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The War Zone • Howard Altman

USS Gerald R. Ford heads to Crete after 30‑hour laundry fire displaces 600+ sailors

USS Gerald R. Ford is sailing to Crete for repairs after a laundry-room fire burned for more than 30 hours during its extended Red Sea deployment, displacing over 600 sailors and prompting the Navy to reshuffle carrier schedules amid lifecycle extensions and delivery delays across the fleet.

2026-03-17T16:58:24.487044-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Pentagon’s ‘Golden Dome’ Estimate Jumps to $185B as Space-Based Defenses Expand

2026-03-17T11:47:23.494561-07:00

Reuters

Honeywell, Howmet say they can expand capacity to meet surge in defense and commercial aerospace demand

2026-03-17T09:26:14.569865-07:00

DefenseNews.com

Air Force chief warns sequestration-level caps would 'devastate' service; long CR also threatens readiness

2026-03-16T22:40:06.758727-07:00

News Timeline

The War Zone

USS Gerald R. Ford heads to Crete after 30‑hour laundry fire displaces 600+ sailors USS Gerald R. Ford is sailing to Crete for repairs after a laundry-room fire burned for more than 30 hours during its extended Red Sea deployment, displacing over 600 sailors and prompting the Navy to reshuffle carrier schedules amid lifecycle extensions and delivery delays across the fleet.

2026-03-17T16:58:24.487044-07:00

USS Gerald R. Ford heads to Crete after 30‑hour laundry fire displaces 600+ sailors

SpaceNews.com

Pentagon’s ‘Golden Dome’ Estimate Jumps to $185B as Space-Based Defenses Expand The Pentagon has increased its Golden Dome cost estimate by $10 billion to $185 billion to add space-based missile-tracking and hypersonic-defense elements, prompting Lockheed, RTX and Northrop to accelerate work. Program leadership says external projections overstate the scale of cost growth and are fundamentally flawed.

2026-03-17T11:47:23.494561-07:00

Pentagon’s ‘Golden Dome’ Estimate Jumps to $185B as Space-Based Defenses Expand

Reuters

Honeywell, Howmet say they can expand capacity to meet surge in defense and commercial aerospace demand Executives from Honeywell Aerospace and Howmet Aerospace said they can scale production to meet a surge in demand for commercial aircraft components and munitions, citing robust aftermarket activity and defence-driven orders as geopolitical tensions push procurement higher and suppliers to add capacity.

2026-03-17T09:26:14.569865-07:00

Honeywell, Howmet say they can expand capacity to meet surge in defense and commercial aerospace demand

DefenseNews.com

Air Force chief warns sequestration-level caps would 'devastate' service; long CR also threatens readiness Air Force Chief of Staff David Goldfein warned sequestration-level budget caps would "devastate" the service, and said a long-term continuing resolution would likewise inflict serious harm to readiness, modernization and force posture by constraining operations, procurement and training, and risk long-term program delays.

2026-03-16T22:40:06.758727-07:00

Air Force chief warns sequestration-level caps would 'devastate' service; long CR also threatens readiness

Reuters

Greece approves €4–4.6bn defence package including Achilles Shield, 38 F‑16 Viper upgrades and frigate refits Greece's parliamentary armament committee approved a roughly €4–4.6 billion defence package that green‑lights purchase of an Israeli Achilles Shield air‑defence/drone‑counter system, funds frigate refits and supports the upgrade of 38 F‑16s to the modern Viper standard, plus C‑27 fleet FOS.

2026-03-16T09:00:47.534622-07:00

Greece approves €4–4.6bn defence package including Achilles Shield, 38 F‑16 Viper upgrades and frigate refits

AeroTime

Argentina awards $33M contract to Top Aces for F-16 pilot training Buenos Aires has awarded Top Aces a multi‑year $33 million contract to provide basic and advanced F‑16 pilot training at Argentine Air Force bases, using the ex‑Denmark jets and deployed Top Aces instructors. The program covers the full qualification cycle from B‑course through advanced weapons and instructor qualifications.

2026-03-16T06:54:32.457138-07:00

Argentina awards $33M contract to Top Aces for F-16 pilot training

SpaceNews.com

Pentagon increases Raytheon protected satcom terminals contract by $2 billion The U.S. Department of Defense has increased Raytheon’s contract for protected satellite communications terminals by $2 billion, the Pentagon said. The modification expands program funding for delivery and sustainment of military-grade satcom terminals to support secure, resilient satellite links.

2026-03-15T06:17:45.046914-07:00

Pentagon increases Raytheon protected satcom terminals contract by $2 billion

FlightGlobal

Pentagon reveals LUCAS loitering munition — Shahed-136 derivative with 434 nm range and sub-$55k unit cost The Pentagon has released specifications for LUCAS, a one-way loitering munition reverse-engineered from Iran’s Shahed-136. The system offers a 434 nm range, a per-unit cost the department places between $10,000 and $55,000, and has been employed operationally in the Middle East.

2026-03-13T10:23:53.030335-07:00

Pentagon reveals LUCAS loitering munition — Shahed-136 derivative with 434 nm range and sub-$55k unit cost

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Defense Budgets & Spending News

USS Gerald R. Ford heads to Crete after 30‑hour laundry fire displaces 600+ sailors

Pentagon’s ‘Golden Dome’ Estimate Jumps to $185B as Space-Based Defenses Expand

Honeywell, Howmet say they can expand capacity to meet surge in defense and commercial aerospace demand

Air Force chief warns sequestration-level caps would 'devastate' service; long CR also threatens readiness

News Timeline