Boeing Union to Vote. The union representing about 3,200 Boeing defense employees in the St. Louis region has authorized its members to vote on Oct. 26 on the company’s revised contract offer. If the contract is approved, machinists will return to work on Nov. 3. The proposed labor contract includes a gross wage increase for certain employees, a smaller signing bonuses, restricted stock units not included in the initial offer, and a retention bonus. Workers have been on strike for more than 80 days.
Coyote HPM Testing. A Coyote unmanned aircraft system equipped with a high-power microwave (HPM) payload to counter swarms of drones “had some good results” earlier this month during testing at Eglin AFB in Florida, an Army official said. The Coyote Block 3, “from a ground perspective,” provides a “more forward capability to defeat that swarm before it gets closer,” Army Maj. Gen. Dave Stewart, director of DAMO Fires, said Oct. 13 at the Association of the U.S. Army Conference. “So, I know that product’s moving out well as well,” he said. RTX develops and manufactures the Coyote family of ground-launched, expendable counter-drone and launched effects systems.
…HPM Praise. Asked about the Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC)-HPM developed by Epirus that the Army is testing and is being evaluated by theater commanders, Col. Marc Pelini said “we definitely need high power microwave to address a swarm threat, right? I think that that’s probably the most economical and most combat effective approach.” Pelini, director of the air and missile defense cross-functional team at Army Transformation and Training Command, declined to discuss specific systems, but said HPM needs to get to a “relevant range” of effectiveness, which he described as “at least a kilometer or two, in order to give us that standoff that we would need to fight off the drone, the drone swarm.”
GD and Germany. General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) said on Oct. 20 it has received a nearly $3.5 billion contract from Germany to deliver the LUCHS 2 platform as the German Army Reconnaissance Corps’ new reconnaissance vehicle. GDELS said the platform is based on the newest version of its PIRANHA 6×6 wheeled vehicle with an amphibious capability and will succeed Germany’s current FENNEK light 4×4 reconnaissance vehicle. “The highly specialized reconnaissance vehicle system, which will set new standards in terms of autonomy and acoustic as well as thermal signature, features state-of-the-art, networked reconnaissance sensor technology, superior mobility and assertiveness,” GDELS said in a statement.
DDG-135. HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding on Oct. 23 authenticated the keep of the future USS Thad Cochran (DDG-135) Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the formal start of ship construction. The ship is named after former Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.). DDG-135 is one of five Flight II DDGs the shipyard has under construction, the others being the future USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128), Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129), George M. Neal (DDG-131), and Sam Nunn (DDG-133).
…And DDG-128 Trials Ingalls Shipbuilding on Oct. 24 followed up announcing it completed the second builder’s sea trials for the Ted Stevens Flight III destroyer. This follows the successful initial trials in late September. In the latest event, DDG-128 spent several days in the Gulf of Mexico testing the ship’s main propulsion, combat systems and other systems in preparation for acceptance trials. This test also involved additional hull, mechanical, electrical and combat systems tests, including the second AN/SPY-6 (V)1 radar system on a DDG-51 with the Aegis Baseline 10 combat system.
USAF AI. Boston’s Merlin Labs has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Air Force “to explore new approaches to autonomous fault detection, recovery, and dynamic mission adaptation, enabling aircraft to respond more effectively to unexpected events, system degradations, or operational changes” in “contested and degraded environments,” the company said last week. Merlin said in August that it will go public next year as Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. IV through a Special Purpose Acquisition Company. The result of the Merlin-Air Force CRADA “will be design enhancements that improve mission assurance, reduce operator workload, and create greater survivability across diverse operational scenarios,” according to Merlin.
B-1s, AWACS, and Coast Guard Cutter. U.S. Northern Command’s Alaskan Command said that a joint maritime operation on Oct. 16 in the Bering Sea featured two Air Force B-1 bombers and an E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) interacting with the Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756). “This operation demonstrated the capability of U.S. Northern Command and its mission partners to deter maritime threats to the homeland,” Alaskan Command said. The relay of target information to the B-1s “enabled standoff target acquisition and simulated weapons employment,” according to the command.
Electric Boat Expansion. U.S. submarine prime contractor General Dynamics Electric Boat (EB) on Oct. 23 announced the acquisition of the Crystal Mall property in Waterford Conn., which it will use to expand and accelerate submarine production. The new space will be also be used to expand engineering, training and software development in support of Columbia– and Virginia-class submarine production. Mark Rayha, president of EB, said the space will help them “consolidate support functions and focus our waterfront footprint on efficiently delivering the submarines our nation needs.” EB expects 4,000 to 5,000 employees to work at the new location in 542,000 square feet of space on a 42-acre plot of land in Waterford. This new facility will be about 5.5 miles from EB’s Groton shipyard. Employees are expected to begin working there as soon as the mid-2027.
