The Marine Corps recently conducted its first-ever “ripple” release of eight Small Diameter Bomb IIs from an F-35B, a key early step in proving out the capability for all F-35 variants.
RTX
The U.S. Air Force has conducted the first flight test release of its developing hypersonic cruise missile, with that test taking place in Australia.
The Pentagon on Sept. 28 announced a contract potentially worth $20.7 billion for RTX to build Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles used by Navy and Air Force aircraft and for ground-based interceptors.
The Pentagon has canceled its contract with RTX to field a ground segment to manage its most capable GPS satellites, a more than 15-year effort beleaguered by software development issues and cost overages.
The Space Force awarded Lockheed Martin a $105 million contract to continue supporting its interim GPS ground system as the Pentagon considers the future of a broader, long-delayed modernization effort.
The Pentagon on March 30 announced a a $3.8 billion contract modification to buy F135 engines for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter from contractor Pratt & Whitney.
Amid persistent development and testing delays, the Space Force is considering canceling a long-delayed effort to develop a ground system to manage its newest GPS satellites, a spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Defense specialists’ stock prices jumped March 2, the first day of trading since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, led by the makers of munitions, high-tech defense specialists, and major prime contractors.
Raytheon, a division of defense giant RTX, recently announced a multiyear deal with the Pentagon to increase annual production of the Air Force’s primary dogfighting missile by more than 50 percent from two years ago.
Following the Trump administration’s call for defense companies to prioritize investments in production capacity and technology development over shareholder payouts, some of the Pentagon’s largest prime contractors say they’re attempting to strike a balance between the government’s needs and investor demands.
RTX’s Raytheon unit was able to “significantly” extend the range of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile using mostly software changes in experimental tests last year, expanding the reach and lethality of the standard U.S. dogfighting weapon, company officials said Sept. 15.
In a pair of major contracts announced July 31, the Pentagon awarded a combined $7.8 billion for new missiles, including JASSM and AMRAAM.