Trump Reviewing Drone Export Policy
The Trump administration is launching a review of the US’s drone export policy. The expectation in the industry is that the administration will make it easier to export US-manufactured systems.
History Made Aboard the USS Ford
The USS Gerald R. Ford made history last week with the successful landing and launching of aircraft from VX-23 using the Advanced Arresting Gear and Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System.
Pax Hosts New Round of F-35 Ski-Ramp Tests
The F-35 Lightning II Pax River Integrated Test Force has begun a second round of F-35B ski-ramp testing at NAS Patuxent River.
Navy Urged to Revise Ship Delivery Policy
The Government Accountability Office is urging the US Navy to revise its ship delivery policy to keep defective and incomplete ships from entering the service branch’s operational fleet. Shipbuilders often deliver ships to the Navy with multiple defects.
China Invited to Rim of the Pacific Exercises
Despite tensions in the South China Sea & tense aerial confrontations, China has been invited to attend next year’s US-hosted Rim of the Pacific exercises.
Trump: Ditch EMALS Catapult System
President Trump said the Navy should abandon its plans for electromagnetic catapults — the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS — for carrier aviation and return to the steam-powered launch and recovery system.
F-35 Not Likely Combat Ready in 2018-19
Pentagon finds more than 200 deficiencies in the F-35 stealth jets, a rate of about 20 month.
F-35B Testing Begins Aboard USS America
The US Marine Corps has started testing its F-35B Lightning IIs aboard the Navy’s amphibious assault ship, USS America. Two F-35Bs will undergo the third shipboard phase of developmental test and five are scheduled to conduct operational testing.
More Delays for USS Gerald R. Ford
The USS Gerald R. Ford, with its $13 billion price tag, is the most expensive warship in history. Already two years behind schedule, it faces more delays after the Pentagon’s top weapons tester concluded the ship is still not ready for combat.
Could the F35C Carry Nuclear Weapons?
Flight Global revives a discussion between scientists and strategists considering where to place today’s nuclear weapons, the F35 was once a consideration.
