The INSIDER daily digest -- July 12, 2022

By John Liang / July 12, 2022 at 2:05 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Lockheed Martin Skunk Works' latest efforts, the Pentagon's Joint All-Domain Command and Control program and more.

John Clark, who became Lockheed Martin Skunk Works chief in March after logging more than two decades at the company, spoke to the media this week:

Lockheed 'Skunk Works' chief outlines vision for manned-unmanned teaming with 'expendable' systems

The new head of Lockheed Martin's "Skunk Works" team says the company has begun fleshing out its approach to the future of aerial warfare -- manned-unmanned teaming, with plans for a "distributed concept" that would join a variety of aircraft in the skies enabled by artificial intelligence and machine autonomy, especially lower-end, more "expendable" assets.

Leaders from MITRE, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and L3Harris Technologies spoke this week at a National Defense Industrial Association symposium in McLean, VA:

Industry wants more direction from DOD on JADC2

Defense industry executives say they want to get more direction from the Pentagon on how to approach the military-wide Joint All-Domain Command and Control effort, citing a lack of mission threads that have led companies to attempt to independently assess what's needed.

'A living document': Classified JADC2 implementation plan to see updates going forward

The Pentagon's recently completed, classified plan for implementing a military-wide internet of things through Joint All-Domain Command and Control will see continued updates as officials work to incorporate real-time changes stemming in part from an evolving threat landscape.

Lindsay Millard, principal director for space in the office of the under secretary of defense for research and engineering, spoke this week at a panel hosted by the America's Future Series Space Innovation Summit:

DOD space official wants more work for non-traditional vendors

While work is ongoing to lower barriers, Defense Department officials "need to do better" to help non-traditional vendors overcome obstacles like overclassification and the "Valley of Death,” especially when it comes to space acquisitions, according to a top Pentagon official.

In a July 8 request for information, the Air Force Research Laboratory seeks "to gather information on the domestic production capability and capacity of the supplier-base for air-breathing engines for hypersonic weapon systems":

Air Force seeks industry information for hypersonic engine production, supply chains

The Air Force is seeking information on how capable industry would be in manufacturing air-breathing engines for hypersonic weapons, according to online documents.

Document: Air Force RFI on air-breathing engines for hypersonic systems

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