Defense Industry Daily Logo
ER/MP Gray Eagle: Enhanced MQ-1C Predators for the Army

ER/MP Gray Eagle: Enhanced MQ-1C Predators for the Army

ER/MP, armed (click to view full) Its initial battles were fought within the Pentagon, but the US Army's high-end UAV has made its transition to the battlefield. The ER/MP program was part of the US Army's reinvestment of dollars from the canceled RAH-66 Comanche...

Pilum High: The Javelin Anti-Armor Missile

Pilum High: The Javelin Anti-Armor Missile

Javelin, firing (click to view full) The FGM-148 Javelin missile system aimed to solve 2 key problems experienced by American forces. One was a series of disastrous experiences in Vietnam, trying to use 66mm M72 LAW rockets against old Soviet tanks. A number of...

Sikorsky’s $8.5-11.7B “Multi-Year 8” H-60 Helicopter Contract

Sikorsky’s $8.5-11.7B “Multi-Year 8” H-60 Helicopter Contract

US Army HH-60Ms (click to view full) In July 2012, the US military signed another huge contract with Sikorsky. With production of the Army's HH/UH-60M, and the Navy's MH-60S and MH-60R helicopters, all in full swing, there's no question about the need for future...

F-35 Lightning: The Joint Strike Fighter Program

F-35 Lightning: The Joint Strike Fighter Program

  F-35B: off probation (click to view full) The $382 billion F-35 Joint Strike fighter program may well be the largest single global defense program in history. This major multinational program is intended to produce an "affordably stealthy" multi-role fighter...

The C-130J: New Hercules & Old Bottlenecks

The C-130J: New Hercules & Old Bottlenecks

RAAF C-130J-30, flares (click to view full) The C-130 Hercules remains one of the longest-running aerospace manufacturing programs of all time. Since 1956, over 40 models and variants have served as the tactical airlift backbone for over 50 nations. The C-130J looks...

EMALS/ AAG: Electro-Magnetic Launch & Recovery for Carriers

EMALS/ AAG: Electro-Magnetic Launch & Recovery for Carriers

EMALS Components (click to view full) As the US Navy continues to build its new CVN-21 Gerald R. Ford Class carriers, few technologies are as important to their success as the next-generation EMALS (Electro-MAgnetic Launch System) catapult. The question is whether...

Super Hornet Fighter Family MYP-III: Contracts

Super Hornet Fighter Family MYP-III: Contracts

Breakthrough... (click to view full) The US Navy flies the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet fighters, and has begun operating the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare & strike aircraft. Many of these buys have been managed out of common multi-year procurement (MYP) contracts,...