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 burden by 2035. The Air Force awarded PBS Aerospace a $3 million contract for FAMM turbojet engines, underscoring a push for affordable mass munitions. Defense officials emphasized that expanding production capacity, not streamlining Foreign Military Sales, is the critical bottleneck for delivering new weapons.
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...
Defense Watch: Parts Framework, Canadian CCA, PWSA Ideas, Startup Raises
The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates the first 100 days of the U.S. “Epic Fury” operation against Iran cost $3.7 billion, highlighting unbudgeted munitions spending. The Pentagon is expanding framework agreements to secure F‑35 parts and other critical munitions,...
Significant Department Of Air Force Readiness Boost May Come From Process Automation, Epsilon3 Exec Says
Epsilon3, a Los Angeles‑area startup, has secured contracts with the U.S. Air Force and Space Force to automate manual testing and launch procedures using AI‑driven software. The platform digitizes test plans, tracks aircraft and satellite testing, and provides real‑time analytics to...
DoD Wants Space-Based Commercial Imagery Solutions For Domain Awareness In GEO
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has issued a solicitation for commercial space‑to‑space imaging solutions to monitor satellites in geosynchronous orbit (GEO). The contract calls for a minimum viable product delivering high‑resolution electro‑optical images within two years, enabling object identification and...
Defense Watch: F-47 Engine, Army News, Leidos Realigns, New SRM Facility
On Feb. 18 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth toured Boeing’s St. Louis site as RTX’s Pratt & Whitney announced it will fast‑track the XA103 engine for the upcoming F‑47 sixth‑generation stealth fighter, with detailed design review completed and a prototype slated for...
SAIC Lowers Fiscal Year 2026, 2027 Outlook On Softness In IT Market
Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) announced it will lower its fiscal 2026 fourth‑quarter sales outlook and its fiscal 2027 revenue and earnings guidance. The company cited a slowdown in the broader IT services market, which has eroded demand for its...
Defense Watch: MQ-25 Taxiing, Harpoon Testing, Machina Raise, TNT Awards
The Defense Watch roundup spotlights several pivotal milestones: HII’s Newport News division completed builder’s sea trials of the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN‑79) with delivery now targeted for March 2027; Boeing’s MQ‑25A Stingray unmanned tanker performed its first low‑speed taxi; the Navy concluded...