The push to have more defense industry-related manufacturing built indigenously is hurting India in the short run, but the benefits could outweigh the pain.
The long shadow of China is having an affect on all other nations in the region. This looming presence bolsters the need for aircraft and submarines and is a key element in all defense budget planning.
The first of four Boeing KC-46A engineering, manufacturing and development (EMD) aircraft made its first flight from Paine Field, Everett, Washington, on Dec. 28, starting the clock ticking toward the planned delivery of the first 18 new 767-based tankers to the U.S. Air Force by August 2017.
The company demonstrated three different electronic warfare sensors on the U-2, switching each out in significantly less time than required when not using the open systems architecture approach.
UAS needs are shifting, and it seems like Asia is picking up the slack; agricultural and industry needs are likely to drive civil growth in the U.S. and elsewhere.
The U.S. Army is planning to finally deploy by year’s end the first of its new airships designed to aid in air and missile threat detection for the Northeastern U.S.
An ICBM kill, salvo trials and first flight of a new Redesigned Kill Vehicle are in the test plan for the Missile Defense Agency’s Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system during the next five years.
The integration of short targeting cycles—thanks to the introduction of streamlined networking solutions—allows the IDF to further improve its response time, bringing the time from detection to target kill to seconds and minutes rather than hours.
France is slowly replacing its aging Boeing KC-135Rs with Airbus A330 multirole tanker-transports, though defense budget constraints are hindering the transition.