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Delays in U.S. and international orders for Lockheed Martin Corp's new F-35 fighter jet will increase its total cost, Lockheed and U.S. officials said on Tuesday, as Italy announced a cut in spending on the warplane. On Monday, the Pentagon confirmed plans to put off orders for 179 F-35s over the next five years to save $15.1 billion and allow more time for testing, a third restructuring in recent years. U.S. officials insist they have not changed their plans to develop and buy 2,443 jets at a cost of $382 billion over the next few decades. Continued schedule delays and...

The United States has signed a $3.5 billion sale of an advanced antimissile interception system to the United Arab Emirates, part of an accelerating military buildup of its friends and allies near Iran. The deal, signed on December 25 and announced on Friday night by the U.S. Defense Department, "is an important step in improving the region's security through a regional missile defense architecture," Pentagon press secretary George Little said in a statement. The U.S. Congress had been notified of the proposed sale in September 2008 by former President George W. Bush's administration. At that time, the system built by...

First time in the air now for the Navy's carrier version of the Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II, the F-35C- like all variants a descendant of the F-35X JSF (Joint Strike Fighter). While the F-35 program is not without it's problems, Navy test pilot Lt. Chris Tabert successfully flew the F-35C test aircraft -which features Harrier-type VTOL capabilities via advanced thrust-vectoring- on Nov. 18, the first launch of the carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter from the Navy's new electromagnetic aircraft launch system, 'set to install on future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)'... nice piece of kit, this thing: [YouTube] Video/specs/more at...

The USMC's own Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)  variant brings unique STOVL capabilities... Descended from the X-35 prototype, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is primarily funded by the US and UK in an effort to replace aging fleets across all services- lead contractor on the massive project being Lockheed Martin.  To this point, only 13 test aircraft of all types have been constructed- most are in test/trainer service, and the stealthy single-seat, single-engine (Mach 1.6) fighters average $122M a copy. The Defense Department is planning to buy over 2400 planes, making it the most expensive defense program in US history... although...

In past few decades, the U.S. Air Force has spent untold billions researching and developing a family of stealth fighter jets that are supposed to be generations ahead of any dogfighters in the sky. But after building more than 170 F-22 Raptors and a handful of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, not a single one is available for service. The Air Force currently has zero flyable stealth fighters. None.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Executive Vice President and F-35 program head, Tom Burbage, was in Canberra on August 9 to brief media on the latest developments with the JSF program. During the briefing, Burbage explained that the 20-strong JSF fleet’s recent grounding was a precautionary measure following the failure of an Integrated Power Pack (IPP) - a large APU-like component which provides starting power for the main engine and doubles to provide bleed air to cool the aircraft’s systems - on one of the flight test articles at Edwards AFB, AF-4. “The airplanes are in a stop mode right now because...

Officers feared purchase of Super Hornets a ploy to cut JSF orders # Mark Dodd # From: The Australian FEARING orders for the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft would be cut, Senior Royal Australian Air Force officers assured the Howard government the ageing fleet of F-111 bombers could fly until mid 2013. Launched this week, Air Force, by News Limited journalist Ian McPhedran, details the claims made by former Defence Minister Brenadan Nelson that the government's surprise decision to buy 24 Super Hornets prompted the air force officers' fears that future JSF orders would be cut. Dr Nelson said it became...

Cost, quality problems dog Navy's LCS warship The littoral combat ship Freedom (LCS-1) has been undergoing maintenance and upgrades at BAE Ship Repair San Diego. — Earnie Grafton A decade-old, multibillion-dollar attempt by the Navy to develop a radically different family of warships is reeling from cost overruns, structural problems and doubts about the design, staffing, role and survivability of the speedy new vessels. This month, a bipartisan group of seven U.S. senators demanded that the Pentagon explain why Freedom, the first of the new littoral combat ships, suffered a small but worrisome crack in its hull and had to...

Risks in British Switch to Carrier Version of F-35 Identified By: Chris Pocock July 18, 2011 A report by the UK’s National Audit Office (NAO) has listed some risks arising from the decision by UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to switch its Joint Strike Fighter selection from the F-35B STOVL (short takeoff and vertical landing) version to the F-35C carrier version. The decision was part of a defense review that delayed the in-service date of one of two new aircraft carriers to which the MoD was already fully committed, until 2018. The other new carrier will be kept in reserve...

