US plans to sell Ukraine armed MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones. (The Warzone) “Introducing the MQ-1C Gray Eagle, however, would give Ukraine a high-endurance unmanned system with capabilities that exceed that of the TB2. An MQ-1C can carry powerful internal sensors, as well as external podded systems, like radars and electronic warfare systems. Most importantly, a Gray Eagle can carry up to four AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles. A TB-2 typically carries 48-pound Turkish-made MAM-L missiles with about half the heft of the hard-hitting Hellfire… The export of U.S. drone technology, in particular, is highly regulated, and it isn’t clear how those regulations would impact the MQ-1C transfer to Ukraine under these emergency circumstances… Even though Congress can still block the sale, there appears to be support for increasingly advanced weapons transfers to Ukraine.”
Turning the so-called valley of death green. (National Defense Magazine) “Early and active customer engagement with users is the market research necessary to create a map across the Valley of Death. It also helps create the market, by informing the requirements community of emerging technologies that are ready for incorporation into systems. Any community’s influence on these requirements may help drive programming and budgeting of funding for the transition of successful programs…. Another best practice is streamlined acquisition vehicles to shorten timelines… Other activities include: making full use of the sole source follow-on contract authorities built into the small business program to move projects into development and production; using the authorities under Section 4004 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code to move projects solicited under broad agency announcements into low-rate production; or using the follow-on production authorities under other transaction agreements.”
Israeli prime minister: Laser air defense to cost $2 per missile interception. (Washington Examiner) “The country’s new air defense system, known as Iron Beam, will only cost the country $2 per interception, a significant cost reduction compared to existing shoot-down systems, which cost tens of thousands to millions to track and eliminate missiles.”
Chinese aircraft carrier seen with a fleet of drones on its deck. (The Warzone) “Images have emerged online that appear to show multiple examples of at least two different types of commercial or commercial-derivative drones with vertical takeoff and landing capability on the deck of the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong… One Chinese design that could fit the general description of the front-mounted propeller types is JOUAV’s CW-20, which features a gasoline-powered main engine and electrically-powered rotors for VTOL operation.”
US military may need innovation overhaul to fight future wars, Milley says. (Defense News) “The Pentagon has been trumpeting its stepped up investments in emerging technologies and last week made its latest tech-focused organizational move. An Emerging Capabilities Policy Office will help integrate autonomous systems, hypersonic tech, directed-energy weapons, and other innovations into the department strategy, planning guidance and budget processes… “The institutions we have today may or may not be optimally designed to leverage these technologies,” he said… “We’re in the middle of a real, unbelievable fundamental change, which is probably the biggest fundamental change in the history of warfare.””
The Air Force’s secret next-gen fighter has reached development phase. (Breaking Defense) “We have now started an [engineering, manufacturing and development] program to do the development aircraft that we’ll take into production,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said during an event at the Heritage Foundation. “We think we’ll have the capability by the end of the decade.”…
Moving to the EMD stage more than likely means that the Air Force has coalesced around a single fighter design made by a single prime contractor.”
Transforming Technology Procurement. (IBM Center for the Business of Government) “While the typical lifecycle of a warship from concept to disposal is 60 years, the typical lifecycle of a technology asset is 5 to 8 years. Acquiring the IT that supports the warship using the same approach as for the warship itself — and doing so on a fixed cost basis — almost guarantees failure… purchases often need to be modular and provide modular benefits. Even the technology used in defense assets – like communications systems on a ship – need to be purchased as components that must change and be updated over time…Agile development and traditional, fixed-price IT procurement methods that rely on predefined requirements are not compatible. As a result, procurements are becoming less tied to highly detailed requirements and more tied to well-defined business outcomes.”
Raytheon’s Collins Aerospace selected by NASA for spacesuit contract. (Seeking Alpha) “NASA said providing the suits and related services could be valued at a total of $3.5B over a series of missions during the next dozen years…NASA also chose Axiom Space Inc., a company that is organizing private flights to the International Space Station, and agency officials said having two companies to call on for suits will provide backup options and should help drive costs down as the two teams compete.”
DoD tells industry how it will handle cost of inflation. (Federal News Network) “The Pentagon released clarifying guidance explaining how it will specifically handle cost differences in different contract agreements… “Since cost impacts due to unanticipated inflation are not a result of a contracting officer-directed change, DoD should not agree to contractor REAs [on FFP contracts] submitted in response to changed economic conditions,” the memo states… “Including an EPA [economic price adjustment] clause may enable a contractor to accept a fixed-price contract without having to develop pricing based on worst case projections to cover the cost risk attributable to unstable market conditions because of the EPA clause’s built-in mechanism to mitigate such risk,” the memo states.”
