E-7 Wedgetail Issues. The Air Force tells the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that the E-7 Wedgetail by Boeing is to achieve initial capability in April 2032. The Air Force was to cancel the E-7 buy in favor of space-based air moving target indication, but Congress has sustained Wedgetail. The E-7 program “reported that it continues to incorporate stakeholder and end user feedback as a part of its iterative process,” the GAO said in a new report. “For example, operators reported challenges identifying sensor feeds on the displays and recommended solutions to improve them. The United Kingdom version of the aircraft is a mature platform. Additional DOD requirements include capabilities and upgrades such as mobile military satellite communications as well as an upgraded global positioning system on the aircraft.” The E-7 program told GAO that the program, for cost reasons related to data rights, would not develop a digital twin. “Program officials stated that there were significant staffing challenges to the program due to deferred resignations and hiring freezes,” according to the GAO report. “They stated that eight civilian staff took deferred resignations, and the program has 23 positions that remain vacant due to the hiring freeze. The Air Force added staff through an internal reorganization and maintained existing contract support staff levels to help address the challenges.”
MRIC Deployment. The Marine Corps announced on June 28 that it has officially integrated the new Medium-Range Intercept Capability with the Indo-Pacific-based III Marine Expeditionary Force’s (III MEF) forward-deployed forces, calling it “a significant step to ensure regional stability and deter aggression.” The Marine Corps’ MRIC involves integrating the Northrop Grumman-built Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar and General Dynamics Missions Systems-developed Common Aviation Command and Control System with Israel’s Iron Dome mini-Battle Management Control components and the Tamir interceptor. “The MRIC system provides a decisive competitive advantage in mobile air defense, providing rapid coverage wherever it’s needed. This flexibility significantly enhances III MEF’s ability to provide close-in, low-altitude, surface-to-air defense, while giving the Joint Force the unprecedented ability to exist, persist, and sustain operations inside an adversary’s weapons engagement zone,” the Marine Corps said in a statement.
T-AGS(X). The Navy’s PAE Maritime, on behalf of the Auxiliary and Special Mission Ships Program Office (PMS 325), released a Request for Information for the next generation Oceanographic Survey Ship (T-AGS(X)) on June 30. The Naval Oceanographic Office currently uses six Pathfinder-class (T-AGS-60) ships to collect oceanographic environmental data from acoustical, biological, physical and geophysical surveys. The Navy is seeking designs from both the U.S. and allied nations maritime industrial bases that are existing or production-ready and meet preliminary capability and operating profile parameters for a recapitalization effort. T-AGS(X) will have a civilian mariner crew and embarked Navy surveyors. Parameters include the ability to launch, operate and recover equipment while holding position in a sustained wind speed of 27 knots, involve hydrographic surveys in depths less than 200 meters, can travel at speeds at least 15 knots in up to NATO sea state 4 conditions or 10 knots in sea state 5, have an endurance of 12,000 nautical miles at 12 knots plus 29 days at three knots with 10 percent fuel reserve and is designed to be at sea for a minimum of 244 days per year.
AV C-UAS Award. The Army on July 1 awarded AeroVironment a $500 million contract for procurement of the company’s counter-drone capabilities. The deal establishes a contracting vehicle for the Army-led, C-UAS-focused Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) to purchase AV’s systems using task orders, according to a source. Defense Daily reached out to AV and the company declined to provide additional details at this time. Sheila Kahyaoglu, an analyst with the firm Jefferies, wrote in a note on July 2 that the deal includes AV’s Titan family of RF detect-and-defeat systems. Work on the deal is expected to be completed by the end of June 2029, according to the Pentagon.
Advanced Manufacturing Strategy. The Army is nearing sign off on an advanced manufacturing strategy that could be released in a matter of weeks, a lead official told reporters on June 29. “We want to be very agile in creating the manufacturing capacity for small UAS in our arena under this advanced manufacturing umbrella. Today it’s small UAS, tomorrow it’s robots, the next day it’s something else, but we have to have that capacity from a smart manufacturing and an agile and advanced manufacturing methodology to be able to pivot, right, because you can’t pivot with dated equipment, things of that nature. So having the right level of investment inside our [organic industrial base] is really the backbone,” Carolyn Farmer, Army Materiel Command’s principal technical advisor to the executive for supply chain management, said. Farmer noted that Army Secretary Dan Driscoll in April appointed AMC as the service’s lead integrator and lifecycle manager for advanced manufacturing.
DDG-93 and 95. The Navy on June 29 announced the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Chung-Hoon (DDG-93) and James E. Williams (DDG-95) completed their Depot Modernization Periods (DMPs) as part of the DDG Modernization 2.0 program, which entailed major mid-life capability enhancements. The modernization program specifically integrated the SLQ-32(V)7 Electronic Warfare suit. “We focused on opportunities to shift milestones supporting acquisition, planning and execution left to provide these game-changing capabilities to the operators sooner. The DDG MOD 2.0 program remains a top priority as the Navy continues to build and sustain a lethal, resilient, and rapidly adaptable force,” Capt. Tim Moore, program manager for Destroyer Modernization 2.0, said in a statement.
Acquisition Risk. On Nov. 7 last year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an “Arsenal of Freedom” speech at the National War College in Washington, D.C. in which he spoke of his intention “to increase acquisition risk in order to decrease operational risk.” In line with this view, Pentagon acquisition chief Michael Duffey said last week that “for too long, our acquisition system has been completely risk averse” and has over-engineered systems with the goal to ensure that they pass tests out of the starting gate, rather than an approach in which companies and program managers learn from test failures to improve systems. “We need to figure out how do we have a smart risk tolerant acquisition workforce that is outcome-based, results-driven and understands how to use their professional judgment,” he said.