First F-35 arrives at Eglin By ANGEL McCURDY Northwest Florida Daily News 315-4432 | amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com   EGLIN AFB — The first F-35 landed at the 33rd Fighter Wing on Thursday to applause and cheers. The first production model of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter arrived at Eglin Air Force Base about 1:15 p.m. from Lockheed Martin’s production plant in Fort Worth, Texas. “This is an extremely exciting day for us. We’ve been waiting two years for this day,” Col. Andrew Toth, commander of the 33rd, said as he waited for the jet to arrive. “Having it here is just outstanding....

Will Lockheed's Rival Crash and Burn? By Rich Smith Investors know the saying: "Bulls make money, bears make money, but pigs get slaughtered." If you stumble onto a "good thing," don't get greedy -- take a fair profit. France's Dassault would be wise to heed that lesson. Yesterday, DefenseNews.com reported that Dassault has run into trouble in negotiations to sell the United Arab Emirates a fleet of Rafale fighter jets. The UAE wanted to purchase several dozen of the jets to replace its 63 French Mirage fighters. But a deal that was supposed to cost somewhere between $2.5 billion and...

More than six weeks after the US Air Force indefinitely grounded all Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptors, the scope of the safety investigation has widened beyond the Honeywell-supplied onboard oxygen generating system (OBOGS). Although internally described as the "OBOGS safety investigation", the probe launched after the 3 May safety stand-down of the F-22A fleet is "not limited" to that particular system, Air Combat Command (ACC) said in emailed responses to questions. "We are still working to pinpoint the exact nature of the problem," the ACC said. "It is premature to definitely link the current issues to the OBOGS system." The stand-down...

Lockheed Martin, one of the world's largest defense contractors, was hit hard by hackers this week who used falsified SecurID electronic tokens to gain access. The breach threatens the security of vital data on present and future military technology. Which, you know, sucks for us and our allies abroad who depend on Lockheed to help keep us safe during the ongoing violence in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. It isn't clear what, if anything, was stolen during the breach. It isn't even clear what the hackers want, but the attacks are being traced back to an hacking campaign back in...

This Week at War: The Jet That Ate the Pentagon The F-35 is cutting into the Defense Department's most important priorities. BY ROBERT HADDICK | MAY 27, 2011 Policymakers get 11th-hour second thoughts on the Joint Strike Fighter The troubled and long-delayed F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program came under renewed scrutiny this week. The Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and many foreign partners plan to buy thousands of the fighter-attack jets over the next two decades to replace a variety of aging aircraft, but the development schedule of the stealthy fighter has slipped five years to 2018 and the projected...

F-16's long run may finally be winding down By Bob Cox rcox@star-telegram.com The end of the line for Lockheed Martin's F-16 production line in Fort Worth may finally be in sight. Nearly four decades after the fighter jet program was launched and 35 years after production began, Lockheed has a dwindling number of orders left to fill and a shrinking list of potential customers. Lockheed has just 62 unfilled orders for new F-16s. Those are all in some stage of production, and the last is expected to roll out of the Fort Worth factory by mid-2013. A total of 4,540...

The cost of maintaining and repairing the fleet of U.S. F-35s has been set at $1 trillion. But facing increasing fiscal pressure, Congress is asking manufacturer Lockheed Martin to find a cheaper way. WSJ's Nathan Hodge reports from Washington. A new Pentagon forecast showing the total cost of owning and operating a fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters topping $1 trillion over more than 50 years has caused a case of sticker shock in Washington. And that price tag doesn't even include the $385 billion the Defense Department will spend to purchase 2,500 of the stealthy planes through 2035. During...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The cost of building the F-35 fighter jet, set to replace a large part of the US warplane fleet, is "unaffordable" in its current version and must be reviewed, the Pentagon's top acquisition official said Thursday. "Over the lifetime of this program, the decade or so, the per-aircraft cost of the 2,443 aircraft we want has doubled in real terms," said Ashton Carter, the under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. "That's our forecast for how much the aircraft's going to cost. "Said differently, that's what it's going to cost if we keep doing what...

