The Insider

By Dan Schere
March 31, 2025 at 9:57 AM

GE Aerospace was awarded a subcontract to "design, develop and deliver" avionics systems for the Army's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, the company announced today.

Bell Textron won the contract for FLRAA in late 2022, and the program entered milestone B last summer.

FLRAA will eventually begin operation as the successor to the Black Hawk helicopter starting around 2030, although officials have said it will not be a one-for-one replacement and Black Hawks will continue flying until the 2070s.

GE Aerospace is involved in the development of the “digital backbone,” according to a press release from the company. This allows changes to be made to the system “without going to the systems integrator, which optimizes the cost and speed of change” by moving data quickly through the aircraft.

Tanika Watson, GE Aerospace’s general manager for future vertical lift, said in a statement Monday that the digital backbone “provides the framework to make aircraft system modifications and realize the benefits of Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) designs from the outside of Future Vertical Lift programs.”

“Entering this next phase enables us to continue advancing the digital backbone for the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift programs,” Watson said.

By Tony Bertuca
March 31, 2025 at 5:00 AM

Senior defense officials are scheduled to speak at several events this week.

Monday

The Hudson Institute hosts a discussion on autonomous military systems.

Tuesday

The House Armed Services Committee holds a hearing on national security challenges in North and South America.

The Senate Armed Services Committee holds a hearing on the nomination of retired Lt. Gen. John Caine to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Wednesday

The House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee holds a hearing on small unmanned aerial systems and counter-SUAS.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts a discussion on artificial intelligence and defense production.

Thursday

The Senate Armed Services Committee holds a hearing on U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command.

By Theresa Maher
March 28, 2025 at 11:41 AM

President Trump emphasized areas of emerging technology with increasing focus for military applications in a Wednesday letter to the administration’s leader for science and technology policy.

The letter tasks Michael Kratsios, director for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, with providing insight on three key topics of interest for the administration -- including ways in which the United States can “secure its position as the unrivaled world leader” in critical and novel areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum information science and nuclear technology.

“Rival nations are pushing hard to overtake the United States, and we must blaze a bold path to maintain our technological supremacy,” Trump writes to Kratsios.

All three topics of concern mentioned are included in a list of 14 “critical technology areas vital to maintaining the United States’ national security,” as identified by the Defense Department. In that vein, they’ve each seen increased attention, investment and adoption across the department recently.

Quantum information science

The Defense Innovation Unit announced earlier this month that it is set to field and test quantum sensing systems -- a technology falling under the quantum information science category -- for military applications as part of its Transition of Quantum Sensors project.

The announcement came nearly five months after a bipartisan Senate duo sent a letter to then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in October seeking insight into the department’s use of quantum sensing technology to maintain a strategic advantage over the nation’s adversaries.

It also came nearly seven months after a Defense Science Board study pointed to the potential application of quantum inertial sensors as GPS alternatives.

Artificial intelligence

The U.S. Army is developing a plan, in collaboration with the other services, to create an artificial intelligence-enabled fire-control network to support the “Golden Dome” executive order, a service official told Inside Defense earlier this week.

It comes after DIU awarded a prototype contract earlier this month for its Thunderforge initiative -- aimed at integrating AI into military planning and wargaming -- which it plans to initially deploy for use by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. European Command.

Nuclear Technology

The Navy awarded Lockheed Martin a contract modification valued at $383 million in late January for the next life extension of the Trident II D5 missile -- to design and develop a modernized version of the submarine-launched, nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile. It would aim to extend operational service for the sea leg of the nuclear triad through 2084.

Earlier that week, a DIU official said at the West 2025 conference that the Pentagon’s innovation arm was in the process of evaluating vendor proposals to deliver a nuclear power source for military installations.

By Thomas Duffy
March 28, 2025 at 11:23 AM

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest begins with a Pentagon review of existing advisory boards, some thoughts on keeping DOD software buys simple, the Navy testing some underwater vessels, Navy amphibious ship requirements news, ‘Signalgate’, and more.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office is looking at the number and function of Pentagon advisory boards:

Pentagon launches review of advisory boards

The Defense Department has paused the work of its advisory boards pending a 45-day review, though a committee dedicated to military diversity, equity and inclusion has already been terminated, according to a new memo from Joe Kasper, chief of staff to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Some comments from analysts on how DOD buys software programs:

Think tankers urge DOD to keep software procurement simple

A panel of think tank analysts want the Pentagon to think more simply about software acquisition, according to a report released this week.

