2021-budget-defense

By Brian Everstine
Rep. Rob Wittman, (R-Va.), says he wants to ensure that lawmakers understand the advantages of the engines.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Lee Hudson
Complying with COVID-19 safety guidelines, the House Armed Services Committee is delaying its previously scheduled markup of the fiscal 2021 defense authorization bill.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Jen DiMascio
President Donald Trump signed a $2.2 trillion stimulus bill into law March 27, aimed at shielding the U.S. economy from damage done by COVID-19
Aerospace

By Irene Klotz
The Coronavirus Relief Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) legislation includes $60 million for NASA to “prevent, prepare for and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally.”
Space Symposium

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Navy has ditched its plan for a dual-phased delivery of the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) and instead will use a single-phased approach, meaning the entire ship will be delivered at the same time.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Mark Carreau
After December's troubled flight test, Boeing says it will adopt a more thorough approach as it continues to pursue certification for its Starliner capsule.
Space

By Lee Hudson
Signing a five-year performance-based logistics contract for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter by the start of fiscal 2021 is going to be a “challenge,” a Lockheed Martin executive says.
Air Warfare Symposium

By Lee Hudson
The service says there are sufficient quantities of the airborne system to support the National Defense Strategy.
Defense and Space

By Graham Warwick
A multi-target air-to-air weapon and gun-armed close-support missile are among new projects DARPA plans to launch in fiscal 2021. New approaches to communicating in contested environments, attacking signals and countering laser weapons are also on the list.
Aerospace

By Graham Warwick
With its fiscal 2021 budget request, the U.S. Air Force has consolidated funding for its first three Vanguard science and technology programs, to provide a clearer understanding of efforts to accelerate the fielding of new capabilities.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Army has canceled the procurement of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System and the Mobile Intermediate Range Missile programs in the fiscal 2021 budget to free up funding for higher priorities.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson, Jen DiMascio
The Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor program is moving to the Space Development Agency to avoid redundancy.
Defense and Space

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Air Force’s fiscal 2021 budget submission shows plans to integrate Northrop Grumman APG-83 AESA radars on 330 more F-16s.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Air Force is proposing the retirement of 13 KC-135s and 16 KC-10s in fiscal 2021, while the successor Boeing KC-46A Pegasus is not considered operationally viable.
Defense and Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA’s Washington headquarters is in line for the most, $7.75 billion, followed by the Johnson Space Center in Houston with $5.66 billion.
Defense and Space

By Graham Warwick
The U.S. Army is seeking $513.5 million in fiscal 2021 for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, up from $398.3 in fiscal 2020, the first year of the program
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson
The Navy admits its five-year budget projection is likely to change once the service’s integrated force structure assessment is released.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson
The service’s fiscal 2021 budget request once again attempts to defer Block II upgrades for conventional forces Chinooks, but includes money to upgrade special operations forces MH-47Gs.
Defense and Space

By Steve Trimble
A Lockheed Martin program has become the first casualty in the U.S. Defense Department’s race to deploy a diverse portfolio of hypersonic missiles as soon as possible.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson
The Pentagon has caved to congressional pressure and decided to fully fund the midlife refueling of the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and restore the aircraft carrier’s associated airwing in its fiscal 2021 budget request.
Defense and Space

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Air Force wants to buy new F-35A and F-15EX aircraft in fiscal 2021 while simultaneously funding modernization efforts for F-22, F-15 and F-16 aircraft to remain ready to fight in all domains.
Defense and Space

By Jen DiMascio
The Pentagon is requesting $15.4 billion for its newest service—the U.S. Space Force—in fiscal 2021, including a larger-than-anticipated increase in funding for a new generation of missile warning satellites.
Defense and Space

By Jen DiMascio
The Pentagon will launch a Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) program and build out its command-and-control system as part of a budget request that seeks $20.3 billion for “Missile Defeat and Defense activities.”
Defense and Space