Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
The FY-18 defense policy bill, a new Navy ship self-defense weapon and a slew of Air Force news highlight this Friday INSIDER Daily Digest.
The head of the House Armed Services Committee gave a preview of next year's defense budget:
Thornberry to mark FY-18 base defense topline at $640 billion; move ERI to base budget
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) said Thursday that, barring a multiyear spending deal, he will approve legislation next Wednesday that would propose authorizing $640 billion in base defense spending and $65 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations funding.
The House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee singled out a new ship self-defense project:
House wants Navy plan to accelerate production of ALaMO ship-defense weapon
A House panel is signaling its interest in a promising new weapon system, asking the Navy to draft plans to accelerate production of a project begun as a secret research and development effort and adopted in the Navy budget as a stand-alone program in fiscal year 2017: the Advanced Low Cost Munition Ordnance (ALaMO), being developed by Plano, TX-based L3 Mustang Technology.
Air Force ICBM news:
Air Force completes Minuteman III drawdown to comply with New START
The Air Force removed the last intercontinental ballistic missile scheduled to be packed up from its launch facility June 2, finishing the 50-missile drawdown eight months ahead of the deadline required by the New START treaty, service spokesman Capt. Mark Graff confirmed June 22.
Navy mulls using Air Force MQ-1s after 2018 retirement
CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, NV. -- The Navy is considering a plan to recycle the Air Force's soon-to-be retired MQ-1 Predators for its own use, a Navy spokeswoman confirmed to Inside the Air Force this week.
House authorizers add provision for STRATCOM to certify GBSD launch control design
The House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee is stepping into the Air Force's competition to build the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent with a provision to block the engineering and manufacturing development contract award if the design includes fewer than 15 fixed launch control centers at each missile wing, unless the head of U.S. Strategic Command approves.
Formal ICBM maintenance intends to normalize sustainment for GBSD
The Air Force is about halfway through its first year of formal programmed depot maintenance on the 1960s-era intercontinental ballistic missile fleet, as the service continues its effort to replace the land-based nuclear weapons into the 2030s.
More Air Force news:
Air Force expects six-month delay to FAB-T full-rate production decision
The Air Force anticipates at least a six-month delay to next year's full-rate production decision for its Family of Advanced Beyond Line-of-Sight Terminals program, but officials say they're pleased with the progress the program is making after years of development delays.
Air Force to begin JLTV buy in FY-17 to replace humvees
The Air Force plans to start buying 226 Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicles in fiscal year 2017 to replace earlier humvees.
Missile defense news:
Authorizers want MDA to consider competition for hypersonic defense program
House authorizers want the Missile Defense Agency to consider at least two competitive designs for a system defending against hypersonic glide vehicle threats.
SM-3 Block IIA fails intercept flight test on heels of MDA production approval
The joint U.S.-Japan effort to develop a new ballistic missile interceptor suffered a setback this week when the Standard Missile-3 Block IIA failed to intercept a target during its second attempt, potentially complicating plans to transition future testing of the new weapon into the Ballistic Missile Defense System architecture.