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

BAE to buy Ball Aerospace for $5.55 billion

BAE Systems has agreed to acquire the Ball Aerospace business from Ball Corp. for $5.55 billion.

Air Force awards $235M to JetZero to build blended-wing body prototype

The Air Force has awarded a $235 million contract to JetZero to build the next phase of a blended-wing body prototype aircraft by 2027, according to an announcement.

Marine Corps eyes lightweight organic precision fires technology

The Marine Corps is preparing to solicit industry for a commercially available, lightweight, organic precision-fires system, according to a recent presolicitation notice, marking the latest step in the service's effort to accelerate the development and fielding of OPF capabilities.

The week ahead

Defense officials are slated to speak at conferences around the country this week.

Budget reform commission chiefs say Congress needs more timely info from DOD

Senior leaders on the independent congressional commission aiming to reform the Defense Department's budget and planning system say Pentagon officials need more flexibility from lawmakers if the notoriously slow process is to become agile enough to capture technological innovation needed to compete with China, but they stress DOD must do more to build trust with Capitol Hill.

Newest version of IVAS will undergo user assessment this month

The latest variant of the Army's Integrated Visual Augmentation System is set to undergo a user assessment this month, which is the beginning of a series of assessments for the night vision system.