In 2018, the Federal Trade Commission allowed Northrop Grumman to acquire rocket-motor maker Orbital ATK, with conditions. Now Politico reports that FTC lawyers believe Northrop violated those conditions. That violation may have resulted in Boeing dropping out of the competition to build a replacement for the Minuteman III missile, which Northrop as a result won. The situation raises interesting antitrust implications, because earlier this year FTC forced Lockheed Martin to abandon a planned acquisition of Orbital competitor Aerojet Rocketdyne. It [ Read More…]

America’s crime wave is coming to your front door if it has not hit there already. Porch piracy, the theft of brand-new, unopened items in packages laying just outside the sanctuary of your home’s living space is a hot trend. Especially coveted items include large-screen televisions, cell phones, and anything from high-end retailers. But even the loss of items such as baby formula, prescription medicines, and medical devices can be highly disruptive. It is time to get tough on thieves [ Read More…]

Events of recent weeks have underscored the correctness of the Biden administration’s view that China is this country’s pacing threat, one that is racing to create a military that would challenge that of the United States. The U.S. military is seeking to alter both the design of its forces and how they operate in peacetime to provide a credible deterrent and, if necessary, a war-winning capability. To that end, the U.S. Navy is proposing both a quantitative and qualitative buildup. [ Read More…]

The United States government maintains a complex system for controlling arms sales called International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR. It is designed to prevent military technology from falling into the hands of bad actors, but it impedes sending the same technology to friends–even when it is urgently needed. With Beijing now determined to match and surpass Washington in advanced technology, there is a need to compress the time required to secure approvals in military transactions with key allies. The [ Read More…]

The U.S. Army is expected to award a contract for the development of a Black Hawk helicopter successor in October. It is potentially a very big program, and competing industry teams are straining to prevail. One team, led by Boeing and Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky unit, is highlighting potential dangers to the rotorcraft industry’s workforce, depending on who wins or loses the award. The other team, led by Bell/Textron, is stressing a different facet of the potential industrial-base fallout. It says [ Read More…]

With the global economy becoming increasingly interconnected, it is essential that international package delivery keep up. International package shipments are expected to at least triple in the next decade. This is good news for American businesses looking to sell more abroad. And for businesses and consumers, low-cost and efficient international e-commerce means more affordable and reliable purchases. But the vast promises of expanded international e-commerce will be diluted, and perhaps sidetracked, if the current international regulatory regime of small packages [ Read More…]

Boeing’s second-quarter results, released Wednesday, were a mixed bag. However, looking beyond the numbers, there is evidence that recovery from its recent rough patch is well under way. The company will likely deliver 400 737 narrowbody jetliners this year, and the highly profitable 787 Dreamliner will resume deliveries after a hiatus due to production issues. New variants of the Max are likely to be certified by FAA in the third quarter, and the 777X is headed for initial deliveries in [ Read More…]

There is a clear consensus among defense and intelligence officials across the globe that China has moved from being a competitor to the West to a threat not only to the U.S. but the entire liberal democratic world. One aspect of this growing threat is China’s effort to dominate so-called advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, 5/6G communications, extended reality, and cybersecurity. The ability to compete with and beat China in the development and deployment of advanced [ Read More…]

July is shaping up to be a good month for the F-35 fighter. Greece disclosed it wants to buy 20 of the stealthy aircraft, maybe more. The Czech Republic revealed it wants 24. And the Pentagon reached a handshake deal with airframe integrator Lockheed Martin for another 375. All told, 16 nations have signed on to the world’s biggest weapons project, and more are waiting in the wings. Meanwhile, the increasingly ubiquitous fighter is participating in training exercises around the [ Read More…]

The Navy has identified unmanned systems as a high-priority investment area, and is developing a diverse array of robotic sea vehicles. Some of these vehicles are genuinely autonomous warships, but with no crews. The Navy’s main focus to date has been on how such sea vehicles might enable new warfighting concepts like distributed maritime operations. Over the long run, use of unmanned sea vehicles might also support new approaches to naval shipbuilding. Because unmanned systems do not need to host [ Read More…]