Acquisition experts ask Congress to address decline in small business awards. (FCW) “Agencies are increasingly consolidating contracts and adopting the use of category management, which has become “one of the top contributors to the shrinking number of small businesses in the federal market”… Recent Government Accountability Office reports have shown a major drop in small businesses supplying goods to the federal government, including one report which indicated a 17% decline between 2016 and 2019.”
Raytheon Technologies invests in hypersonic aircraft startup Hermeus. (Defense One) “Terms of the investment value were not disclosed; the funding is part of the Hermeus’ $100 million, Series B financing round. “Hermeus’ technical approach and business plan balances near-term defense applications with long-term commercial aspirations and will help our customers reimagine the possibilities of hypersonic technologies.” … Hermeus CEO AJ Piplica: “Speed is our lifeblood at Hermeus, and I’ve been impressed with the ability of the team at RTX Ventures to embody that virtue. We look forward to expanding collaboration and continued acceleration of our vision for a faster future.””
Congress wants potential 15 hull, 5 year destroyer deal at 3 ships a year. (USNI News) “The deal would authorize a 10-ship multi-year deal with options to buy five additional Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers from Fiscal Year 2023 to 2027…. The multi-year deal would set HII and BIW on a path to build three ships per year, with the majority of the work likely headed to Ingalls, USNI News understands. BIW has been plagued with production setbacks over the last several years, with a backlog of work exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic… Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) asked Gilday what the Navy needs to take on China at sea after showing a chart that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) would have 100 more warships by 2027… In response Gilday said, “you’re not going to change significantly between now and 2027 and so our emphasis is to deliver for the nation, the most lethal, the most ready, the most capable Navy that we can based on the resources that we have.”
Boeing reportedly melting down over disastrous spacecraft. (Futurism) “Boeing and its supplier, Aerojet Rocketdyne, are playing the blame game as the May 19 launch date for Starliner approaches swiftly — even as the rocket itself continues to have major issues… From burning fuel way too fast to ever reach the International Space Station to skipping crucial software tests, Starliner’s history has been fraught with setbacks that make it hard to believe it will ever truly be able to compete with SpaceX.”
Raytheon announces arrival of first LTAMDS radar to US Army test range. (Defence Blog) Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor: ” “LTAMDS provides dramatically more performance against the range of threats, from manned and unmanned aircraft to cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. Air defense forces around the world are taking notice of LTAMDS, with over a dozen countries showing formal interest in acquiring the radar.” … LTAMDS is a 360-degree, Active Electronically Scanned Array radar powered by RMD-manufactured Gallium Nitride, a substance that strengthens the radar’s signal, enhances its sensitivity, and increases its reliability… LTAMDS, designed specifically for the U.S. Army’s lower tier mission, is the first sensor in a family of radars Raytheon is calling GhostEye. These sensors can detect otherwise unseen threats at greater distances, higher velocities, and from any direction.”
Navy cost estimates on shipyard modernization wildly off, GAO tells Congress. (USNI News) “The cost of the Navy’s dry dock projects in the SIOP has, according to Navy estimates, grown by over 400 percent since 2018,” the GAO report states. “The Navy estimated in 2018 that its effort to improve the naval shipyards would require $21 billion over 20 years to implement. However, we reported in November 2019 that this $21 billion estimate does not include inflation and other significant costs, such as those for utilities, roads, or environmental remediation, which could add billions to the final cost.” Maurer in her oral testimony was referring to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s costs to replace its 100-year-old dry dock. The initial estimate for the first dry dock projects, which included Pearl Harbor, was $970 million in 2018; the estimate this year is over $5 billion… the service is asking for $1.7 billion this year and for $8.3 billion over the next five years to put the optimization plan on a firm footing… the Navy has continued to invest more than 6 percent to improve yard architecture and has adopted several metrics to better address issues delaying carrier and submarines’ return to the fleet.”
