Friday, April 26, 2024
Key Issues Optical clocks Prototype funding SPAFORGEN
Textron expects some employees will quit their jobs rather than comply with the coronavirus vaccine mandate for government contractors, and the company has accelerated its hiring of new workers, Textron's chief executive officer said today.
A sale of roughly 250 M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tanks to Poland might not be finalized for another two years, General Dynamics' chief executive officer said today.
A Senate panel has recommended a steep cut to Army plans in fiscal year 2022 to rapidly prototype and test trailer-sized directed-energy weapons, a proposal that if enacted could hobble service plans for laser and microwave protections against cruise missiles and drone swarms.
The Senate Appropriations Committee proposed cutting funding for the accelerated acquisition of the Army's Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2 prototypes in a draft of its fiscal year 2022 spending bill.
Three defense contractors from Europe and the Middle East deployed to Washington, DC, their respective 155 mm howitzer variants mounted on trucks for display at a convention center, all hoping to catch the attention of U.S. government officials who are contemplating options for replacing towed cannons that are now deemed vulnerable to counter-battery fire against an advanced adversary such as Russia or China.
A digital transformation in the Army and the implementation of Joint All-Domain Command and Control requires cultural changes in the military more than technological advances, Raj Iyer, the Army's chief information officer, said today.
Production on the first M270A2 Multiple Launch Rocket System, the newest variant of the Army's tracked field artillery launcher, should be completed in fiscal year 2022, according to Col. Guy Yelverton, project manager for strategic and operational rockets and missiles.
The Army is well equipped to improve the cybersecurity of its supply chain and weapon systems and is working to do so, Douglas Bush, the nominee to become the service’s acquisition executive, told the Senate Armed Services Committee today.
Monthly production of the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle has reached contracted levels for low-rate initial production, and the early manufacturing troubles that plagued the program appear to have subsided, James Schirmer, deputy program executive officer for ground combat systems, told reporters Oct. 12 at the Association of the United States Army conference.
The Senate Appropriations Committee seeks to cut $174 million from the Army procurement budget in a draft of its fiscal year 2022 defense spending bill, although it would add $667 million in funding for the Army Reserve and National Guard.
The Army will use the Infantry Squad Vehicle, electric Light Reconnaissance Vehicle and Mobile Protected Firepower light tank to motorize some infantry brigades and divisions for large-scale combat operations, Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahoe, commander of the Maneuver Center of Excellence, said during an Oct. 11 interview.
Oshkosh Defense remains committed to competing for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle follow-on contract, even after the Army acknowledged it plans to purchase fewer vehicles than previously expected, according to a company executive.
The Army will shift many of the 1st Cavalry Division's cavalry units up from the brigade level to create a battalion-sized cavalry unit at the division level in the summer of 2023, leaders from the Maneuver Center of Excellence told Inside Defense during an Oct. 11 interview at the Association of the United States Army conference in Washington.
The Army has delayed fielding and operational testing of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System, a militarized version of a Microsoft augmented reality headset, according to an announcement today from program executive office soldier.
The Army is making a three-dimensional scan of every part within a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter as a test run for the digital modeling that it plans to implement with the Future Vertical Lift programs, the leader of Army Aviation and Missile Command said this week.
The Army is "leaning towards" having companies host the authoritative source of truth for the digital design of the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, the Bradley fighting vehicle replacement, James Schirmer, the deputy program executive officer for ground combat systems, said Oct. 13 at the Association of the United States Army conference in Washington.
The Army might consider relaxing some of its tactical vehicle requirements, including the use of diesel fuel, to maintain commonality between commercial systems and the upcoming Common Tactical Truck, service officials told Inside Defense in an Oct. 6 interview.
The Army intends to award other transaction agreements for the prototyping of a next-generation 155 mm truck-mounted mobile howitzer that fills the role of the M777 towed howitzer, according to a pair of Oct. 7 notices from the Army’s program office for towed artillery systems.
GM Defense will display two potential variants of its Infantry Squad Vehicle at its booth at the Association of the United States Army conference in Washington, which begins today: a heavy machine gun carrier and a fully electric model.
The Army has awarded Lockheed Martin an accelerated contract to produce five additional Sentinel A4 radars by the end of fiscal year 2022, which soldiers will use to test the upgrades in the A4 variant, the company announced Oct. 11.