Saturday, January 22, 2022
Key Issues Cyber executive order $1.5B fuel bill GMTI analysis
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- The Air Force is seeking to hold a flying demonstration for an amphibious capability tied to the C-130J cargo plane in the latter part of calendar year 2022, the head of Air Force Special Operations Command said today.
The Air Force’s top armament official said he doesn’t expect the service’s Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon will need to undergo a complete redesign in the wake of continued testing setbacks, though the root cause of the latest issue is still unknown.
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- Citing industry readiness and anticipated congressional support, the head of the Air Force’s Special Operations Command said today "there’s a good likelihood" the armed overwatch program will transition to procurement in fiscal year 2022.
The cost estimate for the first operational capability tied to the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System, which officials previously said would be completed by the end of June, is not yet finalized -- a delay that comes as the service continues to work on overhauling its approach to the program.
Air Force officials anticipate they will set a new schedule baseline for the Air Force One replacement program in "late 2021," though a service spokeswoman declined to share details on what the new timeline could look like, citing "ongoing discussions."
PALMDALE, CA -- Northrop Grumman subsidiary Scaled Composites has unveiled a new concept for the Model 437, an unmanned aircraft that officials hope could have a future as part of a broader family of systems or serve as a candidate for the Air Force's Skyborg program.
PALMDALE, CA -- Northrop Grumman announced today it has demonstrated a data link to enable long-range command and control, a feature company officials say could boost the Defense Department's efforts to connect sensors from across the services into a single network.
While the Air Force's timeline for entering low-rate initial production tied to a new arming and fuzing assembly for intercontinental ballistic missiles is still slated to begin in fiscal year 2022, a service spokeswoman said full-rate production is now not expected to start until FY-24. (UPDATED)
The U.S. and Indian air forces have agreed to work together to develop air-launched unmanned aerial vehicles, a move that officials say represents the first co-development project between the two countries under their bilateral defense cooperation framework.
The Space Force is moving forward with an analysis of alternatives on future narrowband satellite communications in fiscal year 2022 and has set aside $12 million for the effort, defense officials indicated in a Government Accountability Office report released publicly today.
Nicolas Chaillan, the Air Force's chief software officer, announced today that he's resigning from the post he's held for the last two-and-a-half years.
The House Armed Services Committee is seeking to bar the Space Force's acquisition executive from establishing a program of record unless officials determine there are no commercial alternatives currently available, under an amendment lawmakers adopted today during the panel's marathon mark-up of the fiscal year 2022 defense policy bill.
In the opening hour of the House Armed Service Committee's marathon defense policy bill mark-up, lawmakers signed off on an amendment that would direct officials to notify congressional defense panels if they determine China's nuclear stockpile outpaces that of the United States.
While the Air Force is seeking to halt the procurement of MQ-9 Reapers in its fiscal year 2022 budget request, the House Armed Services Committee's chairman's mark instead aims to direct the service to add six of the drones to its inventory.
The House Armed Services Committee wants the Air Force to ensure its Advanced Battle Management System doesn’t waste resources and fields capabilities that fit into the Defense Department's broader command and control effort, as lawmakers recommended cutting back the program's funding in their fiscal year 2022 chairman’s mark.
House authorizers are seeking to block the Air Force from awarding a procurement contract for its new nuclear cruise missile until officials share updated cost information with lawmakers, according to a new document obtained by Inside Defense.
The Air Force has released a second request for information surrounding the Next Generation Aerial Target as officials are poised to again consider potential development of the fifth-generation training and testing tool.
The Utah Air National Guard demonstrated the use of Tactical Targeting Network Technology with a KC-135 Stratotanker for the first time in a flight earlier this month as part of a push to support the Air Force’s role in implementing the broader Joint-All Domain Command and Control framework.
The Air Force’s chief scientist is calling on policymakers to not only invest in new microelectronics technologies, but also help shape goal-setting around those investments, as the service and defense officials seek to make the area a budget priority in the next fiscal year.
With the Air Force moving away from seeking a direct replacement follow-on to the MQ-9, officials are assessing their next steps as they determine how a multirole unmanned aerial system could integrate with the broader force design going forward, a service spokesman said.