The Insider

The INSIDER daily digest -- Feb. 16, 2024
By John Liang
February 16, 2024 at 2:35 PM

This Friday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Air Force's airborne refueling tanker development effort, the V-22 Osprey, taking risks when acquiring weapons and more.

Inside Defense got a chance to chat with the head of Air Mobility Command at this week's Air and Space Force Association’s Warfare Symposium in Colorado:

AMC commander: Follow-on to the KC-46A should have some next-gen characteristics

DENVER -- Any aircraft procured following the last deliveries of the KC-46A tanker “needs to absolutely have some of the characteristics of what we need in NGAS,” or the Air Force’s highly secretive Next Generation Air-Refueling System, Air Mobility Command’s top commander told Inside Defense in an exclusive interview.

News on the status of the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor:

Air Force wants to fly Osprey again, but safety investigations are ongoing

DENVER -- The Air Force is eager to get its fleet of CV-22 Ospreys back into the air, but Air Force Special Operations Command officials said the tiltrotor will remain grounded until they are confident in its safety.

(Full coverage from the AFA Warfare Symposium.)

The House Armed Services Committee held a hearing this week on "Outpacing China: Expediting the Fielding of Innovation":

Lawmakers want DOD to take more risk in weapons programs

Lawmakers and Pentagon officials say the Defense Department needs to take more risks and change its compliance-based culture, aligning DOD development efforts more closely with Silicon Valley’s approach to innovation.

A Defense Department pilot program aims to speed up innovative technology fielding by helping small companies quickly transition into the production stage by bridging the “valley of death,” a time when many companies fail due to lack of funding:

APFIT announces four new projects; Shyu plans to fund additive solid-rocket motor tech

The Defense Department has announced the projects selected for the next batch of funding through the "Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies" pilot program as Pentagon technology chief Heidi Shyu touted APFIT's success during a congressional hearing.

More news from that hearing:

DOD acquisition chief focusing on unit cost dilemma in counter-drone fight

Pentagon acquisition chief Bill LaPlante told House lawmakers today that the Defense Department is preparing to fund about 40 developmental systems to counter small drones, but he stressed that the individual "interceptors" many of the systems use are still too expensive when compared to the cheaply made targets they are meant to shoot down.

Document: House hearing on 'outpacing China'

The Pentagon this week announced that a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lofted into orbit six satellites, two for the Missile Defense Agency -- a pair of Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor prototypes -- and the final four Space Development Agency Tranche 0 (T0) Tracking Layer satellites of its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture:

DOD says new missile-tracking satellites in orbit just in time for new Russian threat

The Defense Department confirmed the successful launch of new, low-orbit missile tracking satellites on the same day the public learned U.S. intelligence assesses Russia is developing a space-based nuclear weapon to destroy America's satellite network, highlighting the risk to Pentagon plans for proliferating new capabilities in low-earth orbit.

Last but by no means least, coverage of remarks by the Navy's top civilian official at this week's AFCEA West Conference in California:

Navy to test at-sea Transportable Re-Arming Mechanism this summer

SAN DIEGO -- Naval Sea Systems Command is planning an at-sea demonstration of the developing Transportable Re-Arming Mechanism, a capability aiming to re-arm a warship’s missile tubes while underway, according to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro.

Texas lawmaker says Army's FARA cancellation lacked 'transparency'
By Dan Schere
February 16, 2024 at 12:43 PM

Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), the congressman who represents the district home to one of the companies involved in the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft competition, said this week that the Army's decision to terminate the program was done with a "lack of transparency."

The Army announced the FARA cancellation on Feb. 8, with the service saying it plans to instead prioritize funding for investments in the upgraded Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters, as well as unmanned aerial reconnaissance capabilities.

Bell, one of the two finalists in the competition, is located in the district Jackson represents.

During a Feb. 15 House Armed Services Committee hearing, Jackson said Army officials came into his office about six weeks ago to update him on FARA. He added that there was no mention of terminating FARA even when he “asked directly about this possibility.”

“My concern is that this is the third failed attempt at fielding this capability. At a time with constrained budgets and record inflation, we simply can’t afford . . . to mislead our industry partners to some extent,” he said.

