Mt. Airy, N.C. – Some have questioned the Army’s decision to pump millions into the aging Humvee, especially with defense spending expected to take a tumble over the next few years. Opponents argue the Humvee is simply an old warhorse that needs to be put down, replaced by more advanced systems already in the field, […]
Washington: The Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle is not out of the woods yet, and could still be scrapped for a more affordable option if costs get out of control, the service’s top program official said today. If program costs exceed the $10.5 million price tag per vehicle the Army is expecting for the GCV, then […]
As threats rapidly evolve, digital engineering, manufacturing capacity and robust supply chains are critical to meeting challenges.
Washington: Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead is betting that unmanned underwater systems will be the future for the Navy, and he is already taking steps to ensure that future becomes reality. As questions circulate over the feasibility of the Navy’s shipbuilding plans and the viability of its current surface fleet, unmanned underwater vehicles […]
Washington: The old saying, ‘if it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense’ has become more or less the mantra among attendees at this year’s Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International trade show. Affordability and cost savings have been the buzz words among the companies at this year’s show, for everyone from the top-tier defense […]
Washington: Unmanned military aircraft may soon have a permanent home in U.S. commercial airspace, according to a Defense Department official. The Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration are carving out between four to 10 “bubbles” in civilian airspace above the United States to test UAS, Steve Pennington, executive director of the Defense Policy Board on […]
Washington: The Joint Staff wants the Navy and the Air Force to run two of their high-profile unmanned aerial drones from one control station, despite Navy efforts to scuttle the program. The Joint Staff told the service teams in charge of the Navy’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance UAS and Air Force’s Global Hawk UAS to […]
Do more with less: streamline workflows, reduce duplication, invest upfront to save long-term.
Washington: The “golden age” of unmanned systems development in United States could end, unless the Pentagon changes its export control rules, a senior industry executive said today. Despite the fact that United States continues to lead the world in developing and building unmanned systems, American defense companies are “struggling” to sell their UAS to U.S. […]
Washington: Bigger might not necessarily be better when it comes to the future of Army unmanned aircraft, according to a senior service official. Army field commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan have gotten the most bang for their buck from the smaller-class of unmanned drones, like the Shadow and Puma, for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, […]
Washington: The future of armed unmanned aircraft will remain more man than machine, at least for members of the Army and Marine Corps. “We will always have a man in the loop,” Col. Stewart Hatfield, chief of the lethality branch in the Army’s unmanned requirements shop, said today at the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems […]
Washington: Swedish aerospace firm Saab is taking on U.S. defense industry heavyweight Boeing and other American firms to land the the rights to a lucrative Navy unmanned drone deal. Partnered with prime contractor Computer Science Corporation, Saab is pitching its Skeldar vertical-lift unmanned aircraft for the Navy’s Close-Range Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance program. The Navy […]
Government can’t stop to update systems, so modernization has to happen without interruptions.
UPDATED Washington: Former congressman and long-time House Armed Services Committee chairman Ike Skelton is heading to the Democrat’s designated military thinktank, the Center for A New American Security. Skelton, along with former senior State Department officials Anne-Marie Slaughter and Richard Verma are joining the Center for A New American Security’s board of directors. Skelton’s appointment […]
Washington: While the Navy hasn’t made up its mind whether to build its new Ford-class aircraft carrier, one senator doubts whether the service can afford the half-billion dollar base meant for the new ship. In a letter sent to the Government Accountability Office today, Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia questioned the Navy’s plan to stand […]
Washington: Bigger, tougher and meaner — that is what the Army wants from its Humvee fleet. And according to the draft list of requirements issued by the service’s contracting shop for the iconic combat vehicle, the Army now has a plan to do just that. For more news and information on the swiftly-changing defense industry, […]
UPDATED Washington: DARPA, the Pentagon’s advanced weapons division, lost contact with a test version of a new weapon designed to hit any target around the world in less than an hour. 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 […]