* DJI, the manufacturer of the drone that crashed on White House grounds, is pushing a mandatory firmware "upgrade" that disables their devices within a 15.5 mile radius around Washington D.C. area. The move is a fast and shrewd move for a firm that likely faced - and...
Logistics & Support Articles
Administration Budget to Reverse Sequestration
* The Obama Administration is reportedly about to start pushing a suggested defense appropriation 8 percent above last year's, an increase that by itself would roughly equal Germany's annual defense spending. Procurement accounts would see a 15 percent increase. $51...
China Buying Russian S-400s at $500 Million Per
* Russia's S-300 surface-to-air missile upgrade back in 2010 was so good, they opted to rebadge it the S-400. It has also gone under the names SA-21, Triumf and S-300PMU-3. It has been the object of much diplomatic hand-wringing as western nations have pleaded,...
Germany: No Weapons to Saudi
* Unlike other western nations, Germany's public has been interested and concerned about Saudi Arabia's record on suppressing minorities and women, as well as lending help to organizations affiliated with violent extremism. With four out of five Germans indicating...
Pentagon Commission: $25B/Year Savings to Be Had
The Pentagon's Defense Business Bureau, an advisory group designed to give private sector expertise to senior leaders, announced its global analysis of DoD practices found potential savings of about $25 billion per year, to be squeezed mostly out of logistics,...
Drug Smugglers Beating DHS at Drone War with <1% Budget
* A Mexican drug operation appears to have operationalized cross-border drug smuggling with helicopter drones. One device - what appears to be a DJI SPreadwings S900 Multi-rotor System, which retails for $1,400 - fell into a Tijuana parking lot after being loaded with...
Today’s Special: Turkey Subs
Preveze Class(click to view larger) In 2006, the Turkish SSM procurement agency issued a request for information (RFI) for 4 more diesel-electric submarines. That RFI became an RFP for 6 diesel-electric submarines with air-independent propulsion systems, to replace...
After the F-35: Would-Be F/A-XX Contractors Build Capacity, Expectations
It may yet be a decade or two before the U.S. has an appetite for another "generation" increment for its fighters, but Boeing and Northrop Grumman are hungry now. Northrop is touting its new design teams dedicated to generating capabilities for the Navy and Air Forces...
U.S. Military Environmental Liabilities Tempered by Lax Policies of Yore
* Military bases are often home to environmental disasters, and mitigation costs are significant enough today that it exerts a real and behavior-changing influence on the U.S. military. But the liabilities are not considered "strict liabilities" as federal Superfund...