Colton Jones

Colton Jones serves as Deputy Editor of Defence Blog, with a specialization in the U.S. defense industrial base. A former member of the United States Air Force, Colton brings firsthand military experience to his analysis of procurement, defense manufacturing, and Pentagon policy. He is one of the blog’s lead writers and most respected defense experts.
Maritime Security

USS Tucson fast-attack submarine relocates to Guam

The fast-attack submarine USS Tucson (SSN 770) slid into Apra Harbor on July 10, swapping its old home in Pearl Harbor for a new one at Naval Base Guam, in a routine-looking port call that carries real...
Aviation

US and Iran are trading strikes over a key oil route

U.S. Central Command finished its third round of airstrikes against Iran in a single week on July 11, hitting roughly 140 military targets after Iranian forces attacked another commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow...
Maritime Security

U.S. Navy wants fast fix for the F-35B’s sludge problem

The U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division posted a sources sought notice on July 9 seeking companies capable of building a deployable cleaning system to remove what officials call "clutch sludge" from the F-35B's short takeoff...
Maritime Security

U.S. Navy’s “doomsday plane” isn’t retiring anytime soon

If nuclear war ever broke out and every ground-based command center went dark, a fleet of aging jets built on a 1960s airliner design would still be able to relay the launch order, and the U.S. Navy...
Maritime Security

Pentagon opens a new round in its hypersonic weapons race

The Pentagon just opened the door for private companies to pitch prototype hypersonic weapons capable of flying more than five times the speed of sound, releasing a formal Request for Solutions on July 9 that gives industry...
Aviation

U.S. Air Force to upgrade plane missile defense system

A shoulder-fired missile streaking toward a military cargo plane has mere seconds to find its target, and the U.S. Air Force has paid $60.4 million to make sure the aircraft sees it coming even faster. Northrop Grumman...
Maritime Security

Kongsberg secures $50M for U.S. Marine Corps’ ship-killing missile program

The U.S. Navy awarded Norwegian defense manufacturer Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace a contract modification worth roughly $50.3 million on July 2 to buy more launcher missile modules for what the Pentagon calls its "over-the-horizon weapons system," the...
Aviation

Years late: U.S. Air Force’s new trainer jet still isn’t ready

The U.S. Air Force jet meant to finally retire a training aircraft older than most of the pilots flying it is running years behind schedule, even as the service quietly started shopping for companies to upgrade the...
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