The Insider

As fiscal year 2023 came to a close, General Dynamics Electric Boat received a contract modification worth $967 million for Virginia-class submarine design work, according to a Navy announcement.

A separate release from Electric Boat -- which collaboratively builds the fast-attack submarines through a teaming agreement with HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding -- says the award will fund “lead yard support and development studies and design efforts,” for the vessels.

With the bulk of work to take place at Electric Boat’s Groton, CT, facility, company spokesperson Daniel McFadden told Inside Defense the funds will be used for “upkeep and maintenance” of the Virginia design.

“For example, incorporating improvements and replacing [obsolescent] parts as the design evolves,” he said. “Also, development and design work for areas such as [subsea and seabed warfare], the Virginia Payload Module and undersea dominance.”

According to a Navy spokesperson, the funding will “maintain, update and support the Virginia-class design and related drawings and data for each Virginia-class submarine, including technology insertion, throughout its construction and Post Shakedown Availability (PSA) period.”

Funding will finance development studies related to Virginia design improvement endeavors, the spokesperson told Inside Defense, saying the award will also encompass engineering efforts related to design, testing, logistics and production.

“The contractor will continue development studies and design efforts related to components and systems to accomplish Research and Development tasks and prototypes and Engineering Development Models (EDMs) required to fully evaluate new technologies to be inserted in succeeding Virginia-class submarines,” the spokesperson continued.

The contract follows a $517 million award to Electric Boat earlier in September for the procurement of spare parts for Virginia maintenance availabilities.

Both production and maintenance of the submarines are pressing issues for the Navy, with the United States preparing to begin transferring vessels to Australia in the 2030s under the AUKUS security partnership while industry struggles to meet delivery targets and maintenance delays undercut operational readiness.

During a recent confirmation hearing, acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti said U.S. industry is producing only 1.2 Virginia boats per year and must improve to 2.2 vessels per year to deliver on AUKUS.

The Navy is working on stabilizing Virginia construction at a rate of 1.4 per year by the end of calendar year 2023 before ramping up to 1.5 per year by the end of 2024, Franchetti said at the time.

Shipbuilder HII has received a $20 million award to build nine small unmanned undersea vehicles for the Navy's Lionfish program in a contract that could climb to as many as 200 SUUVs and almost $350 million over the next five years, according to a Wednesday company announcement.

The initial $20 million award, announced by the Navy in late September, will see HII’s Mission Technologies division working through September 2024 to deliver nine of the seven-foot-long unmanned vessels intended to perform a variety of undersea missions.

The Navy selected HII’s REMUS 300 SUUV to serve as the basis for the Lionfish program of record in March 2022, beginning an initial programmatic phase consisting of low-rate initial production and prototype testing.

At the time of this selection, an HII spokesperson told reporters he could not speak directly to the desired capabilities of the Navy’s Lionfish program but said uses for the commercial REMUS 3000 include mine countermeasures, data collections and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

HII’s Wednesday release describes Lionfish as a “highly portable, two-person SUUV with an open architecture design and versatile payload options.”

“Lionfish provides increased capability and interoperability that aligns with the Navy’s undersea priorities, and we look forward to delivering next-generation vehicles that can readily adapt to and support a variety of mission needs,” said HII Executive Vice President and Mission Technologies President Andy Green in a statement included in the release.

The Navy and the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit jointly developed the Lionfish program through a two-year process of spiral development incorporating feedback from “multiple user groups to uniquely meet the needs of the warfighters,” the release adds.

The Navy’s fiscal year 2024 budget request seeks $8.7 million in research and development funding for Lionfish and indicates FY-24 funds will support initial acceptance testing, delivery, and fielding of production units following an authority to operate decision.

President Biden said today that he will ask Congress -- half of which is destabilized due to the ousting of the former House speaker -- to approve an emergency security aid package for Israel in the coming days that will help the Defense Department continue to send ammunition and replenish Iron Dome interceptors needed to fend off Hamas rocket attacks.

“The United States stands with Israel,” he said during a White House press conference.

“When Congress returns, we're going to ask them to take urgent action to fund the national security requirements of our critical partners.”

The president did not say how much aid will be sought. Though Biden did not reference it directly, the White House also seeks $24 billion in security, economic and financial aid for Ukraine, which has been blocked by the same Republican infighting that pushed Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) out of the speakership. Houses Republicans, meanwhile, have begun meeting to determine a way forward.

“This is not about party or politics,” Biden said. “It's about the security of our world and the security of the United States of America.”

The president noted that DOD is already doing what it can to “surge” ammunition to Israel and replenish its anti-rocket Iron Dome defense system.

