The INSIDER daily digest -- May 15, 2019

By John Liang / May 15, 2019 at 1:53 PM

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has coverage of a House hearing where lawmakers excoriated a defense contractor for price gouging and more.

TransDigm Group didn't exactly win any friends during a Capitol Hill hearing today:

DOD taking steps to fight price gouging after contractor reaps 'excessive' profits

A senior Pentagon acquisition official told Congress today the "sickening business practices" of contractor TransDigm Group Inc. have led the Defense Department to take new steps to mitigate alleged price gouging, including creating a new watchlist of companies that refuse to provide cost data.

Dynetics has won a contract to build a high-energy laser system:

Dynetics team to build high-energy laser weapon system for Army

The Army has chosen Dynetics to build and test the 100-kilowatt High-Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator weapon system for Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, the company announced this week.

DARPA, working with the Army's utility helicopter project office, is developing the Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System, or ALIAS, to provide an autonomous "teammate" to improve manned aviation:

DARPA, Army working on AI co-piloting software

Sikorsky at its West Palm Beach, FL, test site next week will host the first flight of a Black Hawk helicopter retrofitted with a new artificial intelligence "co-piloting" software, as part of a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program.

Here's some news from AFCEA's TechNet Cyber conference in Baltimore this week:

DISA's new Emerging Technology Directorate leveraging OTAs

The Defense Information Systems Agency's newly established Emerging Technology Directorate is using other transaction agreements to pursue several programs, including a new assured identity capability for personnel using Defense Department networks.

The Air Force recently released a justification and approval document that notes that five companies submitted proposals for the "Pegasus Combat Capability" work in response to a sources-sought notice that was originally posted in August 2016:

Boeing to craft tanker capability roadmap under first post-production delivery order

The Air Force plans to use an expansive, sole-source KC-46 Pegasus post-production contract, worth up to $5.7 billion over 10 years, to craft and implement a roadmap for future tanker capabilities.

Document: Air Force J&A document for KC-46 contract

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