Thursday, April 25, 2024
Thursday, April 25, 2024
This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Air Force aircraft divestments, updated Javelin and Stinger contracts, unmanned systems deploying to Hawaii and more.
Senators this week had questions about the Air Force's plan to divest nearly half of the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System fleet:
Lawmakers press Air Force officials on planned divestments
The Air Force's goal of divesting several platforms raised concerns among lawmakers during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services airland subcommittee today, who are wary that the divestments will leave the service with critical capability gaps that will take years to close.
Funding for the service to replace weapons sent to Ukraine was approved by Congress earlier this month:
Bush: Javelin, Stinger contracts ready by the end of this week
The Army plans to have contracts in place by the end of the week to replace the Javelins and Stingers that have been sent to Ukraine, and to accelerate production through "different targeted authorities," according to Doug Bush, the Army acquisition executive.
An order for the first eight aircraft in the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Unmanned Expeditionary program will go through in the next month or two:
GA-ASI to deliver two MQ-9As to 3rd MRL in Hawaii next summer
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems will deliver two MQ-9A unmanned aircraft to the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment next summer, a company official said.
The Missile Defense Agency is working on a project called Cruise Missile Defense of the Homeland:
MDA working on simulated domestic cruise missile defense, hopes for FY-23 plus-up
The Missile Defense Agency has launched a project that aims to set the technical groundwork for a potential live-fire demonstration of a domestic cruise missile defense architecture by working first to execute simulated events connecting Army and Navy battle management tools with the guided-missile launcher system used to defend Washington, DC, 24/7.
The Defense Innovation Unit is asking for 60% more funding in fiscal year 2023:
DIU seeks $15M in FY-23 for new battery storage effort
The Defense Innovation Unit wants $15 million in fiscal year 2023 to kick-start a new research effort centered on the prototyping and deployment of commercial battery technologies for military purposes.