How AI/ML margins differ from traditional software
Here’s a good segment from the a16z podcast discussing how AI/ML companies are different than traditional software in terms of margins. Ultimately, what matters most […]
software
The Trojan Horse: Wrapping software in metal to make the sale to DoD
Here is Trae Stephens, partner at Founder’s Fund, talking with Vago Muradian on the Defense and Aerospace Podcast. We found that selling software was incredibly […]
Podcast: Risk taking, commercial tech, and the ARCI program with Bill Johnson
I was pleased to have Bill Johnson on the Acquisition Talk podcast to talk about how he helped bring commercial technology, open architecture, and continuous […]
Podcast: New approaches to intellectual property with Babak Siavoshy
Babak Siavoshy joined me on the Acquisition Talk podcast to discuss opportunities for improving intellectual property and software data rights practices in defense contracts. He […]
How the Saab Gripen fighter can rapidly develop and deploy software
The ability to embrace change was one of the important factors taken into account while designing Gripen E. The fighter, with its smart split avionics, […]
Transformations in defense budgeting — from BA 8 to portfolios
Congress is looking to slightly expand the new appropriation for software, BA 8, from 9 pilot programs to 12. Jared Serbu has a great article […]
GMU Playbook: Reduce risk with modular contracting
In this week’s blog post on Mason GovCon’s acquisition playbook study, we discuss modular contracting for software-intensive systems. The Federal Acquisition Regulation prefers modular contracting […]
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 […]
Should R&D and Procurement be separated or paired together?
Basically research and procurement are incompatible. New developments are upsetting to procurement standards and procurement schedules. A procurement group is under the constant urge to […]
Management by CDRLs leads to desk engineering
What is a CDRL? It stands for Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL), but in “government-speak” a CDRL is shorthand for any contractually mandated documentation (reports, […]
Will Roper wants to end the “trickle down” economics of defense contracting
Let me quickly break some things down. When we entered into the late Cold War and systems for the military especially the Air Force became […]
New defense policy released for Software Acquisition Pathway – DoDI 5000.87
Programs executing the software acquisition pathway are not subject to the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS), and will be handled as specifically provided […]
Throw out the linear model of innovation for tinkering at the frontiers
One of the posts I wrote was a case study of the transistor. The transistor was invested at Bell Labs in the semiconductor research group. […]
A new trajectory for the digital century series aircraft program?
The original Century Series was intended to master the critical emerging technologies of its time: revolutionary improvements in hardware for jet propulsion and supersonic flight, which were central […]
Will bureaucracy descend on the Air Force ABMS program?
The Air Force’s ABMS is a family of systems intended to replace the command and control capabilities of aging legacy programs and develop a network […]