Japan may drop F-35 from shortlist of next mainstay fighter -Kyodo May 20 (Reuters) - Japan may drop the F-35 stealth fighter from a shortlist for the country's next generation fighter due to a sharp delay in the plane's development plan, Kyodo agency reported on Friday citing diplomatic and defense sources. The operational test of the radar-evading F-35 -- being developed by Lockheed Martin Corp and Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway -- is not expected to begin until 2017 and this would not satisfy Japan's desire to receive delivery of the next fighter by March that...

McCain urges U.S. to think about F-35 alternatives May 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Senator John McCain suggested Thursday that the Defense Department mull possible alternatives to Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT.N) F-35 fighter program if its rising costs could not be contained. McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, referred to the program as "incredibly troubled" and a "train wreck." He said Lockheed has done an "abysmal job" at containing cost overruns and urged that the

Lockheed hopes to finalize F-16 sales to Iraq, Oman 7:50pm EDT By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) says it hopes to sign sales contracts for up to 18 F-16 fighter jets to both Iraq and Oman by early 2012, and expects to book a total of about 100 additional orders by the end of the decade. Lockheed is gradually winding down production of the popular multi-role fighter, which is in use by 25 countries worldwide, and was once produced at a rate of one a day, as it ramps up production...

F-35A may need mod's to fix range shortfall By Stephen Trimble A new internal report predicts the Lockheed Martin F-35A conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) variant is falling short on a key performance requirement, forcing programme officials to consider a range of aircraft modifications to fix the problem. Combat radius, the maximum distance of an out-bound leg with a full load of weapons and fuel, has dropped to 1,080.4km (584nm) for the F-35A, according to a leaked copy of the 2010 F-35 selection acquisition report (SAR). That falls slightly below the specification for a minimum combat radius of 1,091km, one...

Israel sticks to F-35 despite possible lag to 2018 Israel sticks to F-35 despite possible lag to 2018 09 May 2011 11:30 Source: reuters // Reuters JERUSALEM, May 9 (Reuters) - Israel may get its first F-35 warplanes, seen as a bulwark against arch-enemy Iran, from the United States only in 2018 due to production delays, an Israeli newspaper said on Monday. But the Haaretz daily said Israel is unlikely to buy jets from a rival American manufacturer as a stop-gap. Israel bought around 20 of the radar-evading Lockheed Martin Corp F-35s, along with ancillary equipment, for $2.75 billion last...

Details of the revamped F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program are emerging and showing that, despite more than nine years of work, almost six years of challenging development and testing still lie ahead for the Lockheed Martin-led project. Both flight testing and software development have been replanned using industry-standard productivity rates rather than the aggressive—and unachievable—assumptions on which the original program was built. This means many more sorties to refly flight-sciences test points and for regression testing of mission-system software changes. The replan adds 2,000 flights to the program—for a total of 7,800, just 600 of which have been completed—and extends...

All of a sudden it was there, but then like any good stealth aircraft it vanished. Now the “Beast of Kandahar” has resurfaced in new photos, spurring aviation and defense wonks to once again speculate about the function and purpose of such a stealthy-looking unmanned aerial system. The Beast, also known as the Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel, first appeared in 2009 in the skies over Kandahar in Afghanistan. It was later revealed to be a product of Lockheed’s Skunk Works and property of the U.S. Air Force, but that’s about all that was revealed. What the RQ-170 is designed to...

Five landings are the first of 42 needed to move to at-sea trialsOf all the F-35 Lightning II variants currently in testing, the most troubled has been the F-35B STOVL fighter. The aircraft has had recurring issues with sub-components that are failing at higher than expected rates leading to problems and delays in the flight program. The F-35B fighter was also dealt a blow when the program was recently put on a 2-year probationary period. Lockheed is still hard at work on the F-35B and the aircraft has shown some progress recently. Defense News reports that the aircraft has had a series of five...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The F-35 fighter jet, set to replace a large part of the US warplane fleet, has become the most expensive weapons program ever, drawing increased scrutiny at a time of tight public finances. Following a series of cost overruns and delays, the program is now expected to cost a whopping 382 billion dollars, for 2,443 aircraft. ... Defense officials say the original cost estimates have now doubled to make each plane's price tag reach some 92 million dollars. At the same time, the contract awarded in 2001 had been planned to last 10 years, but has been...

