F-35 program could reshuffle long-term upgrade plan, deliver TR-3 jets early without full capability
“I’m getting tired of over-promising and under-delivering,” F-35 program head Air Force Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt said.
By Michael MarrowFuture inevitability of quantum computers is a security problem today
‘Store Now, Decrypt Later’ attacks must be thwarted now with Zero Trust cybersecurity.
While the Pentagon now expects the plane to fly until 2088, GAO found the services are planning to slash flight hours, which can help hold down the program’s topline.
By Michael Marrow
Older F-35 stealth fighters were slated to start getting the Technology Refresh 3 upgrade this month, but the Pentagon has postponed the retrofit plan to an unspecified date.
By Michael Marrow
The approval ends an ironic episode for the fighter nicknamed the “Lightning II.”
By Valerie Insinna and Michael Marrow
After rancorous debate, a new engine for the stealth fighter was already in doubt, but legislation released by congressional appropriators today seemingly puts the issue to rest.
By Michael Marrow
“Now that we understand that 80 kilowatts is a must-have, it was the mission of: how do we get there, with the lowest impact to the overall airframe?” Honeywell Aerospace’s Matt Milas told Breaking Defense in an exclusive interview.
By Michael Marrow
Across the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, the Pentagon will purchase 21 fewer fighter jets than originally expected for the 2025 fiscal year, dropping a planned buy of 107 to 86.
By Michael Marrow
Enterprise-wide training: the Army’s $3.5B program for multi-service combat readiness
The competition for Warfighter Training and Readiness Solutions will bring together training networks, combat training centers and live ranges across the DoD enterprise.
“We’re very, very fixated on being competitive with the pacing challenge [of China],” said Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall. “I think the budget that we’ve submitted moves us forward — not quite as fast as we would like to, but it moves us forward in the right direction while maintaining current capabilities that are essential to the nation.”
By Michael Marrow
The designation marks the first time that a stealth fighter can carry a nuclear weapon, in this case the B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bomb.
By Michael Marrow
COVID-19 stalled defense programs, so money moves from last year to this, giving Singapore defense spending a single year bump of over 12 percent.
By Colin Clark
Recently confirmed Gen. Jim Slife pledged to work on sharing data not only inside the Air Force but with his counterparts at the other armed services.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
The move would set up the Singapore Air Force to join a small group of countries that operate both the A and B variants of the stealth fighter.
By Michael Marrow
A total of 20 programs, including F-35 fighter jets to future Hunter-class frigates, face a combined 38 years of procurement delays, according to a new government report.
By Colin Clark
“Like all programs, the continuing resolution has the potential to have an impact. We have not worked through all the details if we had a sequestration scenario,” Pratt & Whitney’s Jennifer Latka said about a stalled budget on Capitol Hill. “What I know now is that our schedule is on track, that we have identified funding to continue, and that’s not to say that that situation cannot change.”
By Michael Marrow
