Air, Space Forces pick up research pace for orbital cargo delivery
The current focus is on low cost, high volume commercial cargo reentry pods, an Air Force Research Laboratory spokesperson told Breaking Defense.
Category: Defense
UK launches first space squadron to ‘degrade and deny’ enemies
“No one wants a war in space. We are positioned to deter this,” said Harv Symth, UK Chief of the Air Staff
German defense minister sees smooth sailing in parliament for his record defense budget
VIENNA — German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters after a Bundestag defense committee hearing on Wednesday that lawmakers had shown “much agreement” on his ministry’s record 2027 budget request, even as he pushed back against criticism that Germany is buying too much legacy hardware rather than new technology.Pistorius is asking parliament to approve nearly…
Greenland welcomes US military pact but trust still shaky
Greenland’s government and residents expressed relief that a military pact with the United States and Denmark may end anxiety over President Donald Trump’s threats to seize their Arctic island, but many remain distrustful of Washington.“I am incredibly relieved and think the outcome is very sensible. We can be satisfied,” Naaja Nathanielsen, a Greenlandic MP in…
Air Force, civilian staff dispute status of China Aerospace Studies Institute
On Oct. 1, the Air Force will eliminate all 10 civilian positions at the China Aerospace Studies Institute, the Air University center that publishes unclassified research on the People’s Liberation Army’s air, space and missile forces. Its director said the move will effectively end the institute, even as the service says CASI’s mission will continue.“As…
Steam catapults? US Navy appears to be sticking with electromagnetics on carriers
Despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s nostalgia for old-fashioned steam catapults, the U.S. Navy appears to be sticking with electromagnetics for its newest class of aircraft carriers. The Navy recently awarded contracts for the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, which uses electrically generated magnetic fields to launch aircraft from Ford-class carriers.Kato Engineering announced a $49.3…
Army awards Palantir $48.1M to modernize ammo management
The U.S. Army awarded a subsidiary of Palantir Technologies a $48.1 million contract to develop software designed to improve how the service tracks and manages ammunition.According to last week’s announcement, the new software will streamline ammunition management by consolidating nine separate legacy platforms.“Ultimately, this system is one element to modernize overall ammunition systems, retire legacy…
‘Super Intelligence’: the president’s new term for AI, explained
President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a rebranding of the term “artificial intelligence,” saying during the United Nations General Assembly that from now on, it will be called “super intelligence.” “From this point forward, all of United States’ documents, and hopefully the world’s, will be changed to use the much more accurate term, ‘super,’ as opposed…
Time, not capital, is the constraint on the defense industrial base
The Pentagon's industrial-base problem is no longer a shortage of capital. It is the time required to turn that capital into qualified suppliers, suppliers into parts, and parts into weapons in warfighters’ hands. Three changes would shorten that timeline more than the next hundred billion dollars in appropriations. First, let defense suppliers that have earned…
Trump’s FBI shut down investigation into defense contractor’s alleged bribes
In the final weeks of 2019, a top fundraiser for Sen. Susan Collins walked into a perilous meeting at a Corner Bakery in Washington, D.C. For the first time in her two-decade Senate career, the Republican lawmaker from Maine was in danger of losing her seat. President Donald Trump’s dismal approval ratings were dragging her…