DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Fighter Jet’s Skyrocketing Costs Are On Congress’ Radar

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Fighter Jet’s Skyrocketing Costs Are On Congress’ Radar

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 22, 2012: The radar-evading F-35 fighter jet, a nearly $400-billion weapons program under development for more than a decade, is facing its worst turbulence since Washington decided to buy it in 2001 — when it was billed as the most affordable, lethal and survivable military aircraft ever built for the U.S. and its allies.

A two-star general serving as the military's project manager was fired over the program's never-ending problems. The Pentagon has delayed orders of the aircraft, and the fighter jet is caught in the middle of a major spending fight in Congress. What's more, the plane has roiled political debate in Canada, the Netherlands and other allies that are picking up 10% of the development costs.

GRAPHIC: F-35 joint strike fighter

The Obama administration wants to delay the purchase of 179 jets to save $15 billion. But there is pressure to cut more. Next week, the Pentagon's F-35 program manager is set to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Although much of the debate is taking place in Washington, the melodrama is being closely watched in Southern California, where much is at stake. Only last week, executives of F-35 maker Lockheed Martin Corp. made an appearance in El Segundo to remind local businesses and aerospace workers that the F-35 will have a huge financial effect in the years to come — pumping an estimated $6 billion into the state's economy and creating 27,000 jobs.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-defense-news-fighter-jets.html

DTN News - BRITISH DEFENSE NEWS: The SDSR Is A Slash-And-Burn Campaign Plan - And It's Time The Government Admitted It

DTN News - BRITISH DEFENSE NEWS: The SDSR Is A Slash-And-Burn Campaign Plan - And It's Time The Government Admitted It

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 10, 2012: Four days ago I wrote, in respect of the Falkland Islands but with relevance to all British interests in the wider sense:

'The most effective deterrent of all, the true guardian of the Islands‘ security, is British clarity of vision, rational national defence policies, and consistently unambiguous and fudge-free ministerial communication. Those are issues this blog will examine during the next few months.'

Our theme for this, Rational Defence First, is linked to Effects-Based Financing (EBF) and to unwavering insistence on Integrity as the principal virtue of our national leaders. That integrity must include the willingness to admit incapacity, to acknowledge failure, and to surrender office to others better qualified in knowledge, experience and skill.

So where, amid what defence analysts recognise as a truly appalling political, economic and military situation, should we begin? If we are to concentrate on what has happened and will happen under the present coalition government (treating the dreadful years of Mr Brown’s stewardship, about which we can do little now, as merely the platform for future disasters we can still avert), then the obvious place to begin is this government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review, the SDSR (or, as it is known among defence analysts, the Suicidal Disarmament and Surrender Retreat).      

Fair-minded readers may ask whether the selection of such a defenceless target can be justifed? Perhaps it seems like bullying, but effectively the target has been chosen for us by the government’s own insistence that the SDSR will not be amended (even while ministers surreptitiously seek to do just that as the true horror of their position, and of the nation’s military weakness, sinks into the government’s addled corporate brain). 

Despite its condemnation by a host of defence experts, highly qualified by experience, especially by members of the United Kingdom National Defence Association (UKNDA), whose criticisms are countered solely by personal smears (but while the MoD employs a battalion of PR spin doctors they may as well be used, no?), and despite the mounting evidence of the SDSR’s irrelevance, the government refuses to budge from its obtuse stance.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-british-defense-news-sdsr-is.html

DTN News - CANADA DEFENSE NEWS: Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay Goes Defensive Account F-35 Costs

DTN News - CANADA DEFENSE NEWS: Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay Goes Defensive Account F-35 Costs

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 8, 2012: Defence Minister Peter MacKay stood up for himself and his department Sunday, insisting the F-35 fiscal flub outlined in a recent auditor general's report was a miscommunication matter.

Auditor general Michael Ferguson published his debut report last week, indicated the stealth fighter jets would cost $25 billion -- not $15 billion as indicated by the federal government.

