Washington: The Navy, like the rest of the services and the Pentagon, is adamant that all options are on the table when it comes to trimming the service’s bottom line. But from aircraft carriers to overall force structure cuts, details on those options coming from the Navy have been sparse. And in recent weeks, it… Keep reading →

While it didn’t take off from a pitching and rolling carrier deck, the F-35C flown today by Navy test pilot Lt. Christopher Tabert did undergo most of the stresses and strains associated with a carrier launch when a steam catapult launched it into the sky today for the first time. For more news and information… Keep reading →

Washington: Anyone who has tracked the defense budget battles inside the beltway knows the rhetoric can get repetitive if you listen long enough. The services versus the Pentagon, the services versus each other or the department versus other government agencies — the details differ, but the sentiment basically the same. Each program, be it a… Keep reading →

The first production version of Boeing’s first P-8A Poseidon took off and completed its first successful flight. The plane flew June 21 from Renton Field, where it is assembled, to Boeing Field in Seattle, where mission systems will be installed. It is the first of six low-rate initial production aircraft for the Navy, part of… Keep reading →

When Congress considers funding a ship or a plane or a helicopter, the focus is often narrow: what does it cost this year? The Hill often ignores the impact of moving money for critical platforms to future budgets. Also, the strategic and tactical costs to the country of delaying a platform acquisition costs the country… Keep reading →

Washington: Last week was a tough one for backers of the Navy’s aircraft carriers. During last Tuesday’s hearing of the House Armed Services readiness subcommittee, Chairman Randy Forbes (R-VA) asked point blank whether or not the sea service was looking to kill off parts of its carrier fleet. The official response from the heads of… Keep reading →

Washington: The head of the Navy, Adm. Gary Roughead, has offered a pretty compelling story line in the last few months, arguing that the next decade will belong to his service as the U.S. withdraws from its land wars and is forced to rely on a steady global presence deliverable only by ship. The Navy… Keep reading →

The economic challenges faced today by the Navy related to fleet maintenance pose a striking example of the realities imposed by cuts in defense spending. Although all U.S. service branches face this challenge, the Navy is feeling it the most acutely. In short, the Navy can’t afford the fleet assets it has today, and the… Keep reading →

For the first time, the Navy and Northrop Grumman have demonstrated the ability to make an unmanned aircraft make carrier landings and take-offs today, using an F-18 rigged to fly the same way. It is part of the Navy’s effort to develop a stealthy and unmanned aircraft –UCAS-D, also known as the X-47B — able… Keep reading →

Lt. Gen. Terry Robling talks to Breaking Defense Editor Colin Clark about why funding for the controversial V-22 Osprey must not be cut. The Project for Government Oversight, a nonpartisan group, has called on lawmakers to cut all funding for the plane, as has the New York Times in an editorial.