Dave Majumdar

About Dave Majumdar

Dave Majumdar has been covering defense since 2004. He has written for Flight International, Defense News and C4ISR Journal. Majumdar studied Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary and is a student of naval history.


Recent Posts By the Author


Pentagon Kicks Off New Technology Initiative

Pentagon Kicks Off New Technology Initiative

A microwave/electro-optic (MS32) electronics engineer at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Corona Division, uses visible lasers to align various optical components on Aug. 29, 2014. US Navy Photo

A microwave/electro-optic (MS32) electronics engineer at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Corona Division, uses visible lasers to align various optical components on Aug. 29, 2014. US Navy Photo

The U.S. Defense Department is projecting a future where the United States will no longer hold an insurmountable advantage over its adversaries. As such, the Pentagon is launching an initiative to spur technological innovation in an attempt to maintain America’s military edge. Read More

Iran Claims Successful Test Flight of Stealth UAV

Iran Claims Successful Test Flight of Stealth UAV

Screenshot of Iranian PressTV footage of the Iranian copy of a Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). PressTV via YouTube

Screenshot of Iranian PressTV footage of the Iranian copy of an American RQ-170 Sentinel Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). PressTV via YouTube

Iran claims to have test flown a domestically built copy of a Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that crashed in country in 2011, according to local press reports. Read More

New Chinese Stealth Fighter Relies on Russian Jet Engine

New Chinese Stealth Fighter Relies on Russian Jet Engine

An undated photo of the Shenyang-J-31

An undated photo of the Shenyang-J-31

The Chinese Shenyang J-31 stealth fighter will use Russian-built engines when it enters production. The prototype was known use Klimov RD-93 engines, which were derived from the Soviet-era Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum’s RD-33 afterburning turbofans. Many observers had expected the new Chinese fifth-generation fighter to eventually sport domestically developed engines. Read More

Foreign F-35 Partners Allowed More Freedom to Customize Fighter Software

Foreign F-35 Partners Allowed More Freedom to Customize Fighter Software

An undated picture of five F-35B and a single F-35C. Lockheed Martin Photo

An undated picture of five F-35B and a single F-35C. Lockheed Martin Photo

Foreign air forces ordering the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) will be able to customize the mission data packages loaded onto their aircraft in a compromise that defense officials say both preserves U.S. security and allows allies a greater degree of customization of their fighters. Read More

U.S. Marines to Retire Harrier Fleet Earlier Than Planned, Extend Life of Hornets

U.S. Marines to Retire Harrier Fleet Earlier Than Planned, Extend Life of Hornets

AV-8B Harriers sit on the flight deck at night aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD-5) on Oct. 3, 2014. US Navy Photo

AV-8B Harriers sit on the flight deck at night aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD-5) on Oct. 3, 2014. US Navy Photo

The U.S. Marine Corps will phase out the Boeing AV-8B Harrier II jump jet by 2025 — about five years earlier than planned — and will instead extend the life of its fleet of aging Boeing F/A-18 Hornet strike fighters, according to the service’s recently released 2015 aviation plan. Read More

F-35C's First Carrier Landing Scheduled for Next Week

F-35C’s First Carrier Landing Scheduled for Next Week

Lt. Scott Cleveland, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, is directed to park the F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter after landing at Naval Air Station Oceana. US Navy Photo

Lt. Scott Cleveland, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, is directed to park the F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter after landing at Naval Air Station Oceana. US Navy Photo

The naval variant of the tri-service Lockheed Martin F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter is set to land upon the deck of USS Nimitz (CVN-68) next week. Two of the single-engine F-35C stealth fighters are set to carry out a set of sea trials onboard the carrier to ensure that the jets can operate safely from the flight deck. Read More