Michael Scanlon
Contributor
Michael Scanlon is a defense journalist covering air and space warfare. A former U.S. Air Force A-10 crew chief, he has supported land and sea programs for the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
All Stories By Michael
US aircraft lost or damaged in Iran war nearly doubles in latest congressional report
81 U.S. military aircraft have been lost or damaged in Operation Epic Fury, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Pentagon awards Raytheon up to $20.7 billion to nearly double AMRAAM production
The Defense Department has awarded Raytheon a multiyear contract worth up to $20.7 billion to build Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, or AMRAAMs.
Pentagon inks deals with Boeing, RTX to boost production of SM-3 components
The Pentagon signed seven-year framework agreements Friday with Boeing and RTX to expand production of critical components for the Standard Missile-3.
Saronic picks Brownsville, Texas, for $3 billion Port Alpha shipyard
Autonomous vessel maker Saronic is set to build Port Alpha, a shipyard the company describes as the most advanced in the world, in Texas.
House backs $1.55 billion to revive E-7 Wedgetail, spares Navy Hawkeye
The White House budget office wants to raid a Navy radar-plane account and a classified Air Force line to pull the E-7 Wedgetail back from the dead.
F-35 program chief warns fleet has outgrown its support system amid record-low readiness
The hearing comes on the heels of a Government Accountability Office report this month that found just one in four F-35s were fully mission capable.
Only 1 in 4 F-35s is fully mission capable, GAO finds
The F-35’s readiness rates continued to decline through fiscal 2025, with the fleet’s full mission capable rate falling to 25%, according to a GAO report.
