Defense Watch

Pave Hawk Crash. A U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter crashed in western Iraq March 15, killing all personnel aboard, according to U.S. Central Command. While the cause of […]

F-35 vs. A-10. A congressionally mandated comparison test of the Air Force’s F-35A and A-10 aircraft will be conducted during the F-35’s initial operational test and evaluation, which is slated […]

March Madness. Congressional defense panels will dive into the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2019 budget request and other matters the week of March 5-9 by holding about a dozen hearings in […]

Air Force Innovation Fund. The Air Force plans to distribute $64 million to squadron commanders next week to help them experiment with ways to improve readiness, increase lethality and save […]

SOCOM R&D. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) chairwoman of the House Armed Services Committee’s emerging threats and capabilities panel, says she is “somewhat disappointed” that U.S. Special Operations Command’s fiscal year […]

Belgian F-35s? The Belgian Ministry of Defence, which is considering buying either the F-35A Lighting II or the Eurofighter Typhoon, says it expects to receive best and final offers from […]

DHS Authorization. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) has introduced a bill that would permanently authorize the Department of Homeland Security’s Joint Requirements Council, an executive body within the department that oversees […]

A-10 Wings. The Air Force, whose fiscal year 2018 budget request contains funding to restart wing production for the aging A-10 Thunderbolt II close-air-support aircraft, plans to buy more wings […]

Space Adviser. Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan will take over the duties of the principal defense space adviser on an “interim” basis, he wrote in a Jan. 17 memo to […]

NRO Launch. A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta 4 rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office satellite (NROL-47) lifted off Jan. 12 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The launch […]