Pentagon acquisition chief Bill LaPlante responded by noting the Army terminated FARA prior to milestone B, the start of engineering and manufacturing development.

“Really what the Army was doing was coming up to a decision of whether or not I’m actually going to go put in a significant amount of money to actually commit to develop and produce them at scale,” LaPlante said.

Jackson’s office could not be reached for comment Thursday or Friday.

Sikorsky, the other competitor in the competition, is in Connecticut. Last week, that state’s congressional delegation released a similar statement expressing concerns about the Army’s decision and demanded a detailed explanation from the service.

U.S. approves $69.3 million AMRAAM sale to Italy
By Vanessa Montalbano
February 15, 2024 at 5:45 PM

The State Department today approved a $69.3 million foreign military sale of AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles and related equipment, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

The deal includes 12 AMRAAM munitions plus engineering, technical, logistics, integration and test support, DSCA said. It builds on an original $32.5 million sale that also included 12 of the missiles.

“Italy already has AMRAAMs in its inventory and will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces,” DSCA notes in a news release. “The proposed sale will improve Italy’s capability to meet current and future threats by ensuring Italy has modern, capable air-to-air munitions. It will also advance United States interoperability with NATO and the Italian Armed Forces.”

Also on Thursday, the State Department approved the sale of 173 Small Diameter Bomb IIs and 14 Captive Carry Reliability Tests to Italy, valued at an estimated $150 million, DSCA said.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe,” the agency states in a release. “The proposed sale will improve Italy’s capability to meet current and future threats by improving the Italian Air Force and Navy’s F-35 weapons capabilities.”

The main contractor for both sales is RTX in Arlington, VA.

Ratner sees new 'security architecture' emerging in Indo-Pacific
By Abby Shepherd
February 15, 2024 at 5:24 PM

A "new, regional security architecture" is emerging in the Indo-Pacific, according to a defense official.

Two years after the Biden administration released its Indo-Pacific Strategy, various officials gathered Thursday at the U.S. Institute of Peace to discuss the strategy’s ongoing implications for foreign relations and U.S. military operations in the region.

The new, emerging dynamic is “exciting and significant,” said Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs.

“What we are seeing is the birth of a new regional security architecture that’s in its very early formations but is going to be -- it’s not going to be NATO, it’s not going to be a singular counterbalancing coalition, that’s not what we’re aiming for,” Ratner said. “It’s going to be something that’s uniquely built and tailored for the challenges in the region.”

Panel speakers highlighted the varying trilateral and quadrilateral partnerships between the U.S., Australia, the Philippines, Japan and the Republic of Korea armed forces. The transfers of weapons, aircraft and other technology between these countries have increased in the past year, with the State Department approving a possible $2.35 billion sale of Tomahawk missiles to Japan in November.

Partnership between the U.S. and Australia, specifically with submarine sales, will also increase as the U.S. seeks to deliver on the AUKUS agreement.

“2023 stood as the most transformative year in our regional force posture in a generation,” Ratner added.

Army selects initial 15 companies for new xTechPrime small business initiative
By Dan Schere
February 15, 2024 at 4:04 PM

The Army selected 15 small businesses for its initial xTechPrime initiative -- a new program that connects small businesses with technology integrators.

The xTech program was started in 2018 by former Army acquisition chief Bruce Jette as a way to spur innovation by connecting the service with small businesses through prize competitions.

The xTechPrime competition, started in April 2023, “will challenge small businesses to work together in teams with technology integrators to submit their innovative solutions that contribute to the Army’s current modernization goals.”

The Army does about $400 million per year in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) activity, current acquisition head Doug Bush told reporters during a briefing Feb. 14 at the Pentagon. Since the xTech program was started, there have been 30 competitions, more than $20 million in cash prizes and 1,374 awards given out, he said.

Through the xTech competitions, Bush said the Army is trying to make SBIR “more focused, faster and targeted.”

“We've got this down by centralizing contracting expertise for small business to, like, 30-day contract awards. I mean, that's a dramatic change from the past where companies might have to wait, like, 200-plus days, which they can't because they're small,” he said.

