As Enterprise’s keel is laid, Navy and industry advocate for another aircraft carrier ‘block buy.’ (Breaking Defense) “The Enterprise (CVN-80) and the ship to follow it, the Doris Miller (CVN-81), were purchased by the Navy in a “block buy” agreement in late 2018. That phrase essentially means the service negotiated all the supplies and labor for both ships in a single agreement, resulting in what the Pentagon said was an estimated $4 billion in savings due to ordering in bulk and avoiding higher than anticipated inflation in recent years… everyone extolled the advantages of such a deal should the Navy decide to pursue another pair of Ford class ships, what would be CVN-82 and CVN-83… “Think about what happened in the world over the last couple years with inflation,” said HII chief executive Chris Kastner. “We were able to place the vast majority of the orders for [CVN-81] before that inflation hit. It’s just smart buying by the Navy.””
Navy on track to deploy Project Overmatch capabilities with carrier strike group in early 2023. (Fed Scoop) ““What we’re aiming for and we’ve actually had a lot of success with is developing a network of networks that allows us to transfer any data over any network. So it’s a software-defined communication, communication-as-a-service framework, where software actually decides what that prioritized information is and what’s the best path it should take to get to a decision maker,” he [Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday] said… “We believe that the Navy is on a path to deliver the Navy tactical grid, which we think could easily become the joint tactical grid as part of … JADC2 for the Department of Defense. We feel we’re in a very good path right now in terms of our experimentation,” he added… Project Overmatch has been the CNO’s No. 2 priority behind only the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program.”
No time to waste: The Pentagon needs an innovation overhaul. (National Interest) “In an ideal world, the DoD would be intentional about the technologies it decides to transition. Officials would shepherd innovative capabilities into major procurement programs and leave the valley of death filled with the dried, bleached bones of mediocre ideas. But the reality is that today, the valley is also strewn with the remains of good ideas that never got rescued… The problem is not the valley of death itself, but rather the fact that leaders don’t actually know what their priorities are—they don’t know which capabilities they should save and which should be left for dead.
China could overtake US in space without urgent action, warns new Pentagon report. (Defense One) “The U.S. lacks a clear and cohesive long term vision, a grand strategy for space that sustains economic, technological, environmental, social and military (defense) leadership for the next half century and beyond.”… After becoming the first nation to land on the far side of the moon in 2019 and then landing on Mars in 2021, China is preparing to conduct short lunar missions within eight years and send large pieces of equipment to the moon in the 2030s. It is also building a space station in low-Earth orbit, and could become the only country to have an orbital outpost when the International Space Station retires in 2031.”
Unmanned surface vehicle Mariner next ghost fleet vessel to join the Navy. (USNI News) “the Navy christened its latest Ghost Fleet Overlord unmanned surface vehicle, putting the service on a path to ramp up autonomy experimentation with its fleet of USVs. Mariner, which Gulf Craft built on spec at its Franklin, La., facility under prime contractor Leidos, will help the Navy advance testing for the autonomous technology needed for USVs. It will also add to the wide array of commercial systems – like sensors, satellite links, radars and communications suites – that the Navy is experimenting with across its fleet of USVs.”
US Air Force launches $5bn initiative to develop adaptive engine for sixth-gen fighter. (Flight Global) “Dubbed the Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) programme, the $4.88 billion initiative provides funds to five US-based defence manufacturers: Lockheed Martin, GE Aviation, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon subsidiary Pratt & Whitney. The firms have a general timeline of completing the design and prototyping phase of development by 2032. The concept behind a so-called “adaptive engine” is a powerplant that, unlike fixed-cycle engines, can seamlessly adjust internal airflow and pressure to allow for both highly fuel-efficient long-range cruising and the high levels of thrust and acceleration needed for air combat.”
Was a USAF MQ-9 Reaper drone shot down over Libya? (AeroTime) “A US-made MQ-9 Reaper UAV came down over Libya, just outside the city of Benghazi, on August 23, 2022. Ahmed al-Mismari, the spokesperson for the Libyan National Army (LNA), reported that a drone was shot down while it was carrying out a reconnaissance mission near Benghazi in eastern Libya. Since 2019, the former general turned warlord has clashed with the Government of National Accord based in Tripoli. The United States Air Force confirmed it had lost a drone in the area.”
Five Type 052D destroyers under construction in China. (Naval News) “The picture published on Chinese microblogging website Weibo by user @lyman2003 shows the five hulls at various stages of completion at the Dalian shipyard. Located in Northern China, it is one of two Chinese yards building large, destroyer-size, surface combatants. China’s shipbuilding industry launched a record 10 Destroyers in 2019 with 8 more in 2021… The Type 052D Kunming-class is considered as the Chinese equivalent to the American AEGIS destroyers… The Type 052D is intended for the high seas. It shares almost the same platform as its predecessor, the Type 052C, but has more advanced combat systems and illustrates perfectly the Chinese military’s “Run fast with small steps” approach in their weapons development.“
Stealthy target drones sought as QF-16 program winds down. (The Warzone) “This comes as the service appears to be moving toward winding up purchases of QF-16 Viper Full Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) drones, which are converted from retired F-16 fighters, with one of two conversion lines recently shutting down entirely…The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio posted a request for information (RFI) regarding a supersonic-capable Next Generation Aerial Target (NGAT)… An aerial target drone, like the proposed NGAT, is typically used for the testing and evaluation of air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles, countermeasures, radars, and other sensors, as well as simulating various aerial threats during regular training and larger exercises.”
L3Harris reveals delivery timeline for VAMPIRE systems for Ukraine. (Fed Scoop) The Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment (VAMPIRE) technology was part of a broader $3 billion military aid package announced by the Biden administration earlier this week. The company describes the capability as “a portable kit that can be installed on most vehicles with a cargo bed for launching of the advanced precision kill weapons system (APKWS) or other laser-guided munitions.” It can attack airborne targets such as drones, or ground targets, and was designed to fit into pickup trucks or other vehicles with a flat surface. The design also allows for fast set-up, and installation can be completed in approximately two hours by two people using common tools, according to L3Harris.
We need to own the heat the way we now own the night, Pentagon climate leader says. (Defense One) “My counterpart of the Joint Staff, the J4, is propagating a joint operating concept around the fact that we are now in a contested logistical environment,” Kidd said. “If we look forward to a fight against a potential near-peer adversary, a lot of our fueling assets, like fueling ships at sea or tankers in the air, are now at risk in a way they’ve never been in the past. So we have to think comprehensively, not just about the soldier at the tactical edge, but about aircraft in flight and ships at sea. Across the board, we need to add redundancy and more sort of fuel handling capacity.”
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