Space Force unveils its ‘vision for a digital service.’ (USSF) “Acknowledging that space is the only physical domain without humans in place to conduct military operations, the digital vision document states “everything our operators experience is derived through data received from space and our ability to rapidly analyze that data to our advantage.” “
Surplus F-16 Vipers eyed to replace Navy aggressor squadron’s legacy F/A-18 Hornets. (The Drive) “Many of the ‘legacy’ Hornets have extremely high flight hours, making them increasingly costly to operate, with a stated cost per flight hour for the type pegged at $44,000. The new jets will also bring some notable enhancements to meet increasing demands for more robust ‘bandit’ threat training.”
Defense appropriators ‘disappointed’ with management of Space Force acquisition. (Space News) “Commercial enterprises are further ahead than our military,” said Calvert. “We need to understand how to integrate commercial enterprise with our own programs…. Too often over the past two decades, space acquisition programs have been delivered late and over budget — sometimes billions of dollars over budget,” she said. “The intent of establishing the Space Force was to fix these issues.”
Northrop Grumman to supply navigation payloads for DARPA’s blackjack satellites. (Space News) “The company will supply two payloads that broadcast a new signal that is not dependent on the Global Positioning System. “Northrop Grumman’s software-defined PNT technology will offer military users an agile new signal from low Earth orbit that is not dependent on existing satellite navigation systems.”
Why we need the Advanced Battle Management System. (Defense One) AF Vice Chief Allvin: “Stove-piped, single-service solutions that don’t integrate for joint force commanders are of little use in future joint warfare. Fast, agile, and resilient joint C2 is a future war-fighting imperative, and ABMS will answer that call… To do this, we must adapt our infrastructure to enhance the speed, agility, and resilience of the entire ABMS. We also will need policy and process changes, both within and between the services.”
GM Defense builds one-off electric ISV to impress the Army. (Motor 1) “The All Electric Concept Vehicle uses the General Motors eCrate electric powertrain. This consists of an electric motor making 200 horsepower (149 kilowatts) and 266 lb-ft (361 Newton-meters) of torque. There’s also a 60-kilowatt-hour, 400-volt battery, and the range is estimated at 70 to 150 miles… “There were no requirements to build anything of the sort. However, we wanted to show our Army customer what was possible in a short amount of time.”… GM Defense has a $214.3 million military contract to build the combustion-powered ISV for the Army.”
HoloLens 2 headset will be model for Army’s future acquisitions. (Fed Scoop) “The program shattered the usual multi-year — even multi-decade — timeline for fielding major Army acquisition programs, taking just 28 months to go from prototype to purchase, largely thanks to a novel structure of embedding soldiers in the design process, McConville said.”
Honeywell fined millions over exporting sensitive info on F-22, F-35, and more to China. (The Drive) “Honeywell ultimately identified 71 ITAR-controlled drawings that between July 2011 and October 2015 it had exported without authorization,” in a disclosure it voluntarily made in 2016. Two years later, the firm acknowledged a second set of unapproved exports… “The issues Honeywell reported involved technology that was assessed as having no impact on national security and is commercially available throughout the world,” the company said in a statement. “No detailed manufacturing or engineering expertise was shared.”
The government should stop threatening startups’ IP rights. (Federal News Network) “SBIR awardees must: Report inventions to the government within two months of conception; Make a written election of title within two years; and File an initial patent application within one year of the written election. Many SBIR startups stumble at the first of these deadlines because it arrives at a time when they have not even hired a lawyer… “I believed that under the SBIR program, my intellectual property would be protected,” said Gat. “But as soon as I proved my technology’s value, the government gave it to a large government contractor. Even though I had multiple patents and a non-disclosure agreement with the prime contractor, there was nothing I could do.””
Russian UAV technology and loitering munitions. (Real Clear Defense) “Zakharov boasted that Russian UAV development at least matches Israel’s, widely regarded as the leading UAV producer in the world. “I believe that we have not lagged behind; there is already a tendency for Israel to copy some things from us,” Zakharov claimed… “The combat drones of a potential enemy have speeds on the order of 150 kilometers per hour (km/h), and the Lantset is capable of hitting them. We, with our 300 km/h dive, will do it quite calmly” (TASS, April 19).”
