Friday, April 19, 2024
Friday, April 19, 2024
This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the possible deployment of more Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense destroyers to Spain, the resumption of Small Diameter Bomb II production and more.
The Senate Armed Services Committee in its mark of the fiscal year 2020 defense policy bill is recommending a provision requiring the chief of naval operations and the head of U.S. European Command to "submit a detailed plan . . . as soon as practicable" to add two additional Ballistic Missile Defense-capable destroyers to the four currently homeported in Rota, Spain:
Senate panel open to adding BMD ships to Mediterranean fleet
A key Senate panel wants more information from the Navy and U.S. European Command on a gambit to significantly increase the size of the sea-based, ballistic missile defense fleet in the Mediterranean in order to improve command and control and better defend all of Europe from potential Iranian ballistic missile threats.
An Air Force spokeswoman confirmed to Inside Defense that Raytheon paused Small Diameter Bomb II production in July 2019 and is scheduled to resume next month:
Small Diameter Bomb II production to resume in July after yearlong delay
The Air Force expects to restart Small Diameter Bomb production next month after previously undisclosed safety deficiencies with the Small Diameter Bomb II led prime contractor Raytheon to halt production last July.
Flight testing of Boeing-Leonardo's Grey Wolf helicopter will be pushed back:
USAF flight testing of MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters delayed one year to November 2020
Boeing-Leonardo's MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopter still has not obtained a Federal Aviation Administration certification to fly -- pushing back the start of Air Force flight testing by one year.
The Army has encountered problems with integrating the Initial Maneuver-Short-Range Air Defense system with current weapon systems:
IM-SHORAD hits snag during testing, but still on track for FUE
The Army has run into some integration issues while testing the prototype for the Initial Maneuver-Short-Range Air Defense system, on top of a delay associated with the COVID-19 outbreak, but the service is still planning to make an initial production decision by the end of this fiscal year, according to the program office.
The Senate Armed Services Committee last week voted to adopt its mark of the fiscal year 2021 defense policy bill that includes a provision on the Israeli-developed Iron Dome system:
Senate bill would mandate Army plan for Iron Dome deployment
A key Senate panel is proposing legislation requiring the Army to outline a plan for deploying the Israeli-made Iron Dome air defense system, potentially enshrining in law what House and Senate lawmakers have requested of Pentagon leaders in written correspondence.