The Air Force's new tactical aviation study will determine if a surge in F-35 production is needed in order to buy out the planned 1,763 airplanes before the 2040s. But that decision also will depend on funding, contractor capacity, and the need for complementary aircraft, ...
Lockheed Martin and the U.S. government are working on a new version of the F-35 performance-based logistics deal the company pitched 18 months ago. The government was reluctant to give Lockheed as much sway over sustainment as it originally offered, but the new plan will ...
After years of Lot-over-Lot price reductions on the F-35, it will be hard to drive them much lower in the next negotiation, Greg Ulmer, Lockheed Martin executive vice president for aeronautics, told defense writers on Feb. 19. Ulmer said the next three lots will include ...
Sikorsky will finish its to-do list of developmental flight testing requirements for the Air Force’s new fleet of combat search-and-rescue helicopters in the next month or so, and is gearing up to deliver one chopper per month starting this summer, company officials told reporters Feb. ...
A B-1B bomber from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., landed in Bengaluru, India, on Feb. 3 as part of the Aero India trade show, marking the first time a U.S. bomber has landed in India since 1945. The Lancer, there for a Bomber Task Force ...
Fighter pilots can’t yet fire lasers on their real jets, but a new wargame series will let them try it out in cyberspace. Armed with computers and virtual reality headsets, F-16 pilots, F-15E weapon system officers, and an E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System air ...
The National Defense Industrial Association gave the defense industrial base another "C" grade in its second annual assessment, based on polling data from member companies. While business is good, companies are finding it hard to get qualified workers and navigate complex government business rules. With ...
Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon are negotiating the next three lots of F-35 production, expecting a contract by the end of the fiscal year, the Joint Program Office reported. The negotiating strategy calls for a “base year” contract followed by two options, likely to allow ...
An independent academic team will assess how ready the F-35 is for full-rate production, and its findings will be integrated into a new program timeline, the Joint Program Office reported. The move follows a full-rate production delay by Pentagon acquisition and sustainment chief Ellen M. ...
The Pentagon awarded Lockheed Martin Space up to $4.9 billion for three geosynchronous Earth-orbiting space vehicles, plus ground mission software, as part of the Overhead Persistent Infrared next-generation space-based missile warning systems. OPIR will eventually include the three GEO satellites from Lockheed, along with two ...
The F-35 will miss yet another deadline for completing final tests and being approved for full-scale production, according to a memo from Pentagon acquisition and sustainment chief Ellen Lord. The sticking point is integration of the F-35 with a wargaming simulation system. This has gone ...
SpaceX will carry data-transport and missile-tracking satellites to orbit for the Space Development Agency, the Pentagon said Dec. 31. SpaceX won a $150.5 million contract for two launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., starting in September 2022. The entire constellation of up to 28 ...