Science & Tech

With Russia in Mind, BAE Revives Light Tank from the ’90s

U.S. military brass say Russia is the top threat, so companies are pitching arms for a new European battlefield…even if there is no money to buy them.

Science & Tech

Laser Trucks Are On Their Way

As onboard power capabilities for small trucks continue to improve, defense manufacturers are looking for fancier features. Lasers anyone?

Threats

Top Pentagon Weapon Buyers Say Budget Gridlock Threatens Hundreds of Projects

Pentagon officials say hundreds of acquisitions projects would be halted or cut in half this fiscal year if Congress doesn’t pass a proper budget.

Business

New Pentagon Equipment Is No Longer Pushing the Envelope

Acquisition chief Frank Kendall says the cost of the Defense Department’s major projects are falling, but the arms being purchased are less technologically advanced.

Science & Tech

A Flip On Encryption From Former Fed

Mike McConnell, once NSA director and DNI, thinks law enforcement needs to adapt to widespread encryption rather than look for a special key.

Business

Lockheed-Sikorsky Deal Stokes Fears About Industry Consolidation

As the world’s largest defense company gets even larger, Pentagon leaders worry that competition is evaporating.

Science & Tech

Drones Armed With High-Energy Lasers May Arrive In 2017

Predator maker looks beyond Hellfire missiles to the weapons of the future.

Business

As Tensions Rise in the East, Europe’s Militaries Shop For Heavier Weapons

At London’s giant DSEI arms show, the talk is of Russia, ISIS, and hybrid war.

Science & Tech

In a Switch, UK Asks Its Arms Makers to Design for Export

Defense companies accustomed to making bespoke weapons for the MoD are being urged to consider overseas requirements as well.

Threats

Eyeing Russia, Estonian Company Creates Underground Hamster City for Humans

With an aggressive Russia nearby, Estonia is making mobile underground bunkers. But other countries are buying them too.

Science & Tech

UK Invites ‘Countries of Concern’ To Shop for Weapons in London

More than a dozen countries on Britain’s list of repressive regimes have descended on DSEI, one of the world’s largest arms fairs.

Threats

Do Qatar, UAE Airlines Threaten US National Security?

The biggest U.S. airlines say Gulf states’ subsidies could force them to abandon the large planes needed to move troops overseas. One veteran analyst calls this hogwash.

Threats

Industry: Pentagon Moved Too Fast on Cyber Rules

Companies fear they’ll have to rewrite their Defense Department contracts when pan-federal regulations arrive.

Science & Tech

Oshkosh Wins $30 Billion Army Contract Battle to Replace Humvee

The Wisconsin truck-maker has won the coveted megacontract to replace most of the Army’s iconic Humvees.

Business

Defense Contractors to Obama: Enough With the Executive Orders

Industry organizations lead a push against a tide of new regulations, such as the requirement to allow employees to take up to 56 hours' annual paid sick leave.

Business

Lockheed Snatched Up Sikorsky For a Steal

The No. 1 weapons builder flexed its muscle as other bidders for the Connecticut-based helicopter maker wilted in the face of military-civil monopoly rules.

Business

The Pentagon Is Trying To Make Its $400 Billion Fighter Jet Cheaper To Fly

As the F-35’s expected price tag settles around $165 million per plane, DoD is trying to trim the much larger operations-and-maintenance bills to come.

Business

Northrop Grumman CEO Issues Rare Pentagon Rebuke Over Research Red Tape

Northrop's chief pushed back against a new Pentagon policy requiring firms to get DOD approval for company funded research projects.

Science & Tech

NSA Trying to Track Your Smartphone Finger Strokes

Smartphone technology built by Lockheed Martin promises to verify a user's identity based on the swiftness and shape of the individual’s finger strokes on a touch screen.