Could a stealth makeover save the A-10? How to drag the Warthog into the future. (Sandboxx) “Yet, unfortunately, as awesome as the phrase “Stealth Warthog” would be to see emblazoned across a new development program, the way the A-10 engages the enemy runs counter to how stealth aircraft have to operate in order to maintain a low profile in contested airspace… Just about every facet of the A-10 airframe would have to be redesigned in order to mitigate detection… While Spawn’s pitch for arming the A-10 with JASSMs is a convincing one, his discussion about using the A-10 to deliver a high volume of ADM-160 Miniature Air-Launched Decoys is even harder to ignore. Not exactly a weapon, the MALD is an ingenious air-launched flight vehicle developed by Raytheon systems to perfectly mimic the radar signatures of any aircraft in American or allied arsenals… The more advanced MALD-J also offers radar-jamming capabilities.”
Pentagon recovered millions from contractors using tip line, report shows. (Federal Times) “The Pentagon recovered $13.2 million in six months from private contractors who committed violations in connection with awards, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General said… During that time, more than 8,000 allegations of wrongdoing were submitted to the hotline. For all the complaints, less than half had cases opened in response.”
Congress is right: accelerate the E-7 Wedgetail buy. (Breaking Defense) “Sunsetting AWACS without a viable, direct replacement will ravage the ABM [air battle managers] career field, which is already under tremendous strain given what is happening with the JSTARS… the RAF only had 446 fighters to ward off 3,500 operational German combat aircraft in the summer of 1940 [and were effective because they had radar to make the best use of what they had]… the Air Force only has roughly 160 F-35s and 100 F-22s operationally available… Making the most of a small force demands smart C2…. Options include the Air Force requesting reprogramming of FY22 money with new start authority so they can get the E-7 on contract months earlier than currently planned. It is also worth looking at ordering more than one aircraft with the initial contract, while also working to ensure sub-contractors are empowered to accelerate delivery of long lead items, like radar and avionics.”
Pilot who landed KC-130J in a farmer’s field after midair collision with F-35 receives distinguished flying cross. (The Aviationist) “The KC-130J pilot managed to carry out a successful crash landing despite extensive damage to the engines on the right-wing and the refueling pod, saving the life of all the crew members who assisted him during the emergency.”
USDS procurement team, equity director join forces to improve contracting market research. (Fed Scoop) “While many companies learn about IT procurements through the federal government’s SAM.gov procurement database, some agencies also use LinkedIn and GitHub to get the word out, and USDS is evaluating the viability of such alternatives, she added. Kasule’s team is also working on folding in the language, or at least the spirit, of the Biden administration’s recent Cybersecurity and Customer Experience (CX) executive orders into future contracts.”
China might be developing weapons to shoot down Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites. (Interesting Engineering) “This seems to be the attitude of researchers in China, who’re working on ways of disabling and potentially eliminating SpaceX’s Starlink satellites… according to an initial report from the South China Morning Post… The paper argues that China should develop anti-satellite capabilities — the first steps of which would call for a massive surveillance system that can track and monitor every one of Musk’s satellites… But Yuanzhen noted how Starlink satellites feature ion thrusters, which enables them to execute a rapid change in orbit — in case they are targeted.”
H-20: China’s new stealth bomber could have a 7,500 mile range. (1945) “The new bomber would have a payload of 45 tons, meaning the H-20 could carry nuclear-armed bombs or missiles – maybe even nuclear-tipped hypersonic cruise missiles. The H-20 might also equip conventional munitions such as land-attack cruise missiles that could threaten U.S. interests in the Indo-Pacific region. It may not be until the late 2020s before the H-20 is produced in numbers, but the dual-use capability, stealth characteristics, and long range make the aircraft’s development worth tracking.”
Saab’s anti-tank systems could find new life thanks to Ukraine conflict, updated capabilities. (Breaking Defense) “The company, ranked as the 36th largest defense firm in the world, seems likely to welcome the opportunity to get its equipment into the hands of more NATO nations…. The centerpiece of Saab’s man-portable arsenal is the latest M4 variant of the Carl Gustaf (aka “Charlie G”, “Charlie Swede” and a host of other nicknames) 84mm recoilless rifle… Over the two days of demonstrations the lethality of the M4 against a wide range of targets was demonstrated [A Canadian-provided M4 destroyed a T-90M in Ukraine recently]…The two other major weapons demonstrated were two single-shot-and-discard designs: the several variants of the AT4, perhaps the most versatile weapon produced by Saab, and the Next Generation Light Anti-Armour Weapon (NLAW), with a significant UK supply chain and final assembly there… Ukrainian field commanders have stated the NLAW has been far more effective in the conflict against armored vehicles than any of its Soviet-design analogues. The system has been called the “weapon of choice” by some Ukrainian officers and is credited with between 30-40 percent of the kills recorded against Russian MBTs… “Ammunition consumption” in the Ukrainian conflict, he stated, “is through the ceiling.”
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