NEWS
By McClatchy Tribune | September 24, 2006
NAVAL AIR STATION OCEANA, Va. -- When Navy Lt. Cmdr. David "Supafly" Faehnle flipped on the engines of his F-14 Tomcat, the 2,000 or so people sitting nearby jumped to their feet. Some trotted across the flight line to get closer to what has been the Navy's premier jet fighter. A few held up their digital cameras, using the zoom tool as they would binoculars to get a better look. They all watched as the canopy closed, sealing in Faehnle and his radar intercept officer, Lt. Cmdr. Robert "Fitz" Gentry.
NEWS
By NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE | April 25, 2004
WASHINGTON - The commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks is expected to offer sharp criticism of the Pentagon's domestic air-defense command in the panel's final report. They will suggest that quicker military action on that morning might have prevented a hijacked passenger jet from crashing into the Pentagon according to commission officials. The performance of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, and its failure to protect Washington and New York City from attack on Sept.
NEWS
By John Murphy and John Murphy,SUN FOREIGN STAFF | March 29, 2003
WITH THE U.S. MARINES, Iraq - The sign along this desolate stretch of highway is bright blue. The lettering that spells "Baghdad" in both Arabic and English is white and clear. The traffic arrow on the sign points north. For the Marines, it was a sight that brought a few cheers, some relief and new fears. Baghdad is now just a short distance away. They had traveled more than 200 miles since leaving Kuwait one week ago. While going such a distance by car is not significant, for the Marines - a military force traditionally used near shore, not so far inland - this was a historic achievement.
BUSINESS
By Robert Little and Robert Little,SUN STAFF | November 4, 2001
Wings from Texas will make the Pentagon's new jet fighter fly. A fan from Indiana will make it hover. An engine from Connecticut will take it supersonic, while a tail from England keeps it straight. And just south of Baltimore, inside the off-ramp industrial campus of Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Electronic Systems sector, a team of engineers will teach the Joint Strike Fighter how to see and hear. The former Westinghouse plant in Linthicum is already one of the nation's leading designers and manufacturers of airborne military electronics.
BUSINESS
By Robert Little and Robert Little,SUN STAFF | October 11, 2001
As the Pentagon prepares to pick a sole winner in its $300 billion contest to design and build the nation's newest jet fighter, some members of Congress are renewing the call for multiple winners instead, saying the United States must preserve its defense industry now more than ever. The Department of Defense is sticking with its winner-take-all strategy as it prepares to announce Oct. 26 whether Lockheed Martin Corp. of Bethesda or Boeing Co. will build the Joint Strike Fighter, a multiservice jet fighter.
BUSINESS
By Robert Little and Robert Little,SUN STAFF | July 27, 2001
Lockheed Martin Corp. reported yesterday that its profit tripled in the second quarter, despite fewer sales of fighter planes, rockets and other of its signature products. The Bethesda-based defense giant also said it expects income growth to continue, predicting an earnings increase of 30 percent to 35 percent for the year. "They've done what they said they would do - reduce debt, divest divisions - and it has worked," said Paul H. Nisbet, an aerospace analyst for JSA Research Inc. Lockheed Martin earned $144 million, or 33 cents a share, in the second quarter, compared with $42 million, or 11 cents a share, posted for the second quarter of 2000.