Blue Angels Set to Move to Super Hornets
The US Navy’s Blue Angels are tentatively set to start flying the F/A-18 Super Hornet in 2021. The move to the Super Hornet will mark the first time the fighter jet demonstration team has changed aircraft since it moved from the A-4F Skyhawk II to the F/A-18 Hornet in 1986.
F-35 Dominates Mock Combat Exercise
At the recent Red Flag mock combat exercise, the Air Force put the F-35 up against “the most advanced weapons systems out there,” and the stealth fighters apparently dominated — so much so that even the rookie pilots were crushing it.
Private Spacecraft Heads to the Moon
The first privately funded spacecraft is scheduled to launch Thursday from Florida to the moon. The aircraft is propelled by a Falcon rocket from Elon Musk’s space company SpaceX.
Do Your Tweets Have the Right Stuff?
NASA’s Wallops Island flight facility wants to know if you have the right stuff to be among 50 social media users selected to help document their April 17 rocket launch. You have until Monday, Feb. 18, 2019 to apply.
Question of Bias Disrupts Fitz’s CO Court-Martial
The judge in the court-martial against the Fitzgerald’s former CO ruled the admiral who brought charges failed to remain neutral. Seven sailors drowned in the June 27, 2017, Fitzgerald accident.
DoD Loses $28B in Expired Funds
The first ever Pentagon audit led to the discovery of nearly $28B in funds that expired in 2018. The military is prevented from using expired funds for new projects.
China Considers Attack on US Vessels in South China Sea
Trade wars and intensification of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea toughen China’s stance toward US, including consideration of attacks on US vessels.
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.
NATO Arctic Exercise Hits Cold War Levels
NATO’s Trident Juncture opens this week, a month of NATO military exercises in the Arctic, involving troops operating in the air, on land, and at sea. This year anticipates the biggest show of force since the Cold War with 50,000 troops in place around the Arctic Circle.
VA to Review Benefit Denials to Sexual Assault Victims
An IG report found VA officials improperly denied benefits to thousands of military sexual assault victims. The department will review all denied military sexual trauma claims from October 2016 forward.