Kratos to deliver first XQ-58A Valkyrie production unit in a ‘couple of months’ to USAF. (Flight Global) “In February, DeMarco said, as part of a 2020 fourth-quarter earnings call, that he anticipated the company delivering six to 10 production aircraft in 2021, depending on customer demand. “We have a hot production line,” he says, more recently, in the first-quarter earnings call. “We’re not building prototypes.”… Kratos has said previously that the cost of the XQ-58A would be $2 to $3 million per unit, depending on the quantity ordered.”
The Air Force’s first demonstration of the Skyborg autonomy system is a success. (Auto Evolution) “During the 2 hour and 10 minute-test, the ACS showed that it is able to successfully respond to navigational commands and perform coordinated maneuvering… By equipping the Kratos UTAP-22 UAV with the Skyborg autonomy core system, the aircraft is able to perform various operations independently.”
First test flight of Skyborg’s ‘computer brain’ flown on UTAP-22 loyal wingman drone. (The Drive) “It’s also worth noting that, as of April, the Air Force was only known to have taken delivery of three XQ-58As, though a dozen more were in various stages of production at that time… “The ACS demonstrated basic aviation capabilities and responded to navigational commands, while reacting to geo-fences, adhering to aircraft flight envelopes, and demonstrating coordinated maneuvering.” … The term “geo-fences” refers to virtually defined boundaries around a certain area.”
Tough conditions and contested communication are forcing the US military to reinvent AI. (Defense One) “Much of the artificial intelligence that regular consumers use every day work by connecting the device to large cloud computing capabilities elsewhere. Perhaps the most prominent are digital assistants such as Siri and Alexa… That kind of connectivity is often lacking where U.S. forces operate, but AI could still make a big difference in achieving missions.”
Huntington Ingalls bullish on unmanned growth. (Defense News) “In January, HII completed the first phase of its Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence with the construction of a 22,000-square-foot facility in Hampton, Virginia. The center will host the assembly of hull structures for Boeing’s Orca for the Navy’s Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle program. A second building for unmanned systems prototyping, production and testing is scheduled to be built by year’s end… However, amid skepticism in Congress over the Navy’s ability to quickly develop new technologies, lawmakers provided $238.9 million of the $579.9 million in research and development funding the Navy requested.”
How the Navy created a culture of innovation in big bureaucracy. (Forbes) “That’s why Geurts wants the Navy to be a ‘multi-dextrous’ organization…So how did the Navy increase organizational pivot speed and agility in the space of a few years? Geurts used what he calls the 4 D’s”: Massively Decentralize, Differentiate the Work, Maximize the Power of Digit, and Develop Talent. “What Geurts calls the ‘power of the digit’ means optimizing the use of digital technologies. “We need to get people out of the work so they can get back to thinking.””
Space Force to clear refurbished Falcon 9 booster for upcoming GPS launch. (Space News) “The upcoming launch of the fifth GPS 3 satellite known as SV05 will be the first mission under the national security space launch program to use a refurbished Falcon 9 booster… The contracts with SpaceX to launch both GPS SV05 and SV06 in 2021 were renegotiated last year to allow reused boosters, saving the government about $64 million, Bongiovi said.”
SpaceX’s Starship prototype rocket SN15 successfully lands after test flight. (CNBC) “Starship prototype rocket Serial Number 15, or SN15, flew as high as 10 kilometers, or about 33,000 feet… SN15 marked the first Starship prototype that was not destroyed after a high-altitude test flight. While a small fire broke out at the base of the rocket after the landing, the blaze appeared contained a few minutes later.”
F-35’s Carrier variant is finally going to sea. (Popular Mechanics) “The Osprey is the only aircraft capable of carrying the F-35C’s F135 turbofan engine from shore to ship, so it was essential for the Pentagon to acquire a new carrier transport to go along with the F-35C. Otherwise, the carrier would have to sail from the outset with spare engines embarked, taking up much-needed space in the ship’s stores section.”
More than 130 House lawmakers push to ramp up F-35 buy. (Defense News) “Meanwhile, the signatories of the letter argued that the program is mature enough “to continue to the ramp to full rate production,” when a total of 134 F-35s would be purchased per year: 80 F-35As, 24 F-35Bs and 30 F-35Cs.”