But in an interview with CTV's Question Period, MacKay blamed accounting issues for a $10 billion gap between the government's account of F-35 costs and the auditor general's projections.

"The $10 billion is money we are paying right now," MacKay said. "That is the money that goes to pay the pilots of the F-18 program and fuel, oil, upkeep of the existing fleet."

MacKay said he knew the full estimated cost of the jets in 2010 but insists Canadians were not misled.

"We have included that figure in estimates and information provided to the auditor general and that information goes back to 2010. Those figures are there for all to see," he said. "I don't agree that there was a manipulation of information."

Opposition parties disagree.

"We're talking about mismanagement here as well as dishonesty," NDP defence critic Jack Harris said on the same Sunday broadcast.

MacKay said the government and the auditor general worked from different timelines, causing the confusion.

The auditor general and a parliamentary budget officer used a 36-year model for their evaluations of the fighter jet program, but the Department of National Defence used a 20-year period.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-canada-defense-news-canadian.html

DTN News - CANADA DEFENSE NEWS: Canada May Re-Think Acquisition Of F-35 JSF On Damning Report By Auditor General

DTN News - CANADA DEFENSE NEWS: Canada May Re-Think Acquisition Of F-35 JSF On Damning Report By Auditor General 

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 4, 2012: The Harper government froze spending Tuesday on the multi-billion-dollar plan to buy new jet fighters minutes after the auditor general produced a withering report accusing the Department of National Defence of keeping Parliament in the dark about spiralling problems with the F-35 purchase.

The government also announced it would take away DND's ability to buy new weapons systems and hand it to Public Works — all in an effort to shield itself from the ensuing assault in the House of Commons that followed the release of the report by new Auditor General Michael Ferguson.

The Defence Department faced wide-ranging scorn over its management of the a plan to buy 65 new F-35 radar-evading stealth fighters for what the military initially insisted would cost $9 billion. The cost of the purchase, which is already the largest single purchase of military hardware in Canadian history, will almost certainly be far higher than originally budgeted, Ferguson said.

He added that Public Works should have done a better job of overseeing the purchase, but Ferguson was particularly scathing about DND's failure to come clean on potential problems with buying the F-35.

“Briefing material did not inform senior decision makers, central agencies, and the Minister of the problems and associated risks of relying on the F-35 to replace the CF-18," Ferguson said in his report. "Nor did National Defence provide complete cost information to parliamentarians."

DND pointedly rejected criticism that it did not exercise due diligence in managing the project.

The auditor general's criticism does not mean the government will scrap the F-35 purchase or even consider opening up the sole-source procurement to other competitive bids.

Ferguson's mandate limits his criticism to the conduct of bureaucrats, but his findings could be incendiary for the Harper government. The audit came just one week after Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced $5.2 billion in cuts to public spending in his deficit-fighting budget.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-canada-defense-news-canada-may.html

DTN News - CANADA DEFENSE NEWS: F-35 Stealth Fighter Program Faces Day Of Reckoning

DTN News - CANADA DEFENSE NEWS: F-35 Stealth Fighter Program Faces Day Of Reckoning

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 3, 2012: National Defence and Public Works face a day of reckoning today as the auditor general releases a much anticipated report on the troubled F-35 stealth fighter program.

A draft copy of Auditor General Michael Ferguson's report has been making the rounds in Ottawa for weeks.

Sources say it criticizes the government for not doing its pricing homework and failing to follow procurement rules in the largest ever military hardware purchase.

The Canadian Forces wants to buy 65 stealth fighters to replace the aging fleet of CF-18 jet fighters.

The Conservative government says it will pay US$75 million per aircraft when it starts buying them in 2016, which some critics say is too low by half.

The U.S. and Britain signed contracts for the delivery of early-production aircraft at between US$140 million and US$145 million each, but Canadian officials have long insisted that the price will drop as the assembly line ramps up.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/04/dtn-news-canada-defense-news-f-35.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: The Defense Budget And American Power

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: The Defense Budget And American Power

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 7, 2012: Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ranking Member, other Members of the Committee, it is an honor to appear before the committee today. That is especially true for a Congressional Budget Office alum like myself who remembers well working for senators Domenici and Sasser and others some two decades ago, when the Cold War ended and we were collectively trying to reduce defense budgets responsibly. 

