Defense Watch: Talon Blue News, Iranian Missiles, LTAMDS Award, DDG News
Pratt & Whitney confirmed its PW500 engine will power Northrop Grumman’s YFQ‑48A Talon Blue drone, positioning the platform for the Air Force’s Increment 2 CCA competition. Raytheon Technologies secured a $904.6 million LTAMDS radar contract, bringing its Army total to $5.4 billion and promising 360‑degree GaN‑based coverage for Patriot defenses. The Navy awarded multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar modernization contracts for destroyers DDG‑102 and DDG‑103, while Australia successfully test‑fired its first domestically‑produced GMLRS, joining the U.S. as the only exporter. DARPA also launched the HARQ quantum‑computing program, selecting 19 teams to pursue heterogeneous qubit architectures.
Army Exploring ‘Novel Contracting’ For Future Black Hawk Procurement After Current Multi-Year
The U.S. Army is weighing "novel contracting" options for future Black Hawk purchases as the current 10th multi‑year Sikorsky contract winds down next year. The existing five‑year, $2.3 billion deal, which could expand to $4.4 billion for over 270 helicopters, has already...
Army’s Work With OPV Black Hawk To Inform Bringing Autonomy To MV-75 FLRAA
The U.S. Army has accepted the first H‑60Mx Optimally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) Black Hawk, equipped with Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy suite, to serve as a testbed for autonomous capabilities on the upcoming MV‑75 Cheyenne II FLRAA tilt‑rotor. Recent DARPA‑originated demonstrations, including the...
Defense Watch: EA-37s in Wargame, Laser Use OK’d, Army ADOC, UAS Award, FMD Chief Back
The Air Force confirmed the EA‑37B electronic‑warfare jet’s first combat use in Operation Epic Fury and is pushing a fiscal 2027 request for up to 12 additional aircraft, while lawmakers have already funded two. The Department of Defense secured a safety agreement with...
Marine Corps Awards Textron, GD Deals For ARV ‘Pre-Production’ Vehicles, Plans Downselect In Early FY ‘31
The U.S. Marine Corps announced contracts with Textron Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems to build pre‑production Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicles (ARVs). Both firms will deliver three variants, including a new logistics configuration, by late FY2028. The prototypes will feed a...
Moving Target Indication, Orbital Warfare Among Areas Needing Increased Investment, Space Force Official Says
U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. Dennis Bythewood told a Mitchell Institute forum that the defense industrial base must receive more funding for moving‑target indication, launch infrastructure, orbital warfare, and positioning, navigation and timing (PNT). He emphasized the need to expand...
Defense Watch: GMTI, New SASC Member, CH-47F Award, Big sUAS Order
The U.S. Space Force is targeting a 2028 launch for its space‑based ground moving target indication (GMTI) radar satellites, despite Congress cutting the FY‑2026 R&D request from $1 billion to $719 million and reallocating funds. The Army awarded Boeing a $326 million contract...
AM General Says JLTV A2 Fielding On Track For 2026, Program Is ‘Healthy’ Amid Army Pivot
AM General says its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) A2 program remains on schedule, targeting initial fielding in the second half of 2026. The company reports a multi‑year production backlog driven by Army, Marine Corps and international orders, even as...
Official: UAS Marketplace Likely Not Army’s ‘Primary’ Option For Buying Launched Effects
The Army’s new UAS Marketplace, designed as an "Amazon‑like" portal for Group 1‑3 drones, will likely not serve as the primary acquisition channel for its launched‑effects programs. Capability executive Rodney Davis warned that launched effects demand massed capability and scale, which...
Army’s SkyFoundry Plan To Build Own Cheap Drones Has ‘Evolved,’ Official Notes Commercial Involvement
The Army’s SkyFoundry program, originally slated to internally produce 10,000 cheap drones per year, has pivoted to a fully commercial partnership model. Rich Martin, AMC’s supply‑chain director, emphasized that the service cannot scale drone manufacturing alone and will rely on...
Defense Watch: Railgun Testing, DOGE Endures, FAMM Engines, Faster FMS
The U.S. Navy restarted railgun testing at White Sands, gathering high‑velocity firing data for future Trump‑class battleships. The Pentagon’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team reported $5 billion in FY‑27 savings, while senior leaders warned that NATO allies must assume most...
Design And Production Challenges Loom For C-5M, C-17 Replacement
U.S. Air Force leaders warned that a prospective stealthy strategic airlifter to replace the aging C‑5M and C‑17 faces significant design and production hurdles. Gen. Randall Reed told the Senate Armed Services Committee that while strategic airlift remains a top...
Army Taps Elbit America To Join SBMC Development Effort, Will Test Prototypes This Year
The U.S. Army has added Elbit Systems of America to the Soldier Borne Mission Command (SBMC) development team, joining Anduril Industries and startup Rivet. Elbit will deliver and test its prototype hardware later this year as part of the SBMC...
Ukrainian Defense Companies Moving To All Domestic Production Of Components
Ukrainian drone and defense firms are rapidly localizing component production, now achieving 80‑90% domestic content for first‑level parts and aiming for 100% on‑shoring of critical systems. Companies such as The Fourth Law and Unwave are building a semiconductor fab to...
Drone Dominance Program Selects 11 Finalists For Potential Orders After First Gauntlet
The Pentagon’s Drone Dominance program announced the 11 companies selected for prototype orders in the first phase, known as Gauntlet I, of a two‑year effort to field hundreds of thousands of low‑cost one‑way attack drones. The finalists—ranked from Skycutter to...