The F-35 question: Value vs. Price Tag. (National Defense Magazine) “I’m talking about the growing number of new nations who are lining up to buy the aircraft — the ones who have no obligation to acquire what is a very expensive aircraft, but choose to do so anyway. When I hear criticism that the F-35 isn’t up to snuff, I always wonder about the new international customers.”
Is space-as-a-service a viable option for the DoD? (Space News) “Space-as-a-service is a booming sector of the industry, offering remote sensing imagery, radio-frequency signal collection, communications, navigation, space situational awareness and weather data, among other products… The current ecosystem is “geared towards an old model where 98 percent of the dollars are going to a small set of companies doing a very finite architecture.” … Under this model, the military would buy payload accommodations on Loft Orbital-owned satellites.”
Loft orbital wins Space Force contract for edge computing in space. (Space News) “The contract is a Phase 2 SBIR sponsored by the Space and Missile Systems Center. The company will receive $750,000 in government funding and $750,000 in matching private funds for a total $1.5 million to finance the development of an edge computer processor that will function as a “brain” on Loft Orbital spacecraft… As part of the contract, Loft will develop a machine learning software to autonomously detect and counter cyber threats onboard the spacecraft. The contract funds a hardware-in-the-loop demonstration on the ground.”
DoD expands hacker program to all publicly accessible defense information systems. (DoD) “The program grew out of the success of the “Hack the Pentagon” initiative that began in 2016. That initiative enabled the Defense Digital Service to offer a “bug bounty” program and engage with hackers… Since the Vulnerability Disclosure Program’s launch, hackers have submitted more than 29,000 vulnerability reports, with more than 70 percent of them determined to be valid, officials said.”
US Navy issues details on new offensive anti-surface warfare (OASuW) increment 2. (Naval News) “OASuW Inc 2 is envisioned to be a long-range, carrier-based, strike fighter aircraft-launched weapon system providing ASuW capabilities. The program is part of the Navy’s Long Range Fires investment approach to meet objectives of the National Defense Strategy… LRASM won the Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (OASuW) Increment 1 program competition which called for the development of a new missile for the B-1B and Super Hornet to destroy ships from standoff ranges.”
609th AOC optimizes ATO production, first to use KRADOS operationally. (US Air Forces Central) “This is the biggest systems advancement the AOC has made since it first started using TBMCS in the 1990s,” said Col. Frederick “Trey” Coleman, commander of the 609th AOC. “We’ve been utilizing KRADOS in a beta environment since December.” … With its user-centered approach to development, Kessel Run’s mission is to rapidly deliver combat capabilities to warfighters and revolutionize the Air Force software acquisition process.”
Marine Corps suspends general over deadly AAV accident, Navy launches own investigation. (USNI News) “That investigation concluded that a series of training and readiness issues, including AAVs in subpar condition, led to the accident that killed nine service members.”
Inspector General launching evaluation into the Pentagon’s actions with UFOs. (The Debrief) “In mid-August of 2020, the Pentagon formally acknowledged they had established a task force looking into UAP [unmanned aerial phenomena]… the IG Office’s decision to launch the evaluation was prompted by complaints from congressional leadership regarding the DoD’s handling of the UAP topic.”
DoD to flex CSO fast-track buying powers for consulting services. (Bloomberg Government) “Depending on the outcome of the Space Force change management program, defense agencies could consider pursuing CSOs to deliver innovation in other professional services domains, such as financial management, human resources management, risk management, or supply chain management.”
JADC2 strategy in the works, possibility for investment fund. (Federal News Network) “In the digital age, putting us on a five-year acquisition cycle for funding makes it really challenging to identify a set of capabilities or requirements,” Crall said. “We end up getting yesterday’s technology delivered tomorrow by the time those funding streams come through and you execute those contracts.”
No 5-year POM likely in DOD’s 2022 budget. (Breaking Defense) “The Biden administration’s first budget this year won’t include a five-year spending plan, keeping with precedent set by the last three administrations in their first term… The Biden team’s focus, Hicks hinted, would be solely on the 2022 budget, pushing long-term decisions to next year’s budget build. “
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