The INSIDER daily digest -- Sept. 15, 2022

By John Liang / September 15, 2022 at 2:11 PM

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on Australia buying Triton unmanned aerial vehicles, low-earth orbit satellite launch delays and more.

Australia's first MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicle was unveiled yesterday:

U.S., Australia considering shared maintenance for Triton, details yet to be decided

Australia's purchase of the Triton unmanned aerial vehicle has opened the door for the U.S. Navy to possibly have a maintenance repair facility in the Western Pacific.

The Space Development Agency originally planned to launch the first of its Tranche 0 low-earth orbit satellites by late September, but that date has been pushed back to December:

First SDA Tranche 0 launch pushed to December

The Space Development Agency's planned launch later this month for its first low-earth orbit satellites has been postponed to December, according to SDA Director Derek Tournear, causing a minor setback for the agency's goal to deliver a proliferated architecture of low-earth orbit satellites that will serve as the backbone of the Defense Department's Joint All-Domain Command and Control effort.

Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA), a member of the House Armed Services seapower subcommittee and a former surface warfare officer, argued this week that the Defense Department's objectives must drive requirements:

Luria: OSD's topline process is roadblock to bigger Navy fleet

Amidst unclear targets for the Navy's fleet size, a House lawmaker cites the process of distributing the Defense Department's budget among the three services as a major hindrance for the Navy if it wants to build a bigger fleet.

The Missile Defense Agency recently announced Japan's Aegis System-Equipped Vessel (ASEV) successfully demonstrated a new variant of the software tailored to Japan's version of Aegis as part of Tokyo's effort to protect the island nation from North Korean ballistic missile attack:

MDA demonstrates SPY-7 linkage with new sea-based variant of Japan's former Aegis Ashore

The United States and Japan advanced a project to field a new ballistic missile defense capability by demonstrating improved software on a special variant of the Aegis system -- one slated for land deployment but now on a ship -- that integrated for the first time the SPY-7 radar, marking completion of a "majority of the development" effort.

In case you missed it, Inside Defense this week interviewed Bob Hale, a former Defense Department comptroller who serves as chairman of the Planning, Programming, Budget and Execution Reform Commission:

After slow start, work now underway at key DOD budget reform commission

A new commission charged with reforming the Pentagon's 1960s-era budget planning and programming process got off to a slow start this summer, but the group's chairman says members have been meeting for months and have made "significant progress," though a final report will be delayed.

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