GSA, DIU partner to make prototyped solutions more accessible. (Potomac Officers Club) “Under the agreement, GSA will use its FASt Lane process while DIU will use the other transaction authority and follow-on production contracting to onboard industry partners faster… GSA FASt Lane is a process in which eligible vendors can get shorter processing times for contracts that directly support federal customer agency requirements. Organizations that use this vehicle can expect a processing time of less than 48 hours for contract eMods or as quickly as 45 days for new eOffers… Agencies can access the prototyped solutions through the GSA Multiple Award Schedule vehicle, FedScoop reported. The two organizations previously worked on Blue UAS, [making] its offerings available through GSA.”
Cost of the B-52 re-engining program has increased 50 percent because of integration issues. (The Aviation Geek Club) “[Air Force acquisition executive Andrew] Hunter explained that the B-52 CERP has been conducted as a middle-tier acquisition program to get underway rapidly and develop a prototype system but is now moving to a “traditional” program, and the USAF is firming up the costs it expects to pay. He pointed out that the cost increases have more to do with integrating the engines on the B-52, which is a Boeing effort, and has less to do with the engines themselves, which will be built by Rolls-Royce… At Milestone B, “we will … have in our hands the real, full cost of what it will take to do it, and we’ll set the original baseline for the full program … at that point,” Hunter said.”
Most projects on Pentagon’s $5.7B lab wish list likely to stay unfunded. (C4ISRNET) “
In order to give lawmakers confidence in cost projections and execution timelines, Congress requires the services to have completed at least 35% of a project’s planning and design activities before it will consider providing funding. For fiscal 2023, only 26 of the 126 projects on DoD’s unfunded laboratory and testing infrastructure list meet that threshold. Those 26 projects represent about $486 million of the $5.7 billion gap for these efforts, which department officials say are critical for maintaining a technological edge and attracting talent… For the 100 projects that are not yet eligible for congressional funding, DoD estimates it would cost $368 million to bring them to the 35 percent threshold.”
Kessel Run’s software pathway strategy approved. (AFLCMC) “The Kessel Run Air Domain DevSecOps Portfolio consolidates 21 separate program efforts under a single acquisition strategy and establishes five Software Acquisition Pathway programs of record… “It helps us align our appropriated funds with our programs of record, in a way that allows us to maintain our DevOps Culture and approach to modernization,” said Rachel Mamroth, the Deputy Chief of Acquisitions for Kessel Run.”
Boeing’s Starliner successfully docks to the international space station for the first time. (The Verge) “… demonstrating that the vehicle can potentially bring humans to the ISS in the future. It’s a crucial capability that Starliner has finally validated in space after years of delays and failures… This mission is called OFT-2 since it’s technically a do-over of a mission that Boeing attempted back in 2019, called OFT. During that flight, Starliner launched to space as planned, but a software glitch prevented the capsule from getting in the right orbit it needed to reach to rendezvous with the ISS… Boeing and NASA revealed that two of the 12 thrusters Starliner uses for the procedure failed and cut off too early. The capsule’s flight control system was able to kick in and rerouted to a working thruster, which helped get Starliner into a stable orbit.”
Pentagon has quietly growing doubts about Boeing’s direction. (The Air Current) “The Pentagon’s top leaders, including the Secretary of the Air Force, Frank Kendall, recently sought internal and third-party analyses and recommendations on the future of the company… Consistent schedule delays, systemic manufacturing quality issues, cost overruns and a widening imbalance in its long-term market share with Airbus means it is ceding ground… “We’re on the verge of turning the corner,” said chief financial officer Brian West last week at an investor event.”
CNBC’s Disruptor 50: Anduril Industries. (CNBC) “Anduril has looked to separate itself from other defense industry companies by privately funding its own research and development, which it says allows it to deploy its products in months as opposed to years… Last year, the company raised $450 million in a Series D funding round that gave it a valuation of $4.6 billion, a round led by Elad Gil with participation from firms like Andreessen Horowitz and 8VC.”
Shorten MDAP lifespans to optimize long-term success. (Disrupting Acquisition Blog) Pete Modigliani: “DoD acquires major weapon systems for 30–50-year operational lifespans. In preparation for this, DoD spends years on rigorous requirements, analysis, technologies, contracts, designs, development, testing, and production. The result is often delivery of outdated technology or an ideal solution for the last war. The late industry and defense acquisition executive Dr. Jacques Gansler often joked: “The F-22 got its name because it took 22 years to deliver.” They do this because it’s the only system an operator will get … in their entire career… The Air Force is spending over $10 billion to extend the F-22 service life and upgrade critical components. If DoD cut a 30-year lifespan to 15 or even 10 years, that would be a major reduction in the system’s lifecycle costs to DoD.”
Defense tech chief wants all in one sensor. (Defense News) ““I’m interested in pushing the technology toward a single sensor that has the ability to listen, the ability to do jamming, the ability to communicate, the ability to inject, all in one,” Shyu said, without providing specific details of progress on such an advancement.”
ARRW flies at hypersonic speeds in first successful test. (Air Force Magazine) “… snapping a streak of three consecutive failed tests and giving the beleaguered hypersonics program a much needed boost. Off the coast of Southern California, the AGM-183A ARRW separated from the wing of a B-52H Stratofortress, according to an Air Force release. Its booster ignited and burned for an “expected duration,” flying at hypersonic speeds—at least five times the speed of sound… After spending upwards of $300 million in 2021 and 2022 on ARRW, the service’s budget request for 2023 is just $114.98 million. HACM, meanwhile, saw its funding spike to $316.89 million.”
Air Force to name newest hypersonic weapon maker by september. (Breaking Defense) “Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and Boeing are expected to complete preliminary designs for the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) this fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30… According to the budget, the HACM vendor will progress to the critical design review stage in FY23… Hypersonic cruise missiles like HACM are expected to be smaller and less expensive than boost-glide variants, allowing the Air Force to fit more missiles onto a wider variety of aircraft.”
Pentagon speeds tactical software to Ukraine. (National Defense Magazine) “The Android tactical assault kit is a version of a popular software application that was first developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory in 2010 and called the Android team awareness kit. The geospatial software allows users to quickly set up a network and give commanders real-time situational awareness of a battlefield… The consortium in the Pentagon decided to publicly release an open-source version of the team awareness kit app and bypass the hurdles inherent in the FMS process. “Ukrainians are not incapable of software development. They’re actually pretty advanced so any software development that they have, they will just build applications onto it.””
US Pacific fleet establishes USV division. (Naval News) “USVDIV One will oversee medium and large unmanned surface vessels including the Sea Hunter and its sister vessel, the Sea Hawk. The division will focus on unmanned surface vessel (USV) experimentation and fleet advocacy for the surface force.”
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