Matt Willis, the director of Army Prize Competitions and the Army Applied SBIR Program, said the service received 377 submissions for xTechPrime from businesses across the United States, with winners being chosen based on the technical solution they were proposing and the ability to demonstrate a “high propensity for transition and integration into or with an integrator.”

The 15 winning companies were chosen in December, with each receiving $40,000 in cash prizes. This will be followed by Direct to Phase II SBIR prototyping awards of up to $2 million each.

The 15 companies selected were:

  • Alitheon -- “Digital fingerprinting to overcome distance and complexity for supply chain security”
  • Amprius Technologies -- “Reduce weight, double endurance with Amprius Silicon Lithium-Ion Cells.”
  • Atomics -- “Sustainable, molecular data storage”
  • AxNano -- “Mobile supercritical water oxidation (mSCWO) for treatment of PFAS in Army waste streams”
  • DotBliss -- “Screen-printed, textile-based interactive touch displays with spectral control, electronic sensors with haptic feedback enabling covert communication”
  • Enveil -- “Encrypted machine learning model evaluation for model & data integrity”
  • FluxWorks -- “Non-contact, lubrication-free magnetic gear integrated motor generator for reduced maintenance, increased survivability, extended range, and enhanced payload capacity of Autonomous Vehicles”
  • GDI -- “Scalable 100% Silicon anodes for superior energy storage”
  • Latent AI -- “MLOps for optimized and secured edge AI”
  • Lunewave -- “Luneburg lens enabled broadband RF signal detection, direction finding and geolocation system in a drone network”
  • Mesodyne -- “Light cell power generation for long-endurance, high-reliability autonomous systems”
  • Modal AI -- “Soldier borne unmanned aerial 3D geospatial intelligence”
  • Neurable -- “Non-invasive brain-computer interface for soldier performance optimization”
  • Notch -- “No power, low SWaP, RF metasurface GPS anti-jam system for autonomous vehicles”
  • Teradar -- “Enhancing target detection through Teradar’s breakthrough sensor technology for advanced perception.”

Willis said the Army wanted to focus on companies that specialized in focus areas such as climate/clean tech, artificial intelligence/machine learning, autonomy and other research and development programs such as Project Linchpin -- the service’s first pipeline for AI/ML.

“We really wanted to broaden the aperture and widen the funnel for small businesses contributing to the Army tech base while, you know, really foundationally changing the value proposition for these companies,” he said, speaking at the same roundtable.

The prototyping awards will begin either this month or next month, and will last 18-24 months each, Willis said.

“And there might be an opportunity at the end of that either to have another follow-on award to broaden the R&D, or if the prototype is ready and capable, to be integrated into a system. Then the Army can directly fund that follow-on contract,” he said.

To date, the Army has awarded more than $20 million through the xTech program, and that has yielded nearly $180 million in follow-on contracts, Willis said.

“Essentially for every one dollar in cash that we’re providing, the Army is going back and investing $8 in follow-on research and development,” he said.

The INSIDER daily digest -- Feb. 15, 2024
By John Liang
February 15, 2024 at 2:43 PM

This Thursday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Marine Corps seeking to change its "risk-aversion culture," U.S. Pacific Fleet standing up a second unmanned surface vessel squadron and more.

Changing the "risk-aversion culture" within the Marine Corps acquisition community was recognized as a priority by former Commandant Gen. David Berger shortly before he retired in July. The service is now looking to deliver on this charge under current Commandant Gen. Eric Smith:

Marine Corps to increase risk tolerance in acquisitions, restructure systems command

SAN DIEGO -- The Marine Corps needs to get comfortable with more risk -- both technical and financial -- within its acquisition system to expeditiously field warfighting capabilities in the face of heightened great power competition, according to Brig. Gen. David Walsh, who leads Marine Corps Systems Command, the service’s chief acquisition body.

More news from the AFCEA West 2024 Conference:

Pacific Fleet will stand up second USV squadron in May, though Navy is tight-lipped on developing tech

SAN DIEGO -- U.S. Pacific Fleet will stand up a second unmanned surface vessel squadron in May as the Navy pushes to develop uncrewed and autonomous systems, the presumptive new head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said today, while indicating that the service is deliberately withholding specific information on its developing unmanned capabilities.

