LRASM Clears Integration Milestone for Use on the B-1B
The Air Force recently tested the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile on the B-1B Lancer, clearing a key milestone for integrating the weapon on its bombers.
Deep-Space Radar on Track Despite Early Construction Delays, Space Force Says
The Space Force approved the first of three deep-space radars for early operational use last fall, but construction delays at the ground-based radar site in Western Australia are holding up the program, according to a government watchdog.
Editorial: Go Big on Airpower
China’s rise, Iranian terror, and Russian belligerence point to the enduring need for deterrent airpower. Scale matters. The U.S. Air Force may not need to match China plane for plane, but it cannot continue to shrink to a shadow of its former size. Airpower is crucial to the effectiveness of the entire joint force. Failing to maximize USAF purchases today risks dooming the U.S. military tomorrow.
F-35 Gets Its Name
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley announces that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be called the Lightning II at a ceremony unveiling the first flight-test model at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texas, facility. The moniker is...
Radar Sweep
Turkey and European NATO Allies Draw Closer, but Tensions Remain: Experts
Breaking Defense
As the NATO summit in Ankara approaches, several analysts say that recent conflicts and shifting defense priorities have strengthened the relationship between Turkey and NATO allies, including for their respective defense industries, but real pressure points remain.
DIU Reshaping Its Tech Priorities and Portfolio Teams Under New Leadership
DefenseScoop
The Defense Innovation Unit is undergoing a major reorganization effort that will overhaul and collapse its operational portfolios from seven to three technology priorities “where speed, scale, and lethality intersect,” two sources told DefenseScoop.
China Conducts Rare Long-Range Missile Test, Rattling US Allies
NBC News
China test-fired a long-range ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean on July 6, state media reported, drawing criticism from U.S. allies concerned about Beijing’s intensifying military activity in the region.
IRGC Fires Missiles at Ships in Strait of Hormuz
The Wall Street Journal
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired missiles at two commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz early July 7, according to a senior U.S. official, marking an escalation that threatens to complicate negotiations to end the U.S.-Iran war.
US Troops Working in Venezuelan Airport Tower as Aid Flows In
Task & Purpose
U.S. Airmen and Marines have been helping to staff the air traffic control tower at Venezuela’s main international airport, the primary lifeline for airlifted aid following two major earthquakes, according to U.S. Southern Command, or SOUTHCOM.
Ondas Makes $876M Acquisition of DYZNE, Latest in Acquisition Spree
Breaking Defense
Autonomy firm Ondas Inc. has finalized an $875.8 million deal to acquire drone and counter-drone company DYZNE, Ondas executives told reporters July 6.
US Troops Returning to Poland in ‘Coming Weeks,’ Defense Minister Says
The Hill
The rotation of U.S. service members in Poland, which was paused by the Pentagon earlier this year, will return to the Central European country in the “coming weeks,” Poland’s Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on July 6.
AFA Opposes Proposed Robotic and Autonomous Command
AFA
The Air & Space Forces Association (AFA), in a letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Ranking Member Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), expressed its strong objection to pending legislation intended to establish a new combatant command for Robotic and Autonomous Systems.
Defense Logistics Agency Modernizing at Same Pace as Services
National Defense Magazine
The U.S. military services are modernizing to transform alongside today’s ever-changing battlefield—and the Defense Logistics Agency is moving out on similar operational updates.
Staff Sergeant Becomes Only Airman in His Class to Complete Army Air Assault School
Air Force Times
An Air Force staff sergeant enjoyed a rare distinction recently as the only Airman in his class to complete the 10-day U.S. Army Air Assault School.