The INSIDER daily digest -- May 25, 2023

By John Liang / May 25, 2023 at 2:38 PM

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Navy and Army unmanned systems, weapons for Taiwan, a delay to the Space Force Range Contract final request for proposals and more.

The Navy's Triton unmanned aerial system's first deployment is expected to take place this summer:

Triton UAV set for summer deployment

The MQ-4C Triton uncrewed surveillance aircraft is on a flight path to meet initial operating capability requirements by Sept. 30, a Navy spokesman told Inside Defense.

A bunch of U.S. weapon systems bought and paid for by Taiwan won't reach the island nation until 2025:

McCaul: Weapons marked for Taiwan will not be delivered until 2025

A list of 22 weapon systems marked for transfer to Taiwan -- including several missile systems and F-16 and MQ-9B aircraft -- will not be delivered until 2025 at the earliest, according to the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

AeroVironment is the only contractor who didn't get an other transaction authority to work on the Army's Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft Systems:

Army awards first option for FTUAS award to four companies

The Army has awarded the first option for its Future Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft Systems to four companies, the service has announced, narrowing the field from five companies during the base period.

The Air Force has pushed back the release of the Space Force Range Contract final request for proposals:

SFRC final RFP initial release date delayed to June

The Space Force Range Contract final request for proposals release date scheduled for May 24 has been delayed to on or around June 5, the Air Force announced this week.

The Army this week held its Technical Exchange Meeting (TEM X) in Philadelphia:

Army will realign PEOs within acquisition office by October to support unified network plan

To move forward with its unified network strategy, the Army plans to realign multiple program executive offices within the service's acquisition office by October.

Document: Army's TEM-X meeting agenda, briefing slides

The Navy's long-term plan is to build up to 20 John Lewis-class oil tankers:

Contract awarded for next John Lewis-class tanker

Construction of the T-AO 213 -- the ninth ship in the Navy's John Lewis-class tanker program -- is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2025, under a $736 million modified contract awarded to General Dynamics NASSCO.

The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party has released a report on Taiwan:

House select committee on China urges stockpiling of U.S. weapons to back Taiwan

The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party released a bipartisan blueprint calling for, among other things, increased production of long-range missiles and unmanned systems to support the strategy lawmakers say is necessary to deter an invasion or blockade of Taiwan by China.

Document: House select committee on China's report on Taiwan

Northrop Grumman this week announced its Eagle-3 spacecraft -- the company's solution for the U.S. military's Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Space, Block 0 Polar (NGP) requirement -- had completed preliminary design review:

Northrop's Next-Gen OPIR Polar design clears important review; onward toward CDR

Northrop Grumman's proposed blueprint for a pair of polar-orbiting satellites intended to provide next-generation ballistic and maneuvering hypersonic missile detection over Arctic regions passed muster with U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command, clearing the project to proceed toward the next planned milestone: critical design review.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger spoke this week at a Brookings Institution forum:

Berger: LSM fielding bogged down by Pentagon acquisition process

The Marine Corps' highest-ranking officer is calling on lawmakers to streamline the Pentagon's acquisition process, which he says is slowing down the development and fielding of critical capabilities like the Landing Ship Medium.

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