the Pentagon says it has struck targets in eastern Syria, including sites used by Iranian military operatives, after militant groups in the area attacked American bases in the area, injuring more than 20 US personnel and killing one contractor.
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NewsPentagon unveils maintenance partnership with South American operators
US Southern Command is rolling out an initiative with partner nations in South America to improve logistics on the continent and operator-level maintenance of US-built platforms, such as the Lockheed Martin C-130.
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In depthPentagon details ‘sharp increase’ in aggressive intercepts by Chinese aircraft
Military officials in Washington say they have logged some 300 incidents over the past two years in which aircraft from China’s People’s Liberation Army conducted what the Pentagon calls ‘coercive and risky’ intercepts of US and allied crews operating lawfully in the East and South China Seas.