That is again our challenge today. As former chairman of the joint chiefs, Admiral Mike Mullen, has persuasively argued, federal debt and with it the possible erosion of our national economic foundations have become national security threats themselves. I begin from the premises that the right dose of defense budget cutbacks, as part of comprehensive deficit reduction, can strengthen American power and influence over time. Put differently, it can be the least risky option—accepting some near-term, modest, and calculated reductions in military strength now to help shore up our longer-term economic prospects and with them our long-term national security. 

As I argued in my 2011 book, The Wounded Giant, no great power in history has remained great while its economy eroded. Trillion dollar deficits are not compatible with U.S. economic health, as Brookings colleagues such as Alice Rivlin have convincingly shown, and thus they are not compatible with long-term American global leadership. And as another Brookings colleague, Robert Kagan rightly argues in his new book, there is no credible alternative to U.S. leadership at present. Absent such leadership, the general stability among major powers that we take for granted in today’s world would no longer be such a given, and extremist states such as Iran and North Korea might feel further emboldened to assert themselves aggressively in their respective regions as well. The trick is to get the balance right, and to combine defense budget reductions of the right magnitude and character with other measures of fiscal restraint and revenue increases. 

The Obama administration’s new defense strategy and budget plan, building on earlier cuts made by Secretary Gates during his tenure in office, is a good step in the right direction in my eyes. In fact it gets us, responsibly, most of the way towards where we need to go in defense—even if I would submit respectfully that neither the administration nor the Congress has done as well in regard to entitlement spending or tax reform. As a result of this budget, national security spending would decline from current levels of about 4.5% of GDP to just over 3%. (For comparison, norms were 8 to 10 percent of GDP in the 1950s and 1960s, 5 to 6 percent in the 1970s and 1980s, 3 percent by the end of the 1990s, and 4 percent during most of the Bush presidency). Looked at differently, U.S. defense spending as a share of the global total will decline from about 45 percent in recent years to 35 percent or so, and the American military edge over China might decline from roughly 4:1 today (using Pentagon estimates of China’s actual military spending adjusted for purchasing power parity) to 3:1 within half a decade. 

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/dtn-news-defense-news-defense-budget.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Pentagon Helps New Stealth Fighter Cheat On Key Performance Test

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Pentagon Helps New Stealth Fighter Cheat On Key Performance Test

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 7, 2012: It seemed like a promising step for America’s next stealth fighter: The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter passed a key Pentagon test of its combat capability. But it turns out that the family of jets cleared the mid-February exam only because its proctor agreed to inflate its grade. In essence, the military helped the F-35 cheat on its midterms.

The collusion between the Pentagon testing body, known as the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC), and the F-35 program — first reported by Inside Defense – confirmed that the US’ most expensive warplane met previously established performance criteria. Specifically, the review was meant to show that the jet can fly as far and take off as quickly as combat commanders say they need it to.

But the review council, which includes the vice chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, eased the standard flying profile of the Air Force’s F-35A model — thereby giving it a range boost of 30 miles. And it tacked an additional 15m onto the required takeoff distance for the Marines’ F-35B version, which US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta just took off budgetary probation.

The grade inflation comes at a critical time for the new warplane. The military’s new five-year budgeting blueprint, also released in February, cut more than 100 existing Air Force fighters while leaving intact plans to produce nearly 2500 F-35s — essentially doubling down on the new plane despite a recent report listing13 serious design flaws. The total cost to buy and fly the full fleet of F-35s over 50 years is estimated at around $US1 trillion, once inflation is factored in, making it the costliest defence program in

human history.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/dtn-news-defense-news-pentagon-helps.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: F-35A Takes Flight At Eglin

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: F-35A Takes Flight At Eglin

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 7, 2012: The 33d Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., flew its first local F-35 Lightning II sortie March 6, marking a major milestone for the Joint Strike Fighter training program.

