Acquisition headlines (5/3/2020)

New report says SLS rocket managers concerned about fuel leaks. NASA invested 10 years and $10 billion to develop the SLS core stage alone. Won’t be ready to go until 2022 (at earliest). And more on that. NASA will pay a staggering $146 million for each SLS rocket engine. The SLS will use 4 rocket engines per launch. This confirms signals that SLS will cost $2 billion per launch “into perpetuity.” Why hasn’t it been canceled? The work is spread to all 50 states!

Related: NASA’s billions of investment in SpaceX have been ‘very beneficial,’ agency chief. No kidding. SpaceX has had $7.2 billion obligated to it from the government — TOTAL — since 2008. Boeing SLS alone is way past that, and that doesn’t count Starliner, its part in ULA awards, and other programs.

Software innovations makes F-16 more capable. 40+ enhancements. Here’s how it was done: “OFP M7.2+ development encompassed over 300 personnel at seven locations. The 100% organic, in-house development met all requirements.” Love hearing this!

Can the Pentagon lead the tech sector again? Nice overview of recent developments. Good question: if many SBIR award now require private matching, what will happen if private capital dries up due to Covid-19 or otherwise?

Here’s one initiative that can give gov’t a good name for tech innovation: Thousands tune in for Air Force’s Agility Prime launch. That’s the Air Force’s venture for an eVTOL.

Speculative on UFOs but a good read: The Villager And The F-18. The UFO tracked by an F-18 went “from 28,000 feet to sea-level in approximately 0.8 seconds. This means the Tic-Tac was capable of achieving a velocity of at least 23,864 mph, which is 31 times the speed of sound.”

The Budget and the Truth. $38 billion of the Air Force’s $207 is “non-Blue,” passed through to black programs or otherwise.

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