Author: Defenceline Webdesk

WASHINGTON — In his first public remarks since taking over as Acting Secretary of the Navy, Hung Cao told an industry audience that the service is open to business with new and alternative entrants, as long as they can supply what the service needs. “I’m asking you, our partners in industry, to help us develop the best things out there, because lives that you saved are going to be our sons and daughters,” Cao said at the Modern Day Marine exposition today. “And that’s why I’m here today, to tell industry we need to move forward. The time is now.…

Russia’s Mi-26 is the largest & most powerful helicopter ever built, capable of lifting upto 20 tonsThe Ministry of Defence has moved decisively with the issuance of a Request for Information to damp lease three Ultra Heavy Lift Helicopters for the Indian Air Force.This marks a significant step in bolstering aerial logistics and strategic lift capability, with the specifications pointing to an exceptionally demanding requirement.The RFI stipulates a payload capacity of 20,000 kilograms, a figure that places the competition squarely between the world’s most powerful rotorcraft, notably the Boeing CH-47 Chinook and the Russian Mil Mi-26.Both platforms have long histories…

Sam LaGrone, USNI News The Boeing MQ-25A Stingray, the unmanned carrier tanker developed to extend the range of the air wing, will reach initial operational capability three years later than… Source link

WASHINGTON — A new requirement for handheld counter-drone capabilities aimed at taking down small unmanned aerial systems is coming soon, a Marine official told Breaking Defense today.  Such counter-unmanned aerial systems are lightweight tools that can be attached to a Marine’s person, Lt. Col R.M. Barclay, Marine Air Command and Control System branch head, said during a panel at the annual Modern Day Marine expo. He told an audience that these systems are currently being fielded to Marines due to an “urgent field need,” though there is not a current requirement or program of record for such systems. However, a…

The Marine Corps is halfway through a decade-long project to re-imagine itself for the next generation of warfare, refocusing itself as a seagoing service with Force Design 2030But the Marines aren’t leaving land warfare behind, and will release an updated approach to ground combat in the coming weeks, Col. Erick Clark, director of future operations and plans, said Tuesday during the Modern Day Marine conference in Washington, D.C.Ground Combat Element 2040 follows the service’s latest aviation plan, released in February. The framework will “make sure that we are staying focused on the ground combat element, to make sure that beyond some…

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan met Armenia’s Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Edvard Asryan, in New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss avenues for joint ventures in military hardware development.The Armenian General was formally received with a ceremonial Guard of Honour, underscoring the significance of the engagement.The Headquarters of Integrated Defence Staff confirmed the meeting and highlighted the ceremonial welcome accorded to the visiting officer.The discussions marked another step forward in the steady advancement of India-Armenia defence relations. Both sides explored opportunities for joint ventures in military equipment, reaffirming their commitment to building a robust, future-oriented, and…

Oriana Skylar Mastro, Foreign Affairs Russia, China, and the Growing North Korea Threat Source link

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has requested that Congress formally change the name of the Defense Department to the Department of War in a new legislative proposal, a move that is likely to rile Democrats as lawmakers begin hashing out the fiscal 2027 defense policy bill. The Pentagon stated in the proposal that the change would have “no significant impact” on the FY27 budget. However, it later added that the department estimates it will spend about $51.5 million across its entire organization during FY26 to implement the name swap, with the majority of that sum — $44.6 million — used to…

As the Navy celebrates the first flight of its unmanned robot refueler, the service’s latest budget documents show the aircraft won’t be operational until at least 2029—another delay for the troubled program.The MQ-25 A Stingray was originally supposed to reach initial operating capability, or IOC, by 2024. That was pushed to 2026, and then slipped to 2027. And Navy budget documents released this week show that the initial aircraft is now scheduled to be operational roughly five years past the original deadline.“The latest projection for MQ-25 IOC is February 2029, and the program continues to look for opportunities to mitigate…

The United States vowed to choke the Strait of Hormuz after Iran refused to bend, but the results so far have exposed the limits of naval power in one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors.The US Navy, deployed east of the Strait in the Gulf of Oman to monitor and restrict traffic entering or leaving the passage, has not been able to make the blockade airtight. Dozens of tankers have reportedly continued to slip through, with speculation about a direct route from Iran’s Kharg Island to Mumbai.The latest example of an Indian ship crossing the strait is the vessel Desh…