News
Britain reveals Ukrainian soldiers are training locally
Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed Ukrainians were training on vehicles being donated to Kyiv by London during his two-day trip to India, where he also announced a defense arms pact with New Delhi.
Ukraine leader pushes for more arms
Ukraine’s leader is petitioning for more powerful Western weapons as he prepared to meet with top U.S. officials in the war-torn country’s capital.
Lawmakers want US to set up field hospitals for Ukraine
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is calling on the Biden administration to establish field hospitals near Ukraine’s border and ramp up medical support for what’s expected to be a months-long war of attrition waged by Russia.
Canada says it has provided heavy artillery to Ukraine forces
Canada has now delivered a number of M777 howitzers and associated ammunition to Ukrainian forces, and is finalizing contracts for commercial pattern armored vehicles that it will send to Ukraine as soon as possible, the defense ministry said.
Blinken says US will return diplomats to Ukraine during meeting in Kyiv
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin traveled to the Ukrainian capital, where they met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials April 24, with Blinken reportedly saying that US diplomats would return to Ukraine this week, a senior State Department official said, characterizing the move as a strong message of solidarity from the United States.
Business
Calling all weapons makers: Pentagon seeks new ideas to arm Ukraine
In its effort to quickly arm Ukraine against Russia, the Pentagon has announced the equivalent of an open casting call for companies to offer weapons and commercial systems that can be rushed to the fight.
Chile buys light armored vehicles from New Zealand in $20M deal
The Chilean government has agreed to buy nearly two dozen eight-wheel drive, light-armored troop transports from New Zealand’s Army to equip its marines.
Poland shortlists Boeing, Bell for combat helo acquisition
Other players who have expressed interest in supplying their aircraft to Poland include Airbus and Leonardo.
DARPA seeks proposals on improving satellite imagery technology
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will accept proposals next month for three initiatives aimed at improving synthetic aperture radar technology in satellites.
Defense
Military judge convicts Air Force general of 2018 sexual assault
A military judge convicted Maj. Gen. Bill Cooley of sexually assaulting his sister-in-law in 2018, closing out April 23 the historic first full court-martial of an Air Force general.
Dozens of Air Force and Space Force jobs now eligible for reenlistment bonuses
The Air Force and Space Force announced April 21 that there would be reenlistment bonuses available for 63 job fields, a substantial increase in the number of career specialties eligible for more money to continue serving.
DOD audit says Army’s $22 billion ‘mixed reality’ goggle needs more soldier input
The Pentagon Inspector General chided the Army over its augmented reality goggle program in a new report Friday, saying at one point in the document that the service risked “wasting up to $21.88 billion in taxpayer funds to field a system that Soldiers may not want to use or use as intended.”
Marine Corps deactivates two helicopter squadrons in Hawaii in bid to modernize force
A pair of Hawaii-based Marine Corps helicopter squadrons were deactivated this week, casing the colors of units that trace their lineage to World War II.
Veterans
VA unveils new plan to house LA’s homeless veterans, falls flat with advocacy groups
But after years of delays, advocates are questioning whether the VA is committed to finding a solution to the homelessness problem, and raised concerns about the use of the department’s large plot of land in Los Angeles.
The post Headlines — April 25 appeared first on Aerotech News & Review.