The Air Force has formally established a $3.8 billion cost estimate for the UH-1N replacement program -- a price tag that is 65 percent higher than the $2.3 billion contract award announced in September when the service picked Boeing to build a fleet of MH-139 utility helicopters.
Daily News
January 22, 2019
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The Pentagon is attempting agile software development for 15 weapon and business systems under a pair of pilot programs mandated by Congress.
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The Navy is looking to accelerate a mine neutralization system linked to a new mine countermeasures vessel, and will consider using an accelerated acquisition designation to do so, according to the program manager.
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January 19, 2019
The Air Force's National Air and Space Intelligence Center is warning cyber vulnerabilities in supporting infrastructure could thwart advancements in satellite and space technologies, an assessment that comes as the Trump administration is pushing expanded military operations in space.
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Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, backed by top brass and senior Pentagon officials, has directed the Army and Missile Defense Agency -- along with the Joint Staff -- to resolve by mid-June a $10 billion dispute that for years has bedevilled plans to transition responsibility for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system from the agency to the service.
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January 18, 2019
The necessary capabilities and mission sets for a future Navy auxiliary ship only recently disclosed to the public are being developed by three separate but overlapping requirements evaluation teams, according to a Navy program manager responsible for auxiliary fleet programs.
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The Navy views its reactivation of U.S. 2nd Fleet as a move back to when the service still included NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic, according to the U.S. Fleet Forces commander.
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After delaying the start of an official competition for an off-the-shelf light-attack aircraft, the under secretary of the Air Force confirmed today the service would continue an experimentation campaign and perhaps broaden its pool of aircraft contenders.
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January 17, 2019
Congressional Democrats are pushing back on elements of the recently unveiled Missile Defense Review, calling into question the cost and feasibility of potentially deploying a space-based interceptor layer.
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The 2019 Missile Defense Review directs a dozen follow-on studies with implications to dramatically expanding the $180 billion Ballistic Missile Defense System by potentially growing the land- and sea-based interceptor fleets, adding the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter into the missile defense sensor network, initiating a hypersonic defense program and expanding space-based capabilities.
(1093 words)
The 2019 Missile Defense Review directs a dozen follow-on studies with implications to dramatically expanding the $180 billion Ballistic Missile Defense System by potentially growing the land- and sea-based interceptor fleets, adding the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter into the missile defense sensor network, initiating a hypersonic defense program and expanding space-based capabilities.
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The Air Force has achieved critical design review for a major upgrade to the B-2 bomber's defensive management system.
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The Navy is now estimating the costs of follow-on next-generation frigates will be near $800 million, edging away from the $950 million threshold it announced last year, the program manager told attendees today at the Surface Navy Association symposium.
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Missile Defense Review recommends 'urgent investment,' calls for studying role of space-based lasers
President Trump will unveil a new blueprint for missile defense spending, posture and policy on Jan. 17 that calls for "urgent investment" in next-generation capabilities including space-based systems -- such as kinetic and laser interceptors -- as part of an envisioned future shield needed to address an expanded range of new and advanced offensive missiles threatening the Unites States and its allies.
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To maintain dominance in the air, the Army is starting a new science and technology program to develop technology enabling manned and unmanned aircraft to work together.
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A Navy official on Wednesday touted testing of the Navy's new Air and Missile Defense Radar program, noting the radar "successfully performed" during 14 ballistic missile tests.
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January 16, 2019
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has narrowed a pool of potential competitors in its responsive launch challenge from 55 to 18 and plans to announce those companies by the end of February.
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A mandatory audit of major weapon system programs turned up no cost growth in fiscal year 2018, which means the Office of the Secretary of Defense did not impose a penalty tax -- for a fourth consecutive year -- on any of the military services as required by law.
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The Defense Department has received final recommendations from a special advisory panel on intellectual property rights indicating the struggle between defense contractors and the Pentagon over ownership and access to technical data is far from over.
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The Navy will not procure two units of an experimental high-energy laser in fiscal year 2019 as planned, and will instead adhere to a congressional procurement fence that allows the service to buy only one unit, according to a spokesman for the Navy secretary.
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