Radar Sweep
The F-35 at 20: How Its Successes, and Failures, Shaped the Aerospace Industry
On Friday, Oct. 26, 2001, executives and employees from the nation’s two biggest defense primes gathered in boardrooms and sprawling production facilities to watch a Pentagon press conference. At stake: the Joint Strike Fighter competition, which would decide who would dominate the next 40 years of the defense aerospace industry—and rake in hundreds of billions in profits.
CyberPatriot Draws Record Number of Teams in 14th Season
The Air Force Association’s CyberPatriot program launched its 14th season with more than 5,200 teams, an encouraging sign that the annual National Youth Cyber Defense Competition is back on the rise to its pre-pandemic participation. “We are excited to see so many teams registered for CyberPatriot XIV,” said Rachel Zimmerman, CyberPatriot’s director of business operations.
Raytheon CEO: Air Force May Not Be Able to Afford New F-35 Engine
The Air Force may decide that it can’t afford to build an entirely new, advanced engine for its F-35A Lightning II fighter jet, the Raytheon Technologies chief executive said Oct. 26. In 2016, the Air Force awarded Raytheon-owned Pratt & Whitney and General Electric Aviation each a billion-dollar contract to develop a new F-35A engine under the Adaptive Engine Transition Program. This engine is intended to deliver better fuel efficiency and thrust by using a third stream of air.
Lockheed’s Acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne Delayed
Lockheed Martin’s proposed $4.4 billion acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne is now set to take place during the first quarter of 2022, Lockheed Martin’s chief executive announced Oct. 26, dashing plans for the deal to close this year. “The Aerojet Rocketdyne transaction continues moving through the regulatory approval process, and we now anticipate closing in the first quarter of 2022,” said Lockheed CEO James Taiclet during an earnings call with investors.
Senators Hit Pentagon’s ‘Lax’ Response to Sexual Assault
A bipartisan group of senators criticized the Defense Department on Oct. 26 for moving too slowly to combat sexual assault in the ranks. The group of eight senators, including three who serve on the Armed Services Committee, made their views known in a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III that expressed their “disappointment and concern” with the Pentagon’s “vague approach and lax timeline,” in particular Austin’s decision to take up to nine years to implement key elements of the department’s response to the problem.
VIDEO: Aerospace Nation: Gen. Mark D. Kelly
In a virtual Aerospace Nation event with the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, Gen. Mark D. Kelly, commander of Air Combat Command, discussed how Air Combat Command is training Airmen and building the future force in the era of great power competition. Retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute, moderated the discussion and facilitated audience Q&A.
Lockheed, Raytheon Cite Afghanistan Withdrawal Impact; General Dynamics, Northrop Earnings Due
Lockheed Martin's third-quarter revenue fell short of Wall Street's expectations, while Raytheon Technologies' earnings were seen soaring. Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics report third-quarter earnings this week.
India’s Stealthy Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle Demonstrator Breaks Cover
India’s unmanned combat air vehicle subscale drone demonstrator has appeared for the first time, revealing details of the flying wing design. The unmanned aerial vehicle, known as the SWiFT, is intended to serve as a proof of concept for a planned production combat drone, the Ghatak, which is reportedly being developed primarily as an unmanned bomber.
The Difference Between Air Force and Navy Pilots in One Short Video
You can actually tell a lot about an aircraft, and about the pilot behind the stick, just by the way it hits the runway. That was on full display on the Air Force subreddit on Monday, where a user posted a TikTok video of an F-16 fighter jet landing at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., followed soon after by an E/A-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft. Though it’s unclear which unit the aircraft belongs to, there’s a big difference between how the two hit the ground, and it has a lot to do with how Air Force and Navy pilots are trained.