Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
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Stall Warning: Five Reasons Air Force Modernization Won’t Take Off As Planned (From Forbes)
February 5, 2016- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The U.S. Air Force’s fleet of fighters, bombers, tankers and transports is older today than ever before, thanks to chronic neglect of air power modernization since the Cold War ended. Air Force leaders have put together a plan for “recapitalizing” [Read More...] -
Russian Rockets Put Pentagon Space Plans In Decaying Orbit On Capitol Hill (From Forbes)
February 2, 2016- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D America’s military depends heavily on satellites for things like secure communications and warning of missile attacks, but U.S. access to space is looking less and less assured. United Launch Alliance, the Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture that has lofted into orbit [Read More...] -
Gene Wars: Targeted Mutations Will Spawn Unique Dangers, And Soon (From Forbes)
January 29, 2016- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Scientists have discovered a cheap and easy way of editing the genes of any living organism. Depending on how the modifications are made, they might permanently alter the genetic endowment of later generations. A related development speeds the transmission of [Read More...] -
Leidos-Lockheed IT Merger Fashions Federal Services Powerhouse (From Forbes)
January 26, 2016- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Leidos disclosed on Tuesday that it is merging with most of Lockheed Martin’s IT unit in a $5 billion deal that will produce a federal services powerhouse. The transaction will contribute significantly to the rationalization of the defense sector, since [Read More...] -
Gamechanger: How Pratt & Whitney Transformed Itself To Lead A Revolution In Jet Propulsion (From Forbes)
January 21, 2016- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Airbus disclosed on January 20 that it has delivered the first aircraft in its A320neo family of narrow body jetliners to Lufthansa. The “neo” designation stands for “new engine option,” and in the case of the Lufthansa planes that means [Read More...] -
The New Landscape In American Manufacturing: What It Takes To Succeed Today
January 21, 2016- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Click here to download the full study as PDF. Findings In Brief 1. The landscape of American manufacturing has changed. Manufacturing has been a key ingredient in America’s success as a nation — an engine of economic growth, innovation and [Read More...] -
Pentagon Contracting: Has “Best Value” Become An Excuse For Process Abuse?
January 19, 2016- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D There’s been a lot of complaining lately about the Pentagon’s propensity to award weapons contracts to the lowest bidder. However the alternative, called “best value,” brings its own problems. Foremost among those problems is that when price ceases to be [Read More...] -
New Pentagon Contract Signals Lockheed Martin’s C-130 Airlifter Is Headed For 100 Years Of Service (From Forbes)
January 14, 2016- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Pentagon disclosed on December 30 that it will be ordering 78 more C-130J Super Hercules airlifters under a new multiyear contract. That’s good news for the joint force, which relies on an aging fleet of C-130s for everything from [Read More...] -
Coming To Naval Surface Warfare: A Revolution In Guns And Ammunition (From Forbes)
January 11, 2016- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Surface Navy Association is holding its 28th National Symposium near the nation’s capital this week, and a key focus of discussion will be increasing the firepower of U.S. warships in response to what Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John [Read More...] -
As Boeing Turns 100, Defense Ops Look Pivotal To Its Future Performance (From Forbes)
January 4, 2016- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Obama years have been good for Boeing, the world’s biggest aerospace company, but most of its gains have been made on the commercial side. Surging demand for jetliners has lifted the company’s share price from below 30 around the [Read More...]