Lockheed Martin has landed a $76-million follow-on contract from the U.S. Air Force to produce Paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) kits. The kits essentially modify conventional gravity bombs into more precise LGBs, and act as a cost-effective way to put conventional munitions on targets more accurately. Delivery is expected by the second quarter of next year. Read More »

The conservative Heritage Foundation think-tank has published its 2016 Index of U.S. Military Strength, a yearly accounting of America’s ability to project force around the globe. The report also saw rising threat levels for various American foes — as well as  perceived foes — including Russia, the Middle East, and North Korea. The overall threat level was marked as “Elevated.” Read More »

The House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy and Power is meeting today to consider two resolutions criticizing two final rules by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for new and existing power plants. The rules are meant to be a fundamental change to how the U.S. generates, distributes and consumes energy. The EPA actions have drawn criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. Read More »

The U.S. Army awarded defense contractor BAE Systems a $245.3-million contract for low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the Army’s M109A7 self-propelled howitzer and its battlefield companion, the M992A3 ammunition carrier. Under this more recent contract option BAE systems will produce another 30 sets of vehicles for the Army, bringing the total delivery since 2013 to 66 sets. Read More »

Members of the European Parliament are in Washington D.C. this week for the Transatlantic Legislators Dialogue, which will see lawmakers from the U.S. and the E.U. discuss economic, social and security matters. The meetings have taken place twice a year since 1972, and serve as formal platform for cooperation between Congress and the European Parliament. Read More »

The Senate Armed Services Committee took up the issue of maintaining American military superiority in a quickly globalizing world filled with new technological threats this week at a hearing on “The Future of Warfare.” The hearing, chaired by U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), is aimed at determining the best places to direct military spending to counter those threats. Read More »

Both chambers of the Republican-led Congress have introduced resolutions under the Congressional Review Act condemning two rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in August to regulate power plant greenhouse gas emissions. Opponents of the rule contend it will lead to higher energy bills and job losses, while supporters say it will help the environment. Read More »

Last week the House of Representatives green-lighted a second National Defense Authorization Act for 2016 (NDAA) after a presidential veto torpedoed Congress’ first attempt at the bill which authorizes U.S. defense spending. Passed in the House by a 370-58 vote margin, the matter will be taken up on Tuesday by the Senate, where the bill is also expected to pass by a wide margin. Read More »

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Leidos a $14-million prime contract for research and development work on a major spectrum-sharing radar and communications project. Leidos will be working on Phase 2 of DARPA’s Shared Spectrum Access for Radar and Communications (SSPARC) program over an initial 11-month period, with another 11-month option. Read More »

After the Pentagon has awarded Northrop Grumman the long-awaited $21.4-billion contract to develop and build the Air Force’s new stealth bomber, competitors Boeing and Lockheed Martin have jointly filed a protest, citing concerns over the cost evaluation portion in the bidding process that didn’t recognize the two companies’ pledge to break the cycle of skyrocketing defense acquisition costs. Read More »

President Barack Obama officially rejected the Keystone XL pipeline proposal Friday, putting an end to the seven-year review process that has come to represent executive inaction on major climate change issues. Environmentalists applauded the decision while energy industry officials said the decision would curtail job growth and hurt relations with Canada. Read More »

U.S. Geothermal Inc. has acquired all the materials to build three new geothermal power plants at a steep discount. The company picked up the equipment from another geothermal developer that had to scale back a project from six power plants to three. The purchase price of $1.5 million represents a 95 percent discount of what the materials would have cost to order new. Read More »

American airpower joined allied coalition forces this week to continue fighting ISIL insurgents in Iraq and Syria with targeted airstrikes aimed at crippling the violent extremist group’s ability to operate. All told, 24 airstrikes were initiated over the combat zones in Syria and Iraq. Targets included fuel reserves as well as ISIL military positions and equipment. Read More »

Mississippi will soon be home to a large utility-scale solar energy project that will see three solar farms built around the state to generate 105 megawatts (MW) of electricity. The project is part of a Mississippi Power collaboration with three solar energy firms and the Navy. All three solar plants will add a major renewable energy source to the utility company’s electrical grid. Read More »

Two of North America’s largest commercial solar energy storage facilities are set to open near Chicago thanks to the efforts of Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES). The Jake Energy Storage Center and the Elwood Energy Storage Center will each have an operating capacity of more than 39 megawatts (MW) and will be fully commercially operable as stand-alone battery storage facilities. Read More »

The Virginia-based aerospace and defense contracting company Orbital ATK, Inc. recently established an affiliate in Abu Dhabi, which will support Orbital’s growing defense contracts coming in from the Middle East. In 2010, Orbital formed a partnership with the United Arab Emirates-based firm Al Tuff International to start a new affiliate company in Abu Dhabi. Read More »

Galenfeha, Inc., a Texas-based design and engineering firm, will be providing the U.S. military with the company's cutting-edge energy storage systems. Galenfeha specializes in advanced energy storage technologies, which are essentially very high-tech batteries. The company manufactures microprocessor-controlled battery systems to power high precision automated systems. Read More »

Soft body armor producer Point Blank Enterprises announced at the beginning of November it has completed an acquisition of assets of The Protective Group Inc. (TPG), a ballistic armor manufacturer in Miami Lakes, Florida. Since 2001, The Protective Group’s Ballistic Protection System has protected over 90 percent of the Department of Defense’s rotary wing fleet. Read More »

Reports from the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve detailed the latest strikes on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria and Iraq Thursday. In Syria, eight strikes were conducted by fighter, attack and remotely piloted aircraft. The attacks were conducted near Hawl, Syria and hit targets of ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL buildings. Read More »

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, a San Diego-based national-security services provider, recently said it has been given a $32 million task order to help develop a weaponized high-energy laser. The contract was awarded to Digital Fusion Solutions, a subsidiary of Kratos’ Defense and Rocket Support Services (DRSS) Division. Read More »