Air, Space & Cyber Conference. As the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force prepare for the week’s annual Air and Space Forces Association Air, Space & Cyber Conference, eyes are on who will replace Air Force Chief of Staff David Allvin, who is departing his post less than two years into the role. Candidates to replace Allvin include Air Force Gen. Thomas Bussiere, the head of Air Force Global Strike Command near Barksdale, La.–the hometown of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), and newly retired Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, who headed Air Combat Command and Pacific Air Forces in two of his previous jobs. In July, President Donald Trump nominated Bussiere to become Air Force Vice Chief of Staff.
Olympic Defender. This month, the U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM) and the United Kingdom Space Command executed a Rendezvous Proximity Operation (RPO) during Multinational Force-Operation Olympic Defender–the “first-ever coordinated satellite maneuver” between the agencies, according to SPACECOM. The RPO “repositioned a U.S. satellite to examine a U.K. satellite and assure our ally of its nominal operation in orbit,” SPACECOM said.
Army FUZE. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll on Sept. 15 detailed the service’s new FUZE initiative, which aims to consolidate the xTech, Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer, Manufacturing Technology and Technology Maturation Initiative innovation programs into a single framework. “Our goal is to create a system where decisions that used to take months are now made in a matter of days, allowing us to rapidly adapt to changing battlefield requirements,” Driscoll said at the Army Demand Signal Forum. The Army added that FUZE is “designed to be the engine accelerating the Army’s best ideas from initial concept to combat-ready capability.” It also said FUZE “seeks to connect innovators with decision-makers, prototypes with production lines and concepts with tangible solutions. The Army sees FUZE as critical to rapidly injecting cutting-edge technology into the force.”
AV Partners in Taiwan. AeroVironment last week agreed to a framework with a Taiwanese research and development institution to improve the “lifecycle and sustainability of Taiwan’s unmanned and precision strike systems” in support of Taiwan’s defense needs. The memorandum of understanding with the National Chung-San Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), which is under the Ministry of Defense, and the collaboration will initially focus on AV’s JUMP 20 and JUMP 20-X vertical takeoff and landing fixed-wing drones. AV said it will also help NCSIST “build infrastructure that enhances readiness and resilience on the island.”
…Maxar Too. Maxar Intelligence is also partnering in Taiwan to help with the drone industry. The company is working with Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) to deploy its Raptor vision-based software that enables precision navigation for autonomous drones and to “extract accurate ground coordinates in the absence of GPS,” Maxar said. The two companies earlier this year used Raptor on a test platform in Taiwan, showcasing the ability to precisely navigate in GPS-denied conditions using the platform’s camera and the Maxar software. Shield AI earlier this month also announced a formal teaming with AIDC to ensure its products can be supported in Taiwan.
…Northrop Grumman Radar. Northrop Grumman said that it has signed memoranda of understanding with Taiwanese businesses–Ramatek Company, Champion Auto, and Vivian and Vincent International Trading Company Ltd.–to field the company’s long-range AN/TPS/78 S-band Advanced Capabilities (ADCAP) radar in Taiwan. “The AN/TPS-78 ADCAP radar is a proven, long-range and highly mobile system that will significantly enhance Taiwan’s air surveillance capabilities,” says Greg Teitelbaum, vice president of land and maritime sensors at Northrop Grumman.
Rejection. While union members at Boeing’s defense operations in the St. Louis region in recent weeks have twice voted against new contract offered by the company, Boeing rejected a four-year deal drawn up by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837 and approved by its members last Friday. “It’s unfortunate that union leadership led its members to vote on something that isn’t real,” Dan Gilliam, who heads Boeing’s operations in the area, said in a statement. “Our previous offer is real and would make our team among the highest paid manufacturing employees in the St. Louis area.” The 3,200 machinists have been on strike since Aug. 4.
Awards for CHAOS. Startup CHAOS Industries, which is developing a multi-static radar system based on coherent distributed networking (CDN), last week announced a $1.9 million Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) from the Air Force to adapt its ASTRIA air and missile defense system into a multi-object tracking instrumentation radar that Eglin AFB, Fla., will use to improve test and training capabilities. In addition to the TACFI award, CHAOS said the House has approved a $10 million for a Phase II Small Business Innovative Research contract to further develop its radar technology. The Los Angeles-based company says its CDN technology reduces costs by more than 10 times versus more exquisite systems by relying on multiple low cost sensors and still “enabling full weapons-quality tracking across a broad instantaneous field of regard.”
CAS Proposals. The White House Office of Management and Budget this month published two proposed rules aimed at eliminating dozens of requirements for federal contractors to maintain separate accounting efforts for preparing financial statements, one using the government’s Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) and a second with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) used by public companies and many private firms. OMB said the “government will now rely on GAAP to protect the government’s interests and ensure taxpayers receive the contractor’s best value” when calculating costs for compensated personal leave, capitalization and depreciation of capital assets, and acquisition costs of material. Defense industry executives have previously stated their desire to eliminate CAS.