The U.S. needs to work with allies to make sure it has access to space launch facilities outside the country:

Space Force will need to work with allies, partners for more launch sites

DENVER -- To ensure U.S. access to space-launch capabilities, the Space Force will need to work with allies and partners to use or build launch facilities in other countries, the commander of U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific said.

Adm. Samuel Paparo, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet who has been nominated to be head of INDOPACOM, spoke at a Defense Innovation Unit summit Tuesday, saying it is INDOPACOM’s goal to begin using autonomous systems to deter China from attacking Taiwan through "constant stare":

INDOPACOM seeks autonomous 'stare' to deter China in the Taiwan Strait

The presumptive chief of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said he is wrestling with how to interweave autonomy into weapons platforms and systems controls to provide "constant stare" for a new era of warfare, while the Pentagon continues work on the first tranche of Replicator drone capabilities to meet his stated needs.

Inside Defense previewed a space launch that successfully took place yesterday:

New 'cradle-to-grave' hypersonic tracking satellite prototypes set for launch, testing

The Defense Department today plans to put in orbit new space capabilities -- including a pair of competing prototype satellites built by L3Harris Technologies and Northrop Grumman -- that aim to solve one of the U.S. military's most vexing and pressing technical challenges: how to detect and track hypersonic glide vehicles that exploit blind spots in today's radar networks.

Maj. Theresa Christie, the executive officer of the Army's Indo-Pacific Sustainment Command, spoke this week at an event hosted by Vertex in Austin, TX:

Army and Marines need joint solution on supplies when deployed abroad, says sustainment officer

The Army and the Marine Corps need a joint solution to maintain supplies when abroad and before the onset of conflict, according to an Army sustainment officer.

SECNAV vows to hold companies accountable for poor performance
By Nick Wilson
February 15, 2024 at 2:38 PM

SAN DIEGO -- Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro today questioned the defense industry’s commitment to delivering naval capabilities on time and on budget, suggesting some unnamed companies are prioritizing stock prices and executive compensation over necessary capital investments, and promising to take legal action to ensure taxpayers receive adequate return on investment.

“Through initiatives like the Taxpayer Advocacy Project, I have directed our contract community and Office of General Counsel to ensure that we will leverage all legal means at our disposal to ensure that the American people are getting what they paid for,” Del Toro said, though he provided few additional details on this new initiative.

Speaking to a room full of defense contractors during the West 2024 conference, Del Toro congratulated companies for record profits, pointing to quarterly financial statements. But, he said, industry needs to deliver key warfighting capabilities -- including submarines, ships and aircraft -- on time, on budget and without excuses.

“You can't be asking for the American taxpayer to make greater public investments while you continue to goose your stock prices through stock buybacks, deferring promised capital investments, and other accounting maneuvers that -- to some -- seem to prioritize stock prices that drive executive compensation rather than making the needed, fundamental investments in the industrial base at a time when our nation needs us to be all ahead flank,” he said.

Del Toro’s comments break from the typical talking points of senior Navy officials, who generally emphasize the partnership between defense contractors and the service and promote collaboratively tackling industrial base issues.

But as the Navy faces heightened pressure to maintain an advantage over China, industry is struggling with often-cited workforce and supply chain issues, and key weapon and shipbuilding programs like the Virginia-class submarine face significant delays.

Now, the Navy is serious about holding industry accountable for poor performance and misconduct, according to Del Toro, who said he has directed a “deep dive into holding individuals accountable” for these offenses too.

DOD experiment showcases multidomain uncrewed systems
By Georgina DiNardo
February 14, 2024 at 3:09 PM

A recent joint military experiment showcased a variety of multidomain uncrewed systems at Camp Roberts, CA, earlier this month, testing emerging technology being pursued by the Pentagon.

The Joint Interagency Field Experimentation event, which took place Feb. 6-8, aimed to “foster the defense innovation ecosystem by bringing together stakeholders across the Department of Defense and U.S. government with technology developers from industry and academia,” according to DOD.

