April 25, 2024

F-35C Joins Carrier Flight Operations

F-35C

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

drones fighting 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

T-45

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

Tomahawk

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

Donald Trump budget

President Donald Trump said he will propose a budget that would ramp up spending on defense and infrastructure.

Navy Patrol Intercepts Illegal Arms Shipment

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

Boehner

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.

Wind Farm Debate Continues

wind turbine farm

The Somerset County Wind Farm debate continues after a 2-2 vote allows the project to move forward, but not necessarily to a final vote.

F-35C Lands on USS Nimitz

F-35C JSF night takeoff

An F-35C Lightning II made an arrested landing aboard the USS Nimitz in an important milestone for both the stealth fighter and naval aviation history.