The INSIDER daily digest -- April 6, 2018

Army Futures Command, cost overruns for the Navy's Advanced Arresting Gear program, a slew of Air Force news and more highlight this Friday INSIDER Daily Digest.

Continued coverage of the recent AUSA Global Force Symposium:

Perna: Army Futures Command the right home for RDECOM

HUNTSVILLE, AL -- The formation of Army Futures Command will enable the three existing major commands to focus on their core missions, according to the head of Army Materiel Command.

The Navy's Advanced Arresting Gear program will cost more:

Navy reports cost growth in AAG program, new $2.2B target reflects CAPE estimate

The Advanced Arresting Gear program -- a new technology critical to the Navy's next-generation aircraft carrier -- will cost 10 percent more than expected to develop and deliver to the fleet.

The Marine Corps wants new parachute systems:

Marine Corps insists new parachute is needed, rejects legacy and Army systems

In a new report to Congress, the Navy Secretary rejected the notion that legacy Marine Corps and Army parachute systems will satisfy the service's requirements, and defended the Navy's testing strategy of its new system, according to documents viewed by Inside the Navy.

Boeing this week hosted reporters at its St. Louis facility:

Boeing submits Block III Super Hornet for Indian navy fighter competition

ST. LOUIS -- Boeing has pitched its Block III F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to the Indian navy and is prepared to build a facility in the country to comply with the prime minister's "Make In India" initiative, according to a company executive.

Boeing unveils MQ-25 prototype, teams with Rolls Royce for engine

ST. LOUIS -- After years of development, Boeing unveiled its prototype for the Navy's MQ-25 Stingray unmanned tanker competition and revealed the air vehicle uses the same engine as the RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-4C Triton.

More unmanned systems news:

Air Force to increasingly rely on MQ-9, speed upgrades amid mixed test findings

The Air Force is defending the performance of its MQ-9 Reaper following a fiscal year 2017 report by the director of operational test and evaluation that showed the remotely piloted aircraft still faces radar system deficiencies.

More news from this week's issue of Inside the Air Force:

Six prototype programs to advance aircraft, EW pod, GBSD technologies

The Air Force's acquisition chief recently notified lawmakers of progress made on six prototyping programs during the second half of 2017, according to a March 24 letter Inside the Air Force reviewed this week.

Air Force laying groundwork for E-4B recapitalization AOA later this year

As the Air Force overhauls its nuclear command, control and communications enterprise, an analysis of alternatives starting later this year will explore how to jointly replace the E-4B National Airborne Operations Center and the Navy's smaller E-6B.

Air Force awards new JDAM contract as program spending soars

The Air Force increased Boeing's contract for the Joint Direct Attack Munition program by $311.8 million, the Defense Department said April 2.

Gorgon Stare to receive BLOS upgrades while Air Force explores replacement

Gorgon Stare, the Air Force's sensor program of record for wide-area motion imagery mounted on MQ-9 remotely piloted aircraft, will receive a limited slate of upgrades in the near future but isn't currently expected to grow across the Reaper fleet, the service recently reported to Congress.

The Army's Joint Light Tactical Vehicle procurement schedule will conclude a year later than planned:

JLTV procurement stretched by one year

The Army's Joint Light Tactical Vehicle procurement schedule has been extended by one year and is now slated to close in fiscal year 2036, as cited in a summary of the Defense Department's December 2017 Selected Acquisition Reports released April 3.

The Defense Department is still figuring out how to implement the president's order to deploy National Guard troops to the southern border:

Pentagon scrambles to stand up new border security cell to support Trump's strategy

The Pentagon has established a new team to determine how it can support President Trump's order to send National Guard troops to the southern border and expand military assistance to the Department of Homeland Security.