JIFX 24-2, hosted by the office of the under secretary of defense for research and engineering, centered on multidomain uncrewed systems and countermeasures and included about 25 companies and “non-traditional performers” showcasing their technologies.

“Multi-Domain UxS encompasses autonomous vehicles capable of traversing between physical environments, such as moving along in ‘boat mode’ before taking off above the waves as an Unmanned Aircraft System,” DOD said.

The JIFX 24-2 experiments, according to the event website, included a variety of systems ranging from unmanned aerial systems, compact aerial inspection, GPS-denied unmanned aerial vehicles navigation, swarming meteorological measurement systems, systems that assessed off-road autonomous driving capabilities, intelligent humanoid robots, physical tokens for variable text encryption, C5ISR technologies for the tactical edge, target detection using neuromorphic vision, multidomain expeditionary artificial intelligence that analyzes behavior, frontline perception system and holographic situational awareness.

Many of the systems, however, are in line with the stated requirements of the Pentagon’s Replicator initiative, which aims to field thousands of attritable autonomous weapon systems by February-August 2025. However, Cdr. Tim Gorman, a Pentagon spokesman, told Inside Defense that JIFX 24-2 has "no ties to Replicator."

The systems that JIFX 24-2 showcased are all from small businesses, which is also where Replicator aims to collaborate to strengthen the domestic defense industrial base and explore creative, innovative solutions.

"Collaboration with industry is key to the Department of Defense's ability to resolve some of our greatest technological and security challenges," Heidi Shyu, DOD’s chief technology officer, said in a statement about JIFX 24-2.

"Field showcases like JIFX will allow us to explore, develop and field the capabilities that our troops deserve,” she continued.

The INSIDER daily digest -- Feb. 14, 2024
By John Liang
February 14, 2024 at 2:22 PM

This Wednesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news from the Air and Space Force Association's annual Warfare Symposium out in Colorado as well as the AFCEA West Conference in San Diego.

The Air Force is warning of the negative effects of a full-year continuing resolution on the service:

Air Force paints ugly budget picture of full-year CR

The Air Force and Space Force will lose a combined total of $6 billion in modernization investments and suffer $13 billion in lost buying power if Congress cannot pass a fiscal year 2024 defense appropriation and opts for a yearlong funding patch, according to a new fact sheet.

More news from the AFA Warfare Symposium:

Kendall: Air Force having 'hard time' negotiating E-7 Wedgetail contract with Boeing

DENVER -- Senior Air Force leaders disclosed that negotiations with Boeing to contract for the first E-7A Wedgetail aircraft have been "difficult" due to non-recurring engineering development.

Space Force creating Space Futures Command to handle capabilities requirements

DENVER -- As part of the Air Force's organizational shakeup, the Space Force will create a new field command to streamline requirements generation for the young service.

Air Force to down select for CCA program in coming months

DENVER -- The Air Force is on track to down select for the first increment of Collaborative Combat Aircraft in the coming months, but budgetary constraints may only allow for two vendors instead of a preferred three, service Secretary Frank Kendall said today.

We also have coverage from this week's AFCEA West Conference out in San Diego:

Red and Black Seas demonstrate mounting tactical challenges to defending ships, naval officials say

SAN DIEGO -- Two ongoing naval conflicts, one playing out in the Red Sea and other in the Black Sea, have illuminated a single critical lesson: the Navy and Marine Corps must rapidly advance their techniques and tactics to stay abreast with the rapidly changing "character of war," especially when it comes to defending ships from missiles and drones, service officials said.

CNO: Navy on track to begin operationalizing a hybrid manned-unmanned fleet as early as FY-29

SAN DIEGO -- The Navy is making progress in the development of a hybrid manned-unmanned fleet, according to the chief of naval operations, who said the service is on path to begin widespread integration and operationalizing of unmanned platforms as early as fiscal year 2029.

BAE wins government approval to buy Ball Aerospace
By John Liang
February 14, 2024 at 10:46 AM

BAE Systems announced this morning that it has received regulatory approval to buy Ball Corp.'s Ball Aerospace business unit for $5.5 billion.