The Navy has set up an underwater course to test out some of its unmanned systems:

Navy uses underwater course to test-run UUVs, preps for more deployments next year

As a variety of unmanned underwater vehicles are prepped for deployment in the next year, the Navy has implemented a “confidence course” to test-run UUVs -- a course that has held dozens of runs in the past year, according to an official.

A Virginia senator is looking at how ‘ready’ the Navy’s amphibious ships are:

Congress may look to tighten amphib readiness requirements in future authorization legislation

Congress may tighten amphibious warship readiness requirements in future authorization legislation to ensure vessels sidelined by extended maintenance problems are not designated “operational” by the Navy and counted toward the service’s legal requirement to maintain a minimum of 31 amphibious vessels, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said yesterday.

The Space Force has made a new rocket available for launch missions:

Space Force certified ULA’s Vulcan for NSSL

The Space Force has certified United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket for National Security Space Launch missions, the service announced today, ending the lengthy delays that had plagued the program.

DOD is looking for some ‘out of the box’ thinking for missile defense efforts:

Pentagon invites nontraditional industry players to help build next-gen missile shield

The Pentagon is opening the door to a broader swath of U.S. industry to accelerate the development of a next-generation missile defense architecture -- an initiative that could dramatically reshape the nation’s approach to countering strategic missile threats from Russia, China and other adversaries.

The Senate Armed Services Committee wants answers on ‘Signalgate’:

Senior Senators want Pentagon IG to investigate ‘Signalgate’

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI) want the Pentagon’s inspector general to conduct an expedited investigation of the Signal group text in which senior Trump administration officials inadvertently shared plans related to an airstrike against Houthi militants with a journalist.

By Thomas Duffy
March 27, 2025 at 11:42 AM

Today’s INSIDER Daily Digest starts off with the aircraft carrier industry warning of production interruptions without more funding, the Space Force is examining how it writes requirements, some cyber CMMC news, the Army has had its LTAMDS buy cut in half in 2025, and more.

The folks who build aircraft carriers say there could be productions slowdowns if the Navy doesn’t get more money:

Industry warns of ‘cold’ production lines for aircraft carriers, asks for more AP funding

Aircraft carrier industrial base members prepared today to plead their case on Capitol Hill, asking for $600 million in advanced procurement funding for the fifth Gerald R. Ford-class carrier (CVN-82) in fiscal year 2026, and for contract awards to be granted no later than FY-29.

Space Force officials are looking at how they write program requirements:

Space Force reworking requirements-writing process to harness industry innovation

The Space Force is refining its requirements-writing process to be more flexible and allow greater industry innovation while still ensuring new programs will meet mission needs, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said today.

Looks like a key date for the CMMC program may be slipping:

Timing for second CMMC rulemaking could face hurdles amid Trump directives on deregulation

The Defense Department's plan to finalize the second rulemaking for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program by mid-2025 is starting to slip as the Pentagon works to meet requirements from President Trump’s Jan. 31 executive order on deregulation.

The recently passed continuing resolution has given the Army some, but not all, of the money it needs in 2025 for the LTAMDS effort:

Army got back some LTAMDS funding in CR, but will have to wait on buying two prototypes

HUNTSVILLE, AL -- The Army’s Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor program won’t experience quite as steep a cut under the recently passed continuing resolution, compared with congressional appropriators’ original marks. But the service still won’t be able to purchase two of the four prototype radars it had planned to procure in fiscal year 2025, the program executive officer says.

An Army UAS endeavor will see significant growth through its next phase:

Army 'Transforming in Contact' initiative's next phase will include thousands of drones, counter drones

HUNTSVILLE, AL -- The Army's "Transforming in Contact" initiative, started more than a year ago, will grow significantly in its next phase to include thousands of unmanned systems, counter UAS systems and mobility platforms, a service official said today.