The danger of FVL incorporating too much IP and hindering spiral improvements. (Breaking Defense) Loren Thompson: “When FVL first began, we were fighting against enemies that had no air forces and no air defenses. Now we’re fighting enemies that have advanced defenses and a whole raft of other advanced capabilities, such as cyber attack, electronic attack, and various other non-kinetic technologies…. I’ve talked about this with Maj. Gen. Rugen, the director of the Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team, several times. He believes that he has found the right balance between having an open architecture and addressing industry concerns about the control of intellectual property. Now, it’s hard for me to judge that without knowing information that’s not publicly available. But if the Army is too concerned about industry’s intellectual property focus there’s a danger that this system will incorporate too much proprietary technology that doesn’t mesh easily with the network. My view is that the Army needs to control any of the intellectual property that defines the key capabilities of FVL. If it doesn’t control that intellectual property, then it runs the danger of fielding a system that can’t communicate in a timely fashion with other warfighters.
Pentagon tests high powered microwave system against drones. (Defense News) “Army officials running the effort said the vendors that came with high-power microwave capabilities were successful in defeating incoming drone threats, including two at a time… Three industry teams — Epirus, Raytheon Technologies and Leonardo DRS — brought ground-based, aerial-denial systems with high-power microwave capabilities… The targets ranged among UAS groups 1, 2 and 3 and were used either one at a time or two simultaneously. (Group 1 drones weigh up to 20 pounds; Group 2 from 21 to 55 pounds; and Group 3 more than 55 pounds but less than 1,320 pounds.)… The office also assessed countering small UAS as a service, or CaaS, through contractor-owned, government-operated capability at fixed locations. The office received a total of 25 whitepapers for CaaS and selected five to demonstrate their capabilities because they met specific requirements. Those five were Anduril Industries, Black Sage, CACI, Rafael Systems Global Sustainment and SAIC.”
The light amphibious warship is delays, but the Marine Corps has a temporary solution. (Defense News) “But moving forward on the [LAWs] program and awarding that contract simply hasn’t been possible, after the effort was crowded out of the Navy’s shipbuilding budget two years in a row. That’s put a damper on plans to use the ship to give small units of about 75 Marines the freedom to move quickly and discreetly while packing a big punch — carrying with them anti-ship missiles, reconnaissance drones, refueling and rearming materiel for friendly forces, and more… The Corps initially targeted a price tag of $100 million per hull, but the Navy later cited a $130 million price. More recently, the Navy said it hopes to keep the cost under $150 million apiece.”
Marines to update amphibious ops concept amid uncertainty over future ship count. (Defense News) “The Marine Corps has repeatedly said it requires at least 31 ships: 10 large amphibious assault ships that can carry fixed-wing vertical-takeoff jets and 21 smaller amphibious transport docks and dock landing ships that can carry surface connectors and helicopters… Berger and other leaders have in the past said it would take upwards of 50 amphibious ships to meet all these needs, if the Marine Corps were to fill all the combatant commanders’ requests for amphibious forces… the Navy’s long-range shipbuilding plan calls for 10 amphibs to be retired in the next four years alone, leading the force to dip to 25.”
Aerovironment secures $18M contract for killer drones for Ukraine. (Defence Blog) “The award, announced by the Department of Defense (DoD) on 6 May, covers hardware production of suicide drones called Switchblades… The U.S. already has already donated 400 Switchblade loitering munitions to Ukraine.” [FYI: DoD budget docs show $48M in FY 20 for Switchblades and received 425 units, and $69M in FY 22 for 900 units… that’s $113K and $76K per unit… other sources have cited a $60K per unit cost. If we run with $60K, then $18M can buy you 300 Switchblade 300s.]
First recorded use of US made switchblade 300 kamikaze in Ukraine. (Bulgarian Military) “Photos on social media show a completely destroyed drone. It is unclear whether the drone was shot down by Russian forces or fulfilled its mission… Experts suggest that the Switchblade 300 has most likely fulfilled its purpose, ie. he blew himself up, or hit, and blew up the target. Examining the photos, they noticed that only the tail [rear part] of the drone was taken in the photos… Another proof that the Switchblade 300 was used for its intended purpose is the lack of the outer shell, which means that it burned out in an explosion.”
Tank busting switchblade 600 drones have not arrived in Ukraine. (The Warzone) ““The Department has no active contract for Switchblade 600s and has only procured a small number of prototypes for research and development purposes.” The Pentagon is “actively working to establish a contract” to procure 10 Switchblade 600 drones, Maxwell said. The delivery date of those is not known and will be set once the contract is finalized, she said… “The SOF community has been using Switchblade because the Army has been dragging its feet. Switchblades are just not made very quickly and that’s a problem they are trying to fix. It’s a capacity issue.”
