Michael Marrow covers air warfare for Breaking Defense. He holds a BA in history from the University of Virginia and started out as a freelance reporter covering local news in Fairfax County, Virginia and policing in Charlottesville, Virginia. Michael previously reported on the Air Force and Space Force for Inside Defense, where he tracked major acquisitions, policy changes and modernization efforts.
“I don’t have reservations about affordability of CCA, because I think just by their very nature, they want to be much less expensive,” Rep. Rob Wittman told Breaking Defense. “What I want to make sure of is that we don’t try to take a CCA that’s a basic platform and add a bunch of cost to it, because we have this requirement creep.”
The service is partially reversing course on a planned cut of 38 aircraft, and plans to add back in 14 Grey Wolf helicopters in its upcoming budget request for a fleet size of “at least” 56.
As the US watches warily, Maj. Gen. Ireneusz Nowak told Breaking Defense that Kyiv’s move “spoiled totally the perception of President Putin as a strong leader.”
Following developmental woes, Lockheed Martin plans to invest over $350 million in the F-35 program over the next five years, which the company told Breaking Defense will be geared toward “enhancing capabilities and driving efficiency across the F-35 enterprise.”
“Poland is the only country in the world that shares the common borders at the same time with Russia, with Ukraine and with Belarus. To keep the borders unchanged, we need the best equipment, the best capability and the best friends,” said Deputy Minister of National Defence Cezary Tomczyk.
“I have been sort of bludgeoned into being desensitized to [CRs] that go all the way to December in situations like this,” Pentagon Comptroller Mike McCord said. “I would love to see it only go… ‘til right after the election. But I think that would surprise me if it didn’t go straight to December.”
An Army official previously told Breaking Defense that a baseline HADES configuration will include moving target indication, high-end signals intelligence and other capabilities.
Anti-missile capabilities are just one aspect of more “robust” defenses needed for contested environments, which will also include sophisticated cyber attacks and electronic warfare.
“Showing up with the right product too late is a losing strategy,” said Istari CEO Will Roper. “When I look at the world of technology that’s so inspiring to me, they live by the gospel of speed.”
The sale was approved by the Biden administration against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, and moved only after two key Democrats removed objections.
A curated look at standout opinions and analysis covering topics like uncrewed systems, NATO partnerships, US-Saudi defense dynamics, and evolving warfare strategies, spotlighting key issues shaping the global defense landscape.
A curated look at standout opinions and analysis covering topics like uncrewed systems, NATO partnerships, US-Saudi defense dynamics, and evolving warfare strategies, spotlighting key issues shaping the global defense landscape.