Lockheed Martin expects to learn the outcome of a recent review into its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme around mid-December, as it also starts adjusting to a major shift announced by its main international partner, the UK. The US Defense Acquisition Board met in late November to discuss potential cost and schedule overruns on the F-35, believed to have been outlined during a technical baseline review. With the outcome of their recommendations to be included in the next fiscal year budget, it had been thought that details would not emerge until early next year. "The budget is going to lock...

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works — known for its revolutionary technology work in building the SR-71, F-117 and F-35 — will have a new vice president and general manager. Frank Cappuccio, the unit’s longtime head, is stepping down in June. He led the company’s successful Joint Strike Fighter competition win over Boeing. Al Romig, deputy vice president and deputy director of the Sandia National Laboratories, will join Skunk Works in January and take over from Cappuccio later in the year. Romig’s work at Sandia began in 1979, and he has established strong relationships with customers in the U.S. Energy Department. During...

- The Pentagon's chief arms buyer on Wednesday said he is "not happy" with the current state of Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter program and is working with company officials to lower costs. "We have to get costs under control," U.S. Defense Undersecretary Ashton Carter said, adding that prospects for flat overall defense budgets were putting increased pressure on the department to make its weapons programs more affordable. "I'm not happy with the situation we're in now," Carter told an investment conference sponsored by Credit Suisse and Aviation Week, when asked about the Lockheed fighter. He said the new radar-evading...

(AP) STONEWALL, Texas (AP) - Luci Baines Johnson remembers as a teenager riding in a shiny mirror-finished jet trimmed with sky blue and white paint and emblazoned with black letters proclaiming "United States of America," then landing on a narrow Texas airstrip behind what Americans would come to know as the Western White House. "A country runway," she said this week of the roughly mile-long airstrip behind President Lyndon Johnson's ranch, her childhood home and now part of the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. The National Park Service, which manages the park, will formally acquire the JetStar aircraft Johnson...

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has received from Lockheed Martin its first mid-life upgrade P-3 Orion patrol aircraft, the company announced. The upgrade replaced the patrol craft's outer wings, center wing lower surface and horizontal stabilizer with new production components. "We are excited about our partnership with Customs and Border Protection," said Ray Burick, Lockheed Martin P-3 Programs vice president, "and we are committed to providing them with modernization enhancements to sustain the P-3 for decades to come. The MLU integrates well with our 10-year site and depot P-3 Fleet Maintenance Program, now under way with CBP." Lockheed Martin said...

A spot-on rotation after an 8s take-off roll should have excited - or at least relaxed - the high-ranking programme officials lining the runway at the US Navy's Patuxent River NAS in Maryland on 17 March. BAE Systems test pilot Graham Tomlinson had just proved that the Lockheed Martin F-35B can indeed take off from amphibious carriers and small runways. Checking-off the test point also would clear the way for Lockheed to stage the F-35B's first vertical landing the next day. Coming six weeks after a major restructuring caused by a $100 billion increase in cost projections, the F-35 Joint...

Political and programmatic upheaval is shifting the ground under U.S. and European combat aircraft builders as they await the outcome of competitions in Asia, Latin America and Europe. Japan is just one case in point. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Eurofighter are awaiting the release of a request for proposals to buy a new fighter to replace its F-4EJ Phantom.However, domestic political turmoil that led to a change in government, as well as controversy over the U.S. Marine Corps base on Okinawa, has drawn attention elsewhere. As a result, the fighter contest may not begin until next year or possibly later,...

Lockheed Martin is aggressively countering the belief that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is becoming unaffordable, claiming its cost will be competitive with the latest F-16s and F/A-18s — if planned production rates are achieved. “If we secure the production volume to drive down the learning curve, we expect the acquisition cost to be approximately comparable to a similarly equipped [F/A-18E/F] or F-16 Block 60,” CEO Robert Stevens said during a media event near Washington June 17. The company is projecting a unit recurring flyaway (URF) cost of “about $60 million” (in 2010 dollars) for the conventional takeoff and landing...

