Shelley K. Mesch

Shelley K. Mesch joined Inside Defense as an Air Force reporter in 2022. She had previously reported on business, technology and innovation at The Salt Lake Tribune and the Wisconsin State Journal.

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Archived Articles
The Insider | July 3, 2024

The Defense Department will spend $10 billion over the next few years to modernize tactical aircraft based across Japan, DOD announced today.

The Insider | July 1, 2024

Boeing has agreed to buy Spirit AeroSystems for an all-stock transaction valued at $4.7 billion, the company announced today, which will include taking on Spirit's Defense Department-related work.

The Insider | June 27, 2024

The Space Rapid Capabilities Office awarded 20 businesses with contracts with a cap of $1 billion as part of its Rapid Resilient Command and Control effort.

The Insider | June 27, 2024

Non-traditional contractors are pushing to get a leg-up against massive primes that have dominated the defense industry for decades, and the director of the Space Development Agency says he wants to be an enthusiastic partner.

Daily News | June 26, 2024

Non-traditional contractors are pushing to get a leg-up against massive primes that have dominated the defense industry for decades, and the director of the Space Development Agency says he wants to be an enthusiastic partner.

Daily News | June 25, 2024

The Air Force fired the director of its Sentinel nuclear missile program due to a "loss of confidence," a service spokeswoman said today, as the program faces a review for critical cost breaches.

Daily News | June 24, 2024

U.S. Space Command is planning to create a test case to develop data-fusion methods to better organize and display the mass amounts of data pouring into the command, Commander Gen. Stephen Whiting disclosed today.

Daily News | June 24, 2024

Several Democrats worry the Pentagon isn't taking its review of the Sentinel nuclear missile program seriously following a critical cost breach in the program, according to a letter sent to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin today.

The Insider | June 21, 2024

The Space Development Agency is requesting proposals for infrastructure and mission integration for its Advanced Fire Control efforts, according to a solicitation posted yesterday.

Daily News | June 21, 2024

As Space Systems Command attempts to quickly field its missile warning/missile tracking satellites, it has canceled a contract with RTX for failing to meet cost and timeline schedules.

Daily News | June 20, 2024

The Biden administration is "sleepwalking" in the face of the threat of a Russian nuclear weapon placed in space, the House Intelligence Committee's top lawmaker said today while calling for more information on the capability to be released publicly.

The Insider | June 18, 2024

The Air Force yesterday ran a test launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile reentry vehicle, the service announced today.

Daily News | June 18, 2024

The B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program’s schedule for initial operational capability slipped by about three years into 2033, according to a Government Accountability Office report released yesterday.

The Insider | June 14, 2024

Blue Origin will join United Launch Alliance and SpaceX in competing for National Security Space Launch contracts, which will total up to $5.6 billion over the next five years.

Daily News | June 14, 2024

Senate authorizers voted yesterday to allow the Space Force to absorb certain Air National Guard units without authority from governors of the states overseeing those units.

Daily News | June 12, 2024

The House Appropriations defense subcommittee is skeptical of the Space Force's decision to pursue a constellation of GPS satellites as a means for maintaining positioning, navigation and timing, according to a draft report accompanying the fiscal year 2025 defense spending bill.

Daily News | June 12, 2024

The Air Force may be allowed to pursue planned divestments of legacy aircraft to boost funds for innovation, but the service should "better balance near-term readiness with modernization for the future" in upcoming budget requests through at least 2028, according to a draft version of the fiscal year 2025 defense spending bill from the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.

Daily News | June 6, 2024

The Air Force Research Laboratory is running experiments to bring artificial intelligence into the field and bring data to the warfighter, but first it’s using AI to clean up the existing mounds of data.

Daily News | June 5, 2024

More than a year after an alleged Chinese spy balloon broke into U.S. airspace simply by floating slowly at a high altitude, the Air Force is seeking ways to "mitigate, neutralize or eliminate" similar adversarial balloons, according to a recent request for information.

Daily News | June 4, 2024

The Space Development Agency released a solicitation to build a pool of non-traditional vendors to compete for its Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated Low-Earth Orbit effort, dubbed HALO, according to an agency release issued last week.

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