Paris: In another clear signal that the heat is on Lockheed Martin to substantially bring down the costs of the biggest acquisition program in US history, the Nr. 2 man in the program told reporters here that costs have to keep going down. “Much of that will play out” in the nascent negotiations on the… 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 →

The new man responsible for running the Army day to day is the first African-American to serve in the role and a general who has cut his teeth serving under Defense Secretary Gates. The news comes from Loren Thompson, a member of Breaking Defense’s Board of Contributors. He wrote that: “Lloyd James Austin III has… 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 →

Latest: Australia chooses Romeo over NH90 http://bit.ly/jC8S20 @Flightglobal

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 →

Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to lift off from Earth on July 8 and is the final space shuttle mission, ending a very successful program which has brought so much pride to the United States for more than three decades. Similar to when the Apollo program ended in 1975, this final flight is truly a… Keep reading →