Saturday, September 14, 2024
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Aside from the Air Force's B-52 radar modernization program nearing a major cost growth breach, the bulk of this Friday INSIDER Daily Digest deals with the Senate Appropriations Committee's fiscal year 2025 defense spending bill.
The estimated cost for the B-52 Radar Modernization Program jumped from $2.3 billion in 2021 to about $3.3 billion in March, B-52 Deputy Senior Materiel Leader Brian Knight told reporters at the Life Cycle Industry Days conference, toeing the line of acceptable cost growth without yet requiring a notification to Congress for additional oversight:
B-52 radar modernization nears Nunn-McCurdy cost growth breach
DAYTON, OH -- The two programs designed to keep the B-52 Stratofortress bomber flying for the next few decades are facing serious headwinds, including new prices for the Radar Modernization Program nearing the Nunn-McCurdy Act cost growth thresholds, officials said this week.
The rest of our coverage looks at the Senate's FY-25 defense spending bill:
Senate appropriators would give NGAP another $280 million as Air Force calls it a priority program
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a defense spending bill that would inject the Air Force's Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion efforts with $280 million above the service's fiscal year 2025 request, according to legislative documents.
Senate appropriations bill excludes second Virginia sub but funds shipset
The Senate Appropriations Committee's draft defense spending bill would increase shipbuilding spending by $3.4 billion but fund only one Virginia-class submarine in fiscal year 2025, teeing up a showdown between appropriators and authorizers over the future of the Virginia program.
Lawmakers look to redirect RDER toward second Replicator tranche
Senate appropriators say they want to slow the growth of the Pentagon's Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve in favor of the Replicator program which aims to field thousands of attritable, autonomous drones by August 2025 to counter China.
Senate appropriators slash MQ-25 procurement, allotting funding solely for industrial base
Senate appropriators are proposing a major cut to the Navy's MQ-25 Stingray uncrewed aircraft program, slashing over $450 million from the service's fiscal year 2025 budget request.
Senate appropriators adding flexibility for counter UAS spending
The Senate Appropriations Committee, in its fiscal year 2025 defense spending bill, wants to give the Army more flexibility for funding counter unmanned aerial systems and is urging the service to eliminate bureaucratic red tape.