Lockheed Martin awarded $928 million to help US catch up in hypersonic missile race

Lockheed Martin awarded $928 million to help US catch up in hypersonic missile race

Every so often, a new kind of weapon comes along that fundamentally shifts the way humans conduct warfare: bows extended the range of the battlefield, airplanes created air support, and the atomic bomb made “total war” too terrible to conduct with the regularity of conventional warfare. Increasingly, hypersonic missile platforms are beginning to look like […]

Can Top Gun 2 repeat the original’s success as a recruitment tool?

Can Top Gun 2 repeat the original’s success as a recruitment tool?

The world was a different place in 1986. Mike Tyson won his first title that year, making him the youngest man ever to do so. A brand new Ford Mustang cost less than $7,500, and Tom Cruise was the face of what may have been the most successful military recruitment campaign in U.S. history. Here […]

Israeli F-35s in combat could mean a new era for the troubled fighter

Israeli F-35s in combat could mean a new era for the troubled fighter

Although details remain sparse, Israel has announced that the long-touted F-35 has officially seen combat for the first time anywhere in the world. Israel was not one of the original nine partner nations that helped to fund the F-35s development but is among the three foreign military sales (FMS) customers for the platform — and […]

Norwegian missiles could make the F-35 America’s best ship hunter

Norwegian missiles could make the F-35 America’s best ship hunter

In recent months, much ado has been made about America’s diplomatic opponents developing anti-ship capabilities that we currently have no defense against. Chinese and Russian anti-ship missiles, capable of achieving hypersonic speeds, represent a kind of threat the United States hasn’t faced in decades: a technology that America is not only behind on, but apparently, […]

Summarizing the News: What’s the deal with the F-35 lately?

Summarizing the News: What’s the deal with the F-35 lately?

In today’s media climate, even the most ardent follower of the news could be forgiven for falling behind on the complex issues of the day. Between work, family, friends, and the other obligations that make up everyday life, it’s a miracle anyone has time to devote some thought and concern to the plight of civilians […]

Lockheed Martin tasked with billion dollar initiative to develop American hypersonic missiles

Lockheed Martin tasked with billion dollar initiative to develop American hypersonic missiles

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a national address that included talk about a number of new missile platforms the Russian military is rapidly fielding. For defense analysts, none of the missiles he discussed were particularly new, as most were actually leftover Cold War era projects the Kremlin only recently put into production — […]

Lockheed Martin F-35 factory in Italy set to go on strike today

Lockheed Martin F-35 factory in Italy set to go on strike today

Lockheed Martin’s flagship F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is facing more bad news, as contractors working at the company’s Italian assembly line recently announced plans for a strike set to take place on Tuesday. Lockheed and its local partners employ over 600 workers at Italy’s Cameri Air Base, which is where the final assembly work is […]

Lockheed Martin pitches Japan an F-22/F-35 hybrid that would be ‘superior to both’

Lockheed Martin pitches Japan an F-22/F-35 hybrid that would be ‘superior to both’

After years of justifying the F-35s enormous price tag with claims that it is the most advanced and capable air platform on the planet, Lockheed Martin is now reportedly pitching a new fifth generation fighter to Japan. This new jet would combine elements from both the F-35 Lighting II and the export-banned F-22 Raptor and, […]

Lockheed Martin unveils stealthy, offensive variants for their tanker drone

Lockheed Martin unveils stealthy, offensive variants for their tanker drone

As the competition for the Navy’s MQ-25 tanker drone heats up between Boeing, Lockheed Martin and General Atomics, it would seem at least two of the contenders believe the decision could come down to which platform offers the most versatility beyond the contract’s requirements. Last week, SOFREP reported on Boeing’s decision to base their MQ-25 […]