The House and Senate fiscal 2021 defense policy compromise bill would require an independent assessment of the U.S. Army’s plans for the CH-47F Block II upgrade.

Overall FMS transactions in 2020 declined by 8% compared to the previous year’s mark of $55.4 billion, and by 8.77% from a modern peak of $55.66 billion set by the Trump administration in 2018.

The fiscal 2021 defense policy compromise bill would require the U.S. cost assessment and program evaluation office at the Pentagon to conduct an independent assessment of the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System product lines.

A conference agreement by the House and Senate calls for a Pentagon-level review of the U.S. Air Force's strategy for the Next Generation Air Dominance program and criticizes the Navy's plans as "significantly immature."

The bill authorizes the procurement of 93 F-35s for $9.1 billion, an additional 14 aircraft above the budget request.

The U.S. National Commission on Military Aviation Safety is recommending that Congress mandate and fund a Joint Safety Council that would report to the deputy defense secretary and coordinate the military’s safety centers risk mitigation efforts, a new report released Dec. 3 says.

Although President Donald Trump has threatened to veto the fiscal 2021 defense authorization bill because he disagrees with a social media provision, the House and Senate are pursing passage of the bicameral agreement.

FLIR Systems, which has re-engineered its business since last year to focus on UAVs and automotive sensors, has acquired Altavian, a privately-held manufacturer of small UAS for defense and public safety customers that used FLIR sensors.