Ukraine Drones in Toledo. Ukrainian Defense Drones (UDD) has chosen a site in Northwest Ohio as its first “major U.S. assembly and manufacturing center,” Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) said last week. UDD, which represents Ukraine’s F-Drones, earlier this year was one of the top performers in the first Gauntlet of the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance Program, receiving orders for 2,000 small drones. The company is expected to make an $18.4 million investment for the new production project near Toledo. “Becoming the first Ukrainian drone manufacture authorized by the Government of Ukraine to export drone systems to the U.S. military is a historic milestone, and the next step is to share the technology to produce these drones on American soil,” Stas Khutor, CEO of F-Drones, said in a statement.
Airbus and Brave1 Partner. Airbus Defence and Space last week said it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ukrainian government’s Brave1 defense technology accelerator to jointly explore projects around scientific research and modernization of existing systems. Airbus said it is “Brave1’s first industrial strategic partnership with a Western company.” Airbus said its technologies will be used in the accelerator’s “Test in Ukraine” framework, enabling “intensive live frontline co-testing and joint evaluation, including operational performance data channeled directly into the development loop to meet immediate security requirements.”
Drone C2 at FLEX. Swarm Aero last week said its Legion command and control software platform was used during the Navy’s Fleet Experiment (FLEX) 2026 event in April to allow a single operator to plan and control integrated operations with dozens of unmanned air and sea assets. Swarm said the liver operations included a “full find, fix, track, target, engage assess chain, ranging from exquisite systems on Group 5 UAS to expendable platforms within a unified operating environment.” The Defense Innovation Unit in 2024 selected Swarm, Anduril Industries and L3Harris Technologies to provide autonomous collaborative teaming software prototypes in support of the former Replicator initiative (Defense Daily, Nov. 20, 2024).
Mirage ASV in Testing. Saronic Technologies last Thursday said its 52-foot Mirage autonomous surface vessel (ASV) recently arrived at its primary on-water test site in Galveston, Texas, to begin trials. Saronic introduced Mirage in April 2025 as a 40-foot vessel and another, Cipher that would be just over 60 feet. (Defense Daily, April 23, 2025). The company told Defense Daily that “In response to growing demand for platforms with greater range, endurance, and payload capacity, we have concentrated our development efforts on a single mid-range platform.” Mirage went from initial design to launch in under a year. Production of the second Mirage hull is underway at Saronic’s headquarters in Austin, Texas. Mirage has a range exceeding 2,500 nautical miles, a top speed above 35 knots and a payload capacity of 3,500 pounds. Mirage joins the company’s 24-foot Corsair and 180-foot Marauder ASVs as the company’s third flagship platform.
DropShip Demonstration. Pkya last week said it DropShip autonomous cargo aircraft successfully demonstrated airdrops and landing on an unimproved grass runway during the Army Reserve’s Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX) in Mississippi. The exercise included a 20 miles autonomous flight from Gulfport to Diamondhead and a 200-pound precision airdrop. Previously, Pyka in early June conducted multiple autonomous low altitude parachute airdrops of 200-pound payloads in initial demonstrations of DropShip’s logistics’ capabilities (Defense Daily, June 11). For CSTX, Pyka also worked with soldiers on a casualty evacuation scenario with DropShip.
Light Icebreaker RFP. The Coast Guard last week issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for its Homeland Security Cutter-Light (HSC-L) icebreakers that will replace the services ageing fleet of 65-foot icebreaking tugs used to clear ports and waterways in the Northeast U.S. The service plans to purchase seven HSC-Ls, which will also replace 49-foot buoy utility stern landing boats used to provide aids to navigation. Offers are due by July 14. Once proposals are in, the Coast Guard will begin evaluations and then issue notices to selected offerors to submit proposals for Phase 2 evaluations.
Singapore FMS. The State Department has approved increasing a potential deal with Singapore that would cover the sale of 67 Hellfire missiles and program support for $22.3 million. The update builds on a previously approved $12.4 million foreign military sales (FMS) case with Singapore that included 43 of the Lockheed Martin-built missiles. That earlier deal also included five years worth of Hellfire spare parts and reprogramming of M299 launchers. “The proposed sale will improve Singapore’s capability to meet current and future threats by enhancing and extending the Singapore Air Force’s ability to conduct operations and enable effective training,” the State Department said in a statement.
10k For SIB. SENEDIA, the alliance for defense tech talent and innovation, on July 1 announced its New England Submarine Shipbuilding Partnership has trained over 10,000 people across the region for submarine shipbuilding jobs. The training occurred via decentralized common training programs that are still being used by several educational institutes including the New England Institute of Technology, the Community College of Rhode Island at the Westerly Education Center, Connecticut State Community College Three Rivers and Quinebaug Valley, Porter and Chester Institute, Thielsch Engineering Weld School, Center for Manufacturing Technology, and Community College System of New Hampshire’s Manchester and Nashua Community College. SENEDIA noted it has provided technical support and facilitated over $100 million in investment in 14 trades programs in over five years with 94 percent of participating students completing the training. The New England program was launched in 2020 and SENDIA said with its 27 active programs, it is now on track to train over 3,500 people per year and the largest employer of the trainees is General Dynamics Electric Boat.
Rapid GEOINT Tasking. Vantor last week launched WorldView 3D, the satellite imaging and analysis company’s new satellite tasking product line that delivers three-dimensional maps within a day to customers from the time of tasking. Vantor said results typically are returned within six hours. “WorldView 3D sets a new standard for how customers maintain command of the ground truth and decision advantage in a fast changing world,” Peter Wilczynski, Vantor’s chief product officer, said in a statement. “From command and control to autonomous systems operating in GPS-denied environments, many of today’s most complex missions require current, accurate 3D terrain.”