Piloted by U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Eric Smith, Director of Operations for the 58th Fighter Squadron, the local orientation flight launched at 10:09 a.m. and included operational flight checks. An F-16 chase plane was piloted by Lt. Col. Lee Kloos, 58th Fighter Squadron Commander.

"Our first sortie is truly a milestone for the program," said Col. Andrew Toth, 33d Fighter Wing commander. "There has been a lot of preparation that has gone into this historic event. Our integrated training team members were truly excited to see the jet take off today."

Early in the flight, F-16 chase pilots observed a small amount of fluid venting from the F-35 aircraft. The pilot, following standard operating procedures, returned the aircraft safely back to the base after an approximate 20 minute flight.

"The objective for today was to be able to launch an aircraft out, conduct an operational check flight with the system, get it out to the airspace and then bring that aircraft back safely and effectively and we achieved many of those objectives," said Col. Toth.

"Since F-35s arrived last summer, we've been conducting engine runs and taxi operations, maintenance training with instructors and virtual trainers, as well as developing pilot curriculum. We completed multiple successful small group tryouts on our training systems and will continue to improve those processes as we prepare for training."

The wing's two F-35 pilots, in conjunction with its integrated team of military members, civilians and contractors, will begin to slowly build up their number of sorties with an initial goal of flying twice a week for the first couple of weeks and then steadily increasing the weekly sortie count.

"I'm very pleased with the work that's been done by our entire team to bring us to this phase in the F-35 program," said Gen. Edward Rice Jr., commander of Air Education and Training Command, who approved F-35 flight operations to begin. "We continue to make steady progress towards our goal of standing up a world class training program at Eglin."

The F-35 Integrated Training Center at Eglin AFB will be the benchmark for F-35 pilot and maintainers worldwide. The center includes pilot and maintenance training equipment, support, systems and facilities for all three aircraft variants and will train approximately 100 pilots and 2,200 maintainers annually.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/dtn-news-defense-news-f-35a-takes.html

DTN News - JAPAN DEFENSE NEWS: What If Japan Dumps Lockheed Martin?

DTN News - JAPAN DEFENSE NEWS: What If Japan Dumps Lockheed Martin?

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 7, 2012: Japan recently made its first public announcement that it may cancel its big order for Lockheed Martin's (NYS: LMT) F-35 fighter planes if the company adds to the pre-decided price or extends the delivery period of these planes. The cancellation can potentially wipe out more than $5 billion that Lockheed is expected to earn from the deal.

A flashback

After the death of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il late in 2011, uncertainty and instability cropped up in the Korean peninsula, an area where 1.7 million troops from North Korea, South Korea, and the U.S. are stationed. In the wake of North Korea improving its ballistic missiles and both Russia and China developing stealth fighters, Japan -- with the world's sixth-largest defense budget -- also planned on improving its air defense network.

Japan placed an order to buy 42 F-35 fighter jets, costing between $114 million and $122 million per unit. This marked the F-35's first win in a competitive tender, as well as Japan's costliest fighter jet procurement. The company is expected to begin delivery of the planes in 2016, beginning with four jets.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/dtn-news-japan-defense-news-what-if.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Fifth Generation Fighters Crucial To Air Superiority

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Fifth Generation Fighters Crucial To Air Superiority


(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 5, 2012: The Air Force is the world's most advanced air and space force and, with the integration of fifth generation aircraft, is gaining new tactical advantages that transcend beyond just stealth into areas such as enhanced maneuverability, multi-role capabilities and fused sensor and avionics systems that can communicate with other weapons systems.


That's why it is imperative that U.S. forces continue to develop and begin to use fifth-generation fighters as they transition to the new Pacific-based strategy, according to Lt. Gen. Herbert J. "Hawk" Carlisle, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force.


During the Air Force Association monthly breakfast here Feb. 28, he said fifth-generation fighters, such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the F-22 Raptor, are critical to maintaining air superiority and global precision attack core competencies.


