Tests of Boeing’s MQ-25A Stringray prototype in St. Louis. Boeing Image
The first unmanned tanker to operate from an aircraft carrier is set to be the first major program in the Navy’s emerging unmanned campaign plan, the service’s top acquisition officer told reporters on Thursday. Read More
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and U.S. Sailors manning the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Test Complex (AAMDTC) at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) at Kauai, Hawaii, successfully conducted Flight Test Integrated-03 (FTI-03). MDA photo.
The head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command told reporters today he wants the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system to bolster the defense of Guam from Chinese missiles. Read More
A worker in the shipyard’s foundry uses a torch to slice through scrap steel at Newport News Shipbuilding. HII Photo
A trio of large defense contractors belive their financial futures are secure in 2020 and 2021 – even with COVID-19 and a slowed federal budget process.
Norman Bialk TIG welds an aluminum frame in the Hull Outfitting Shop. Newport News Shipbuilding
More than potential supply chain gaps or funding cuts, defense industry productivity during COVID-19 is threatened most by closed schools and a lack of childcare, company executives and government officials have said in the last several weeks.
The following is the May 13, 2020 Congressional Research Service report, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program. Read More
Fincantieri FFG(X) Design based on the FREMM. Fincantieri Image
This post has been updated to include additional information from the Navy.
The Navy awarded a $795-million contract to Fincantieri to begin building a new class of guided-missile frigates, in the first new major shipbuilding program the service has started in more than a decade, the Navy announced today. Read More
A U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II, attached to Commander, Joint Strike Fighter Wing, the ‘Argonauts’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, completes a flight over Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Feb. 1, 2019. US Navy Photo
COVID-19 is slowing F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter production because of supply chain disruptions caused by national and international attempts to stop the spread of the sickness, prime contractor Lockheed Martin said Tuesday. Read More
Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed Martin, addresses her remarks to President Donald J. Trump, joined by Vice President Mike Pence, during the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board Meeting on March 6, 2019. White House Photo
Marillyn Hewson is stepping down as chief executive of Lockheed Martin after running the defense contractor since 2014.
An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41 sits chocked and chained on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) on Aug. 24, 2018. US Navy Photo
THE PENTAGON – The Navy wants to truncate production of the legacy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in favor of pumping money into accelerating the development of its long-gestating next-generation carrier-based fighter program, the service revealed in its Fiscal Year 2021 budget request. Read More
Artist’s concept of a hypersonic vehicle. DARPA Photo
The Navy will focus in 2020 on developing hypersonic weapons at breakneck speed, with testing to occur throughout the year, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly said Friday in a message to the fleet.
