Here are the programs that made the biggest news over the past week:
Second Aegis BMD destroyer arrives in Spain — The Navy dispatched the USS Ross (DDG-71) to Rota, Spain, the second Aegis BMD-equipped destroyer out of four to arrive and provide a temporary missile shield as a permanent shore-based version is built, according to the
Associated Press. The Aegis Ashore effort is continuing, but as we reported last week, the United States faces an uphill battle in getting more funding from Europe to help lighten its own financial burden. An analyst noted that European member states, facing their own budget problems, don’t feel like they have to fund the effort because they didn’t ask for it in the first place. Read more Aegis BMD analysis >>>
Report: Canada won’t abandon F-35 — Despite the recent drama in Canada over the F-35 program, it now appears that officials will opt for a 65-aircraft F-35 deal instead of creating a competition that would allow other fighters to swoop in and steal a deal that had long been practically set in stone, Reuters reported last week. While the $8.2 billion deal must be finalized by the Canadian prime minister’s cabinet, the 18-month review concluded that the government should skip a competition as the F-35 is the only warplane that would meet Canada’s needs, according to the report. The announcement would be a major relief to manufacturer Lockheed Martin, as losing an early F-35 partner in Canada could have major consequences for the program’s future. Read more F-35 analysis >>>
Trident hits a milestone — The Trident II D5 ballistic missile just achieved its 150th successful test flight, according to Seapower Magazine. The Navy launched two missiles on June 2 from an Ohio-class sub as part of a demonstration and shakedown operation to certify the sub for deployment after an overhaul. The Lockheed Martin-built missiles have been around since 1989 and have been updated under the D5 life extension program, and the flight test included the first flight of two modernized avionics subsystems that control key missile functions. Read more Trident analysis >>>
Big B-2 Bomber Award — Northrop Grumman this past week scored a contract worth nearly $10 billion over five years to modernize and support the aging B-2 stealth bomber fleet, we reported. It’s been more than 20 years since Northrop first delivered B-2 bombers to the Air Force in 1993, and more work for the company remains in the offing: the contract includes options to extend it through 2024, an additional five years. Though aging, the B-2 remains a core part of the Air Force’s fleet as a platform that can deliver conventional and nuclear weapons deep into enemy territory. Read more B-2 analysis >>>