Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Air Force's airborne refueling tanker fleet, the Pentagon's Joint All-Domain Command and Control effort, the Navy's latest 30-year shipbuilding plan and more.
House and Senate lawmakers have differing ideas of how to go about replacing the KC-46 airborne refueling tanker:
Lawmakers push for competition for KC-Y contract
As the Air Force formalizes plans for the KC-Y program that will field a bridge tanker to continue recapitalization of the air refueling fleet, lawmakers in interviews with Inside Defense are calling for the service to release more information about the program's plans, with some calling for a competition for the aircraft's contract.
News on the Pentagon's Joint All-Domain Command and Control effort:
DOD leaders lay groundwork for investing in JADC2 implementation plan
Top Pentagon officials are working to overlay their recently completed Joint All-Domain Command and Control implementation plan with their fiscal year 2023 budget request as they prepare to make investments heading into the next funding cycle.
Inside Defense this week got an early look at the Navy's congressionally required, 30-year shipbuilding plan:
Navy's 30-year shipbuilding plan calls for 51 battleforce ships over FYDP
The Navy plans to build 51 manned battleforce ships over the next five years, according to the Biden administration's latest 30-year shipbuilding plan, a copy of which was obtained by Inside Defense.
Document: Navy's 30-year shipbuilding plan
The Army's newest rifle contractor was unveiled this week:
Sig Sauer wins Next Generation Squad Weapon contract
Sig Sauer will provide thousands of new rifles to the Army over the coming years after it won a Next Generation Squad Weapon contract, the service announced Tuesday.
The Army this week revealed its spending plans for the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle:
Future AMPV procurement would slow under Army's FY-23 request
The Army would end a two-year break on buying its new armored personnel carrier under the fiscal year 2023 budget request, but its future spending plans for the system now include fewer annual purchases than before.
Document: Army's FY-23 procurement budget justification books
One of the Navy's biggest challenges is "time to market" for its 5G-enabled, "smart" warehouse project:
Navy's 'smart' warehouse pilot to start production in two years
The Navy's "smart" warehouses are on track for transitioning to production in two years, but the service is still moving at a much slower pace than industry, according to a service official.
Performance on Technology Refresh 3, an F-35 hardware upgrade needed to pave the way for Block 4's full combat capability and weapons suite, "has not been what we wanted," according to an Air Force official:
Air Force sees need for extra F-35s if TR-3 included
Though the Air Force's unfunded priorities list cites a need for seven additional F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, a service spokeswoman noted officials' interest in extra procurement hinges on whether a critical enabler of the program's advanced Block 4 capabilities is included in those jets.