China’s J-31 Stealth Fighter Unveiled Soon

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China’s newest stealth fighter may be unveiled next month at the 10th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, according to Defense Update. The J-31 stealth jet is intended for export markets, initially as a land based fighter, but the plane could evolve into a carrier based naval configuration, and a direct competitor for the F-35 JSF.

The Pentagon’s civilian acquisition team is sponsoring initiatives aimed at redefining how the DoD responds to technology development, shares information with allies and finds future capabilities, reports DefenseNews. The DoD is also working with Congress to rewrite outdated acquisition rules and remove burdens from overworked program managers. However, some of the new initiatives “reflect the kind of muddled thinking that has resulted in six years of cutting money for new technologies, and now they’re suddenly realizing that the enemy is “catching up,” according to a top defense adviser.

Lockheed and the DoD reached an agreement on the terms of a contract worth about $4 billion for an eighth batch of 43 F-35 fighter jets, according to Reuters. The contract will lower the cost of the radar-evading warplane by about 3 percent and includes jets to be built for the Pentagon, Britain, and other allies.

The Military Times provides a fantastic picture of an F/A-18 Blue Angel flying between the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge during rush hour. Lt. Cmdr. David Tickle flew his jet right over the bridge during San Francisco Fleet Week airshow practice earlier this month.

The USS Nimitz will host the first landing of the F-35C on a carrier next month, reports Stars and Stripes. The Marine Corps F-35 version has made successful vertical landings aboard ships at sea but the Navy’s F-35C version, which is designed to land on carriers, has not because of tail hook problems.

Precision sloped landing tests with the MQ-8C Fire Scout have been completed by Northrop Grumman and now the aircraft is preparing for at-sea testing, reports The State. The MQ-8C is the latest variant of the Fire Scout unmanned aerial system, which performs intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions for the Navy.

The first wave of the DISA direct storefront will roll out Oct. 31, offering DoD users an initial suite of network services expected to expand in the coming months, reports C4ISR&Networks. Initially, consumers of DISA’s services will be able to purchase online dedicated, sensitive-but-unclassified Internet protocol (IP) data, secret IP data, and commercial satellite communications capabilities.

The second of three MQ-4C Triton test aircraft made its debut at NAS Pax River Friday after completing its inaugural cross-country flight from Northrop Grumman’s California facility, reports NAVAIR News. The third test aircraft is scheduled to arrive before the end of the year. The Triton integrated test team will continue envelope expansion and conduct sensor, communications and interoperability testing on the three aircraft in preparation for deployment in 2017.