New Space Delta. U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) has established the new System Delta 81 (SYD 81) at Peterson Space Force Base, Colo., to support Space Training and Readiness Command’s development of advanced testing, training and tactics, SSC said. “Additional SSC SYDs are slated for stand-up in the coming weeks completing the synchronization of acquisition efforts for new capabilities,” according to SSC.
McCaul Decision. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the former chair of the House Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs Committee, announced on Sept. 14 he will not seek reelection in 2026. “I am ready for a new challenge in 2027 and look forward to continuing to serve my country in the national security and foreign policy realm,” he said in a statement. McCaul, 63, has represented Texas’ 10th District since 2005. From 2013 to 2019, McCaul led the Homeland Security Committee and was the top Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee from 2019 to 2025, serving in both the chairman and ranking member roles. He still sits on both panels as chairman emeritus. McCaul noted he led the legislation in 2018 that created the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
GDIT Divestiture. Xcelerate Solutions last week said it has acquired the background investigation assets—including contracts, personnel, and systems—of General Dynamics’ Information Technology segment. The investigations business serves clients in the Department of Homeland Security and intelligence community. Terms of the deal, which Xcelerate said closed in 2024, were not disclosed.
Vehicle Autonomy. Ground-based autonomy developer Forterra partnered with Volvo Defense to demonstrate autonomous solutions for Volvo’s trucks, the companies said this month at the DSEI 2025 show in London. “This solution reflects a joint commitment to strengthening European defense mobility solutions while ensuring interoperability and long-term sustainment,” they said.
U.S. Hyundai Shipyard? Reuters on Sept. 18 reported that South Korea’s HD Hyundai head of planning and management for its naval and special ship unit, Woo-maan Jeong, said in an interview that the conglomerate is looking to buy a U.S. shipyard. Jeong said they are targeting up to $2.2 billion in annual revenue in U.S. Navy shipbuilding work by 2035. He did not disclose particular companies involved in talks but said the shipbuilding situation is pushing the government to open the shipbuilding market and said that the U.S. “will have to utilise the infrastructure and capacities built already by its allies to overcome a short-term ship shortage.” Jeong also noted the shortage and retention issues for skilled U.S. shipyard workers, so he said it may take the company three to five years to train enough workers to increase productivity. This comes after Hyundai in recent months marked the opening of its new Subic Bay. Philippines shipyard, an investment in the Edison Chouset Offshore Tampa Shipyard to build medium-sized Liquefied Natural Gas dual-fuel containerships, and signed a memorandum of understanding with HII exploring opportunities to work together to accelerate ship production projects.
HAIRST. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) issued a new Golden Dome-related solicitation on Sept. 15 for High Altitude Infrared Search and Track (HAIRST). The project seeks proposals for delivery and demonstration of infrared sensor prototypes hosted on high-altitude platforms. MDA wants the prototype sensors to be capable of searching a large volume of incoming missile threats and generating high-resolution tracks. The notice underscored this falls under the Disruptive Technologies topic area in the NOBLE contracting vehicle, which is one of MDA’s mechanisms to address the Trump administration’s Golden Dome initiative. Proposals are due by Oct. 30. MDA said it will use an Other Transaction for Prototype agreement to make awards.
AI Platform. NxGenComm (NXG) has detailed its new Phoenix Engine artificial intelligence system, built on its M5NS Joint Communications Platform, which it said “transforms commander’s intent into autonomous battlefield responses.” “This breakthrough technology enables military forces to execute complex multi-domain operations at machine speed while maintaining human-level tactical intelligence across contested environments,” NXG said in a statement. “NXG’s Phoenix Engine represents a paradigm shift from traditional military AI optimization systems to autonomous intent execution, enabling commanders to provide high-level mission objectives that the system interprets and executes through coordinated multi-domain responses without requiring detailed human micromanagement.”
Smith At HII. Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith visited HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss. on Sept. 17 for the third time in his current role. During the visit Smith met with company leaders and toured the shipyard, including the future USS Bougainville (LHA-8) America-class amphibious assault ship. While there he spoke on the importance of amphibious ship construction.
SOUTHCOM IT. ManTech said on Sept. 18 it has received a $910 million contract to provide enterprise-level cyber and “data-informed” IT services to U.S. Southern Command and its mission partners. The task order was awarded by the General Services Administration and could cover a period of seven years if all options are exercised. “ManTech will provide IT, network architecture and infrastructure solutions plus guidance on network modernization, laying the groundwork for future deployment of AI for SOUTHCOM,” the company said in a statement.
