Today's headlines

Programme Belvedere closed - Written Ministerial Statement
In a written Ministerial Statement published today, the Minister for the Armed Forces Mr. Bob Ainsworth, announced the closure of Programme Belvedere. A full text of the statement can be read here
Defence Viewpoints

Finmeccanica to keep targets despite U.S. decision
Italy's Finmeccanica will maintain its 2009 targets despite a Pentagon decision to cut orders on the C-27J military transport plane from 78 to 38 units, a company source told Reuters on Friday.
Reuters

Major weapon changes in 2010 U.S. defense budget

The Pentagon on Thursday sent Congress a fiscal 2010 budget plan that shifts funding to focus more on irregular warfare and take better care of troops, while cutting back or canceling several major weapons programs.

Reuters

Pentagon seeks $1.2 billion cut for missile defense

The Pentagon said on Thursday it was seeking a $1.2 billion funding cut in missile defense spending for fiscal 2010 and set its budget request for the Missile Defense Agency at $7.8 billion.

Reuters

DOD reform agenda intact with $663.8 billion request

The Department of Defense on 7 May unveiled a Fiscal 2010 budget request that still preserves all of the most controversial budget decisions announced a month earlier.

Flight Global

Pentagon plans to halve cargo aircraft program

The U.S. Department of Defense will ask Congress to cut in half a $2 billion joint Air Force-Army plan to acquire L-3 Communications Holdings cargo planes, a Pentagon document obtained by Reuters shows.

Reuters

Pentagon budget scraps funding for 2nd F-35 engine

efying Congress for a fourth straight year, the Pentagon on Thursday submitted a budget proposal for fiscal 2010 that once again zeros out funding for an alternate engine for the F-35 fighter plane being developed by General Electric and Rolls-Royce.

Reuters

Carlson named to EADS board of directors

EADS North America announced Tuesday that retired Gen. Bruce Carlson had joined the company's board of directors. When Carlson retired from the service in January, he was commander of Air Force Materiel Command and a proponent for modernizing the service's aging fleet of aircraft.

Air Force Times

Russia rules out cuts to nuclear deterrent budget

Russia does not plan to cut budget spending on the development of the country's nuclear deterrent despite the ongoing economic crisis, the defense minister said.

RIA Novosti