Singapore downplays defense spending hike, though with warning of instability
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.
Marines order 2-day aviation stand down after F-35 goes missing, third mishap in 6 weeks
During the stand down, units will discuss "fundamentals of safe flight operations, ground safety, maintenance and flight procedures, and maintaining combat readiness," Marines say.
UK annual defense spending jumps over $8.5B, but Warrior cancellation costs mount
Overall, defense spending for the year was largely boosted by a £4.1 billion ($5.3 billion) increase in capital expenditure, though there were other marginal jumps in Defense Equipment and Support (DE&S), and inventory spending.
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ALIS Glitch Grounds Marine F-35Bs
WASHINGTON: A glitchy software upgrade to the ALIS ground support system has grounded the Marine Corps F-35B squadron based in Yuma, Arizona, the F-35 Joint Program Office announced. Details are sparse, but a Marine Corps statement (reproduced in full below) said the unspecified “anomalies” only affected maintenance codes and only in the Yuma squadron, VMFA-211. […]
Marine Aviation Says He’d Like 13 More F-35Bs; Lockheed PM Speaks On Timing, Block Buy
PARIS AIR SHOW: On his way out the door, the head of Marine aviation, Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, told reporters he really, really wants more F-35Bs for the Marines as soon as possible. The current top goal is to add 24 F-35Bs to the Marine’s inventory, including four in the unfunded requirements list. Davis, a […]
Big British Queen Elizabeth Carrier Featured At Paris Air Show
PARIS AIR SHOW: First it was cyber. Now I find myself covering ships at an air show. Ok. They are aircraft carriers so I guess we can give the Queen Elizabeth carriers a pass. The big news here? The first of the two ships should sail for the first time later this month, or maybe next […]
Marine Airpower’s Future: Networking F-35s, V-22s, & MUX Drones
CAPITOL HILL: The Marine Corps’ top pilot sketched a vision of fast-paced and networked air operations, spearheaded by F-35 fighters, V-22 tiltrotors, and the future MUX drones, all linked to each other and the rest of the force by Link-16 and MADL. Marine F-35s have already practiced spotting targets for Marine artillery rockets and Navy […]
No New Ships: Trump Cuts Navy Shipbuilding, Aircraft Procurement
PENTAGON: Despite his campaign pledge of a 350-ship fleet, President Trump’s first budget cuts Navy shipbuilding and aircraft procurement below what was enacted in 2017, documents released today reveal. Despite Trump’s criticism of President Obama’s defense plans, this budget sticks with Obama’s shipbuilding plan for 2018: eight ships. And it actually buys eight fewer aircraft […]
Allies And 21st Century Weapons: The F-35 Comes To Europe
A key dynamic in the shift from COIN-centric land wars to a twenty-first century combat force is what the US and its closest allies will learn from each other thanks to the core weapons systems they are buying at the same time. Hidden in plain view is the emergence of a significant driver of change –- flying the same […]
Allies Can Help US Lower Weapons Costs, Build New Force
Shifting from a primary focus on counterinsurgency land wars to building a high intensity combat force able to prevail against peer competitors is a significant challenge for the United States and its closest allies after 15 years of COIN. A key dynamic within this effort is the crucial opportunity the US and its closest allies have to […]
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.” […]
Dollar Hedges Help UK MoD Keep Calm In Age Of Trump & Brexit
WASHINGTON: Despite a turbulent Trump administration and a plummeting pound, the Anglo-American defense relationship remains strong, said the senior civil servant in the Ministry of Defence. “Under any circumstances, we’re going to continue to work very, very closely with the States,” Stephen Lovegrove, Permanent Secretary of the UK Ministry of Defence, told reporters this morning. […]
Navy, Marine F-18s In ‘Death Spiral’ As Readiness Plummets
CAPITOL HILL: The Navy-Marine fighter fleet is in a “death spiral” and the only long-term fix is to buy new jets faster, both F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a former Pentagon analyst told Breaking Defense. Two veteran Hill staffers agreed the situation is dire and new planes are needed, although they put equal […]
Mattis Review Only Looks At F-35C Vs. Super Hornet; F-35 Cost Study Separate
WASHINGTON: Of the three variants of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, only the carrier-launched F-35C is at risk of being replaced by Boeing’s F-18 Super Hornet, the Marine Corps’s top pilot said today. It’s not on the table to substitute Hornets for either the land-based F-35A variant or the vertical-takeoff-and-landing F-35B, Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, deputy Commandant for […]