UPDATED WITH PENTAGON RESPONSE Capitol Hill: Faced with a torrent of counterfeit parts that pose a serious risk to the lives of American servicemen and to the performance of sophisticated weapons, Sen. Carl Levin pledged today to push for new laws and policies to help curb the problem. Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services…
By Colin ClarkWashington: A relatively small unmanned aircraft struck a C-130 cargo plane over Afghanistan, injuring no one but raising questions anew about whether drones can fly safely in American airspace. For more news and information on the swiftly-changing defense industry, please sign up for the Breaking Defense newsletter. You can also catch us on Twitter @BreakingDefense.…
By Colin ClarkThe U.S. military faces a readiness crisis. A recent Congressional hearing generated headlines about the Navy’s surface fleet falling into disrepair. But that was news four years ago. Across all the services, long-standing readiness problems are worsening; breakdowns are happening more frequently. Several years ago, an Air Force F-15C literally broke in half during flight.…
By Mackenzie EaglenThe C-130J, originally foisted by Congress on an Air Force that didn’t really want it, has since become a staple of the U.S. and many foreign air forces. The House Appropriations Committee approved $1.1 billion for 11 Js in its version of the 2012 spending bill compared to $988.2 billion approved by their Senate colleagues.…
By Colin Clark