The INSIDER daily digest -- Nov. 22, 2021

By John Liang / November 22, 2021 at 2:21 PM

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has coverage of a new Missile Defense Agency contract to design an interceptor against hypersonic missiles, plus the Navy's Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle program and more.

The Missile Defense Agency has awarded contracts to Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman to complete accelerated concept designs for a new Glide Phase Interceptor:

MDA taps Lockheed, Raytheon, Northrop to design new hypersonic-busting missile

The Missile Defense Agency has tapped three companies to advance their respective concept designs for a Glide Phase Interceptor, setting up a three-way contest between Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman for a new Aegis guided missile optimized to defeat a new class of ultra-fast maneuvering weapons and give the Navy a second layer of defense against hypersonic threats.

More missile defense news:

MDA official: New Guam defense system must include SM-6, implying major role for Aegis Ashore

The Standard Missile-6 must be a non-negotiable component of whatever new air and missile defense system is designed for Guam because it is the only fielded counter-hypersonic capability, said a senior Missile Defense Agency official -- an assertion that implies the Navy’s Aegis Ashore should be a central component of any system acquired for the Western Pacific U.S. territory.

Some Navy unmanned systems news:

Navy's XLUUV will fill 'specific mission' in INDOPACOM

The Navy is "committed" to getting Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicles into the submarine fleet, particularly in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command region, according to a top service submariner.

Inside Defense recently interviewed the head of General Dynamics Electric Boat:

Electric Boat working through workforce, industrial base concerns as Columbia construction progresses

General Dynamics Electric Boat is taking steps to address vendor base and workforce concerns as the company works to keep the Columbia-class submarine, the Navy’s top acquisition priority, on track, General Dynamics Electric Boat President Kevin Graney told Inside Defense in an interview.

The Pentagon has issued formal solicitations to Google, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and Oracle to bid for spots on the Defense Department's revamped cloud effort:

DOD issues formal solicitations for JWCC cloud contract

The Defense Department has invited four major cloud service providers to submit bids for its multivendor Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability effort.

Inside Defense also recently interviewed the head of the Letterkenny Army Depot:

Letterkenny Army Depot avoids pandemic slowdowns, production changes

CHAMBERSBURG, PA -- Letterkenny Army Depot, a facility in the Army’s organic industrial base with specialties in air defense and long-range fires, has been able to stay on schedule during the past year and a half of the pandemic without any significant changes to its production process, the depot commander told Inside Defense Nov. 17.

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