Welcome to today's Defense Business Briefing, your weekly roundup of the latest defense industry news.
This week's top story
DOD launches new contractor cash flow and pricing study rooted in controversy
The Pentagon has entered arrangements with three universities to study key areas related to contract finance and pricing that could impact the way defense contractors are paid.
News & notes
Leidos to buy Gibbs & Cox
Leidos said it has agreed to pay $380 million to acquire naval engineering and design firm Gibbs & Cox.
Raytheon CEO says company will share concerns about Lockheed-Aerojet deal with government
The chief executive of Raytheon Technologies said the company is not pleased with Lockheed Martin's planned acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne and will share those worries with the Justice Department and the Pentagon.
Lockheed says FTC has made second request as part of Aerojet Rocketdyne review
Lockheed Martin said it has received a request for additional information from the Federal Trade Commission as part of the regulatory review process for the company's planned acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne.
BWX Technologies reports higher sales, profit in nuclear operations group
BWX Technologies said sales in its most recent quarter in its nuclear operations group, which includes its naval work, totaled $426 million, up 15% from the same three-month period a year earlier.
KBR says renamed readiness and sustainment business is less reliant on OCO funding
KBR executives said they have renamed the company's logistics business to readiness and sustainment to reflect its repositioning toward base budget funding.
FLIR opens new facility in Dubai
FLIR Systems said it is opening FLIR Systems Middle East, a service and support center in Dubai.
General Dynamics execs detail COVID-19 precautions taken to build light tank prototypes
A tank assembly line cannot be transitioned to work-from-home. But last year, General Dynamics Land Systems had to produce 12 prototypes of the Mobile Protected Firepower, the Army's new light tank, at the same time the pandemic closed workplaces and threw a wrench in supply chains.
Aerojet Rocketdyne reports improved sales, profit
Aerojet Rocketdyne said sales in its most recent quarter totaled $557 million, up 6% from the same three-month period a year earlier.
ManTech reports increased sales, lower profit in quarter
ManTech International said sales in its most recent quarter totaled $639 million, up 6% from the same three-month period a year earlier.
Anduril readies for growth
Defense contractor Anduril, which has about 400 employees, is expecting to nearly double by the end of the year and is preparing to move to a new headquarters.
Applied Insight acquires Bridges
Applied Insight said it has acquired Bridges, which specializes in cybersecurity, network engineering and big data analytics for intelligence agencies.
Appointments & promotions
SAIC names Bonsell top government affairs official
Science Applications International Corp. said it has named John Bonsell senior vice president of government affairs, effective immediately.
What's happening
The week ahead
Senior Pentagon officials are scheduled to speak on Capitol Hill this week, while several defense companies discuss quarterly earnings.
For Inside Defense subscribers
Tech commission recommends major funding shifts to fuel Pentagon AI advances
The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence continued deliberations about its final report, discussing new "blueprints" for government action, including shifting billions toward the Defense Department's AI and emerging technology initiatives.
DOD acquisition leaders: CMMC will be 'foundational' to other supply chain initiatives across government
The rollout of the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program is one of several lines of effort at the Defense Department's acquisition office that addresses supply chain risk management, according to Pentagon acquisition leaders who described the multifaceted approach in an exclusive interview.