Defense

The Admiral Kuznetzov carrier will return to service in 2021 after extensive repairs, the Russian defense ministry reported April 13, quoting Deputy Minister Yury Borisov.

The Pentagon’s top weapons buyer has appointed Jeff Boleng to lead the Department of Defense’s software acquisition strategy.

The introduction of the F-35 into the USMC inventory is driving a need for another adversary air training capability to keep pilots’ air combat skills honed.

Japan’s industry ministry is backing a push by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) to increase cooperation among the country’s aerostructure suppliers.

The F-35 finally completed flight testing on April 11, 2018, at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, but it still has to complete its "final exam."

The USMC wants to prioritize a manned high-speed attack rotorcraft from the technologies that emerge from the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift studies.

The U.S. Marine Corps is looking at adopting the ship-killing Naval Strike Missile, jointly built by Norway’s Kongsberg and Raytheon.

As part of its bid for India’s 110 fighter aircraft requirement, Boeing is laying the groundwork to produce its F/A-18E/F Block III Super Hornet in the country.

The Czech Republic has upgraded its Saab Gripens to give them an enhanced air-to-ground capability.

Indonesian Aerospace has signed letters of intent to supply three aircraft—two maritime patrollers and a transporter—to two African countries.

Test flights of the MUAV surveillance drone have begun at a Republic of Korea Air Force base, revealing additions including what appear to be weapon pylons.

India has approved the final technical configuration of Russian Helicopters’ Ka-226T light utility helicopter.

The milestone comes as Boeing works with the U.S. government to further expand the customer base for the maritime patroller, which is slowly edging the long-serving Lockheed P-3 Orion out of front-line use.

The Russian military is ready to buy additional Ilyushin Il-112V light transport aircraft, despite delays with its development.

South Korea has provisionally chosen LIG Nex1 to build five reconnaissance satellites due for launch between 2020 and 2023.

Draken International has signed an agreement with Paramount Aerospace Systems, a subsidiary of Paramount Group, for the overhaul and ongoing engineering support of their recently acquired fleet of Mirage F1M aircraft from the Spanish Air Force.

The midaltitude UAV is reportedly designed to operate at altitudes of 10-12 km on missions lasting up to 24 hr.

China seeks military base in South Pacific, U.S. plays catchup on AI, the Coast Guard’s new UAS, and F-35 flies to South America.

Commercial off-the-shelf drones are already challenging the traditional military balance betwen aggressor and defender.

The emergence of Boeing and Rolls-Royce as new backers represents a significant endorsement for Reaction, which is designing and testing an air-breathing, combined-cycle rocket engine concept dubbed Sabre.

The DOD is examining the entire F-35 supply chain for opportunities to compete components and repair work, a top Defense Department official says.

The U.S. Navy expects to have five Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft modified with aerial refueling capability by year’s end,

Two Indian companies have teamed up with separate Israel-based firms to manufacture unmanned aerial vehicles for the Indian military.

Boeing has captured another $25 million to continue preliminary design work on the new Air Force One aircraft, VC-25B, the U.S. Air Force announced April 10.

Australia has become the first country apart from the U.S. to receive Lockheed Martin F-35s with software of the fully operational, Block 3F standard.