By Agence France-Presse on Thursday, August 29th, 2013

Leaked documents from a Pentagon budget review suggest that the agency is uninterested in its costly F-35 fighter jets, and has thoughts about canceling the $391.2 billion program that has already expanded into 10 foreign countries. Pentagon officials held a briefing on Wednesday wherein they mapped out how you can manage the $500 billion in automated budget cuts required over the following decade. A slideshow laid out several suggestions and exposed the Pentagon’s frustration with its F-35 jets, which might be designed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp. based out of Bethesda, Md. The agency also suggested scrapping plans for... Read More »

Lockheed Martin’s F-35 faces the distinct possibility of being the primary to be eliminated within the ongoing bidding for Korea’s next generation fighter program. The weakest point against the newest U.S. aircraft is that its price may fit up significantly as it remains to be in development. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the arm of the Ministry of National Defense, has told the 3 candidates to fulfill the necessary price of 8.3 trillion won ($7.45 billion) or face an early exit. The bidding is scheduled to renew on Aug. 12 through 16. Currently, F-35 is vying against Boeing’s F-15... Read More »

In a primary-of-its-kind deal worth about $500 million, the u. s. has agreed to sell eight new Apache AH-64E attack helicopters and Longbow radars to Indonesia, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said here today. Hagel announced the deal during a joint news conference with Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro after productive meetings this afternoon with Yusgiantoro and earlier today with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The secretary is visiting Indonesia as component of an eight-day, four-nation trip that has included a stop in Malaysia and may take him this week to Brunei and the Philippines. “Providing Indonesia these world-class helicopters is an... Read More »

An odd underwater ballet was unfolding within the Mediterranean port of Toulon these past few days. Under the scrutiny in their masters, whose eyes are glued to computer screens, the world’s first fleet of “marine drones” is being put through its paces. Five European countries — France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal — have sent prototypes here under a four-year, four-million-euro ($5.32-million) programme to construct a squad of unmanned underwater rovers. Deployed from a surface vessel, but communicating among themselves and using artificial intelligence, the wireless scouts would unfolded in a surveillance network. Using video cameras and echo sounders, the... Read More »