Realistic Dome. Tom Karako, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Missile Defense Project, on Nov. 19 argued Golden Dome is unlikely to be aimed at defending against every Russian and Chinese strategic nuclear missile, as some analysts say the effort is directed at, in part. “If that is the thing that we don’t want from Golden Dome, well, the good news is it’s not possible, all right, that’s just not going to happen. And I think that when they get around to start talking about Golden Dome – I predict that what you’re going to see is something that is far more, to use a word, limited, both in terms of the number of threats that are feasibly able to be stopped, and also in terms of the area the defended asset list that is, no kidding, able to be defended against, especially aerial threats.”
…More Info Needed. Karako also emphasized the Trump administration should release more information abut the Golden Dome architecture to better coordinate with industry and allies. He noted Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s acquisition reform speech mentioned contractors are guessing rather than building. “So that’s why we need to get out more information about Golden Dome, about all kinds of stuff. Because companies and allies, they’re sitting there and they don’t know what to invest in…Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent by contractors ginning up, getting ready, spring loading, and nothing has been put on contract yet.”
Space Force Combat Forces Command. Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman changed the name of Space Force’s Space Operations Command (SpOC) to Combat Forces Command (CFC) at a ceremony earlier this month at Peterson Space Force Base, Colo. The service said that the name change represents “a significant shift in the command’s focus toward enhanced combat readiness and integrated space defense.” Lt. Gen. Gregory Gagnon is the head of CFC and succeeded Lt. Gen. David Miller, the final SpOC commander. The legacy of the 12,000 personnel organization dates back to Air Force Space Command, which became SpOC in October, 2020.
FMS Deals. The State Department last week okayed four potential Foreign Military Sales (FMS) deals, including a $105 million sale to Ukraine for sustainment and related equipment for the Patriot Air Defense system, including the upgrade of M901 launchers to the M903 configuration. RTX and Lockheed Martin are the principal contractors for the FMS.
…India In. Two of the proposed sales are to India, including a $47.1 million deal for 216 RTX-built M982A1 Excalibur tactical projectiles and related equipment. A separate $45.7 million sale covers 100 FGM-148 Javelin anti-armor rounds, one Javelin missile “fly to buy,” and 25 Javelin Block 1 Command Launch Units. An RTX-Lockheed Martin joint venture is the contractor on the Javelin FMS.
…Japan Munitions. Finally, Japan would get Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs) and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) in an $82 million FMS. Japan wants 120 GBU-39 Increment 1 SDBs, 28 GBU-53 Increment II SDBs, 30 KMU-556 JDAM tail gits for the GBU-31 munition, 20 KMU-559 JDAM tail kits for the GBU-32, 24 KMU-572 JDAM tail kits for the GBU-38, 24 MK-83 500-pound general purpose bombs, 30 MK-84 2,000-pound general purpose bombs, and 21 BLU-110 1,000-pound general purpose bombs. FMU-139 joint programmable fuses and DSU-38 laser sensors are also included. Boeing and RTX are the principal contractors for the proposed sale.
DARPA Drone Challenge. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is offering $6.5 million in potential prize funds to awardees proposing innovative drone designs that can carry more than four times their weight. DARPA said the four-to-one payload-to-weight ratio is theoretically feasible based on advances in aerodynamic design, materials science and propulsion systems. The DARPA Lift Challenge hopes to incentivize university researchers, independent innovators and industry to achieve a new standard in vertical lift performance. Live trials are planned for summer 2026. The agency says current multirotor drones are typically limited to one-to-one payload to weight ratios or less.
NATO Integrated Air Defense. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) have introduced a bill to require the U.S. to develop a plan for an air defense shield against Russia in consultation with NATO. The measure says that the Pentagon should “develop and implement a strategy to rapidly field a multi-layered, integrated air defense system that would bolster allied air defense capabilities to defeat unmanned aerial systems and deter Russian aggression against NATO, particularly against the alliance’s eastern flank members, including Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Romania.” Bennet is a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Ernst is on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
New Kratos Facility. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has opened another new facility, this one 60,000 square foot of space for the Jerusalem branch of its Microwave Electronics Division in Israel. The purpose-built facility includes 20,000 square feet of clean room space for precision assembly, testing and production of assemblies and subsystems. Earlier this month, Kratos moved into a new 22,500 square foot propulsion manufacturing facility in Michigan. In 2026, the San Diego-based company expects its new Indiana Payload Integration Facility for hypersonic systems in Crane, Ind., to be fully mission capable.
X-Bow Facility. Startup rocket motor developer X-Bow Systems last week marked progress in standing up its manufacturing campus in Luling, Texas, having completed installation of its patented Additive Manufacturing of Solid Propellant (AMSP) production system and is finishing initial operational testing. In the next one to three months, the AMSP system will begin flowing energetics and producing solid rocket motor propellant for existing contracts, the company said. X-Bow said that the Luling campus will initially produce one million pounds of energetics annually, scaling to three million pounds within one to two years. That amount would support upwards of 3,800 rocket motors for the Standard Missile and up to 50,000 tactical-sized motors, it said.
Coast Guard Superhighway. The Coast Guard last week issued a Request for Information seeking commercial solutions with artificial intelligence to improve its procurement and acquisition program management process. Flush with nearly $25 billion to spend through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the service wants its acquisition system to work faster and be more adaptable to bring “operational capabilities to the field at the speed of need,” it said in a notice on the government’s Sam.gov business opportunities site.
