Saturday, April 20, 2024
Saturday, April 20, 2024
This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Inside Defense obtaining the Navy's long-term maintenance plan along with coverage of a Navy infrared tracking system, Space Development Agency satellites and more.
Inside Defense obtained a copy of the Navy's long-term maintenance plan:
Navy's long-term maintenance plan highlights continued misalignment with capacity, requirements
The Navy delivered its initial, long-range ship maintenance plan to Congress this summer, detailing continued misalignment between shipyard capacity and maintenance requirements and steps the service is taking to mitigate delays.
Document: Navy's long-range ship maintenance plan
The Infrared Search and Track (IRST) is a sensor component of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet that allows the aircraft to detect and track targets in high electronic attack and radar-denied environments:
IRST production readiness and cybersecurity assessments expected this year
The Navy expects to complete a production readiness review and manufacturing readiness assessment for a new infrared tracking system in the second quarter of fiscal year 2023, with cybersecurity testing coming later in the year.
The Tranche 0 satellites are split between two launches, with the first scheduled for December after being pushed back in August. The second launch, set for March, may also be delayed due to supply chain difficulties impacting deliveries:
SDA monitors risk of schedule slip for Tranche 0 launch
Supply chain snarls hampering the space industry risk delaying completion of the SDA Tranche 0 Tracking Layer that will demonstrate initial warfighting capability for the Defense Department’s new space architecture, according to SDA Director Derek Tournear.
The Army's top civilian official spoke to the media this week at Ft. Irwin, CA:
Project Convergence, Ukraine war underscore importance of unmanned systems, Army says
Army leaders did not have time to reshape Project Convergence 22 around lessons learned from the ground war in Ukraine, they told reporters Wednesday, although the war has validated lessons the service has gleaned from ongoing experimentation, like the integral role unmanned systems would play in multidomain operations.
The Air Force's Skyborg unmanned aerial system has demonstrated the ability to bring autonomy to crewed and uncrewed aircraft for missions including sensing, weapons, electronic attack and training:
Air Force's Skyborg Vanguard to transition to Collaborative Combat Aircraft PEO
The Air Force's Vanguard program for developing autonomous aircraft capabilities is transitioning to the service's future Program Executive Office for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, according to Kristen Baldwin, deputy assistant secretary for science, technology and engineering.