"BAE Systems and Ball Corp. will be executing the plan to complete the acquisition in the coming days," according to a BAE statement.

The two companies originally announced the deal last August.

"The newly acquired business will be called Space & Mission Systems and will map within the Electronic Systems reporting segment," BAE said.

BAE Systems CEO Charles Woodburn said in the announcement: "The addition of this quality, fast-growing technology-focused business will significantly expand our presence in this increasingly critical space domain and further enhances our value compounding model of top line growth, margin expansion and high cash generation."

Marine Corps to test prototype autonomous vessel tasked with cruise missile resupply
By Nick Wilson
February 13, 2024 at 5:28 PM

SAN DIEGO -- The Marine Corps is preparing to test a semi-submersible, autonomous vessel prototype designed to covertly resupply ground forces with missiles, the head of Marine Corps Combat Development Command said today.

According to Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, the service has been developing a prototype “Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel,” or ALPV, over the past year, and will test the vessel in an operational setting for the first time during the upcoming Project Convergence Capstone 4 exercise this spring.

The ALPV is specifically designed to carry two Naval Strike Missiles for the Navy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NEMESIS) -- a robotically controlled, anti-ship missile capability consisting of a medium-range cruise missile launcher mounted on a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.

The ALPV will rely on its stealth and low signature to avoid detection and deliver missiles to forward-deployed Marines, Heckl said during the West 2024 conference here. The platform’s goal, he said, is to enhance lethality and strengthen supply logistics.

While the Marine Corps has practiced deploying and recovering the ALPV from multiple surface vessels over the past year, Project Convergence will mark the first time it is tested within the operational context of an exercise.

According to Heckl, the Marine Corps found inspiration for the ALPV in an unlikely place: drug trafficking.

Government Counter-narcotics bodies, like the Florida-based Joint Interagency Task Force South, struggle to detect similar vessels used to smuggle drugs into the United States via the ocean, he said.

Like the developing Landing Ship Medium, the ALPV is part of the Marine Corps push to strengthen its logistics networks as part of force design modernization. While the effort is still in its early developmental stages, Heckl said the Marine Corps envisions eventually procuring a variety of low-cost ALPV variants customized for specific payloads.

The INSIDER daily digest -- Feb. 13, 2024
By John Liang
February 13, 2024 at 1:41 PM

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Senate's supplemental spending bill plus coverage of the Air and Space Forces Association's annual Warfare Symposium and more.

A Senate supplemental spending bill passed early this morning doesn't have much chance in the House:

Senate passes $95B security supplemental after all-night vote

The Senate voted 70-29 to pass a $95.3 billion supplemental spending package early this morning that would provide military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, with tens of billions intended for the U.S. defense industrial base.

The Air and Space Forces Association is hosting its annual Warfare Symposium in Colorado this week. Here's some of our coverage:

Kendall announces details of restructuring for 'great power competition'

DENVER -- Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall's massive restructuring of the service to compete against potential adversaries, such as China, will include a new command for generating capability requirements, a new process for deploying combat wings and elevated offices for electronic warfare and nuclear systems.

Air Force looking to improve radar on munitions

DENVER -- The Air Force's top commander in Europe today said he wants to add new capabilities to the service's munitions stockpile, including improved radar to locate and take down small drones.

Complete AFA Warfare Symposium coverage.

The Air Force's top acquisition official spoke at an Atlantic Council event late last week:

Hunter: Foundational architectures the cornerstone for future Air Force acquisition

The Air Force will develop several foundational architectures that acquisition chief Andrew Hunter said today will better integrate the service and boost competition for major programs.

U.S. Special Operations Command chief Gen. Bryan Fenton told the Defense Writers Group last week that artificial intelligence will help counter unscrewed aerial system attacks in a multitude of ways:

SOCOM sees AI as key to countering unmanned drone attacks

The chief of U.S. Special Operations Command said today that integrating artificial intelligence and autonomy will be key to developing and fielding systems that can counter unmanned aerial systems.

