Rapid Fire: Evening 2011-06-15

* In his final budget testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee, outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates addresses the planned reductions in the size of the ground forces, reforms to the Tricare program and saving targets laid out by President Obama. * The UK Ministry of Defence denies reports in The Telegraph newspaper that it has finalized a $34 million deal to sell its Harrier jump-jets to the United States Marine Corps for spare parts. * Saab announces the publication of its Gripen Czech Offset Program annual performance report. The company reveals that it has delivered offset transactions worth almost $1.5 billion to the year ending 2010. * Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn thanks the Czech Republic for increasing their commitment in Afghanistan just as the United States abandons its plans to deploy a missile early warning center on Czech soil. * The Aerospace Industries Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) announces [PDF] the appointment of James Quick as the organization’s President and Chief Executive Officer. * The US Navy’s new electro-magnetic EMALS catapult has begun launching USN T-45C trainer jets, as testing continues. EMALS is the biggest technology risk in the new Ford class aircraft carriers. * US NAVAIR discusses the MQ-8B Fire Scout helicopter UAV’s initial Afghan deployment. They’ve been […]