Friday, April 19, 2024
Friday, April 19, 2024
This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program, the latest on the Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capital and more.
Textron's Bell, and Sikorsky, part of Lockheed Martin, are competing against each other for a big reconnaissance helicopter contract, and each company has said their prototypes are nearly complete, other than not having the engines:
Army 'continuing to assess' delivery dates of ITEP engines for FARA
As the defense industry continues to face supply chain challenges, Army officials say the service is "continuing to assess" the delivery date for the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) engines that will power the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft.
Aiming to scale private capital, the Pentagon stood up the Office of Strategic Capital in December to bridge the "valley of death" by connecting defense companies with private investors:
Pentagon's new private capital office will release first funds for SBIC this year
Following Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's recent establishment of the Office of Strategic Capital, the Defense Department will approve the first funds for its Small Business Investment Company initiative by the end of the summer to put money behind critical technologies.
The top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee will have his work cut out for him in balancing the need to fund the Defense Department adequately while at the same time finding places to cut spending:
Rogers looks to thread GOP needle between cutting DOD and investing in modernization
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the new chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, pledged today to cut Pentagon spending, yet stressed that the investments needed to compete with China will be expensive.
The Pentagon's Cyber Accreditation Body held a "town hall" meeting this week:
CMMC ecosystem leader sees opportunities to continue prep for certification program as rulemaking timeline shifts
Matthew Travis, CEO of the accreditation body behind the CMMC program, says he is encouraged by the Pentagon's "commitment" to move forward with establishing a cyber certification initiative for defense contractors, despite a potential shift in the rulemaking timeline.
Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman spoke to reporters during a roundtable at the Pentagon this week:
Space Force developing new OTTI infrastructure, Saltzman says
The Space Force is developing a new operational test and training infrastructure (OTTI), according to the service's top uniformed official.