News:
U.S. Air Force certifies SpaceX for military launches -
SpaceX has been certified for military space launch, the U.S. Air Force announced May 26. The long-awaited announcement is a game changer, with SpaceX becoming only the second provider cleared by the service to launch national security payloads into orbit.
Business:
Northrop Grumman CEO issues rare Pentagon rebuke over research red tape -
Northrop Grumman chief pushed back against a new Pentagon policy requiring firms to get Defense Department approval for company funded research projects.
Lockheed to upgrade Japanese AEGIS destroyer for ABM use -
Lockheed Martin was handed a $69.7 million contract external link to upgrade two Japanese Defense Force Atago-class Aegis-equipped ships through a Foreign Military Sale. The JDF is reportedly planning external link on building an additional pair of Atago-class ships, with Lockheed Martin having previously been awarded a contract in support of the class.
Marine F-35B conducts first operational testing at sea -
The Marine Corps’ latest fighter jet has completed more than 80 successful sorties as part of its first operational testing at sea.
JLTV: Arkansas likely to approve bonds for Lockheed factory -
Not every vote on a Pentagon program is cast in Washington, D.C. May 26, the Arkansas state legislature convened in special session to decide on an $87 million bond issue to benefit aerospace giant Lockheed Martin. The “super project” at stake — to use the Arkansas statute’s term of art — is the expansion of Lockheed’s East Camden plant so it can build some 50,000 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles.
Northrop CEO: Defense R&D investment lags -
In an era of shrinking federal investment in research and development, heightened cooperation is needed to stimulate innovation in the national security realm, Northrop Grumman CEO Wes Bush said May 26.
Russia no longer wants French-made Mistral helicopter carriers -
Russia is no longer interested in receiving the two helicopter carrier ships ordered from France but which Paris held back due to the Ukraine crisis, and has decided to build its own vessels instead.
DigitalGlobe, Saab venture sees big returns from 3-D model of world -
U.S. satellite imagery provider DigitalGlobe Inc and Sweden’s Saab AB on Tuesday announced a new joint venture aimed at building an accurate 3-D model of the earth and capturing billions of dollars in new business.
NEW VIDEO: Boeing confident in SB-1 design for Pentagon’s Future Vertical Lift -
Boeing is banking on its partnership with Sikorsky on the SB-1 Defiant demonstrator to help usher in the next generation of rotorcraft for Army but still anticipates that its long-serving AH-64 Apaches and CH-47 Chinooks will continue to dominate the skies out to 2060.
Navy seeks sensor for IR threat classification -
The Navy is looking for an infrared detection system that can classify threats.
Aerojet Rocketdyne begins hot-fire tests in support of Air Force program -
Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed the first in a series of hot-fire tests on the sub-scale oxygen rich pre-burner in support of the U.S. Air Force Hydrocarbon Boost Technology Demonstrator program.
Pentagon firming F-35 Block 4 configuration -
As the Pentagon decides what new combat capabilities to “bake” into the Block 4 configuration of theLockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, there is concern about planned upgrades sliding beyond Block 3F, and about the overall price tag as those modifications are rolled out in the early 2020s.
Air Force orders radar systems for Reaper UAV -
General Atomics has been awarded a $23 million Air Force contract for UAV radars.
Second batch of UH-60s arrive in Taiwan -
The second batch of four Republic of China Army Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopters arrived in at Kaohsiung Harbour in Taiwan May 24, the country’s Ministry of National Defense has announced.
France completes AWACS upgrade -
France has declared initial operating capability for its modernized Airborne Warning and Control System fleet.
Egypt reportedly to buy 46 MiG-29s -
Egypt has agreed a deal to buy 46 MiG-29 multirole fighters in a deal that could be worth around $2 billion, Russian business daily Vedomosti reported May 25.
Defense:
Dueling retirement reform plans mean more time for debate -
The most important difference between the Senate and House military retirement reform plans may just be that they’re different.
Pentagon wants missile defense upgrades, not East Coast site -
Lawmakers are pressing the Defense Department to move forward with plans to build a missile defense site in the continental U.S.
Navy, contractors trimming weight on both LCS variants ahead of frigate design -
The Navy is working with shipbuilders Austal USA and Lockheed Martin to take weight out of its current Littoral Combat Ships and future frigate design to allow for the addition of more armor and weapons, the Navy has told USNI News.
Navy preps to build next generation LXR amphibious assault ship -
The Navy is preparing to build its new LXR amphibious assault ship in order to meet the fast-rising need for amphibs across the globe, Congressional sources said.
U.S. Navy names 23rd Virginia-class attack submarine -
The U.S. Navy has selected a name for its 23rd Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, as officials announced May 24 that SSN 796 is to bear the name USS New Jersey.
Air Force missileers test-launch ICBM while airborne -
Air Force missile crews test-launched another unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile May 27, the third since late March – only this time the missileers were in the air.
Air Force has new ‘pulse’ super weapon -
The Air Force has reportedly picked Lockheed Martin’s long-range Joint Air-to-Surface Missile to carry a new “superweapon” – a pulse-generatd beam weapon capable of destroying electronics and computers from miles away.
Veterans:
VA construction fight damages ties with Congress -
Construction of the embattled Denver Veterans Affairs hospital is safe for now, but the goodwill that VA officials have tried to build with Congress over the last year appears to be in ruins.
Nebraska pilot’s remains found in Germany, Pentagon says -
The Pentagon says the remains of a Nebraska fighter pilot missing since World War II have been found in Germany.
What Veterans Affairs won’t pay for: Chance for the wounded to have kids -
The VA doesn’t pay for in vitro fertilization, even for those with spinal cord or genital injuries, because of a 23-year-old law.
Veterans History Project nears milestone of 100,000 oral histories at Library of Congress -
The Library of Congress has been working to build an oral history collection to capture veterans’ memories of war, and the project is nearing a milestone of 100,000 records.
‘Insane schedule’ begins for WWI memorial design, construction -
The National World War I Memorial Design Competition officially kicked off last week. It’s open to all, and there’s a $25,000 cash prize for each of the designs selected as finalists in the second round of the contest.
International:
White paper outlines China’s ambitions -
China released its first white paper on military strategy May 26, just two weeks after the release of the Pentagon’s annual report to the U.S. Congress on China’s military and security developments.
Italy releases 2015 defense budget -
Italy has released its final defense ministry budget for 2015, showing that spending continues to decline, although once again procurement gets a hefty top-up from the coffers of Italy’s industry ministry.
Japan to join U.S., Australia war games amid growing China tensions -
Japan will join a major U.S.-Australian military exercise for the first time in a sign of growing security links between the three countries as tensions fester over China’s island building in the South China Sea.