Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon program, a recently released Defense Science Board report on commercial provision of navigation signals and more.
The Army this week revealed the existence of Task Force Strategic Integrated Kinetic Effects (STRIKE) in a public notice seeking industry interest in supporting a four-year testing campaign of the two new weapon offensive missiles systems -- including a hypersonic glide body as well as guided ballistic and cruise missiles:
Army's TF STRIKE to test LRHW and MRC's ability to dis-integrate adversary defenses
The Army is looking to begin as soon as 2026 to start coordinated testing of its newest deep strike systems to assess the ability of the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon and the Mid-Range Capability to dis-integrate complex defense systems in the opening salvos of a major fight against an adversary such as China.
The executive summary released this week of an October 2024 Defense Science Board report on "Commercial Provision of Navigation Signals for Operational Use" examines "whether commercial services could be used to fill the needs it identified, either as a short-term gap filler or a continuous complement to the Global Positioning System (GPS)":
DSB says Pentagon needs commercial PNT purchasing function
Although there are no existing commercial satellite navigation services that meet the Defense Department's position, navigation and timing needs, a Defense Science Board task force recommends in its latest report that a purchasing function be established to position DOD as an agile adopter when such solutions are available.
Document: DSB executive summary of commercial provision of navigation signals for operational use study
A new Army request for information asks vendors to describe how their solution "enables" human-machine integration -- one of the modernization priorities Gen. James Rainey, head of Army Futures Command, has championed in recent years:
Army issues RFI for IVAS Next
The Army issued a request for information today seeking industry capabilities to develop and manufacture the next planned variant of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System, known as IVAS Next.
The Air Force is continuing its effort for the Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion program, which could result in the engines for several modernization efforts including Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the Next Generation Air Dominance platform and a Next Generation Air-refueling System:
Air Force wants to 'overcome blind spots' in advanced propulsion development
The Air Force has begun questioning industry about existing and maturing advanced propulsion capabilities to support future aircraft requirements, according to two recently released requests for information.
A Government Accountability Office report released this week recommends the Defense Department "improve how it uses modular open systems approaches":
Pentagon says MOSA Implementation Guidebook 'expected to be released soon'
The Defense Department is developing a method for program offices to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the pursuit of a modular open systems approach (MOSA) on weapon systems in a wide-ranging MOSA Implementation Guidebook DOD expects to release soon.
Document: GAO report on modular open systems approaches