“We're doing it to make sure Israel does not run out of these critical assets,” he said.

On Sunday, a senior defense official told reporters the Pentagon is also "contacting U.S. industry to gain expedited shipment of pending Israeli orders for military equipment that otherwise may have been considered routine for movement.”

Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, told reporters that the White House and Pentagon are working with Israeli leaders to determine what additional U.S. military capabilities can be provided but offered no details on the high-level discussions.

“You can expect to see American planes flying into to Israel to deliver military capabilities to support Israel,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sullivan said the first surge of Iron Dome interceptor replenishments is coming from U.S. stocks that were already in Israel.

“We will be flowing in additional Iron Dome interceptors,” he said. “We are also looking at other ways that we can help augment their air defense capabilities.”

The Pentagon, Biden said, has also ordered the Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) carrier strike group to deploy to the eastern region of the Mediterranean Sea.

“We stand ready to move in additional interests as needed,” he said.

The president also said the U.S. government is sharing intelligence with Israel and working to recover U.S. hostages taken by Hamas.

Biden, amid reports that Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel was supported by Iran and could enflame global terrorism, issued a stern warning to any nation, organization or group that might seek to take advantage of the escalating military situation in Gaza.

“I have one word,” he said: “Don’t.”

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has a look at what the Pentagon's budget could look like if congressional dysfunction continues through next January, a new solid-rocket motor supplier entering the domestic market, plus coverage of this year's AUSA conference.

If the current congressional dysfunction continues through January, the Pentagon could face "ugly" budget cuts:

DOD readying potential $90 billion in FY-24, FY-25 cuts required by debt ceiling deal

The Defense Department is bracing for potential budget cuts of about $90 billion to fiscal year 2024 and 2025 plans -- painful reductions likely to squeeze weapons system modernization accounts -- in the event congressional dysfunction extends into January triggering a statutory sequester provision of the June law enacted to raise the debt ceiling.

X-Bow Systems, a New Mexico-based start-up, has been awarded a $64 million contract to expand manufacturing capacity and reduce the production cost of solid-rocket motors used in hypersonic weapons:

DOD qualifies new solid-rocket motor supplier, breaks Northrop-Aerojet domestic duopoly

The Defense Department has qualified a new large solid-rocket motor domestic supplier -- breaking up an effective duopoly between Northrop Grumman and Aerojet Rocketdyne -- and expanded the industrial base to support the U.S. military's high-priority project to develop and field a long-range hypersonic strike missile.

Our coverage so far of this year's AUSA conference:

New Army chief outlines strategy for reducing excess equipment

The Army's new chief of staff has outlined an effort to rid formations of excess, or unneeded, equipment, which will begin at two installations over the course of the next few months.

DOD orders prototype 300-Kw lasers to test new cruise missile killing capability for Army

The Defense Department is advancing plans for a 300-kilowatt combat laser -- sufficient energy to knock down enemy cruise missiles -- and has commissioned the manufacture of a pair of truck-mounted prototype systems for testing in fiscal year 2025 of a fundamentally new capability that holds the potential to change the way armed forces fight.

General Dynamics announces Stryker technology demonstrator vehicle

General Dynamics Land Systems has unveiled a technology demonstrator vehicle that would increase the Stryker's survivability on the battlefield.

Leonardo DRS successfully tests vehicle power system

Leonardo DRS successfully demonstrated its On Board Vehicle Power system during an Army operational user assessment, the company announced Monday in advance of the Association of the United States Army's annual meeting in Washington.

With FARA prototype engines on the way, Sikorsky looks ahead to testing

Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky is looking ahead to the next series of tests its prototype for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft will undergo, namely flight testing sometime next year.

View our complete coverage of AUSA 2023.

The U.S. government is "surging support to Israel, that includes air defense and munitions," according to a senior Defense Department official.

"Planes have already taken off and we anticipate the continual delivery of some of the requests Israel has made," the official said during a Pentagon background briefing this afternoon.

"We remain in constant and ongoing contact with our counterparts in Israel to determine and then support their most urgent requirements," the official added.

While the official wouldn't go into details about what specific equipment was being supplied, "the bottom line is we are working as fast as possible to provide critically needed munitions of various types and other equipment."

The Pentagon is also "contacting U.S. industry to gain expedited shipment of pending Israeli orders for military equipment that otherwise may have been considered routine for movement," the official said.

Further, the department is also "working across the DOD enterprise including with U.S. Central Command to assess what munitions and other equipment are in the U.S. inventory that . . . can be made quickly available for Israel. All of [these] are actions that we are undertaking within our existing authority and appropriations."

