Americas * Raytheon has been awarded a $2.35 billion contract to deliver 52 SM-3 Block IB missiles. The contract finalizes a preliminary one for 44 missiles valued at $541 million. The addition of 8 further missiles comes as the US military is increasing its stocks of...
Australian CH-47D:Afghanistan, 2006(click to view full) In December 2005, Australia decided to upgrade its CH-47D Chinook fleet, in preparation for use on the front lines. Afghanistan's high altitudes and sometimes-scorching temperatures reduce rotor lift. That made...
Americas * US Congress has voted to slash the funding for the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) program by $30 million. This leaves just $10.5 million in funding for development of the project. Last Wednesday's 2016 defense...
In the wake of events in Georgia and Crimea, Poland has emerged as NATO's key eastern bastion. The Tarcza Polski (Shield of Poland) aims to give it an advanced air defense system to match. Poland's military rise has been slow, but steady. Smart economic policies have...
Americas * It looks like a very merry Christmas for Lockheed Martin and Boeing, as they came out as the major winners in the announced $1.15 trillion spending bill announced on Wednesday. Funding will see eleven more F-35 Lightning IIs than requested by President...
DIRCM concept(click to view larger) Early deployment of a system called Flight Guard aboard civilian jet liners came following a November 2002 incident in which shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles (MANPADS) were launched unsuccessfully at an Arkia plane in Mombasa,...
P-8A: Sonobuoy drop(click to view full) Sonobuoys are used to detect and identify moving underwater objects by either listening for the sounds produced by propellers and machinery (passive detection), or by bouncing a sonar "ping" off the surface of a submarine...
Americas * Oshkosh Corporation has been allowed to resume building tactical vehicles for the US Army. The go ahead was given after the company was forced to halt production of 17,000 Light Tactical Vehicles specified on the $6.75 billion contract which was awarded in...
Trident II D-5 Carried on SSBN-726 Ohio Class submarines, The Trident II D-5 is the US Navy's submarine launched nuclear missile, with exceptional range for a sea-launched weapon and accuracy figures that rival or even exceed land-based ICBMs. These missiles are...