While layoffs are occurring across the government, the Navy’s civilian workers are mostly unaffected:

Navy's civilian workforce is largely intact amid Trump admin layoffs, service officials say

Civilian Navy personnel involved in the design, construction and maintenance of the service's fleet have largely been spared from the sweeping federal layoffs being carried out by the Trump administration, two Navy officials told lawmakers today.

By Tony Bertuca
March 27, 2025 at 10:42 AM

The Republican and Democrat leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee have sent a letter to the Defense Department inspector general asking for an investigation in the Signal group chat controversy that has ensnared senior Trump administration officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The letter, sent by Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI), asks the IG investigate the incident detailed in a March 24 story in The Atlantic, which reports that editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was inadvertently added to a group chat on Signal in which senior Trump administration officials discuss the details of an imminent U.S. airstrike on Houthi militants in Yemen.

“This chat was alleged to have included classified information pertaining to sensitive military actions in Yemen,” the letter states. “If true, this reporting raises questions as to the use of unclassified networks to discuss sensitive and classified information, as well as the sharing of such information with those who do not have proper clearance and need to know.”

Hegseth, according to the Signal text chain released by The Atlantic, introduced information into the chat that included operations details related to the U.S. attack plan, including timing, weapons and sequencing information.

Hegseth, who is traveling to Asia this week, has said the information he included in the Signal group chat was not classified. Lawmakers and former defense and intelligence officials, however, dispute that and some have called for his resignation.

Wicker and Reed are asking the IG to provide “the facts and circumstances” surrounding the Signal chat incident as well as an “assessment of DOD classification and declassification policies and processes and whether these policies and processes were adhered to.”

The IG’s investigation, according to the letter, should also include an “assessment of whether any individuals transferred classified information, including operational details, from classified systems to unclassified systems, and if so, how.”

By Dominic Minadeo
March 26, 2025 at 5:09 PM

The Army has awarded Leonardo DRS a $16.9 million contract to develop a modernized prototype of the electric weapon control system on the M109A7 Paladin, the service’s self-propelled howitzer, according to a press release the company put out today.

The direction came in the form of an other transaction agreement to prototype a next-generation version of the control system, called the Paladin Electro Servo Amplifier, which will be built with up-to-date electrical technology.

“Paladin is a mission critical combat system, and our agility and leading-edge capabilities ensure our U.S. Army partner has the necessary capabilities to support our warfighters for the long term,” Denny Crumley, senior vice president and general manager of the Leonardo DRS Land Electronics business unit, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to be providing this next generation of technology to the Army’s M109A7 Paladin combat vehicle.”

The service is hoping to solicit vendors to demonstrate their own mature -- wheeled or tracked -- 155mm self-propelled howitzer systems in a competitive evaluation at Yuma Proving Ground, AZ, next year, in the hopes of increasing the range capability compared with the M109A7, which fires up to 40km.

By Tony Bertuca
March 26, 2025 at 3:19 PM

The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on April 1 to consider the nomination of retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, whom President Trump has picked to return to service as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Caine, if confirmed, would succeed former Chairman Gen. CQ Brown, whom Trump fired last month, along with other senior military officials.

In a Feb. 21 social media post, Trump, who referred to the retired general by his military call sign "Razin," said Caine was “instrumental” in defeating ISIS in his first term, alleging that he had been passed over for promotion in the previous administration.

“Despite being highly qualified and respected to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the previous administration, General Caine was passed over for promotion by Sleepy Joe Biden,” Trump wrote. “But not anymore! Alongside Secretary Pete Hegseth, General Caine and our military will restore peace through strength, put America First, and rebuild our military.”

Caine, it has been noted by experts, does not technically meet the requirements of the job, such as being a service chief or combatant commander. However, the law allows the president to waive the requirements if he deems it necessary.

Trump, meanwhile, characterized Caine as a political supporter during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference last year, recalling a 2018 meeting with him in Iraq.

“He said, ‘I’ll kill for you sir.’ Then he puts on a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat,” Trump said.

Caine has not commented publicly on his relationship with Trump, though media reports quoting anonymous sources dispute the president’s recounting of events.

By Thomas Duffy
March 26, 2025 at 1:42 PM

We start off this midweek INSIDER Daily Digest with news about anti-drone systems for a major U.S. command, the latest national intelligence view of the world, a new hypersonic defense test, news from the Army’s Project Convergence, and more.

