Farnborough Preview: Navarro Leads US Sales Push; Reaper Flies Atlantic To RIAT

Farnborough Preview: Navarro Leads US Sales Push; Reaper Flies Atlantic To RIAT
Farnborough Preview: Navarro Leads US Sales Push; Reaper Flies Atlantic To RIAT

WASHINGTON: No Russians. Few Chinese. The F-35. And the man who has led the charge in America’s trade wars, Peter Navarro, at the head the American delegation, with lots of other senior American officials along eager to boost bilateral sales of US weapons and civilian aircraft. Those are the early outlines of what we’ll see at this…

Army Anti-Aircraft Stryker Can Kill Tanks Too

Army Anti-Aircraft Stryker Can Kill Tanks Too
Army Anti-Aircraft Stryker Can Kill Tanks Too

With its eyes firmly on Russia, the US Army is racing to field 8×8 Strykers with an array of weapons that can down enemy aircraft — from drones to helicopters to jets — and incidentally make enemy tanks think twice. The first prototypes will be delivered next year, with up to 144 (four battalions) by…

Congress Divided On $75M For Army Scout Aircraft: Fly The Deadly Skies

Congress Divided On $75M For Army Scout Aircraft: Fly The Deadly Skies
Congress Divided On $75M For Army Scout Aircraft: Fly The Deadly Skies

WASHINGTON: Senate appropriators want to give the Army $75.4 million to kick-start its new scout aircraft, but key authorizers told us they are skeptical. (House appropriators are so far silent). The crucial questions: Can a manned, low-altitude, lightweight aircraft survive against the Russian threat? And can the Army afford the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA)…

SASC NDAA Would Add $500M For Cruise Missile Defense

SASC NDAA Would Add $500M For Cruise Missile Defense
SASC NDAA Would Add $500M For Cruise Missile Defense

WASHINGTON: The Senate Armed Services Committee has lost patience with the Army program to develop cruise missile defenses, IFPC, and reallocated $500 million to buy an off-the-shelf alternative by 2020. The system would defend US bases abroad from Russian, Chinese, Iranian, or North Korean strikes. While the bill language and SASC staff are careful not…

SOCOM Looks To Field New Drones, Upgrade Comms — Fast

SOCOM Looks To Field New Drones, Upgrade Comms — Fast
SOCOM Looks To Field New Drones, Upgrade Comms — Fast

The head of the Special Operations Command is concerned that even the most advanced tech his troops use in the field today is being aged out, given rapid advances in commercial technologies that have overtaken military-grade gear.

HASC Endorses Mattis Infantry Task Force – With Some Suggestions

HASC Endorses Mattis Infantry Task Force – With Some Suggestions
HASC Endorses Mattis Infantry Task Force – With Some Suggestions

The amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act came from freshman Congressman Jimmy Panetta, son of former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and a Navy Reserve veteran of Afghanistan.

Marines Want Armored Recon Prototypes By 2023: F-35 On Wheels Or FCS Redux?

Marines Want Armored Recon Prototypes By 2023: F-35 On Wheels Or FCS Redux?
Marines Want Armored Recon Prototypes By 2023: F-35 On Wheels Or FCS Redux?

It’s important to explore a wide range of options and not lock down requirements too early, Lt. Gen. Walsh said. (By contrast, FCS set precise objectives and only then looked to see if they were possible). “We’re trying to solve the problem of what is reconnaissance (and) counter-reconnaissance in the future,” he said, not simply replace an old vehicle with a new one.

Army Says It Needs $2B More Per Year For Big Six: Over Half For Air & Missile Defense

Army Says It Needs $2B More Per Year For Big Six: Over Half For Air & Missile Defense
Army Says It Needs $2B More Per Year For Big Six: Over Half For Air & Missile Defense

Looking to spend billions more on its top modernization programs, the Army is changing things up by spending those dollars in places that might come as a bit of a surprise.

Marines Reorganize Infantry For High-Tech War: Fewer Riflemen, More Drones

Marines Reorganize Infantry For High-Tech War: Fewer Riflemen, More Drones
Marines Reorganize Infantry For High-Tech War: Fewer Riflemen, More Drones

“Everything that Marine wears — from their boots to their socks to their utilities to their helmet — is all going to be changed,” the Commandant said. “We’ve got money now to do that, and so we’ve got to make it happen now. We’ve got to make it happen now, because I’m not going to make the assumption that that money’s going to be there.”

Pentagon’s Big AI Program, Maven, Already Hunts Data in Middle East, Africa

Pentagon’s Big AI Program, Maven, Already Hunts Data in Middle East, Africa
Pentagon’s Big AI Program, Maven, Already Hunts Data in Middle East, Africa

Project Maven has made huge strides in its first year, but the key is remaining open to updates from whoever has the best idea for new algorithms, and new code, a military leader says.

Allies Must Develop Own Robots, Not Just ‘Copy’ US: Aussie War College Chief

Allies Must Develop Own Robots, Not Just ‘Copy’ US: Aussie War College Chief
Allies Must Develop Own Robots, Not Just ‘Copy’ US: Aussie War College Chief

“If at some point in future, you need to expand your capability, expand your military,” Maj. Gen. Ryan said, “Australia’s at the end of a very long line of industrial resupply, and we might want to have the capacity ourselves.”

Marine Corps Braces For 2020 Budget Cuts: Gen. Neller

Marine Corps Braces For 2020 Budget Cuts: Gen. Neller
Marine Corps Braces For 2020 Budget Cuts: Gen. Neller

The Marines are plenty happy about getting more money in 2018 and 2019, but are nervously eyeing the potential return of sequestration in 2020. And it’s influencing how the Corps is spending that money today.

Trump Loosens Rules on Drone Sales, Pledges More Arms Sales

Trump Loosens Rules on Drone Sales, Pledges More Arms Sales
Trump Loosens Rules on Drone Sales, Pledges More Arms Sales

The new rules, which are still a work in progress, will allow for easier export of laser-designating drones, while shipping more and more weapons overseas to cut into Chinese and Russian sales.

Coast Guard Fears Two-Year Budget Boost Just A Blip: Adm. Zukunft

Coast Guard Fears Two-Year Budget Boost Just A Blip: Adm. Zukunft
Coast Guard Fears Two-Year Budget Boost Just A Blip: Adm. Zukunft

Adm. Zukunft says he doesn’t want to return to the old culture of “martyrdom” when the service prided itself on doing more with less even as it ran its equipment and people into the ground.