Friday, April 19, 2024
Friday, April 19, 2024
This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has coverage of the Air Force's new helicopters that will patrol ICBM fields, plus missile defense and more.
The Grey Wolf helicopter program is pursuing a streamlined testing schedule featuring an integrated developmental and operational testing team as well as a mixed crew of Air Force and Boeing personnel:
Boeing to finish delivering Grey Wolf test helicopters in coming months
The Boeing-Leonardo team that's building MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters to patrol the military's intercontinental ballistic missile silos will deliver three remaining test aircraft to the Air Force in the coming months.
Air Force acquisition chief Will Roper spoke to the media this week:
Roper approves accelerated satellite contract amid space industrial base concerns
The Air Force's top acquisition official told reporters yesterday he's approved an accelerated award of a "major satellite contract" that could be announced this week -- part of a larger effort to increase companies' cash flow during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Missile Defense Agency this week published a solicitation seeking information from interested parties in being an "other transaction consortium manager," a potential precursor to establishing a dedicated track to expedite contract execution and award in an effort to speed development and fielding of missile defense capabilities:
MDA considers dedicated 'other transaction' entity for missile defense
The Missile Defense Agency is eyeing formation of a third-party entity dedicated to managing rapid prototyping of missile defense projects, following a pivot by the Army, Navy, and Air Force from traditional acquisition rules to a new pathway called "middle-tier" acquisition intended to experiment with and potentially deliver new weapons in two to five years.
Document: MDA RFI for prototype projects other transaction consortium manager
The Army has winnowed the contracting schedule for the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft to two options:
Army, industry deciding path forward on FLRAA schedule
The Army is asking industry to help it choose a contracting schedule for the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, for which the service has narrowed down to two options, and whether the Army should award a hybrid fixed-price type contract after executing the initial portion under other transaction authority.
The Defense Department inspector general's office intends to investigate several new areas including cybersecurity in DOD's newly expanded telework environment "to determine whether DOD components maintained network protections" amid the coronavirus pandemic:
DOD IG announces new COVID-19 oversight plan
The Defense Department inspector general today released new plans to audit the Pentagon's response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including oversight of $10.6 billion Congress has authorized for DOD to focus on the pandemic.
Document: DOD IG's COVID-19 oversight plan