Money has been moved around to boost U.S. CENTCOM’s anti-drone defenses:

DOD shifts funds for anti-drone systems for CENTCOM

Congress has approved a Defense Department request to reprogram funding to purchase four anti-drone weapon systems mounted to shipping containers for U.S. Central Command.

The intelligence community has spelled out the threat from international drug cartels:

Cartels placed atop global threat list, while Trump's intel team criticized over Signal leak

An annual threat assessment from the U.S. government's top spies has identified criminal drug cartels as the Trump administration's No. 1 concern, followed by the individual and collective threats posed by China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, though a hearing meant to discuss the report today mostly spotlighted the growing controversy surrounding senior officials' mistaken sharing of secret war plans against Houthi militants in Yemen with a journalist.

A significant hypersonic threat test was recently carried out:

MDA, Navy execute key test of hypersonic defense capabilities with Aegis and new target

The U.S. military executed a dry run for a planned missile defense upgrade to protect aircraft carriers from advanced threats -- including Chinese and Russian hypersonic weapons -- in a significant first-time event combining a medium-range launch vehicle with a hypersonic re-entry vehicle, according to the government.

The Army has demonstrated a missile-launching vehicle robot:

RTX runs successful demo with unmanned launcher vehicle at Project Convergence

RTX has successfully tested a driverless, missile-launching vehicle using a new training rocket at a Project Convergence live-fire test event, according to a press release the company put out this morning.

The Army sees a real benefit in an AI fire control network:

Army charting course for AI-enabled, fire-control network to support Golden Dome mission

HUNTSVILLE, AL -- The Army is in the process of formulating a plan with the other services to create an artificial intelligence-enabled, fire-control network to support President Trump's "Golden Dome" executive order, according to a service official.

By Abby Shepherd
March 25, 2025 at 4:15 PM

The White House has tapped Navy veteran and Heritage Foundation research fellow Brett Sadler to head the Maritime Administration, according to a congressional posting Monday.

The nomination has been referred to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and it is currently unclear when Sadler’s confirmation hearing will take place.

If confirmed, Sadler would replace former MARAD Administrator Ann Phillips, who stepped down from the role in January.

Sadler’s nomination follows discussion earlier this month between officials and lawmakers on MARAD’s need for more ships. The domestic industrial base has also been under intense focus, as President Trump announced the creation of a new shipbuilding office during his joint address to Congress in March.

The limit on buying used and foreign vessels should be raised even higher, Gen. Randall Reed, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee this month. The Maritime Administration is an agency under TRANSCOM.

TRANSCOM, in tandem with MARAD, has purchased seven used vessels and expects to buy two more in fiscal year 2025, he said.

“We are grateful that Congress increased the statutory limit to 10 used ships in the FY-25 National Defense Authorization Act,” Reed’s statement to the committee read. “The Navy and MARAD are expected to reach that 10-ship limit in FY-26 yet our ability to maintain credible capacity will remain constrained because 30 ships are scheduled to retire between 2026 and 2034.”

By Abby Shepherd
March 25, 2025 at 3:35 PM

A new positioning system that allows unmanned surface vessels to operate in GPS-denied environments is now operational within the Navy -- a landmark in the service’s efforts to boost navigational capabilities in contested areas.

USV developer Saildrone developed this capability to be used in conditions like those observed by Task Force 59 -- the Navy’s unit for unmanned systems -- in the Middle East but did not develop it “exclusively” for that group’s mission, a Saildrone official told Inside Defense.

“We developed it because it delivers more capability for the customer,” said Andy Hertel, Saildrone’s senior director of Navy programs. “It will be deployed across the fleet, not in response to the environment, but so that we have it when/if we need it to be prepared before GPS denial/spoofing starts happening. It is another great example of the tight turning radius Saildrone has when compared to traditional assets.”

The positioning system uses multiple forms of localization, to ensure vehicles like the mid-sized Voyager USV can operate without relying on satellites, according to the company’s news release.

“Satellite positioning and connectivity can no longer be relied upon in potential future conflicts,” Saildrone CEO Richard Jenkins said. “It is essential that our unmanned systems can continue to operate in denied environments, and Saildrone once again leads the way with demonstrated resilience in real operational missions with U.S. Navy.”

