US Navy Rejected F-117 Carrier Proposal; Kennedy Delivery Delayed; Russia Raises 2027 Defense Budget

US Navy F-117 Carrier Proposal: 255 Aircraft at $70 Million Each

Lockheed pitched the US Navy on putting the F-117 Nighthawk on carriers. After the Navy lost the A-12 Avenger II and had nothing to replace the aging A-6 Intruder, Lockheed proposed using the F-117 stealth fighter it already had for carrier operations. The proposal included 255 aircraft at $70 million each—almost $17.9 billion; Congress set aside $175 million to study whether it would work; the Navy said no twice.^[1]

The first offer was more modest, mainly corrosion protection and an automatic landing system. The second was a different aircraft: a 64-foot wingspan, sweep cut from 50 degrees to 42 degrees, folding wings, strengthened landing gear, an arrestor hook, a ground-attack radar, AMRAAMs, afterburning engines, and 8,000 pounds of external stores.^[1]

USS John F. Kennedy Delivery Delayed 20 Months

The US Navy had planned to deliver the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy in July 2025. It is now due in March 2027, a 20-month delay. The slip came down to arresting gear certification and the weapons elevators—the same two systems that held up USS Gerald R. Ford.^[2]

Ford was built with thinner deck and bulkhead plates to save weight, but the steel turned out to be harder to work with—more bracing, more handling, more reinforcement where loads ran high. Kennedy reversed it and built modularly instead, cutting man-hours by 5% to 10%. The Navy also abandoned Ford's Dual Band Radar as too expensive and too complicated to repeat, meaning the lead ship of the class will be the only one that ever carries it.^[2]

Russia Raises 2027 Defense Spending by 27%

Budget documents show Russia plans to spend 17.1 trillion roubles, or about $202 billion, on defense in 2027, a 27% increase.^[3]

Other Developments

During a ground speed check, a Cessna reported 90 knots, a Beechcraft reported 125 knots, and a Navy F/A-18 Hornet out of NAS Lemoore reported 620 knots; then an SR-71 Blackbird asked, and the controller replied 1,842 knots, about 2,120 miles per hour. From the back seat at 80,000 feet, Major Walter Watson said they were showing closer to 1,900.^[4]

Axel, a deaf rescue dog, is set to deploy. Sgt. Mollie Karazim told Military Times: “Axel is not a tactical asset; he is a force multiplier by means of mental health and soldier readiness.”^[5]

Spc. Peyton D. Creel is facing court-martial after his child died from a rifle shot to the head.^[6]