Friday, April 26, 2024
Friday, April 26, 2024
Key Issues Optical clocks Prototype funding SPAFORGEN
This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on cruise missile defense, the Joint Strike Fighter's engine and more.
The Senate Armed Services Committee, in its mark of the FY-23 defense policy bill, added $50.8 million for a Cruise Missile Defense-Homeland Kill Chain Demonstration:
NORAD bid for FY-23 cruise missile defense demo finds support in Senate
A Senate panel has endorsed a proposed live-fire demonstration to explore a cruise missile defense architecture to protect high-priority domestic assets, authorizing $50 million in the Missile Defense Agency's fiscal year 2023 budget in support of North American Aerospace and Defense Command.
The committee also recommends a provision that could inform deliberations about whether to triple the size of the Next Generation Interceptor acquisition:
Draft legislation would require funding plan for 64 Next Generation Interceptor fleet
The Pentagon would be required to draft a plan to pay for a fleet-wide replacement of the homeland defense ballistic missile inventory, according to legislation proposed by a Senate panel that would identify the price tag associated with expanding the program of record for the Next Generation Interceptor beyond 20 guided missiles to a total of 64.
The Air Force's top civilian spoke this week about the engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter:
Kendall: Air Force F-35 engine modernization decision planned for FY-24 budget
The Air Force plans to decide whether to field a new engine for the service's F-35 fleet or upgrade the aircraft's existing propulsion system by the time it files its fiscal year 2024 budget request, according to service Secretary Frank Kendall.
On-orbit servicing of the Global Positioning System has begun:
Lockheed Martin begins GPS on-orbit servicing
After winning a 10-year, $581.6 million Global Positioning System on-orbit servicing contract in June, Lockheed Martin was recently awarded $147.7 million by Space Systems Command for the first five-year period of performance, according to an SSC press release.
Lt. Gen. Kevin Kennedy, the new head of the 16th Air Force, spoke to the media recently:
New 16th Air Force commander sees collaboration as key in fight against cyberattacks
The new commander of the 16th Air Force, Lt. Gen. Kevin Kennedy, said collaboration and partnerships across the service, joint forces and with industry will be key focuses of his tenure.