Procurement

Israel is ready to hand the United States design and technology details of its Iron Dome anti-missile system, touted by Washington and Jerusalem as playing a vital role in defending the country's borders from repeated missile attacks. 

The Pentagon told Congress Monday it has signed off on a potential $647 million weapons package to Israel.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale of 6,900 Boeing-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) kits, which would total $647 million.

The JDAM kits convert unguided bombs into precision “smart” weapons.

Canada is cancelling its purchase of F-35 fighters and starting a new search for alternatives to replace its fleet of planes, according to reports.

The reports that the Canadian government could be abandoning the F-35 program come ahead of an audit due to be released next week, which Canada’s CTV News reported will show the cost has ballooned to $40 billion.

The Ottawa Citizen reported Thursday night that the F-35 program “is dead” in Canada, citing a source familiar with the decision.

Building a Death Star would spur job creation and strengthen national defense, argues petition.

The top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Seapower subcommittee on Friday demanded increased investments in Navy aircraft and warships in the Persian Gulf, to counter Iranian military aggression in the region. 

U.S. officials have been keeping quiet in the weeks since news broke of a potential $45 billion merger between BAE Systems and EADS that would create the world’s largest defense and aerospace company.

The legislative battle to get the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle into the hands of U.S. forces was one of Vice President Biden's biggest political wins during his career in the Senate. 

The Army and Marine Corps picked three contractors Wednesday evening for the next phase of their program to replace the aging Humvee fleet.

Lockheed Martin, Oshkosh and AM General each received contracts between $56 million and $66 million to develop prototypes for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, which the Army and Marines plan to use to replace Humvees and MRAPs.

The contracts are for a 27-month Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase, where the companies will produce prototype vehicles for the government before it ultimately chooses a winner to produce the replacement fleet.

Taiwan is asking the United States for fewer new F-16 fighters due to budget concerns, according to media reports.

Taiwan is cutting its previous request to Washington for 66 F-16C/D fighters to just 24 of the advanced F-16 planes, according to Agence France-Presse, citing media reports in two Taiwanese newspapers on Monday.

The Taiwanese defense ministry dismissed the reports in the Taipei-based China Times, which quoted an “authoritative military source,” and The Liberty Times, according to AFP.

The Obama administration last year agreed to a $5.9 billion deal to retrofit Taiwan’s current fleet of 145 F-16A/B planes, rather than selling Taiwan new F-16C/Ds, which are more advanced than the F-16A/Bs Taiwan currently operates.

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The top two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee are demanding the Obama administration provide answers on the full national security impact of illegal ties between a US defense firm and the Chinese military.