Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news from the Air Force's Life-Cycle Industry Day in Dayton, OH, plus Iran's shoot-down this week of a U.S. drone in the Persian Gulf and more.
We start off with coverage from the Air Force's Life-Cycle Industry Day in Dayton, OH, including news on unmanned systems and the Advanced Battle Management System:
Air Force looking at Valkyrie, Skyborg as first vanguard programs to accelerate development
DAYTON, OH -- The Air Force's XQ-58A Valkyrie and Skyborg unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities are among the service's first vanguard programs, a new concept introduced in the 2030 Science and Technology Strategy, according to the chief of Air Combat Command.
Holmes: Air Force to accelerate ABMS schedule to inform FY-21, FY-22 budget planning
DAYTON, OH -- The Air Force is looking to use results from the Advanced Battle Management System analysis of alternatives, expected this year, to influence the fiscal year 2021 budget cycle, according to the service's lead combat commander.
We also have a look at exactly which U.S. unmanned system was shot down in the Persian Gulf:
Iranians down legacy Global Hawk
The Navy unmanned aircraft shot down by Iran was a 2011 legacy Global Hawk transferred from the Air Force, not one of the Navy's new MQ-4C Triton aircraft derived from the Global Hawk design but optimized for maritime missions.
In its fiscal year 2020 unfunded priorities list, the Navy included a $49 million request to convert an expeditionary fast transport (EPF) into an expeditionary medical transport:
Navy's No. 2 UPL request stemmed from common small ship RET
The No. 2 item on the Navy's annual wish list came from several requirements evaluation teams that looked at how to fulfill medical requirements without the service's two hospital ships, according to a Navy official.
Here is the latest news on the Air Force's KC-46 airborne refueling tanker program:
Tanker PEO: USAF plans to put KC-46 boom fix on contract by the end of the summer
As the KC-46 continues to move through operational testing this summer, the Air Force is working closely with prime contractor Boeing to develop plans to address two key tanker deficiencies.
Capt. Scot Searles, the Navy program manager overseeing expeditionary sea bases, spoke this week at an American Society of Naval Engineers event:
Navy planning to experiment this summer with mine countermeasures on ESBs
The Navy later this summer plans to experiment with expeditionary sea bases as vessels of opportunity for the Littoral Combat Ship mine countermeasures mission package, according to a service official.
The Army wants to conduct market research that will be used to plan and implement an acquisition strategy to potentially procure a new unmanned aircraft system:
Army seeking information for long-range UAS
The Army is seeking information from industry for a new, long-range reconnaissance unmanned aircraft system.