Will Roper on the Air Force pitch bowl: “Post SXSW cancellation, we changed our Pitch Bowl in Austin to a YouTube Live event. Results were fantastic! Over 5,000 online attendees, 88 virtual pitches, 60 online Air Force and Space Force judges, and 599 governnment contracts worth $625M in the largest small biz transaction in gov’t history. Frontlining were our first AFVentures “big bet” awards: 21 companies, $113M of SBIR funds, $117 of matching Program funds, and $349M of matching private investment! Amazing Airmen. Amazing companies. Amazing possibilities!” Here’s more on that.
U.S. Explains 12% Premium Added To Poland’s F-35A Price Tag. Gated. Basically, inflation and a surcharge.
Destroyers left behind: US Navy cancels plans to extend service lives of its workhorse DDGs. ComNavOps comments: “Everyone outside the Navy knew it wasn’t going to happen and now the Navy has officially admitted it. This is why you come to this blog.”
With a dozen-plus initiatives, the Air Force is cutting decades from the acquisition process. A slice: With each experiment, Roper said he’s looking for 10 to 15 percent more capability, learning at each step, and thus achieving “velocity” of improvement. “The technology changes that quickly,” [Roper] said. “The CONOPS [concept of operations] and the warfighting approaches are going to have to adapt at a speed that’s equivalent.” He added that ABMS will “emerge, slice by slice,” rather than all at once.
Software wins modern wars: What the Air Force learned from doing the Kessel Run. Here’s a good line: “As an example, if you’ve never built a car before, you’d be well served to first try to build something that can drive—a go-kart, not a Ferrari. In the context of Kessel Run, both the organization and its products leveraged this model: start small, refine, and scale.”
AFWERX to Launch Four Challenges to Accelerate Space Innovation.
Keeping an F-35 flying requires proficiency in over 700 tasks — meet the airmen who can do them all. The large number of tasks is indicative of high sustainment costs and over complications.
What haven’t they done it already!? Rep. Whittman Pushing Navy to Buy Used Cargo Ships. “You’ve had this authorization for two years to go buy these two used ships, they’re out there, it’s not like you have to go shopping for them, they’re out there and you have additional authority to buy up to five more.”
Satellite operators hint at fear of SpaceX, Blue Origin becoming competitors. Fear because vertical integration with launch could give the companies an advantage.
New KC-46A tankers unable to fly refueling missions. (Skip the survey.) “Until the issue with the Remote Vision System (RSV) problem is resolved, the new planes cannot fly their primary missions of in-flight refueling of other aircraft. Instead, they may be deployed for air lifts and medical evacuations.”
Hanwha launches Australian defence industry portal. If there isn’t already, shouldn’t there be a supply chain platform for defense companies? “https://hanwha.benchon.com/ – was recently unveiled by Hanwha Defense Australia and allows local companies to identify and bid for Hanwha supply-chain opportunities.”
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