When asked whether the Pentagon can maintain aiding both Israel as well as Ukraine, the official said: "We are able to continue our support both to Ukraine, Israel and maintain our own global readiness."

Given that the Pentagon is operating under a stopgap continuing resolution that only lasts through next month, the official called the situation "a clarifying moment in which we would welcome working in a bipartisan manner with Congress and the executive branch to ensure that we're sending a signal to allies and partners across the world that our government, both parties and both branches of our government are working together to ensure that appropriate authority and appropriations are available to support and respond to crises and contingencies."

The Army has conducted a test of the Ramjet 155 projectile, which contractors Boeing and Nammo say set a record for the longest indirect-fire test of a ramjet-powered artillery projectile with service officials watching, Boeing announced Monday.

In 2019, the Army awarded Boeing and Nammo a contract under the XM1155 program to develop the Ramjet 155 projectile. Ramjet 155 “utilizes an air-breathing engine design that uses the cannon firing to provide the speed needed for combustion,” according to a Monday announcement from Boeing.

The test, which took place at Yuma Proving Ground, AZ, involved the firing of a Ramjet 155 munition from a 58-caliber extended-range cannon artillery, according to Boeing. The test was held a few months ago, according to Boeing spokesman Josh Roth.

Boeing declined to disclose the exact distance the projectile was fired, with the company stating it believes it has “proven that ramjet projectiles can deliver the long range and precision desired by the Army.”

Gil Griffin, the executive director of Boeing Phantom Works, said in a statement Monday that the goal of the test was to “demonstrate the ability to safely operate from the ERCA system and validate our performance.”

“The team is working to deliver a superior, affordable precision strike weapon that can neutralize critical targets at long distances,” he said.

This test follows one last year in which Boeing and Nammo test-fired a munition using a 39-caliber towed artillery cannon in Norway. The companies said at the time that the 2022 test “demonstrated flight stability with a well-controlled engine combustion process.”

The two companies next plan to integrate a precision-guidance system that leverages a Joint Direct Attack Munition mission computer onto the Ramjet 155, which is meant to “evaluate the system’s maturity and effectiveness against stationary and moving targets.”

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Pentagon beginning to run low on funding to replenish U.S. weapons stocks sent to Ukraine, an Air Force Research Laboratory project on a digitally certified airplane and more.

The Pentagon will continue to use the more than $5 billion in presidential "drawdown" authority required to transfer weapons to Ukraine, though there remains only $1.6 billion to replenish what is taken from U.S. stocks:

DOD to transfer U.S. weapons to Ukraine while running low on replenishment funds

Though Congress, hobbled at the moment by House GOP intraparty dysfunction, remains divided over support for Ukraine, the Defense Department says it still intends to transfer billions of dollars in U.S. weapons to that country at a regular "cadence," despite the fact DOD is running low on the congressionally appropriated funds needed to replenish them.

On Sept. 22, the Air Force Research Laboratory awarded a $19 million contract on behalf of the AFWERX Prime program to Istari Digital for an effort dubbed Flyer Øne:

Air Force kicks off project to demonstrate major new first: a digitally certified airplane

The Air Force hopes to demonstrate a radical new industrial feat that could signal a major leap forward for the aerospace industry by designing an aircraft and certifying its airworthiness before ever building a physical component as part of a new project launched last month to prototype a fixed-wing drone from concept through Military Flight Release inside a computer.

Lockheed Martin's top executive spoke this week at the Hudson Institute:

Lockheed CEO: 'Antifragility' key to industrial base strength

The U.S. defense industry needs to invest in antifragility measures to improve resilience during this time of rising geopolitical tension, Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet said, which will require government buy-in.

The Pentagon's latest selected acquisition report on the National Security Space Launch program talks about the dual-lane approach the Space Force will use to meet warfighter requirements:

Space Force releases final RFP for Phase 3 launch acquisition program

The Space Force yesterday posted the final request for proposals for Phase 3 of the space launch acquisition program, a dual program approach with two separate contract types.

Document: DOD's December 2022 NSSL selected acquisition report

Ely Ratner, the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, spoke at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event this week on the upcoming release of the China Military Power Report:

Senior DOD official previews risks cited in upcoming China military power report

The upcoming release of the Pentagon's annual China Military Power Report will state that Beijing has increasingly come to rely on its military -- the People's Liberation Army -- as a tool for coercion and "revisionist" aims in the Indo-Pacific amid the rapid modernization of its nuclear arsenal, according to a senior Defense Department official.