Paris: A dozen Haqqani network leaders are meeting with Mullah Omar in a Pakistani safe house provided courtesy of Pakistan’s intelligence service. Outside the walled compound romp a few children, chickens and goats. Women are a few dozen meters away, sitting in the shade of a nearby tree. Under today’s rules of engagement — which… Keep reading →

The C-130J, originally foisted by Congress on an Air Force that didn’t really want it, has since become a staple of the U.S. and many foreign air forces. The House Appropriations Committee approved $1.1 billion for 11 Js in its version of the 2012 spending bill compared to $988.2 billion approved by their Senate colleagues.… Keep reading →

Paris: It’s a helicopter, but it’s not ungainly. It’s a helicopter, but it has two forward-facing propellers. It’s a helicopter but it flies as fast as some planes. It is the X3, a very high-speed helicopter built by European defense giant EADS. It’s already set one speed record, zooming at 279.6 miles per hour (232… Keep reading →

The first day of the Paris Air Show is when the shakedown occurs. Everyone figures out what’s where. Much of the biggest news is broken. And everyone — no matter how many years they’ve been to the show — looks up startled when the raw boom and roar of the high-performance military jets zoom overhead… Keep reading →

It is the stuff of science fiction — or used to be — and could become a game-changing technology if it lives up to the advanced billing. It is microwave directed energy. Raytheon bought a small technology company last week called Ktech with much experience in building relatively compact microwave generators. Ktech’s combined experience in… Keep reading →

Breaking Defense Editor Colin Clark gets the Paris Air Show bureau set up and ready to rock.

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.

EADS Chief Technologist Jean Botti discusses development of a commercial airliner that could fly at hypersonic speeds, more than four times the speed of sound. Want a daily email update on the Defense industry? Sign up here for the Breaking Defense newsletter or follow us on Twitter.

Boeing, sensing that Lockheed Martin’s formerly unassailable sales pitch for the F-35 has been dramatically weakened by the rash of cost and schedule increases, has come to the Paris Air Show eager to convince foreign governments that their F-15 and F-18 are the right thing to buy instead. Boeing has argued that the F-18 E/F… Keep reading →

F-35 AF-1 and AF-2 Ferry Flight to Edwards AFB showing 2 F-35s in flight and aerial refueling Depending on what figures you use, the United States is either going to spend as much as $1 trillion — with a T — on the F-35 program over its life or something closer to $379 billion to… Keep reading →