Italy Signs Up for JSF: Italy has signed the Joint Strike Fighter memorandum of understanding to proceed with the next phase of the program, according to a Defense Department release. The MOU covers production, sustainment, and follow-on development. Norway was the most recent to sign a similar MOU, and the Pentagon has reached agreements with Australia, Britain, Canada, the Netherlands, and Turkey. Denmark is expected to sign the MOU by the end of February.
The Air Force on March 12 awarded contract modifications worth a combined $2.4 billion to Boeing to procure an undisclosed number of E-7 Wedgetail as part of the program's engineering and manufacturing development phase and continue work on the airborne battle management aircraft’s radar.