* Keeping the Edge: US should ensure Israel maintains its qualitative edge in armaments when it approves arms sales to Israel’s Arab neighbors – such as F-15s to Saudi Arabia – the Israeli defense minister tells the Washington Post during his US visit.
* On Target: India successfully shot down a modified Prithvi 2 ballistic missile with a supersonic interceptor AAD missile, developed by the government’s Defence Research and Development Organisation, as part of a test of the country’s ballistic missile defense system.
* TASC in Chantilly, VA snags a contract worth more than $200 million to provide systems engineering and integration work for the USAF Infrared Space Systems Wing’s Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) missile defense mission area, which includes the DSP and SBIRS-High satellite systems.
* Cyber Crime’s Financial Bite: Cyber crime costs the US defense industry the most of any industry – $16 million per year – according to a survey by IT research organization Ponemon Institute.
* On the Move: BAE Systems’ hiring of ManTech President Lawrence Prior is seen as move to expand BAE’s US defense business into cybersecurity, intelligence analysis, and equipment repair and modernization.
* First Lady Michelle Obama christens the Stratton, which will eventually become the Coast Guard’s 3rd Legend Class National Security Cutter.
* US-based Teledyne pays around GBP35 million in cash and assumed obligations to acquire Intelek, a British firm that supplies electronics systems for military and commercial satellite and microwave communication systems.