Military News

Countersniper Systems Detect Hidden Shooters
Snipers have experienced a renaissance in recent years, as asymmetric combat has turned their... More

Kiowa Replacement Plan Surprises Industry
Industry says it is ready to respond if the U.S. Army proceeds with plans for flight evaluations, as early as April next year, of potential off-the-shelf replacements for its Bell OH-58 Kiowa Warrior armed scout helicopter. More

Spar for Orders
The rivalry continues between Russia's two new combat helicopters -- the Mil Mi-28 and Kamov Ka-52 -- for dominance of the domestic market. More

Ground Combat Vehicle Program Faces Questions
Even though the Pentagon's acquisition chief, Ashton Carter, approved the award of two technology development contracts worth almost $900 million for the U.S. Army's Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) program last week, questions remain about the GCV's future. More

US Army Class-A Aviation Accidents Drop
The U.S. Army thus far this fiscal year has dramatically cut down on the number of Class A aviation mishaps -- the most costly in terms of financial losses, injuries or fatalities -- even as the need for the service's helicopters or other aircraft has increased, service officials say. More

Pentagon Questions US Army Helo Contracts
The Pentagon Inspector General (IG) calls into question a U.S. Army unit's ability to manage one of the military's most foolproof contract mechanisms -- firm-fixed-price deals -- in a recently released report that details deals made between the Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command (Amcom) and Boeing supporting the Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD). More

Analysts Call for LCS-1 Redesign
The U.S. Navy has already altered its Freedom Class Littoral Combat Ship, LCS-1, to address problems uncovered in testing, but the ship still needs to be fundamentally redesigned, say leading defense analysts. More

Pentagon Sacrifices to Save Carrier
The U.S. Navy will keep its aircraft carrier fleet at the now-magical number, 11, while other ships are being slipped or cut over the next five years, according to a preview of the upcoming fiscal 2013 budget request detailed Jan. 26 by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. More

GAO Recommends US Navy Surface Fleet AOA
The U.S. Navy should do a "thorough analyses of alternatives (AOA) for its future surface combatant program," the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended in a report released Jan. 24. More

US Strategy Boosts Navy Subs, Programs
The new set of Pentagon priorities discussed Jan. 5 by President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta includes provisions that will likely bolster U.S. naval forces -- but possibly dampen service plans for some proposed fleet upgrades. More

Navy Wants More Competition to Reduce Cost
The Navy is hoping to shift 10-15% of its sole-source work into a competitive environment in the coming years as part of a push to more smartly buy and manage weapon system development and production in a tightly constrained budget environment. More

HII Shipbuilding Continues, Future Iffy
While the U.S. Navy remains on course with its current plan to build submarines, carriers, destroyers and other surface combatants, the future remains murky, says Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) CEO Mike Petters. More

USAF Authorizes Production of Ninth WGS
An agreement by Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and New Zealand to become subscribers to the Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) broadband communications network has prompted the U.S. Air Force to exercise an option for Boeing to build a ninth spacecraft. More

USAF Ranks Last in Pentagon Testing Scorecard
In the latest annual report from the Pentagon's Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), the U.S. Air Force ranks last among the services in testing performance, with a mere 27% of programs reviewed meeting their reliability thresholds. More

Five More Nations to Join WGS Program
The U.S. Air Force is finalizing a deal with five nations to buy into the Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) wideband communications constellation as it prepares for the launch of the fourth satellite on Jan. 19. More

Challenges Face US Military Launch Ability
The U.S. must overcome the growing challenges of rising launch costs and aging propulsion systems if it is to gain much needed efficiencies and maintain its global lead, warns Gen. William Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command. More

F-35 Under Fire in Italy
The Italian government is ushering in a new round of defense cuts in which, for the first time, the fate of Rome's participation in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program will be seriously threatened. More

Hawker Sues USAF After Losing Protest
Days after its bid protest was dismissed by congressional auditors, Hawker Beechcraft is turning to the courts to try to force a reinstatement of its aircraft in the U.S. Air Force's Light Air Support (LAS) competition. More

Unmanned Cargo Airlift Is Here
The Marines have been working on unmanned cargo for several years, and the Corps and the Army have been testing options since at least early 2008. More

EFV Replacement is Top USMC Ground Priority
Pressed by House lawmakers to name their ground vehicle priorities if U.S. defense spending becomes even tighter, the U.S. Marines are choosing the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) and the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). More

USMC Prepares for Pacific Mind-Set
As the U.S. Marine Corps slackens its efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the service is shifting its priority to the Pacific, where the Marines will focus more on expeditionary operations than ground forces, says Gen. James Amos, the Corps Commandant. More

EFV Replacement Effort Moved to War Room
In the aftermath of the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle's (EFV) cancellation, the U.S. Marines are charged with coming up with an amphibious vehicle that is actually affordable and fast. Their answer to the challenge could put a crimp on the Pentagon's intractable problem of requirements creep. More

Marines Look to Protect Major Programs
In November, President Barack Obama's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform released a stunning report detailing areas where commission members say they found $200 billion of proposed cuts in the federal government -- and although the report was released on the Marine Corps' 235th birthday, the USMC took a beating. More

Coast Guard Reviews Key Missions
The U.S. Coast Guard is undergoing a "stem-to-stern" organizational and operation review to see which missions it should keep and those it should shed, says Adm. Bob Papp, Coast Guard commandant. More

Member of the Month: David Lebrecht
Operations Spc. 1st Class David Lebrecht looks out on a world that is sometimes very cold. It can't be helped. The Illinois-born Lebrecht currently lives in Juneau, Alaska, where he's an operations specialist 1st class with the 17th District of the U.S. Coast Guard. More