Welcome to today's Defense Business Briefing, your weekly roundup of the latest defense industry news.
GAO: Army found engineering design and development of Sikorsky FLRAA bid 'unacceptable'
A newly released Government Accountability Office ruling denying a bid protest by Sikorsky of the Army's Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft states the government found the engineering design and development "unacceptable," due to a lack of detail in the proposal.
Army lifts stop-work order on FLRAA following GAO ruling
The Army has lifted a stop-work order on the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft, the eventual replacement for the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, following the Government Accountability Office's ruling last week denying a bid protest that temporarily halted the program's progress.
DOD seeks authority to recoup more commercial space launch costs
The Defense Department is seeking congressional authority to recover additional costs from commercial space launches at DOD facilities, according to a new legislative proposal.
Aerojet Rocketdyne nabs $216M solid-rocket motor facility upgrade contract
The Defense Department has entered into a $215.6 million agreement with Aerojet Rocketdyne to expand and modernize facilities in three states where the company builds rocket propulsion systems.
Ball Aerospace, Microsoft and Loft Federal team up for SDA's NExT program
Ball Aerospace announced a collaboration with Loft Federal and Microsoft to work on the Space Development Agency's experimental testbed program, called NExT, that will carry 10 satellites with experimental payloads into orbit.
AIA urges companies to stick to current DOD cyber standard as work on CMMC rule continues
The Aerospace Industries Association is urging its members to achieve the current cyber requirements in defense contracts regarding National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-171 and accompanying documentation as uncertainty continues over when the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program will launch.
Saab hires Brasseur as VP, chief strategy officer
Saab announced it has hired retired Navy Capt. Michael Brasseur as the company's new vice president and chief strategy officer.
The week ahead
The National Space Symposium takes place this week and senior uniformed and civilian Defense Department officials will be on Capitol Hill as various House and Senate committees receive testimony on the fiscal year 2024 budget request.
DOD seeks greater rapid prototyping authority from Congress
The Pentagon, citing the need to maintain technology overmatch with China, wants to empower military service secretaries to initiate their own weapons development programs without wading through the traditional budget and acquisition oversight process, according to a new legislative proposal sent to Congress.
MDA preparing 10-year upgrade program for SM-3 fleet; three different capability areas
The Missile Defense Agency is laying the foundation for a 10-year program to upgrade the Standard Missile-3 family of guided missile interceptors -- seeking feedback from industry on a range of notional improvement to the Block IB and Block IIA variants -- in a project that aims to begin as soon as fiscal year 2024.