In January, Task Group 59.1 -- which falls under Task Force 59 -- announced plans to launch a USV with GPS-denied capability. GPS disruptions in the Gulf of Aqaba have posed a challenge for the task group, Lt. Luis Echeverria shared at the Surface Navy Association’s conference in January.

“Initially we saw that as a challenge, but now we see that as a win and we capitalize on that,” Echeverria said. “We ran a series of tests with GPS-denied capability, and later on this spring we will be launching for the first time a USV with GPS-denied capability out of the Gulf of Aqaba and into the northern Red Sea.”

By John Liang
March 25, 2025 at 2:06 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on an upcoming NATO exercise, the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford's (CVN-78) training workups in advance of its next deployment and more.

The upcoming Ramstein Flag 2025 live-fly exercise will include 12 air bases across Europe and more than 90 NATO aircraft:

NATO employing lessons from Ukraine in next major air exercise

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is changing the way NATO's Allied Air Command thinks about deployment tactics, deputy commander Air Marshal Johnny Stringer said today, putting a focus on more modern concepts in place of the status quo.

Inside Defense recently spent time on an aircraft carrier:

Training exercise for CVN-78 underway ahead of next deployment

ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER GERALD R. FORD -- Off the coast of Virginia, the multiweek Composite Training Unit Exercise is underway for the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) -- a series of test events to be completed before the warship's next deployment, projected to be later this summer, according to officials.

The Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires system is reflecting "the tea leaves" of where the Army is heading:

Oshkosh showcases first ROGUE-Fires with multiple launch rocket system

Oshkosh is pitching a variant of its Marine Corps unmanned expeditionary vehicle to the Army at the service's Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, AL, fitting a multiple launch rocket system on the autonomous weapons launcher for the first time.

Science Applications International Corp. is still trying to find a contract opportunity with the Army for the company's layered counter-drone system:

SAIC pitches Army on 'interoperable' CUAS solution amid budget squeeze

Almost three years ago, the Pentagon's Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO) recommended Science Applications International Corp.'s layered counter-drone system as one of three vendor-provided solutions that the services and combatant commands looked at when considering the deployment of counter-UAS-as-a-service at an installation.

Cummings Aerospace's Hellhound S3, 3-D built and powered by a turbojet, can fly at speeds upwards of 375 miles per hour:

Cummings Aerospace envisions multiple uses for turbojet-powered loitering drone

Cummings Aerospace has been in the process of testing its Hellhound S3 loitering munition unmanned aerial system, and company officials say the system could be used for multiple efforts, among which are the Army's Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance and Launched Effects programs.

By Nick Wilson
March 25, 2025 at 9:44 AM

The Senate has confirmed financier John Phelan to serve as the 79th Navy secretary in a 62-30 vote that drew support from some Democrats who joined with Republicans to advance President Trump's pick.

Phelan is a businessman who founded private investment firm Rugger Management LLC. Though Phelan has no prior Navy or Pentagon experience, Trump highlighted his business credentials when announcing the nomination in November.

During a relatively smooth confirmation hearing in February, Phelan emphasized solving shipbuilding and maintenance challenges as a top priority and told lawmakers he would personally review all existing Navy contracts.

The Monday vote makes Phelan the second of Trump’s service chief picks to be confirmed, following Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

Meanwhile, the Navy is still operating without a chief of naval operations. Vice CNO Adm. Jim Kilby has been performing the duties of the role after Adm. Lisa Franchetti was fired without explanation last month.

By Tony Bertuca
March 24, 2025 at 5:42 PM

Senior Trump administration officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, are under fire today for allegedly disclosing highly classified U.S. plans to launch airstrikes against Yemen's Houthi militants on an encrypted commercial messaging service text chain that included a journalist.

Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic magazine, reported today that he was accidentally added to a text chain which spanned several days on the Signal encrypted messaging service that, along with Hegseth, appears to have included Vice President JD Vance, national security adviser Mike Waltz, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

According to Goldberg, the text chain included classified operational information about airstrikes launched against Houthi militants last week, including targets, timing and weapon systems. Atlantic has not published the information, which Goldberg said came from an account attributed Hegseth, who is out of the country this week traveling to Asia.

