Welcome to today's Defense Business Briefing, your weekly roundup of the latest defense industry news.

Startups Kymeta, iRocket team for low-cost guided interceptors for Golden Dome

Two emerging defense firms are positioning themselves to challenge the missile-interceptor dominance of RTX and Lockheed Martin, arguing that commercial manufacturing methods and rapid development cycles can produce a new class of smart, inexpensive weapons tailored for the Pentagon's Golden Dome initiative.

DOD releases FY-26 Microelectronics Commons call for projects

The Defense Department released the Microelectronics Commons call for projects (CFP) today for fiscal year 2026, allowing interested companies and organizations to submit proposals for review by the program's regional innovation hubs.

Army launches new rapid-buy pipeline, Fortem first vendor cleared for fast procurement

The Army has activated a new fast-track procurement channel designed to push proven technology to the field in weeks rather than years, and the first company through the system is Utah-based Fortem Technologies, whose counter-drone systems have been used in combat in Ukraine and have drawn investment from major U.S. defense primes.

Navy faces hard road to reform shipbuilding acquisition system

The Defense Department's acquisition overhaul is unlikely to impact legacy shipbuilding programs, according to experts, who say the Navy faces an uphill battle to reform a deeply entrenched shipbuilding system that has contributed to poor performance across the portfolio.

Congress seeking compromise on defense bill's intellectual property provisions

House and Senate lawmakers are still hashing out "right to repair" language amid industry backlash as they prepare to potentially bring the fiscal year 2026 defense authorization bill to the floor in the coming weeks, with various strategies being considered.

U.S.-China commission calls for new export control entity

Congress should merge several export control and sanctions-related agencies to create a "new unified economic statecraft entity," the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission contends in its latest report to Congress, a move it says would reduce interagency in-fighting and prioritize national security-based restrictions over other business considerations.

Ex-DOGE employee promises new Navy initiatives to attract private capital and address underperformance

Historically, the Navy has not been a good partner to venture capital and private equity, a Navy official said last week. This could soon change, with the rollout of new initiatives that coincide with the Pentagon's wide-ranging overhaul of its defense acquisition system.

Anduril's partnership with South Korean shipbuilder part of pattern for company, executive says

Anduril Industries' recently announced partnership with South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is part of a pattern for the defense startup, according to a company executive.

SAIC and HavocAI announce partnership to link autonomous fleets with command-and-control infrastructure

SAIC and HavocAI will partner to integrate multidomain communication and the ability to deploy and manage autonomous systems, the companies announced last week.

Pentagon awarding ElementUSA nearly $30M for domestic gallium, scandium supply

The Defense Department announced last week it is awarding a Texas-based company $29.9 million in Defense Production Act funds for the development of a Louisiana facility to recover gallium and scandium from industrial waste.

Paquete appointed CFO of Terran Orbital

Lockheed Martin subsidiary Terran Orbital has appointed Cheryl Paquete to be the company's chief financial officer.

Saltzman lays out acquisition modernization focus

To improve its acquisition process and speed capability fielding, the Space Force needs to look at reshaping the "full lifecycle" of programs, from requirements to delivery to sustainment, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said.

Boeing seeks to pivot Apache operation as Army modernizes

MESA, AZ -- At Boeing's production center for attack helicopters here on the outskirts of Phoenix, company executives are strategizing how they will adapt the Apache helicopter for the Army's future modernization needs, 50 years after the helicopter flew for the first time.