DoDIG heaps praise on use of middle-tier rapid acquisition
DoD acquisition personnel effectively leveraged the MTA [middle tier of acquisition] pathway for all 11 of the programs we reviewed to rapidly develop prototypes and […]
Programs
Did the 5000-series lead to longer cycle time for aircraft development?
Mosaic warfare is a concept that evolved over the last 5 or 6 years, both at DARPA but also by folks like Dan Patt and […]
The problem of shipbuilding capacity in expanding the Navy’s fleet
We’ve paired our shipbuilding capacity down to the bone. You see it not just in shipbuilding but in ship maintenance. We just can’t get ships […]
CBO analysis of FY22 shipbuilding plan — fewer VLS cells distributed across more ships
Most cruisers and destroyers in today’s fleet carry between 90 and 122 VLS [vertical launch system] cells. Although the LCS does not carry the VLS, […]
Is DoD starting to bridge the valley of death?
… funding for Advanced Components Development and Prototypes (6.4 funding) has increased from 20.4% of total RDT&E funding in 2012 to 30.2% in the enacted […]
F-16 makes in-flight software updates to EW system as proof of concept for much larger networking effort
Here’s Mike Benitez on the Aerospace Advantage podcast discussing in-flight updates to the ALQ-213 electromagnetic warfare system, which requires some programming to detect enemy radar […]
NASA, SpaceX, and the development of extravehicular space suits
In 2017, NASA decided to design, test, and produce xEMU [Extravehicular Mobility Units] suits in-house. As a result, the Agency would serve as the prime […]
Space Force doubles down on budget portfolios, but must think carefully about the structure
“One of the things that we’re trying to do out of our office is to think about: How would we manage by portfolio as opposed […]
The Pacific Deterrence Initiative, not what the commanders ordered
Congress established the Pacific Deterrence Initiative in last year’s National Defense Authorization Act to improve the posture and readiness of U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific region. However, […]
Army IVAS HoloLens program shows DoD how to do iterative requirements
Soldier input directly shaped many of the headset’s key features. Early prototypes included a HoloLens headset that engineers had affixed cameras to, goggles with weights […]
CBO compares cost of UAS and manned ISR aircraft
Conventional wisdom holds that UASs cost less than manned aircraft because they do not need life support equipment such as oxygen systems, cabin pressurization, and […]
The story of US Air Force’s Kessel Run
During a tour in the Central Command’s Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) in Qatar, the Defense Innovation Board (DIB) with Chairman Eric Schmidt (the thenexecutive […]
What’s holding back the BattleLab idea?
The Air Force Battle Lab wasn’t actually a lab, it was a group of seven mission-specific labs. The battle lab existed [from 1997-2007] to pair adapted […]
CBO analysis of Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan
Over the next 30 years, total ship purchases would be one-third higher under the December 2020 plan than under the previous one. The Navy envisions […]
JADC2 requires budget flexibility, LTG Dennis Crall says
We live with a set of acquisition rules as far as pace goes that probably fit the Cold War era very well. When you look […]