The INSIDER daily digest -- May 4, 2020

The Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on a new DOD memo addressing the coronavirus crisis, a new team pursuing the next missile defense program, Navy research and development and an experimental Air Force program.

A new Pentagon memo says the department is working fast to come up with guidance for reimbursing contractors during the coronavirus pandemic:

DOD readying guidance on how to reimburse contractors feeling COVID-19 money crunch

The Pentagon intends to roll out this month detailed guidance for reimbursing defense contractors whose employees can’t work because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new memo. 207432

There’s a new team bidding for a key Missile Defense Agency program:

Raytheon, Northrop team for NGI, narrowing potential competitive field

Raytheon Technologies and Northrop Grumman are teaming up to pursue the Next Generation Interceptor, narrowing the expected competitive field of potential prime contractors from four to three and pairing two companies that are effectively incumbents.

The Navy is preparing to award new research and development contracts later this year:

Navy kicks off three-year sub R&D solicitation; contracts could follow later this year

The Navy last week began a three-year effort to solicit ideas from industry to improve its future submarines and unmanned undersea vehicles.

The Air Force plans to spend $25 million this year on a program focused on electric VTOL research:

Agility Prime to receive funding in FY-22 budget, on path to 30-vehicle fleet by 2030

The Air Force's fiscal year 2022 budget proposal will commit funding to Agility Prime -- a new effort to accelerate and adopt technology in the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) industry, according to service acquisition executive Will Roper.

And the Air Force has issued a hefty engine contract:

USAF awards $707M GE F110 engine UCAs to boost propulsion sector hit hard by COVID-19

The Air Force this week awarded General Electric four undefinitized contract actions worth $707 million to produce F110 engines for foreign military sales customers -- a move the service's acquisition executive said was made, in part, to support the propulsion industrial base as it faces severe impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.