Defense

The House Armed Services Committee unanimously adopted establishing a sixth armed service by a voice vote June 13 after debating for less than an hour.

Saab has withdrawn from the Swiss fighter contest just days before the company’s Gripen E was due to arrive in the country for flight evaluations.

The €300 million ($335 million) order, announced June 13, covers 13 aircraft, and brings the number of aircraft ordered by Italy to 18.

Swiss helicopter developer Kopter Group has picked up the pace for testing for its SH09 single-engine light helicopter.

The Network for the Sky (NFTS) system will provide a high-speed network for combat and support aircraft, UAVs and helicopters, Airbus says.

Singapore has demonstrated its capacity for independent weapons development by introducing into service what it calls an advanced armored vehicle.

Sikorsky wins $542 million VH-92A contract; New Zealand to buy C-130Js; Lockheed delivers GPS interim ground system; Malaysia plans 2021 aircraft buys

A long-abandoned requirement for the F-35 could be revived by certain customers.

U.S. House members are deepening their opposition to the Trump administration’s use of emergency authority for the export of $8 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Unmanned aircraft system specialist AeroVironment said June 11 it acquired Pulse Aerospace, a developer and supplier of small, vertical-takeoff-and-landing UAS, for $25.7 million in cash.

Another element of a U.S. Air Force plan to save money during the KC-46 sustainment phase has proven unrealistic, the GAO says in a new report published on June 12.

The GAO released a 30-page decision on June 12 that forcefully rejects the Advanced Turbine Engine Company’s (ATEC) arguments for overturning the U.S. Army’s decision to award a $530 million contract to GE Aviation to develop a new helicopter engine.

International partners joining Britain’s Tempest next-generation combat aircraft technology initiatives will need to “collaborate on the strength of what they bring to the program,” the UK’s national armament director has suggested.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been given a largely positive report card following a series of noise trials in support of its basing in Denmark.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off June 12 with a trio of radar-bearing Earth observation satellites for the Canadian Space Agency.

A deployable UAV equipped with a sensor capable of detecting submarines beneath the surface could be added to the Boeing P-8A under a new prototyping program.

Malaysia will buy two maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) and three long-range armed drones starting in 2021, its defense ministry says.

Poland is looking to speed up its purchase of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter following Warsaw’s decision to acquire up to 32 of the combat aircraft.

Practically no one saw it coming, but everyone could feel its implications. What does a possible Raytheon Technologies mean for A&D?

British aerospace suppliers have found themselves frozen out of industry tenders, as the uncertainty about Britain’s departure from the EU continues.

British defense engineering company Marshall Aerospace and Defense has begun using additive manufacturing to rapidly prototype and produce components for military aircraft.

Brexit has caused British aerospace suppliers to be frozen out of key tenders.

The top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee intends to submit an amendment June 12 during markup of the fiscal 2020 defense policy bill to increase the U.S. defense budget top line from $733 billion to $750 billion.

Four NASA tech initiatives intended to improve the design and performance of spacecraft assigned to a range of future missions are among 24 small sat ride shares set to launch later this month.

The Israeli Defense Ministry and Lockheed Martin Israel have signed a first-of-its-kind F-35 aircraft maintenance agreement.