Seasats Unveils Quickfish USV. Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV)-maker Seasats on Oct. 20 unveiled its newest high-speed intercept Quickfish USV, which was demonstrated at a recent Navy exercise off the coast of California. Quickfish has a top speed over 35 knots, has payload modularity, intuitive autonomy interfaces, multi-week at-sea outer endurance, a hidden aerial vehicle launch bay and unique construction methods for almost toolless manufacturing, the company said. An unspecified U.S. defense prime has already purchased a Quickfish to accelerate their maritime autonomy programs, and Australia, the Philippines and Japan have signed agreements with the company for local manufacturing and distribution, Seasats said.
AUKUS Bill Advances. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Oct. 22 passed S.2130, The AUKUS Improvement Act of 2025, by voice vote alongside other proposals during a committee meeting. The bill was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) with bipartisan support led by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.). The legislation would provide more flexibility to sell and exchange defense equipment with Australia and the United Kingdom without requiring formal U.S. government approvals.
T-ATS 9. Bollinger Shipyards held a keel laying ceremony for the future USNS Lenni Lenape, the ninth Navajo-class Towing, Salvage, and Rescue Ship (T-ATS) on Oct. 17. This is the sixth such vessel being constructed at Bollinger’s Houma, La., shipyard. The company started producing the T-ATS in April 2021, after the contract for the vessels was sold from original contractor Gulf Island Fabrication. This will be the first ship named after the first Native American tribe to sign a treaty with the U.S. government, in 1778. This ship class provides provides tug, salvage, and rescue capabilities to support fleet operations and it replaces the capabilities previously provided by the Powhatan-class Fleet Ocean Tug and Safeguard-class Rescue and Salvage Ships. Beyond T-ATS-9, Bollinger has four other vessels in the class under construction: the Navajo (T-ATS 6), Cherokee Nation (T-ATS 7), Saginaw Ojibwe Anishinabek (T-ATS 8), and Muscogee Creek Nation (T-ATS 10).
Bell and Ukraine. Bell said on Oct. 20 it has signed Letters of Intent to identify industrial cooperation opportunities with Ukraine, to include exploring Kyiv’s potential procurement of AH-1Z and UH-1Y helicopters. “We are proud to announce this agreement, and the potential to supply these incredible aircraft to Ukraine. This initiative has been in development for some time, and we look forward to bringing it to completion,” Jeffrey Schloesser, Bell’s senior vice president for strategic pursuits, said in a statement. “We are confident that H-1s can play a pivotal role in further building defense capabilities in Ukraine, providing a much-needed upgrade while strengthening current Ukrainian air support.”
Hyundai HII Visit. Leaders from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) visited HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division this month as they work to advance the goals from an April memorandum of understanding between the two companies to improve shipbuilding. HII on Oct. 20 said that ”during the visit, leaders from HII and HHI exchanged insights on shipbuilding technology and manufacturing processes, discussing both commercial and military shipbuilding opportunities.” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Blanchette said he looked forward to seeing how ideas generated during the visit will develop over the next months “to create additional opportunities to increase efficiency and accelerate the delivery of critical ships for the U.S. Navy’s fleet.”
Space Awareness Day. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on Nov. 4 plans to host the Track at Big Distances with Track-Before-Detect (TBD2) proposers’ day to discuss the topic. The agency said last week the purpose of TBD2 is to “enable continuous space-based detection and tracking of objects in cislunar space on tactical timelines.” Innovative signal processing algorithms are desired to combine with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) or “quasi-COTS optical sensors and/or focal plane arrays” to detect fait objects a million kilometers from Earth within hours. The 15-month project will have tasks focused on computational needs and a payload design.
New Saronic Facility. Saronic Technologies, local, and government officials last week cut the ribbon on the company’s new 80,000-plus square-foot facility in San Diego that will serve in part as a training and development hub for naval and maritime operators for autonomous surface vessels (ASVs). Saronic, which is based in Texas and develops and manufactures ASVs, said “Through a specialized curriculum tailored to the unique demands of autonomous maritime capabilities, Saronic is equipping sailors and mariners with the know-how to maintain and operate the hybrid fleet of the future.”
People News. Doug Beck, the former director of the Defense Innovation Unit, has returned to the Center for a New American Security’s board of directors. Beck led DIU for two years until departing in August. Boeing’s Insitu unit last week named John Kelly as vice president of global growth. Kelly most recently was CEO of Hanwha Defense USA. Finally, quantum navigation technology company Q-CTRL has hired Aaron Canciani as principal scientist. Q-CTRL said Canciani, the former principal navigation engineer for Leidos, is “an internationally recognized expert in geophysical navigation.”