An 8-mile chase between Orange County deputies and an armed car thief ends in a crash at Lockheed Martin in Orange County this morning. Jeff Williamson of the Orange County Sheriff's Office said two deputies and the 21-year-old suspect were injured in the incident. Williamson has not released the name of the suspect, but said the man has a lengthy criminal history in Central Florida. The incident began at the BP gasoline station at Colonial and Powers drives sometime between 3:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. Deputies said they spotted a suspicious unoccupied blue Chevy Malibu at the gas station. They...

Boeing recently revealed that it has built a new, jet propelled, combat UAV, the Phantom Ray. It looks remarkably like the X-45C that Boeing was developing for the air force, before that project was cancelled four years ago. Boeing admitted that Phantom Ray is, in effect, an upgraded X-45C. Since the X-45 was cancelled, enthusiasm for such aircraft has grown in the air force and navy. So Boeing, using its own money, went ahead and built the X-45C/Phantom Ray, and plans to have it make its first flight before the end of the year. After that, who knows? Boeing is...

Eurofighter consortium representatives held talks with Romanian legislators on Tuesday in a bid to wrest a 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) fighter contract from Lockheed Martin , executives said on Wednesday. In March, Romania's Supreme Defence Council approved the acquisition of 24 secondhand F16 fighters made by Lockheed to modernise its air force, a plan that requires parliamentary approval. The Senate Defence Committee, however, said it wished to hear alternative offers and convened the meeting on Tuesday with Eurofighter -- comprised of Finmeccanica , BAe Systems and EADS -- and Sweden's Saab , which has proposed its Gripen fighter. Maurizio...

When Lockheed Martin executive Larry Lawson assumes control of F-35 operations and manufacturing on 7 June, the F-22 programme manager since 2004 will confront a familiar set of challenges, but on an even grander scale. Lockheed announced on 3 May that Lawson will succeed F-35 executive vice-president and general manager Dan Crowley, who is promoted to chief operating officer for the aeronautics sector amid a Congressionally mandated review over projected cost overruns and delays. "It's an ideal time to transition leadership as we prepare for rapid growth," says Ralph Heath, executive vice-president of Lockheed's aeronautics sector. Crowley's F-35 staff is...

Australia's minister for defence materiel and science, Greg Combet, has called on Lockheed Martin to give Australian companies more work in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme, while ensuring that programme costs remain on track. "Australia, like other JSF partner countries, is seeking an affordable solution, but also wants a good outcome for local industry, given the large investment we are making," says Combet. "To date, 28 Australian companies have won work on the JSF programme, valued at more than A$200 million [$185 million]," Combet told a JSF industry conference in Melbourne, Victoria on 3 May. "This work has...

With the best of intentions, Congress and the Obama Administration have implemented a series of acquisition-reform measures that are making the problem worse. Efforts to clarify the cost of programs are sowing confusion. Efforts to reduce risk are raising costs. Efforts to restore confidence are undermining political support. In short, acquisition reform is backfiring. A case in point is the F-35 joint strike fighter, a program that will replace the Cold War tactical aircraft of three U.S. military services and at least nine allies with a stealthy, multi-role fighter. According to the Pentagon's most recent Selected Acquisition Report on the...

MOSCOW (AFP) – Fifty years after his father was shot down by the Soviets in an incident that marked a turning point in the Cold War, Francis Gary Powers Jr on Friday visited the wreckage of his dad's U-2 spy plane. "It's a wonderful display," Powers Jr said while standing in the hall of the Central Armed Forces Museum in Moscow which holds the wrecked plane and other material commemorating the so-called "U-2 incident" of May 1, 1960. On that day, Francis Gary Powers, a US pilot carrying out a secret mission for the CIA to photograph Soviet nuclear sites,...

The first Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35B Lightning II short takeoff, vertical landing (STOVL) stealth fighter demonstrated the capability to hover today during a test flight at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The flight was a significant test mission leading up to the aircraft’s first vertical landing. It confirmed predictions of the jet’s vertical thrust, stability and control in hovering flight. Today’s flight began with a conventional takeoff before F-35 lead STOVL Pilot Graham Tomlinson initiated conversion to STOVL mode at 200 knots airspeed. He then slowed the aircraft to 60 knots and flew a decelerating approach to a...

The Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft is still the "right choice" for the Australian defense force's next-generation air combat capability, despite being plagued by delivery delays and a costlier-than-expected development, Defense Minister John Faulkner said Friday. Australia's center-left Labor government last May said it plans to buy up to 100 of the F-35 jet fighters as part of a broader plan to boost defense capability over the next two decades. Ashton Carter, the top Pentagon official in charge of weapons purchases, told Congress Thursday the average cost of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will soar more than...

Boeing has won the U.S. competition to convert surplus Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters into drones to replace the QF-4s now used as full-scale aerial targets for weapon-system testing. The company has received a $69.7 million Air Force contract for the first phase of the QF-16 program, covering engineering, manufacturing and development. Most of that will occur in St. Louis while flight testing and production will occur at Boeing’s plant in Cecil Field, Fla. With follow-on contracts, eventually as many as 126 QF-16s should be delivered, beginning in mid-2014. Current prime contractor BAE Systems - who will join Boeing’s industry team...

Defense Department leaders and Lockheed Martin executives explained to international partners changes that have been made in the Joint Strike Fighter program. Ashton B. Carter, the department's undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, and Robert Stevens, chief operating officer for Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the program, explained what measures Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has taken to right the program. A department study of the program completed in October found the development phase of the revolutionary aircraft had slipped by 30 months. Gates has made changes that will reduce the slippage to 13 months, Carter said during a...

Lockheed Martin has been awarded an initial $213 million by the US government for the production of 20 new Advanced Block 52 F-16 aircraft for Egypt. According to a news release by the Lockheed Martin, the new aircraft order includes 16 F-16Cs and 4 F-16Ds, and will supplement the Egyptian Air Force's (EAF) existing fleet of F-16s and contribute to the modernisation of the EAF. "This is a great day for Lockheed Martin. The aircraft we will deliver to Egypt will join the fleet of more than 4,400 F-16s representing 25 nations," said John Larson, vice president, Lockheed Martin F-16...

The Lockheed Martin F-22 production line is dead, dead, dead. The US Air Force won't buy any more and foreign customers can't by any more. The age of Raptor production is over; long live the Lightning II. Or, is it? Rand's Project Air Force today published a 120-page monograph titled: Ending F-22A Production: Costs and Industrial Base Implications of Alternative Options. Hold on. What "alternative options"? Didn't we already decide the F-22 is dead -- no ifs, ands or earmarks? Rand's analysts explain in their report that the study was commissioned by the US Air Force before the decision was...

Pilots here received measurements for the first F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter equipment to move closer to training in the military's newest fighter aircraft Feb. 25 here. The new pilot equipment includes everything from underwear to cold-weather outer gear to anti-G garments. RFD Beaufort, the Lockheed Martin sub-contractor making the new equipment, took controlled measurements down to the millimeter to ensure comfort, safety and the pilot's capability to complete the mission in any scenario. Some of the equipment used by the first F-35 pilots will be based on legacy gear found on previous fighter aircraft. "The wing continues to...

US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen Norton Schwartz has warned F-35 cost-overruns are likely to breach a statutory cap that would force the Department of Defense to formally re-certify the programme to Congress and invite a fresh wave of scrutiny. "It's a possibility and may be even likely" the F-35 will violate cost overrun threshold set under the Nunn-McCurdy law, Schwartz told reporters on 18 February at the Air Force Association's Air Warfare Symposium. The F-35's status may not become clear until the Pentagon notifies Congress of all Nunn-McCurdy breaches in the next round of selected acquisition reports on...

U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin marked a testing milestone for its missile launch early warning and surveillance geosynchronous orbit spacecraft. Lockheed Martin has successfully completed the first phase of the Baseline Integrated System Test on its second Space-Based Infrared System satellite spacecraft technology. The Baseline Integrated System Test, which is an extensive functional test on the SBIRS GEO, marks a milestone for Lockheed Martin and paves the way for final factory work. The SBIRS GEO is designed to provide the U.S. military with next-generation missile detection and surveillance capabilities. "Concluding the first phase of Baseline Integrated System Test is another...