Northrop Grumman is now flight testing the advanced fire-control radar system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The active electronically scanned array radar—AN/APG-81—has checked out in top form against airborne and ground-based targets, stated a company news release. Northrop plans to deliver the first system to Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Tex., in November. There it will meet up with the other F-35 avionics for additional testing.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.