Defense

In an industry sector seemingly synonymous with delays, cost overruns and unanticipated snags encountered during protracted test programs, Embraer's KC-390 twin-jet military transport aircraft appears to be an exception.

After a partial fleet grounding earlier this year over safety issues, the U.S. Air Force still has concerns about the quality of Northrop Grumman’s J-Stars maintenance work.

The British defense ministry has contracted with Raytheon UK to keep its fleet of Sentinel radar-reconnaissance aircraft in service until 2021.

Helibras president Richard Marelli said the company was “working hard to convince the Brazilian army,” to let the company fit the Hforce generic weapon system to one of the army’s Fennecs.

The next U.S. presidential administration will face major nuclear deterrent challenges, not the least of which will be to understand nuclear myths—which must be avoided—and what nuclear truths must be embraced.

Exercise Bersama Lima 16, held in Malaysia Oct. 4-21, provided the first opportunity for RAF Typhoons to be pitched against the Su-30MKMs of the Royal Malaysian Air Force.

South Korean Massive Punishment and Retaliation is a plan to go after Kim Jong Un and other top North Korean leaders if they launch a nuclear attack.

The Pentagon is updating its nuclear triad as Russia and China prepare to field nuclear-capable hypersonic glide vehicles and maneuverable warheads.

Despite potential schedule and cost growth, the service is “comfortable” that Northrop’s B-21 will meet the technical requirements at a reasonable price.

The Hanwha Hyunmu 2 short-range ballistic missile is a likely basis of the submarine weapon that South Korea has reportedly begun developing.

From the SR-71’s “pie panels” to the B-2’s silver coatings and the F-35’s “magic” layer, an up-close look at stealth technology’s materials.

The U.S. Marine Corps hopes to introduce its MUX multi-mission UAV well ahead of the common Sikorsky H-60/Bell Helicopter H-1 replacement it is pursuing under the Army-led Future Vertical Lift Capability Set 3 program.

The 13 CubeSat-class spacecraft set to ride piggyback on the first flight of NASA’s heavy-lift Space Launch System will serve as pathfinders for future unmanned missions into deep space on the big new rocket, including a Europa mission as early as 2022.

The U.S. Marine Corps wants to add new tricks to the 135-lb. Blackjack UAS.

The U.S. Army plans to jump-start the acquisition for its “runway-independent” Future Tactical UAS in the “late fiscal 2020” time frame.

Like the rest of South Korea’s efforts at developing and building bombardment missiles, the underwater element is wrapped in secrecy that has been broken by only a few local news reports, not all consistent.

The U.S. Air Force has asked the Silicon Valley-based Defense Innovation Unit-Experimental (DIUx), to look into the art of the possible for controlling mass numbers of tiny UAS.

In this week’s roundup, the CH-53K is poised for production; an Indian and French company create a joint venture for helicopter maintenance; Embraer pays at least $205 million to settle corruption charges and a U.S. weather satellite breaks up in space.

The U.S. plans to rebuild its entire nuclear triad over the next 30 years, and a smaller nuclear force would reduce the cost of doing so.

The improved General Atomics unmanned aerial vehicle incorporates several engineering change proposals into the already-adopted MQ-1C Gray Eagle.

NASA’s Jupiter-orbiting Juno spacecraft emerged from several days in safe mode earlier this week and executed a maneuver to help set up its next close pass of the gas giant.

International Space Station crews may have been lucky so far, but the time has come for NASA and its partners to equip the six-person outpost with a specially configured ambulance, according to former U.S. astronaut Steve Robinson.

The U.S. Army and Marine Corps will lead the introduction of next-generation rotorcraft under the multi-service Future Vertical Lift (FVL) procurement with a placeholder initial operational capability date of 2030-32.

The U.S. Marine Corps is embarking on a development program for a large, multi-mission UAV to conduct strike and surveillance missions from the decks of its amphibious ships.

The new U.S. president will likely have to choose between upgrading the nuclear arsenal and funding critical conventional weapons replacement programs.