The bombshell story was confirmed by the White House, though President Trump, when asked about it during a press conference, said a reporter’s question was first he’d heard of it.

“At this time, the message thread that was reported appears to be authentic, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” Brian Hughes, spokesman for the National Security Council, said in an email.

Hughes, who pointed to the apparent success of the Houthi operation as an indication that “there were no threats to our servicemembers or our national security” as a result of the disclosure, asserted that the text chain is “a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials.”

Lawmakers, however, felt differently.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) told CNN the matter “sounds like a huge screw up.”

Democrats also seized the moment to criticize the Trump administration and call for accountability, especially as the Pentagon has sought to crack down on alleged leakers and hold military officials accountable for the violent and chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee, called for an investigation.

“If senior advisers to President Trump in fact used non-secure, non-government systems to discuss and convey detailed war plans, it’s a shocking breach of the standards for sharing classified information that could have put American servicemembers at risk,” he said. “There needs to be an oversight hearing and accountability for these actions.”

Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the story, if true, “represents one of the most egregious failures of operational security and common sense I have ever seen.”

“Military operations need to be handled with utmost discretion, using approved, secure lines of communication, because American lives are on the line,” he said. “The carelessness shown by President Trump’s cabinet is stunning and dangerous. I will be seeking answers from the administration immediately.”

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, released a statement on X criticizing the Trump administration for selecting senior officials based on personal loyalty to the president, rather than experience serving at the highest levels of national security.

“When you hire based on sycophancy and loyalty f* ups are going to happen,” he wrote. “This endangerment of national security is an unbelievable disaster. We need to put pressure on the Trump administration to get back to focusing on competency, get back to focusing on serving the American people instead of just focusing on going after Donald Trump’s enemies and sucking up to Donald Trump. We need competent government. The Trump administration is not giving that to us.”

Critics of the administration also pointed out that senior government officials like Hegseth and Waltz have access to classified communications systems, rather than Signal, a commercially available app developed by a non-profit group.

Sen. Rueben Gallego (D-AZ) wrote on X that the incident could be summed up as “amateur hour.”

“If I handled classified and sensitive information in this way when I was in the Marines . . . oh boy . . .,” Gallego wrote.

By John Liang
March 24, 2025 at 1:26 PM

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on layered counter-drone systems, plus a six-wheeled combat vehicle topped with a maneuver short-range air defense system and more.

Science Applications International Corp. is still trying to find a contract opportunity with the Army for its layered counter-drone system:

SAIC pitches Army on 'interoperable' CUAS solution amid budget squeeze

Almost three years ago, the Pentagon's Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO) recommended Science Applications International Corp.'s layered counter-drone system as one of three vendor-provided solutions that the services and combatant commands looked at when considering the deployment of counter-UAS-as-a-service at an installation.

Cummings Aerospace's Hellhound S3, 3-D built and powered by a turbojet, can fly at speeds upwards of 375 miles per hour:

Cummings Aerospace envisions multiple uses for turbojet-powered loitering drone

Cummings Aerospace has been in the process of testing its Hellhound S3 loitering munition unmanned aerial system, and company officials say the system could be used for multiple efforts, among which are the Army's Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance and Launched Effects programs.

The Pandur SHORAD is on the floor of the Association of the United States Army's annual Global Force Symposium this week in Huntsville, AL:

GDLS debuts Pandur SHORAD in response to Army RFI

General Dynamics Land Systems is unveiling a new, six-wheeled combat vehicle topped with a maneuver short-range air defense system this week, which the Army plans to test out at its Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment this summer.

More coverage of Boeing's recent win of the Next Generation Air Dominance penetrating platform contract:

New NGAD investment could squeeze Air Force budget under yearlong CR

The Trump administration's decision to push forward with the F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance platform raises questions about how the major new aircraft program will be paid for, especially following Congress' recent passage of a yearlong stopgap spending bill that erodes the Pentagon's buying power.

Boeing wins multibillion-dollar bid for the Air Force's next-generation fighter

The Trump administration today announced Boeing has been selected to produce the Air Force's multibillion-dollar Next Generation Air Dominance penetrating platform, beating out Lockheed Martin in the contest after months of uncertainty.