Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
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How Boeing Got Here: It’s Not The Story You Have Been Hearing Lately (From Forbes)
May 17, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Boeing, the biggest aerospace enterprise in history, is facing a crisis due to two accidents involving its 737 jetliner. The media coverage has been merciless. Perhaps some historical perspective is needed on what Boeing has meant for America. For starters, [Read More...] -
The F-35 Isn’t Just ‘Stealthy’: Here’s How Its Electronic Warfare System Gives It An Edge (From Forbes)
May 13, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Just about everybody who follows military affairs knows that the tri-service F-35 fighter is stealthy — in other words, it is nearly impossible to track using radar. What many observers do not realize is that F-35 is also equipped with [Read More...] -
Navy/Raytheon SPY-6 Radar Boosts Sea-Based Defense Against Ballistic, Hypersonic Threats (From Forbes)
May 9, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D This week Raytheon delivered the first SPY-6 radar that it has been developing since 2013 for the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke destroyers. It is a true breakthrough, using new materials and modular design concepts to provide a three-fold gain in [Read More...] -
LPD: The U.S. Navy’s Most Versatile Vessel Isn’t A Destroyer Or A Submarine (From Forbes)
May 7, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Last year, the U.S. Navy decided to buy a second flight of the LPD 17 amphibious dock ship, meaning that by mid-century most of the vessels responsible for moving Marines and their equipment will be of that class. It was [Read More...] -
Pratt & Whitney’s F135 Fighter Engine Is Poised To Dominate For Decades To Come (From Forbes)
May 2, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D In the ten years since Pratt & Whitney delivered the first production version of its F135 engine, the F-35 fighter program for which it was intended has taken off. It is now clear the fighter will be flown not only [Read More...] -
The U.S. Navy Is Pushing Fast Development, Early Deployment Of Unmanned Warships (From Forbes)
April 29, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The U.S. Navy is facing an existential crisis in the Western Pacific as China builds up its military at a much faster pace than other players in the region. Among the various strategies the U.S. Navy is considering in response [Read More...] -
Aging Sealift Fleet Is Achilles Heel Of Pentagon War Plans (From Forbes)
April 25, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D America’s military faces a major operational challenge that policymakers have barely begun to notice. The sealift required to move U.S. forces to future war zones is slowly wasting away. The Navy is not building new sealift capacity at an adequate [Read More...] -
Army Secretary Reveals Hidden Defect In Modernization Plans (From Forbes)
April 22, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Army has decided that it does not need a helicopter in its combat fleet capable of lifting the service’s next-generation jeep. Known as the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), the next-gen jeep was designed among other things to protect [Read More...] -
Most Powerful U.S. Helicopter Ever, Marine CH-53K King Stallion, Heads For Production (From Forbes)
April 18, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The U.S. Marine Corps wants something nobody else has: a helicopter that can lift 18 tons in a single flight. Sikorsky’s CH-53K King Stallion meets that need, providing sea-based forces with an unprecedented capability to move troops and supplies from [Read More...] -
BAE Systems, Inc. Invents A Radically Different Way Of Speeding Defense Innovation (From Forbes)
April 15, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D One of the nation’s leading military contractors has come up with a novel way of accelerating the velocity of defense innovation. BAE Systems, Inc. has created an organization called FAST Labs that leverages the commercial innovation ecosystem in places like [Read More...]