"The threat environment is continuing to grow, so as we look at how we're going to maintain those competencies in the future, that's where fifth generation fighters come in," he said. "It's not just about stealth."


"The F-22 is better than any other aircraft in the world at air-to-ground except for the F-35, and the F-35 is better than any other aircraft in the world at air-to-air except for the F-22," said Carlisle.


The general said the Air Force can continue to maintain the most elite fourth generation aircraft in the world, but that won't prepare the U.S. to handle threats in the future.
"Our Air Force has got to keep evolving to meet these new challenges as we move forward into the future," said Carlisle.


To illustrate this evolution and fifth generation fighter jet technology, the general shared a scenario in which an F-22 data-links coordinates to a Navy submarine-launched tomahawk missile onto a target.


"Now you have two stealth platforms, a submarine and an F-22, communicating with naval ordnance," he said.


That level of interoperability is a large part of what makes the fifth generation aircraft so vital to the Air Force and U.S. military in general, he added. Aircraft must not only be stealth, but also be highly maneuverable, be able to conduct multiple roles, and these aircraft must also be able to handle sensor and avionics information in a network integrated way not only for the pilot, but for the entire joint force.


"We have to have a fused system capability and have them networked and integrated across the force," he said. "To me, that's as important on a fifth-generation fighter as anything."


http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/dtn-news-defense-news-fifth-generation.html

DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: Setting The Record Straight By Obama And Israel

DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: Setting The Record Straight By Obama And Israel

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 4, 2012: When President Obama addresses the annual conference of the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) next week, he will be given an important opportunity to set the record straight on his administration's handling of U.S.-Israel relations. The president's outreach to the Arab and Muslim world, as well as his policy and personal differences with Prime Minister Netanyahu, have led to charges that he is either insufficiently "pro-Israel" or downright "anti-Israel." While these critics are a minority within the American Jewish community -- Obama won 78 percent of the Jewish vote in 2008 and will likely receive similar backing in November -- they and their Christian fundamentalist allies will be present in large numbers at the AIPAC gathering, which tends to disproportionately attract hawks on Israel.

Charges against Obama's pro-Israel credentials are ill-informed but have become all the more pronounced in this election year. GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney alleged that the president "threw Israel under the bus" when he announced last May that the foundation for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement would be a return to the pre-1967 borders, with adjustments based on demographic changes. Yet Obama's statement was consistent with more than a decade of U.S. policy dating to the Clinton Parameters of December 2000. It also echoed a widely-held view in Israel that was articulated by Netanyahu's predecessor, Ehud Olmert.

Chomping at the bit to take a swipe at Obama, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum made a similar throwing-Israel-under-the-bus accusation, suggesting that Obama would accept a nuclear Iran in return for a continued flow of oil. Newt Gingrich has likewise entered the fray in an ironic way, accusing the administration of being "out of touch with reality" for its approach to Middle East peace, while, at the same time, repeating the old canard that the Palestinians are an "invented" people.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/dtn-news-israeli-defense-news-setting.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Lockheed Martin’s Fighting Falcon Evolves With New F-16V

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Lockheed Martin’s Fighting Falcon Evolves With New F-16V

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 17, 2012: Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] unveiled a new version of the F-16 today at the Singapore Airshow. The F-16V will feature enhancements including an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, an upgraded mission computer and architecture, and improvements to the cockpit – all capabilities identified by the U.S. Air Force and several international customers for future improvements.

With nearly 4,500 F-16s delivered, this is a natural step in the evolution of the world’s most successful 4th generation fighter.  The Fighting Falcon program has continually evolved as it began with the F-16 A/B as the lightweight fighter then transitioned to F-16 C/D and Block 60 versions as customers’ requirements changed. 

AESA radars offer significant operational capability improvements. Lockheed Martin has developed an innovative solution to affordably retrofit this key technology into existing F-16s.  The F-16V configuration is an option for new production jets and elements of the upgrade are available to most earlier-model F-16s. The “V” designation is derived from Viper, the name fighter pilots have called the F-16 from its beginnings.

