DoD $1.4B Short on Next F-35 Contract
The Pentagon is $1.4 billion short for its next major F-35 contract with Lockheed. If more money isn’t found, the pending three-year contract, valued at as much as $30 billion, will yield fewer aircraft for the US’s costliest weapons program, which is now estimated at $412 billion.
Hawkeye Crashes Near Md.’s Eastern Shore
A US Navy E2-D Hawkeye aircraft crashed Wednesday evening off the coast of Virginia near Wallops Island and Chincoteague, killing one and injuring two others. The deceased crew member has been identified as LT Hyrum Hanlon.
Sailors Fault Navy Culture for Failures
It’s the leadership, according to a lawmakers survey finding 94% of sailors connect “damaging operational failures” in the Navy to its culture, in a study, titled “A Report on the Fighting Culture of the United States Navy Surface Fleet.”
Huntington Ingalls to Buy Alion: $1.65B
Huntington Ingalls Industries to buy Alion Science and Technology in $1.65B deal. Alion is among a number of recent acquisitions as the large shipbuilder seeks to move toward emerging technologies like unmanned systems.
Who Pays for Clearing Suez Canal?
Disputes grow regarding who should pay for dislodging the massive Ever Given container ship from the Suez Canal. Egyptian authorities say they won’t release the ship until its owners agree to pay up to $1 billion in compensation.
2nd Navy MQ-8C Drone Suffers Mishap
An unmanned MQ-8C drone was damaged during testing of a lithium ion battery at Webster Field in St. Inigoes on Nov. 16. That was the second major mishap involving the new variant just in the month of November. A Fire Scout drone crashed at a California Navy base Nov. 10.
Cautious Election Optimism: No Cyber Attack, Yet
Federal officials reported cautious optimism Wednesday morning that no malicious cyber attacks occurred on Election Day, but warned that the danger still exists in the days following the presidential election including potential violence when the results are known later in the week.
737 MAX Might Fly With Software Patch
The FAA gave preliminary approval to design changes for Boeing’s 737 MAX that should prevent crashes like the two that killed more than 300 people in October 2018 and March 2019.
Century-Old Briggs & Stratton Files Bankruptcy
Small engine manufacturer Briggs & Stratton Corp., founded in Milwaukee in 1908, has filed for bankruptcy protection. Briggs was the world’s largest manufacturer of small gasoline engines; it has sold more than 125 million.
DoD Uses COVID Funds for Small-Drone Contracts
DoD’s innovation arm has issued $13.4 million in small-drone support contracts using COVID-19 funds, awarding contracts to five companies to help with “situational awareness, improve human-machine teaming, and provide engineering support.”
