Dems Open Session With Plan to End Shutdown
With a special caveat to discuss border security later, House Democrats open the new session of Congress today with the goal of ending the government shutdown and reinstating a 1.9 percent federal pay raise Trump rescinded late last year.
First F-35C Flight Mishap Costs $2 Million
An F-35C flying from USS Abraham Lincoln was damaged during an aerial refueling exercise. Debris from an aerial refueling basket was ingested into the F-35C’s engine intake, resulting in damage costing about $2 million.
F-35C Joins Carrier Flight Operations
For the first time, the F-35Cs launched, recovered, and maneuvered around the flight deck alongside F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growlers, and E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes.
Reaper Drones Help Combat Wildfires
Remotely piloted Air Force drones were put to work to help combat the recent California wildfires. MQ-9 Reapers from the Air National Guard’s 163rd Attack Wing were put into service in Northern California.
T-45 Training Grounded Indefinitely
The Navy has extended the grounding of all of its T-45 training jets indefinitely after a group of instructor pilots refused to fly the aircraft. The service’s engineers need to figure out what’s causing a spike in dangerous physical symptoms in pilots brought on by a drop in oxygen in the cockpit.
Upgraded Tomahawk System Delivered to Fleet
The US Navy has delivered an upgraded Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System to the fleet. The Tomahawk Weapons System Program Office has maintained the system since 2004 with incremental updates, but to ensure future viability, software modernization was required.
Trump Budget Ramps Up Defense Spending
President Donald Trump said he will propose a budget that would ramp up spending on defense and infrastructure.
Navy Patrol Intercepts Illegal Arms Shipment
A Navy Coastal Patrol ship confiscates illegal arms in the Arabian Gulf: hundreds of AK-47 rifles, rocket propelled grenades and .50-cal machine guns.
Boehner May Delay Leadership Vote
House Speaker John Boehner’s replacement will be voted on Thursday, but the vote for the No. 2 and No. 3 leadership slots may be delayed.
Drones Rules More Liberal Than Expected
FAA drones rules proposal showing more flexibility on commercial use than had been anticipated.