“We believe this F-16V will satisfy our customers’ emerging requirements and prepare them to better interoperate with the 5th generation fighters, the F-35 and F-22,” said George Standridge, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics’ vice president of business development.

The F-16 is the choice of 26 nations. The F-16 program has been characterized by unprecedented international cooperation among governments, air forces and aerospace industries.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/02/dtn-news-defense-news-lockheed-martins.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Pratt & Whitney Eyes Asia Growth To Offset F-35 DelaysDTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Pratt & Whitney Eyes Asia Growth To Offset F-35 Delays

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS:  Pratt & Whitney Eyes Asia Growth To Offset F-35 Delays

 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / SINGAPORE - February 15, 2012: U.S. aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney seeks to increase its post-sales operations, especially in Asia, to mitigate the impact of the U.S slowing its procurement of the F-35 fighter jets, President David Hess said Tuesday.

The maker of engines for the F-35 jet and a unit of conglomerate United Technologies Corp. (UTX), Pratt & Whitney is also experiencing slowing engine sales for older aircraft models, but "we've got other opportunities out there to try and fill the gap," such as by increasing after-sales repair and engineering work, and original equipment manufacturing, Hess told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview.

The U.S. intends to slow the pace of its F-35 procurement program as part of plans to slash a burgeoning deficit, even as some foreign buyers of the fighter--such as the U.K. and Italy--have signaled reductions to their orders. At the same time, Pratt & Whitney is "seeing engine delivery rates declining for some of the legacy programs, like the F-22 (fighter jet), C-17 (transport aircraft), and the F-15s and F-16s (fighters)," Hess said on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow.

The company also plans to expand its other business segments, including securing more maintenance and repair tie-ups with airlines and military clients.

It announced Tuesday at the Singapore Airshow a number of such deals, such as one with Asiana Airlines Inc. (020560.SE) to maintain engines for three of the carrier's jets, and another to provide engine maintenance for the Royal Jordanian Air Force's F-16 fighters. Pratt & Whitney also secured a contract to provide engines for Korean Air Lines Co.'s (003490.SE) five new Airbus A330 aircraft.

"We see our headcount in Asia Pacific growing significantly in the next five to ten years, particularly as we start to deliver our next generation engines and need more support here," Hess said.

The company has about 4,000 employees in Singapore, China and India, and Hess said headcount growth for this region would be "disproportionately" higher compared to that in North America, declining to give specific figures.

Commercial aviation will be Pratt & Whitney's main well of growth in this region, although military spending could also tick higher amid shifting geopolitical stakes as China expands its armed forces.

"I don't think (growth in military expenditure) will be to the same extent as we see in commercial aviation, as the military opportunities are distributed across the world," Hess said.

"But certainly we're seeing opportunities in Asia, with Japan ordering the F-35, and Singapore being a security partner on the program, and with South Korea and possibly other Asia-Pacific countries looking at acquiring aircraft," he added.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/02/dtn-news-defense-news-pratt-whitney.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Italy Widely Expected To Scale Back F-35 Orders

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Italy Widely Expected To Scale Back F-35 Orders

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 12, 2012:  Italy seems certain to scale back its major investment in Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, heightening uncertainty over the troubled stealth jet's future.

Defence Minister Giampaolo Di Paola has said repeatedly since January that the country's originally planned order of the 131 supersonic warplanes by 2018 was being "reviewed" because military spending cuts were necessary as part of Prime Minister Mario Monti's austerity plan to shore up public accounts.

General Claudio Debertolis, secretary general of the Defence Ministry and the country's armaments chief, confirmed to lawmakers on Tuesday that cuts were expected.

"There will be a revision of this Joint Strike Fighter programme to align it with disposable resources," he said.

Italy will ask for about 30 fewer planes, Corriere della Sera daily reported on Friday, without citing its source. Panorama magazine gave the same number on Jan. 18.

Government sources and lawmakers told Reuters that it was premature to say how many of the F-35 fighters Italy will order because of uncertainty over the version of the aircraft designed for short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL).