Navy seeks to improve Coyote sea-skimming target's performance
By Abby Shepherd
February 12, 2024 at 3:23 PM

The Navy -- looking to increase the performance envelope of a sea-skimming target -- has asked Northrop Grumman to conduct a study into the target's capabilities.

Under a contract to be awarded in the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, Northrop Grumman will “perform a study to increase the performance envelope of the GQM-163A Coyote Supersonic Sea-Skimming Targets (SSST),” according to a notice posted Monday.

The Coyote target is used by the Navy to train and qualify systems and crews on naval vessels, according to a 2022 Northrop Grumman release. The Coyote was originally designed as a Mach 2.5+ sea-skimming target but was later improved to reach Mach 3.5+ as a diving target from an altitude over 50,000 feet.

Naval Air Systems Command awarded the Coyote program to Northrop Grumman in 2000 -- a contract worth over $329 million. As of 2022, the company had delivered more than 145 targets to the Navy.

U.S. Central Command continues to face attacks from Houthi rebels based in Yemen -- mostly unmanned surface vessels and anti-ship cruise missiles targeted against Navy ships and merchant vessels transiting the Red Sea. The improvement of the Coyote’s performance envelope could prove useful in the Navy’s mission of continued deterrence against Houthi attacks.

The INSIDER daily digest -- Feb. 12, 2024
By John Liang
February 12, 2024 at 1:58 PM

This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on funding for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter engine upgrade, over-the-horizon radars and more.

We start off with news -- outside the paywall -- that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter engine upgrade effort will run out of money soon if a full appropriations bill isn't passed:

F-35 engine upgrade program to run out of money in June without FY-24 budget

An ongoing engine modernization program for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will have to halt at the end of June if Congress isn't able to rectify a monthslong partisan divide over the fiscal year 2024 budget, Inside Defense has learned.

More aircraft engine news:

Pratt & Whitney reaches crucial digital design milestone for NGAP prototype

Pratt & Whitney has completed a crucial preliminary design review of its digital offering for the Air Force's secretive Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion prototype, according to an advance news release from the company.

The Air Force's top acquisition official spoke at an Atlantic Council event late last week:

Hunter: Foundational architectures the cornerstone for future Air Force acquisition

The Air Force will develop several foundational architectures that acquisition chief Andrew Hunter said today will better integrate the service and boost competition for major programs.

U.S. Special Operations Command chief Gen. Bryan Fenton told the Defense Writers Group last week that artificial intelligence will help counter unscrewed aerial system attacks in a multitude of ways:

SOCOM sees AI as key to countering unmanned drone attacks

The chief of U.S. Special Operations Command says integrating artificial intelligence and autonomy will be key to developing and fielding systems that can counter unmanned aerial systems.

The fiscal year 2024 budget request included $423.6 million for a homeland defense OTHR system and sought to complete installation of the first system in FY-27 and second in FY-28, but Congress has yet to pass an appropriations bill:

Air Force needs to award OTHR contract 'soon' to meet end-of-decade timeline, contractor says

U.S. Northern Command has pushed the need for modernized over-the-horizon radar capabilities within a few years, which a major contractor said would be possible only if the Defense Department is able to issue contracts soon.

The Pentagon's top acquisition official spoke last week at a RAND Corp. event in Arlington, VA, alongside members of the congressional Planning, Programming, Budget and Execution Reform Commission:

DOD would 'love' a special counter-drone fund but senior officials say Congress will balk

Pentagon acquisition chief Bill LaPlante said the Defense Department would "love" to have a special category of money with spending flexibility to quickly counter attacks from unmanned drones, especially since U.S. adversaries change their tactics nearly every two weeks. But he also said he knows congressional appropriators think his wish for "agility" sounds a lot like a "slush fund."

FREE TO READ: F-35 engine upgrade program to run out of money in June without FY-24 budget
By
February 12, 2024 at 12:28 PM

Without an approved appropriations bill all F-35 Joint Strike Fighter engine modernization efforts, "to include the Engine Core Upgrade (ECU) and Power and Thermal Management Upgrade (PTMU), will be delayed," a spokesman for the the F-35 Joint Program Office is warning.

Inside Defense has the story, now available to all.