France clips Rafale’s wings, hopes for first export order

France will about halve its purchases of Dassault Rafale jet fighter planes over the subsequent six years, under defence estimates on Friday, and is looking on eventually clinching the primary sales abroad to maintain production lines going. French officials say that among potential clients are India, Qatar, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil. The government, struggling to curb public spending, also made clear that there’ll be no change to the French independent nuclear deterrent which successive governments have treated as a very important issue of national defence. Dassault Aviation, which builds the Rafale fighters, used to high-profile effect in... Read More »

Army’s manufacturing improvements yield lighter body armor

Soldiers facing rugged terrain and extreme temperatures are continually are seeking for the way to reduce the load in their gear. In a seek for solutions to this persistent issue, U.S. Army scientists and engineers have preliminarily demonstrated body armor this is 10 percent lighter through new manufacturing processes. The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, often known as RDECOM, along side its industry partners, has leveraged the Army’s Manufacturing Technology Program to spur the Advanced Body Armor Project. Shawn Walsh, Ph.D., leads the project at RDECOM’s Army Research Laboratory, or ARL, where his team has reduced the burden... Read More »

Pentagon considers canceling F-35 program

Leaked documents from a Pentagon budget review suggest that the agency is uninterested in its costly F-35 fighter jets, and has thoughts about canceling the $391.2 billion program that has already expanded into 10 foreign countries. Pentagon officials held a briefing on Wednesday wherein they mapped out how you can manage the $500 billion in automated budget cuts required over the following decade. A slideshow laid out several suggestions and exposed the Pentagon’s frustration with its F-35 jets, which might be designed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp. based out of Bethesda, Md. The agency also suggested scrapping plans for... Read More »

South Korea Caps Fighter Aircraft Acquisition at $7.45 Billion

Lockheed Martin’s F-35 faces the distinct possibility of being the primary to be eliminated within the ongoing bidding for Korea’s next generation fighter program. The weakest point against the newest U.S. aircraft is that its price may fit up significantly as it remains to be in development. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the arm of the Ministry of National Defense, has told the 3 candidates to fulfill the necessary price of 8.3 trillion won ($7.45 billion) or face an early exit. The bidding is scheduled to renew on Aug. 12 through 16. Currently, F-35 is vying against Boeing’s F-15... Read More »