Welcome to today's Defense Business Briefing, your weekly roundup of the latest defense industry news.
DOD acquisition chief heading to Japan to cement defense industrial cooperation
Pentagon acquisition chief Bill LaPlante has departed for a weeklong trip to Japan to reinforce defense industrial cooperation between Washington and Tokyo.
Joby Aviation acquires Xwing's autonomy division
Electric aviation company Joby has acquired the autonomy division of Xwing, a start-up that has worked with the Air Force Research Laboratory on several unmanned cargo missions since it was founded in 2016.
Navy seeks industry input on small, long-endurance USVs
The Navy is seeking to expand its unmanned surface vessel portfolio -- specifically small, long-endurance vessels -- according to a request for information posted Thursday.
DIU leading Navy and Army search for commercial energy resiliency solutions
The Defense Innovation Unit has posted two solicitations seeking commercial solutions to address Navy and Army energy resiliency needs.
SDA creating pool of non-traditional vendors for demonstration satellites
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 statement.
RTX secures $678 million option for seven more SPY-6 radars, bringing total contract up to 38 units
The Navy has awarded RTX a $678 million option for SPY-6 radar production, covering the procurement of seven additional AN/SPY-6(V) units and bringing the total contract value up to 38 of the radars.
GD promotes Schmid to be company's top lobbyist
General Dynamics announced that Elizabeth Schmid has been promoted to be the company's senior vice president for government relations and communications.
The week ahead
Three congressional committees will meet to consider fiscal year 2025 defense authorization and appropriations bills this week.
Senior Pentagon official calls on Congress to grant DOD more flexible funding
A senior Pentagon official is calling for more flexibility in the Defense Department's budget so threats can be tackled as they emerge, comments coming a week before the House Armed Services Committee is expected to vote on the fiscal year 2025 defense spending bill.
MDA plans 'tracking,' 'characterization' projects in initial exploration of new airborne laser
The Missile Defense Agency plans to begin work on tracking technology as a first step in a potential project that could build the case for arming uncrewed aircraft with a next-generation airborne laser powerful enough to defeat long-range ballistic missiles, according to a senior official.