Thursday, April 25, 2024
Key Issues Optical clocks Prototype funding SPAFORGEN
The Army's use of an alternate acquisition pathway to develop its new light tank required General Dynamics Land Systems to invest in materiel ahead of time and harness insights from soldier testing to win a production contract, company officials said.
The five companies that participated in the concept design phase for the Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle all submitted proposals for the next phases of the competition ahead of a Nov. 1 deadline, they confirmed to Inside Defense.
Deliveries of the new engine the Army says will power its next-generation attack helicopter are delayed until the spring because of supply chain issues, the Army said Friday.
A parts shortage caused Oshkosh to close a manufacturing line for two weeks in the third quarter and contributed to lower defense revenues for the company in the quarter, executives said during an earnings call Thursday.
Defense companies seeking to modify corporate jets to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to the Army say they are confident they can make the planes survivable enough to be operationally relevant, even as the Air Force has moved away from a similar capability in recent years.
The Army will buy 28 new virtual firearm training simulators for use at posts around the country from 3D simulation company Digimation, according to an announcement released Wednesday.
General Dynamics executives on Wednesday suggested that demand increases sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have grown more concrete during the previous quarter, as eastern European countries seek to bolster inventories of ground vehicles, munitions and bridge systems.
Northrop Grumman says it is developing a software package that would help air crews on the Army's Future Vertical Lift aircraft more effectively harness the growing array of sensor data that will feed into the aircraft.
Honeywell Aerospace, the company that has made engines for the Abrams tank and Chinook helicopter for decades, is undergoing a "strategic change" to align more closely with the Army's modernization effort and changing budget priorities, according to a top executive.
The Army's 2019 Army Modernization Strategy pre-dates the supply chain snarls, COVID-19-caused factory shutdowns and computer chip shortages that have beset manufacturing facilities around the world. But those issues have brought into stark focus the importance of the back-end processes critical to maintaining readiness and delivering the Army's modernization priorities.
Major ground vehicle companies including General Dynamics Land Systems, BAE Systems, Oshkosh Defense and GM Defense are investing millions into rapidly maturing hybrid and electric technologies at a time when the Army has begun to take climate change seriously, evidenced in recent months by the release of its Climate Strategy and Climate Strategy Implementation Plan.
The new head of Army Futures Command on Tuesday defined the role of his command in the Army's modernization push as service leaders continue to place emphasis on a modernization strategy that pushes the Army beyond its current modernization programs.
The Army on Tuesday released its combat operations capstone doctrine, formally pivoting the force toward multidomain operations and preparing it for great power conflict.
The Army has support from Congress to buy 200 new armored personnel carriers in a one-for-one replacement of legacy troop carriers it sent to Ukraine, a top ground vehicle official said Tuesday.
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said Monday that a long-term continuing resolution could push back the development and procurement schedules of some of the service's modernization programs.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said new service doctrine that will inform multidomain operations will present a "fundamental change in how we look at things."
The Army in recent days awarded BAE Systems with sustainment contracts for some of the company's longtime vehicles, including the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the company announced.
The Army has selected Lockheed Martin's Sentinel A4 radar to replace legacy radars that contribute to the integrated air defense of the Washington area, the company announced.
Lockheed Martin will begin laboratory testing later this year of a new directed energy air defense system to be mounted on Strykers in anticipation of an upcoming Army competition.
Palantir will expand its work with the Army Research Laboratory to bring artificial intelligence into the hands of warfighters across the Defense Department under a new contract announced Wednesday evening.