Boeing to shutter Super Hornet line in 2027 after final Navy order: Boeing VP

Boeing to shutter Super Hornet line in 2027 after final Navy order: Boeing VP
Boeing to shutter Super Hornet line in 2027 after final Navy order: Boeing VP

The desire for technical data rights “is one of those areas where industry and government have been at odds for a long time. And certainly Boeing on F-18 and the Navy as well,” Boeing fighters VP Mark Sears told Breaking Defense. “So being able to put that on a path to final resolution … is a really positive step.”

All-Domain Demo Links U-2, F-35 & F-22

All-Domain Demo Links U-2, F-35 & F-22
All-Domain Demo Links U-2, F-35 & F-22

The demonstration, dubbed Project Hydra, was partially funded by the Air Force and the Missile Defense Agency, says Lockheed Martin’s Dan Markham.

Navy’s Plans Call For New Drones To Shoot, Spy, Jam

Navy’s Plans Call For New Drones To Shoot, Spy, Jam
Navy’s Plans Call For New Drones To Shoot, Spy, Jam

“I can clearly — in my mind — envision a way to say ‘fly a defensive combat spread, shoot on this target,’ and I will squeeze the trigger or I will enable that unmanned platform to shoot the designated target,” Rear Adm. Gregory Harris says.

No ‘New Cold War’ As US Bombers Move Into Norwegian Base

No ‘New Cold War’ As US Bombers Move Into Norwegian Base
No ‘New Cold War’ As US Bombers Move Into Norwegian Base

“I guess if someone were to take a message [from the basing agreement]  it’s that we’re not restricted to one particular location,” said Gen. Steven Basham, deputy commander of Air Forces in Europe/Africa.

USS Vinson Flies F-35s & Quietly Readies For New Refueling Drone

USS Vinson Flies F-35s & Quietly Readies For New Refueling Drone
USS Vinson Flies F-35s & Quietly Readies For New Refueling Drone

Headlines have celebrated the carrier’s new F-35s — but the Navy also added upgrades to the Vinson for the MQ-25 refueling drone, which could be a game-changer for future ops.

Air Force Launches Electronic Warfare Roadmap: EMS ECCT 2.0

Air Force Launches Electronic Warfare Roadmap: EMS ECCT 2.0
Air Force Launches Electronic Warfare Roadmap: EMS ECCT 2.0

PENTAGON:  The Air Force is looking across the enterprise to build a comprehensive map of all electronic warfare capabilities for the second stage of its landmark service-wide probe of how to bolster the Air Force’s EW and cyber warfare capabilities. Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has already been briefed…

Marines Furiously Cutting Programs As Tighter Budgets Loom

Marines Furiously Cutting Programs As Tighter Budgets Loom
Marines Furiously Cutting Programs As Tighter Budgets Loom

As old programs go, the Corps is looking at new cyber capabilities and getting back into the air defense game.

Navy Enters Drone Age, Taps Boeing for MQ-25

Navy Enters Drone Age, Taps Boeing for MQ-25
Navy Enters Drone Age, Taps Boeing for MQ-25

Loaded with jet fuel, the drones will vastly extend the ranges of carrier-based aircraft operating in the expanses of the western Pacific. That lets the Navy strike deeper into China’s layered defenses while keeping the big decks out of range of most of China’s anti-ship missiles.

Navy’s New EW Jammer to be Ready in 2022

Navy’s New EW Jammer to be Ready in 2022
Navy’s New EW Jammer to be Ready in 2022

FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW The U.S. Navy hopes to start flying its Next Generation Jammer some time next year, though the system won’t reach operational capability until 2022, said Navy Capt. Michael Orr, program manager for the service’s electronic attack systems. As it stands now the Navy’s principal airborne electronic attack systems relies on technology developed…

Navy Must Boost Carrier Air Wings’ Range, Size & Lethality

Navy Must Boost Carrier Air Wings’ Range, Size & Lethality
Navy Must Boost Carrier Air Wings’ Range, Size & Lethality

Paris Air Show attendees take note. The Navy needs more new strike fighters to cope with falling readiness rates. Will they be Super Hornets, F-35s or Block III Super Hornets? What mix does the US Navy need as it grapples with boosting the size of the fleet to 355 ships? And what about the MQ-25…

Admiral Takes Helm Of F-35; Good For C Model?

Admiral Takes Helm Of F-35; Good For C Model?
Admiral Takes Helm Of F-35; Good For C Model?

WASHINGTON: I vividly remember Chris Bogdan’s first public appearance as the effective head of the F-35 program. It was at the Air Force Association’s annual September conference in 2012 and he said, very simply and quite passionately that the relationship between contractor Lockheed Martin and the Joint Program Office was “the worst I’ve ever seen.”…

F-35A At Red Flag: 90% Mission Capable; Key Systems Up Every Flight

F-35A At Red Flag: 90% Mission Capable; Key Systems Up Every Flight
F-35A At Red Flag: 90% Mission Capable; Key Systems Up Every Flight

WASHINGTON: All indications from the pilots and commanders at Red Flag are that the F-35A performed far better than recent reports from the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation seemed to indicate. [Read about F-35 combat performance at Red Flag 2017] The now-departed Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, Michael Gilmore, said the Lockheed Martin-built aircraft…

Presumptive CSAF Goldfein’s Top Five: Mackenzie Eaglen

Presumptive CSAF Goldfein’s Top Five: Mackenzie Eaglen
Presumptive CSAF Goldfein’s Top Five: Mackenzie Eaglen

The Senate Armed Services Committee approved the nomination of the new Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. David Goldfein, today by voice vote. He is almost certain to get full Senate approval soon. This will round out the rare and noteworthy turnover of the entire slate of Joint Chiefs over the past year, including the National…

Carlisle Spurns More Growlers For EW; Cool To V-22s

Carlisle Spurns More Growlers For EW; Cool To V-22s
Carlisle Spurns More Growlers For EW; Cool To V-22s

WASHINGTON: The Air Force is considering buying V-22s for search and rescue work, but Gen. Hawk Carlisle, head of Air Combat Command, made it pretty clear this morning that an Osprey buy has to come after the service buys the first 112 of the Sikorsky-built Combat Rescue Helicopters. Gen. Mark Welsh, Air Force Chief of Staff,…