Final Presidential Helicopter Delivered
Sikorsky has delivered the final VH-92A Patriot presidential helicopter. The air frame is most famously known as Marine One when carrying America’s commander-in-chief. President Joe Biden made the first presidential flight last week aboard one of the new generation of Marine One helicopters.
Analysis: Spending on UAS to Surge
Unmanned aerial systems will continue to be one of the most dynamic growth sectors of the world aerospace industry. Recent analysis estimates military UAS research spending is expected to be $71.8 billion over the next decade.
Lockheed Announces Layoffs at Pax
Lockheed Martin has announced the layoff of 176 workers at its Sikorsky division supporting the heavy lift helicopter program at NAS Patuxent River. The layoffs are effective April 27.
DoD End-of-Year Contracts Dec. 15-23
End-of-year Department of Defense contracts awarded in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, region from December 16-December 23, 2022.
GAO: Aircraft Readiness Goals Not Being Met
A Government Accountability Office report finds that more than two dozen military aircraft fleets — the bulk of the US’s military airpower — haven’t met their annual combat-readiness goals in at least a decade.
Ejection Seat Issue Grounds Some Navy Aircraft
Naval Air Systems Command grounded an undisclosed number of planes last week following the discovery of a problem with a component involved in the pilot ejection process.
COVID Vaccines Arriving at Hundreds of Locations
GEN Gustave Perna, Operation Warp Speed COO, says the first round of COVID-19 vaccines should start arriving at sites across the nation as early as today, Dec. 13.
Pentagon Task Force to Study UFO Reports
A new Pentagon task force will investigate reports of unidentified flying objects from service members.
LFTE Exercise: Here’s to Your Stealth
The US military is considered the world’s premier fighting force, and testing exercises play an important role in sustaining military readiness. A variety of stealthy aircraft participated in a recent exercise Large Force Test Event in Nevada.
Report: Where Federal Defense Dollars Are Spent
A Pew Charitable Trusts report on where federal defense dollars are spent shows Pentagon contract spending puts Connecticut at No. 1 by one measure: defense contracts as a percentage of spending. Maryland was 21st on the list. In FY2018, the federal government spent a total of $579 billion on defense in the states and DC, or $1,772 per capita. In Maryland, the per capita spending was $2,955.
