F/A-18 with test JASSMs(click to view full) In March 2005, Lockheed Martin's AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missile (or JASSM) cruise missile won the competition with Boeing's SLAM-ER and the Taurus KEPD 350 for the AIR 5418 Follow-on Standoff Weapon (FOSOW)...
Contracts – Awards Articles
President Obama Announces Troop Sizes for Phased Afghan Withdrawal
* President Obama announced the US would leave 9,800 troops in Afghanistan in 2015, then cut than number by half the next year. * US Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO, SAC-D member) sums up the Republican reaction: "If we are going to leave forces in Afghanistan, we should...
Ukraine’s President Elect Wants Quick End to Anti-Separatist Operations
* Ukraine elected businessman Petro Poroshenko as its next president with a relatively high margin, and one of his pledges is to wrap up operations in Eastern Ukraine quickly. Fighting in Donetsk (Eastern Ukraine) reportedly led to the death of about 40 pro-Russian...
Memorial Day 2014
Monday, May 28th is Memorial Day in the USA. As we mentioned on Friday, DID honors those who have given all of their tomorrows in American military service, and will not be publishing. Readers are reminded that in America, the Memorial Day moment of silence takes...
Despite Pitfalls, Russia’s Military Modernization Effort Should be Taken Seriously
* The Economist notes that "money and reform have given Russia armed forces it can use." There are serious remaining weaknesses, and Russia may not sustain this forever, but with more than 20% of public spending dedicated to defense, the current modernization effort...
Nimrod Was Actually a Fine Hunter: The End of RAF Aerial Maritime Patrol
Nimrod MR2 at work(click to view full) British naval theorist Sir Julian Corbett saw the navy's proper role as "directly or indirectly either to secure the command of the sea or to prevent the enemy from securing it." Airpower plays a prominent role in both of those...
Qinetiq Eager to Turn the Page After Divestiture of US Services
* Qinetiq announced sales for the year ended March 31 2014 that were down by 10.3% to £1.2B ($2B). Growth in the UK and the rest of Europe was not nearly enough in absolute terms to compensate for a tough Y/Y comparison in the US. Theirs is a cautionary tale for...
US, Anglo Partners to Combine Some Space Operations
* The US, UK, Australia and Canada are establishing [PDF] combined space operations among their armed forces. One concern on the agenda is maintaining operations as satellites are threatened with collisions. It sounds like Five-Eyes (FVEY) is coming back for an...
Cobham to Acquire Aeroflex to Lessen Dependence on Defense
* Cobham announced its intent to acquire Aeroflex for $1.46B, in order to grow commercial sales, especially in connectivity products. The resulting entity will see commercial revenue reach more than 40% of total sales, up from Cobham's current 35%. Testing Operational...