World Defense News

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army is in the throes of updating its air-and-missile defense strategy to align with the Pentagon’s conviction that the military must modernize and overmatch its near-peer adversaries Russia and China. Missile defense plays an important role in the new National Defense Strategy released earlier this year. The head of the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command, Lt. Gen. James Dickinson, told Defense News at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference that the organization is currently updating the strategy. He also noted that the service’s current investments and road map for missile defense is aligning with the goals set forward in the NDS. “We’ve got a great defense budget right now,” he said. “The investments we are making right now, that are in line with what that strategy [is], will eventually roll out.” The last AMD strategy was crafted in 2012. In 2015, the command updated the document, Dickson explained, but since the...

The new bomber is expected to complement the H-6K, shown, in Chinese service. (Liu Rui/Xinhua via AP) MELBOURNE, Australia — China’s official state-run media has confirmed the designation of the country’s newest long-range strategic bomber, with analysts speculating that the prototype is expected to make its first flight soon. In a documentary reportedly broadcast in August, China Central Television referred to the “Hong-20” as the “new long-range strategic bomber” under development for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, or PLAAF, confirming for the first time the H-20 designation that has previously been used elsewhere to describe the program. The documentary added that “great progress” is being made on the Hong-20’s development, although it did not provide other details. “Hong” is the standard abbreviation for the term “Hongzhaji,” or bomber in Chinese, although this is usually shortened to just the “H” in Western literature. Song Zhongping, a ...

The US military has temporarily grounded its entire fleet of F-35 fighter jets in the wake of a crash in South Carolina last month. Inspections are to be carried out on faulty fuel tubes. An official report questioned earlier this year whether the F-35 was ready for combat after dozens of faults were found. The F-35 is the largest and most expensive weapons programme of its type in the world. The programme is expected to last several decades and global sales are projected to be 3,000. The US government's accountability office estimates all costs associated with the project will amount to one trillion dollars. In a statement, the F-35 Joint Program Office said the US and its international partners had suspended flight operations while a fleet-wide inspection of fuel tubes was conducted. "If suspect fuel tubes are installed, the part will be removed and replaced. If known good fuel tubes are already installed, then those aircraft will be returned to flight status....

The jet is the world's most expensive weapons system and costs have rocketed One went down over Beaufort, South Carolina at 11.45am local time today The pilot ejected before the crash and is now being treated by medical personnel The F-35B jet went down near a military base in South Carolina, US as photographs from the scene show a thick cloud of smoke enveloping the area. The Ministry of Defence has said it will not be grounding any planes for the time being - but that could change following the investigation.  A US F-35 pilot was forced to eject midair after the $100million fighter jet crashed in South Carolina (pictured; the smoking aftermath of the crash) A thick cloud of smoke enveloped the area around the crash site close to a military base in South Carolina  Today the Marine Corps are busy investigating what caused one of the planes to go down during a training exercise at 11.45am local time today.  A spokesman said: 'Marines from MCAS ...

Visitors examine a replica of the Dutch F-35C Lightning II joint striker fighter aircraft during the Dutch Air Force Days at Leeuwarden Air Base in Leeuwarden on June 10, 2016. (Photo credit Vincent Jannink/AFP/Getty Images) COLOGNE, Germany – Dutch defense minister Ank Bijleveld has eliminated the country’s budget cap for F-35 purchases, opening the possibility of buying more planes in the future, a spokesman confirmed to Defense News. The defense ministry spokesman described the move as “just a formality” that would not require parliamentary approval, as the Dutch objective of buying 37 copies of the Lockheed Martin-made jet for €4.7 billion remains in place. But it means “we leave the option open to buy new planes” beyond those already envisioned in the budget, the spokesman said. The development was first reported by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, which wrote that the air force was angling to eventually get 67 aircraft. That amount would be enough to field fou...

The LCS Tulsa underway for acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico. The sensor packages destined for the littoral combat ships are caught in a cycle of budget cuts and delays. (Austal USA). WASHINGTON — Congress loves buying littoral combat ships, but when it comes to the packages of sensors and systems that make the ships useful, lawmakers have been less enthusiastic. In the 2019 Defense Department funding bill that just left the conference committee, lawmakers have funded a 33rd, 34th and 35th littoral combat ship, three more than the 32-ship requirement set by the Navy. But when it comes to the mission modules destined to make each ship either a mine sweeper, submarine hunter or small surface combatant, that funding has been slashed. Appropriators cut all funding in 2019 for the anti-submarine warfare package, a variable-depth sonar and a multifunction towed array system that the Navy was aiming to have declared operational next year, citing only tha...