This version is supposed to replace ageing Harrier jets on Italy's new hi-tech Cavour aircraft carrier.

On Tuesday Monti's Cabinet will examine the Defence Ministry's new spending plan that includes reducing F-35 outlays and personnel cuts, according to a government source. The minister will then detail the package to parliament on Wednesday.

The Pentagon's F-35 program office declined comment on Italy's plans, saying all of the partner countries would meet in Australia in March to discuss their production plans.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/02/dtn-news-defense-news-italy-widely.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract To Lockheed Martin Related To F-35 JSF For Marine Corps

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract To Lockheed Martin Related To F-35 JSF For Marine Corps

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 10, 2012: Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $14,800,000 modification to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-11-C-0083) to procure long lead items for F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter low rate initial production Lot 6 short take-off vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft for the Marine Corps. 

 Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is necessary to protect the delivery schedules of STOVL aircraft planned for delivery through December 2014.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  

The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/02/dtn-news-defense-news-us-dod-awarded_10.html

DTN News - SINGAPORE DEFENSE NEWS: Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Steps Up Deterrent Capabilities

DTN News - SINGAPORE DEFENSE NEWS: Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Steps Up Deterrent Capabilities

 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 2, 2012: This month's Singapore air show falls on the 70th anniversary of the fall of Singapore to Japan in the Second World War. While Asia is an unimaginably different place now, Singapore's leaders have never forgotten the speed with which Singapore fell - or the three years of brutal occupation that followed.

Memories of the war have played no small part in the development of Singapore's world-class military, backed with what is unquestionably southeast Asia's most powerful air force. While Singapore will never have the strategic depth of a larger nation, its advanced military will create a "poison shrimp" dynamic to give any aggressor pause.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is unique in southeast Asia. Apart from being the region's largest, it is also the best trained, led, and equipped. It places a high priority on maintaining its equipment to ensure both readiness and safety. While political concerns are inevitably a part of acquisition decisions, it chooses aircraft and weapons systems based mainly on their utility in combat - something that is not always the primary consideration in other countries.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/02/dtn-news-singapore-defense-news.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta~ U.S. Military Best In World, But Threats Remain

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta~ U.S. Military Best In World, But Threats Remain

 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 21, 2012:  The U.S. military is the world’s best and it’s on the right path to face the challenges ahead, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here today.

Speaking to a crowd of service members, civilians and local leaders at a town hall meeting, Panetta said the military “has to be able to make that turn as we head into the future.”

“We're at a point, as you know, where the Iraq mission was brought to an end, and it's now clearly up to the Iraqi people, to the Iraqi leaders to make sure they stay on the right track,” he said. “That was the whole point of the mission, was to make Iraq be able to govern and secure itself.”

The defense secretary also cited U.S., coalition and Afghan progress made in Afghanistan and NATO’s success in helping to topple a dictator in Libya.

“In Afghanistan, we are making good progress there in transitioning to Afghan control and security, and we remain committed to making sure that happens,” Panetta said. “In Libya, we had a successful NATO mission that helped bring down Gadhafi and return Libya to the Libyan people.”

Panetta noted the U.S. military has “significantly impacted” al-Qaida operations. Al-Qaida chieftain Osama bin Laden was killed in May 2011 in Pakistan by U.S. troops.

“Its leadership is decimated,” Panetta said of al-Qaida. “It doesn't have the ability to put command and control together to make the kind of plans for the kind of attacks we saw on 9/11.

“We have successfully gone after their leadership, and it's not just bin Laden, but a number of leaders,” he continued. “But we need to continue that pressure.

“We need to keep going after them wherever they go, whether it's Yemen or Somalia or North Africa,” he added. “We need to continue the pressure on them. But we are working to significantly weaken their capability. We've been good at it.”

The defense secretary noted that “we’re moving in the right direction” by virtue of the men and women in uniform doing “everything we've asked them to do.”

Panetta also said the current drawdown isn’t like previous drawdowns following World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War or the collapse of the Soviet Union.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/01/dtn-news-defense-news-panetta-us.html