Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on operational fires, predictive maintenance, weapon system reliability and more.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency recently awarded Lockheed Martin's Missiles and Fire Control business in Grand Prairie, TX, a $31.9 million contract for the OpFires Integrated Weapon System Phase 3 program:
Lockheed wins sole contract to design, package, demonstrate tactical hypersonic weapon for Army
Lockheed Martin has nabbed a lead role in another hypersonic weapons program, winning the sole contract for the third phase of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Operational Fires program -- a project launched in 2018 to develop and demonstrate a new surface-to-surface precision fires weapon that ground forces can use to penetrate sophisticated enemy air defenses.
C3.ai said this week it has agreed to a production other transaction agreement with the Defense Innovation Unit to use the company's "C3 Readiness for Aircraft" platform:
C3.ai touts five-year, $95M deal with Pentagon for predictive maintenance
Silicon Valley firm C3.ai said a recent $95 million deal with the Defense Department to use its "predictive maintenance" software could be widely applied across DOD's aircraft fleets.
The Government Accountability Office has a new report out on weapon system reliability:
GAO warns Pentagon against prizing acquisition speed over reliability
The Government Accountability Office has noticed the Defense Department's increased emphasis on accelerating its notoriously slow acquisition system, but the watchdog agency is concerned weapon system reliability might be sacrificed at the expense of speed.
Document: GAO report on weapon system reliability
A new cybersecurity report is awaiting the signatures of agency heads at the Defense, Homeland Security, Transportation and Energy departments:
Upcoming report will highlight shortfalls in cybersecurity
An interagency group has finished a report on the skills both federal and non-federal cybersecurity personnel need to address cyber vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure and defense systems, according to officials speaking at a MITRE meeting on supply chain security.
Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday spoke this week at the Surface Navy Association's annual symposium:
CNO: New integrated FSA will not include unmanned vessels in ship count
The Navy's forthcoming integrated force structure assessment will not include unmanned vessels in the battleforce ship count.
(Follow our coverage of SNA 2020 here.)
Some Joint Strike Fighter news:
JPO updates F-35 acquisition baseline, awaits OSD approval
F-35 Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Eric Fick has recommended a new acquisition program baseline for the Joint Strike Fighter following a testing delay that will push a full-rate production decision to late 2020.
Hypersonic defense is getting more money:
Appropriators more than double funding for hypersonic defense, furnishing MDA nearly $400 million
The Missile Defense Agency is armed with nearly $400 million in fiscal year 2020 for its fledgling counter hypersonics program, including $25 million to support the immediate launch of a new weapon system project to defeat hypersonic glide vehicles.