General Atomics unveils MQ-9B STOL for small flat tops. (Naval News) “General Atomics explained that the design is capable of operating from the U.S Navy’s America-class Landing Helicopter Assaults (LHA) and Wasp-class Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) ships. They can also operate aboard the Royal Australian Navy’s Canberra-class LHDs… While the MQ-9B STOL sacrifices some range so that it can fly from flat top amphibious warships, it still has a significant endurance of roughly 30 hours… Like the MQ-9B Sea Guardian, the MQ-9B STOL can carry and dispense sonobuoys. Promotional videos released by GA-ASI also depict the MQ-9B STOL carrying AGM-114 Hellfire and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.”
The Navy’s Independence class Littoral Combat Ships are cracking. (The Warzone) “… it was discovered that nearly half of the 13 ships Independence class ships currently in service have developed cracks in their hulls over the past few years. The cracks in question are caused by a design flaw in “higher-stress areas of the [ship’s] structure.” … The impact of the cracks was so great that the Navy issued a temporary standing order on Omaha. The ship is no longer allowed to travel at speeds above 15 knots, or 17 mph. For a ship that is designed for high-speed, including sprint speeds of over 50 mph, that is a massive restriction. The order also states that Omaha cannot operate in “sea state 4,” meaning in waters with a maximum wave height of 8.2 feet.”
Inside the US Air Force’s race to fund future fighters, bombers and autonomous drones before the next crisis. (Defense News) “[The US Air Force] wants to scale back its total planned purchases of the Jolly Green II HH-60W by one-third, to 75 in all, citing concerns they could be shot down by an enemy with advanced air defense systems… It [also] moves to shed older aircraft and drones — such as the A-10 Warthog and the MQ-9 Reaper drone — that would be too vulnerable against an advanced enemy. It also shifts funds toward advanced technology like the Next Generation Air Dominance family of systems, hypersonics research, procurement of the B-21 Raider bomber and research for an autonomous drone wingman.”
Four lessons that should upend the Pentagon’s five year strategy. (Defense One) John Ferrari: “First, we are likely to run out of bullets and weapons in a protracted, multi-front war. What should DoD do? Invest billions of dollars in building out surge capacity for munitions and weapons. Right now. Second, prepare for war this decade, not just for war next decade. Russia has shown us that a declining power will strike sooner rather than later. Third, nuclear modernization, while critical to our deterrence, must not be done at the expense of the conventional force. Finally, inflation might do more damage to our fighting force than has been done by any enemy or even the last decade’s period of sequestration. It appears that the U.S. might be on track for a two-to-three-year cumulative jump of nearly 20 percent. To put that into context, this is the same as reducing the defense budget by $160 billion.”
Lockheed Martin looks to nearly double Javelin missile production. (Axios) “Lockheed Martin intends to almost double production of Javelin missiles from 2,100 per year to 4,000 a year.“
Satellite images suggest China may have developed a new class of nuclear-powered submarine. (Fox News) “The images clearly show a submarine in dry dock, but shrouds over key areas of the vessel make it difficult to determine whether it is an entirely new class of ship or merely an upgrade to an existing model. The parts of the ship that would house both the launch tubes and propulsion are covered with what appears to be green tarp. The propulsion upgrade, if applied, would replace traditional spinning propellors with quieter pump-jets.”
Textron shows cottonmouth ARV armed with HERO loitering munitions. (Bulgarian Military) “Cottonmouth ARV is a next-generation amphibious purpose-built vehicle for the U.S. Marine Corps. Cottonmouth ARV was created with the idea of having a well-armed reconnaissance vehicle… Two crew members drove the Cottonmouth ARV, which could reach 105 km / h speed on the road and “swim” at a wave height of 1.21 meters [4 feet]. A total of five Marines can be transported by Cottonmouth ARV [this number does not include a crew of two]… Cottonmouth ARV was presented with HERO loitering munitions. HERO is a development of the American company UVision, which produces its ammunition in eight versions…. The HERO is controlled remotely by a communication system. The HERO is equipped with an electro-optical camera whose images are received by the command and control station.”
Leave a Reply