Bird Strike Grounds Navy Aircraft at Pax
An E-6B Mercury, a nuclear command-and-control plane, hit a bird while landing at NAS Patuxent River on Oct. 2. The Navy estimates the damage due to the bird strike at about $2 million.
More Troops Headed to the Middle East
More service members, intelligence aircraft, engineers, and fighter pilots are heading to the Middle East as a “prudent defensive measure” against Iran.
New FAA Rules for Recreational Drones
Recreational drone users will face new FAA regulations that will go into effect this summer.
Charges Dropped Against Fitzgerald CO
Former Fitzgerald CO Cmdr. Bryce Benson gives an 18-page rebuttal of charges against him regarding the 2017 collision with a merchant vessel that killed seven sailors. The Navy also dropped all criminal charges against Lt. Natalie Combs.
Meet the Rebranded F-16 Fighting Falcon
Lockheed Martin has announced a fighter jet it calls the F-21. The single-seat fighter comes with missiles, modern sensors, and can engage in both air-to-air and air-to-ground combat. The rebranding appears to be more about opportunities for industrial cooperation in India, than technological enhancements.
NASA Plans 3-D Printing of Habitats on Other Planets
NASA uses 3-D printing to repair tools in space and now wants to use the technology to build habitats on other planets. The US Army deploys its Rapid Fabrication via Additive Manufacturing on the Battlefield, with five printers to get broken equipment ready for battle quicker. The current, fourth deployment of the $250,000 facility, is in South Korea.
East Coast on Alert As Florence Nears
The mid-Atlantic region is expecting to be impacted by the approaching Hurricane Florence. Naval Station Norfolk is among the military installation taking precautions. The National Hurricane Center says it is still too early to predict the storm’s exact path.
US, Britain Ready for F-35B Flight Trials
Great Britain’s aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has departed for the US to carry out flight trials with F-35B fighter jets at the Portsmouth naval base.
Defense Spending Bills Taking Shape
Both the House and Senate are proposing $675B in defense spending. The House passed its version of the defense appropriations bill last week. Lawmakers will return after the holiday to reconcile their differences in the legislation.
Senate Blocks F-35 Sale to Turkey
US Senate blocks Lockheed’s $10 billion sale of F-35s to Turkey, fearing the fighter jet’s secrets are at risk since the NATO ally’s decision to buy the Russian S-400 air defense system.
