CNN: (CNN)Japan is preparing an order for roughly 100 US-designed F-35 stealth fighter jets in a deal that could potentially upend the balance of power in Asia, according to sources familiar with the process. That order would include a version of the jet that can take-off and land vertically, a feature that could prompt Japan… read more
U.S. Navy: YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) — USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) achieved a major milestone this week as it successfully launched from dry dock and moored pierside at Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Nov. 27. This milestone is an important step in the ongoing effort to repair and restore one of the U.S. Navy’s most… read more
Defense News: WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department Tuesday announced it has cleared the potential sale of ten AH-64E Apache helicopters for Egypt, with an estimated price tag of $1 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency also announced it had cleared $201 million in tank ammunition for Egypt and a package of Advanced Medium Range… read more
War on the Rocks: In missile defense circles, commentators frequently remark that there are only so many islands or ships in the Pacific on which to put radars. Reading through recent missile defense budget requests, however, one is struck by the fact that the Pentagon seems to have doubled down on a strategy of building… read more
The Drive: Russia, for what appears to be the first time, has publicly acknowledged the existence of the ground-launched cruise missile, known variously as the SSC-8 and 9M729, which the United States claims violates the terms of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty or INF. The Kremlin says that it has tested the weapon, but that… read more
Space News: WASHINGTON — Just four months into his tour as Pacific Air Forces Commander, Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr. is quickly getting up to speed on the benefits and vulnerabilities of space systems. “This is an area that I’m actually learning a lot more about,” Brown told reporters at the Pentagon on Monday. A component… read more
Sentinel & Enterprise: BOSTON (AP) — A U.S. Navy destroyer that will be named for a Navy pilot from Massachusetts who received the Medal of Honor during the Korean War is coming to Boston. The future USS Thomas Hudner is scheduled to arrive at Boston’s Flynn Cruise Port Terminal at 10 a.m. Monday. It will… read more
UPI: Nov. 26 (UPI) — Saab Australia has been selected by BAE Systems to be part of a joint project including Lockheed Martin Australia for the Hunter-class frigate combat system integration. No contract has yet been been signed, but the three companies have collaborated in the past, with Saab’s PLV combat management system already in… read more
The Jerusalem Post: SEOUL- South Korea plans to buy two Israeli early warning radar systems, it said on Tuesday, as it reinforces air defenses against North Korea despite fast-improving relations. The decision to adopt the two Green Pine Block C radar systems, built by ELTA Systems, a subsidiary of state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, was made… read more
The Korea Herald: South Korea is set to deploy newly developed weapon systems next year, including ship-based guided interceptors, defense industry officials said Sunday. The state-run Agency for Defense Development has already completed the development of the guided missile, named Haegung (sea bow), designed to intercept incoming enemy missiles or shoot down aircraft. It’s launched… read more