Author: Defenceline Webdesk
WASHINGTON ― The US Air Force now plans to divest its E-11 Battlefield Airborne Communication Node (BACN) aircraft and is seeking to retire the fleet in fiscal 2028, according to officials. The divestment plan was revealed in written testimony [PDF] submitted jointly by Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman to the House Appropriations defense subcommittee today. An Air Force spokesperson told Breaking Defense following the hearing that there are seven E-11s in the current fleet, and confirmed that the plan is to replace them with…
Replacing the dozens of U.S. aircraft that have been damaged or destroyed in the Iran war will require more money than the staggering $1.5 trillion defense budget, the Air Force’s top general said. Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the service’s top uniformed leader, told House lawmakers Thursday that the historic defense budget is focused on buying more fighters, bombers, and tankers for the service’s fleet. Those losses in Iran have made additional funding from Congress outside the 13-figure budget request necessary, he said during a defense appropriations subcommittee hearing.“We hope to be able to address this in a supplemental, for the…
Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) is pressing ahead with a significant expansion of its Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) capabilities at Nagpur, with the ambition of transforming the site into a premier global aviation maintenance hub by 2026.The initiative is designed to attract international airlines, broaden technical expertise, and extend service offerings across both Boeing and Airbus fleets, positioning Nagpur as a key player in the global aviation ecosystem.A central element of this expansion is the pursuit of European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification for base maintenance of Airbus aircraft. Securing this approval would allow the facility to…
National Defense The Marine Corps’ Modular Advanced Radio Architecture is a top priority for its tactical communications and electromagnetic warfare systems office Source link
WASHINGTON — Ten months after Congress passed its reconciliation effort, only $26 billion of the roughly $152 billion earmarked for defense has been placed on contract, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today. However, Hegseth told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that the money is set to start flowing soon, saying, “we’ve got the floodgates about to open and apply to those priorities.” Formally known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, the sprawling megabill included additional multi-year funding for an array of defense initiatives including Golden Dome, two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, munitions, nuclear modernization and more. Although that legislation…
It’s been two months since the U.S. began strikes on Iran without authorization from Congress, so the clock is about to run out on the legal amount of time a president has to carry out a military operation without congressional approval. But the administration has given no indications they hope to make Operation Epic Fury legal.Asked during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday whether an authorization or extension request are coming, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demurred, arguing that the current ceasefire with Iran has paused the 30-day clock.“I do not believe the statute supports that,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.,…
India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) will incorporate a cutting-edge, indigenous passive Infrared Search and Track (IRST) system tailored for fifth-generation stealth operations.This system promises to detect low-observable targets at extended ranges while preserving the aircraft’s own stealth profile by avoiding any emissions that could betray its position.Key attributes of the AMCA IRST include its dual-band capability, operating across both Mid-Wave Infrared (MWIR) and Long-Wave Infrared (LWIR) spectra. This versatility enables detection not only of hot exhaust plumes from engines but also the subtler “hardbody” heat signatures emitted by stealth aircraft, enhancing its effectiveness against elusive adversaries.As a fully passive…
Jeff Schogol, Task & Purpose The discussion on amphibious warfare ships comes as the Corps plans to continuously deploy three Marine Expeditionary Units Source link
WASHINGTON — The Navy and the Marine Corps are eying a revamp of the force generation model for amphibious vessels as the services continue to work in tandem to improve the ships’ readiness, the Chief of Naval Operations said today. The Navy currently employs a 36-month Optimized Fleet Response Plan for amphibious ships to accommodate maintenance, training, and seven-month long deployments. But shaking up this model could “kill the overhead of the phases of the force generation cycle that don’t add significantly to getting it ready for its next deployment,” Adm. Daryl Caudle said at the Modern Day Marine exposition…
The Marine Corps has long insisted that it needs enough amphibious ships to keep three ready groups deployed at all times, but the demand for those units is much higher than that, the service’s commandant said Thursday.Every combatant commander—from U.S. Central Command to Africa to Southern—has requested an ARG with a Marine Expeditionary Unit on board, Gen. Eric Smith told an audience at the Modern Day Marine conference in Washington, D.C. “I won’t say how many of the ARG-MEUs our combat commanders ask for, but it is well north of three,” he said. “I’ll just say that it is well north…