The INSIDER daily digest -- Oct. 28, 2021

By John Liang / October 28, 2021 at 1:35 PM

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on China's hypersonic missile development efforts and more.

The Pentagon's No. 2 uniformed officer would really, really like to talk openly about what the Defense Department knows about China's hypersonic missile development efforts, but he can't because that information is classified:

Hyten outlines hypersonics development problems following 'very concerning' Chinese test

Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Hyten, reacting to news that China has conducted a hypersonic missile test that reportedly caught U.S. military officials off guard, said today many of the facts remain classified but are "very concerning," if for no other reason than Beijing has conducted "hundreds" of similar tests in about the past five years, while the United States has completed only nine.

The Air Force's new F-15EX fighter recently completed an operational test:

F-15EX moves through first operational test exercise

The F-15EX this week completed its first operational testing exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, NV -- six months after the service had its first two aircraft on hand.

The Army's Precision Strike Missile is getting an upgrade:

Army, Lockheed plan to start work on anti-ship variant of PrSM by December

The Army and Lockheed Martin are aiming by the end of this year to begin incorporating a multimode seeker into the Precision Strike Missile -- adding a sensor that will give the long-range weapon an option to attack ships as well as surface targets -- expanding the service's inventory of so-called multidomain weapons, a capability intended to complicate China's response in a potential conflict.

Keep an eye out for an Air Force follow-on production contract for Joint Direct Attack Munition guidance kits in FY-24:

Air Force projects new multiyear JDAM contract to be awarded in FY-24

The Air Force expects to award a follow-on production contract for Joint Direct Attack Munition guidance kits in fiscal year 2024, a service spokeswoman said this week, with the new deal "likely" going to the program's current prime contractor, Boeing.

In case you missed it, we have a deep dive into the defense industry's efforts to get its workforce vaccinated against COVID-19:

DOD under pressure as contractors prep for possible disruptions triggered by vaccine mandate

Major defense companies are bracing for workforce and supply chain disruptions related to the federal mandate requiring all government contractors be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 8.

213079