Ondas Closes on Sentrycs. Ondas Holdings last week closed its $225 million acquisition of counter-drone technology company Sentrycs. Israel’s Sentrycs’ proprietary cyber-over-radio frequency technology identifies, tracks and takes control of unauthorized drones without jamming, spoofing or disrupting surrounding communications networks, Ondas said. Sentrycs has about 200 global deployments in more than 25 countries worldwide.
Supply Chain. Exiger said on Nov. 14 it has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract to license its 1Exiger software to Army Material Command (AMC). The company said its platform will provide AMC with an “AI-driven multi-tier supply chain illumination, orchestration and monitoring capability to transform Army sustainment activities across all major sustainment categories.” “Exiger’s software will integrate with Army’s Weapon System 360 and Vantage environments, delivering decision-ready intelligence to reduce administrative and production lead times, improve supplier selection and sourcing, enhance sustainment forecasting, accelerate organic and additive manufacturing, strengthen resilience in contested environments, and enable rapid AI-driven responses to disruptions,” Exiger said.
Army Noms. President Trump has nominated Army Lt. Gen. Christopher Mohan to serve as the next leader of Army Material Command (AMC) after leading the command in an acting capacity since March 2024. The move was not accompanied by a reappointment to general, meaning AMC would now be a three-star headquarters. Trump has also tapped Maj. Gen. John Rafferty for a promotion to lieutenant general and to serve as the next leader of Army Space and Missile Defense Command/U.S. Army Forces Strategic Command. Rafferty currently serves as U.S. European Command’s chief of staff.
Flight School Next. M1 Support Services has said Robinson Helicopter Company will provide its R66 helicopter and General Dynamics Information Technology will also join its team pursuing the Army’s Flight School Next program. “More than 1,900 Robinson helicopters are used for civil and military flight training programs worldwide. Safe, rugged, and reliable, it’s the perfect training aircraft for the Army and offers lower operating costs than any competitor,” retired Army Lt. Gen. Doug Gabram, an M1 Strategic Advisor, said in a statement. Flight School Next is the Army’s effort to update its initial rotary wing training program, to include exploring a new training helicopter and shifting to a contractor-owned, contractor-operated (COCO) approach. M1 didn’t specify GDIT’s contribution, but noted the company “provided more than 1.8 million simulation training hours” since 2005. “GDIT is an incredibly capable and well-respected partner. Their Flight School Training Support Services program is a model COCO solution, and we will build on its success for FSN,” Gabram said.
Danish CV90s. BAE Systems said on Nov. 21 it has been awarded a deal worth around $450 million to deliver 44 more CV90MkIIIC infantry fighting vehicles to Denmark. The new production award follows a deal Denmark signed with BAE Systems in December 2024 for 115 vehicles. The company noted the new order “replaces the planned mid-life extension program for [Denmark’s] existing CV9035DK fleet.” “With the decision to replace the current 44 IFV’s with new ones, the Army will have 159 state-of-the-art infantry fighting vehicles by the end of 2030,” Maj. Gen. Peter Boysen, commander of the Danish Army, said in a statement.
C-UAS. Fortem Technologies said on Nov. 21 it has been selected as one of the first companies to offer counter-UAS solutions on the new Global Tactical Edge Acquisition Directorate (G-TEAD) Marketplace, which it described as “a next-generation contracting framework designed to move cutting-edge technology to operational users faster than ever before.” “Under Fortem’s agreement with G-TEAD, Army organizations and other U.S. government agencies with contracting and ordering authority can now rapidly acquire Fortem products through the Marketplace without additional competition. Certain NATO and allied agencies may also place orders under applicable laws and security agreements,” the company said. “Fortem’s admission to the Marketplace reflects the Army’s assessment that the company’s autonomous counter-UAS systems have been vetted by the Army and have met the competitive standards required for rapid scaling.”
More MH-47Gs. U.S. Special Operations Command on Nov. 20 awarded Boeing a $271 million production order for five more MH-47G Block II Chinook heavy-lift aircraft, a company spokesperson confirmed to Defense Daily. The deal follows a $240 million award from March for five MH-47G Block IIs, with Boeing now on contract for a total of 56 aircraft. The MH-47G Block II is the upgraded Special Operations variant of the Chinook platform, with Boeing to provide remanufactured aircraft under the deal.
DDG-124. The Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Harvey C. Barnum, Jr. (DDG-124) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, from General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) on Nov. 17, the service announced last week. Delivery followed several rigorous at-sea and pier side trails to demonstrate the ship/s readiness and performance of its propulsion, combat systems, communications and navigation systems. BIW has seven other future destroyers under construction, including the future USS Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG-126), Patrick Gallagher (DDG-127), William Charette (DDG-130), Quentin Walsh (DDG-132), John E. Kilmer (DDG-134), Richard G. Lugar (DDG-136), and J. William Middendorf (DDG-138).
…DDG-128. On Nov. 21, HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced it successfully completed the last round of sea trials for the future USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128) Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer. The company said its test and trials teams spent several days in port and at sea to conduct a “comprehensive series of acceptance test and evaluations,” overseen by the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey, that confirmed the vessel demonstrated required mission capabilities. The next step is delivery to the Navy, which the company said it expects to occur “in the coming weeks.” DDG-128 is the second Flight III destroyer built by Ingalls, featuring modifications to field the AN/SPY-6 V(1) radar and Aegis Baseline 10 combat system.
…SSN-798. HII also on Nov. 21 announced its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) Division delivered the future USS Massachusetts (SSN-798) Virginia-class fast-attack submarine to the U.S. Navy. The company noted this is the 12th Virginia-class boat NNS has delivered to the service. SSN-798 was first christened in May 2023 and is the fifth Navy vessel named for the state.
Next-Gen Jammer. CPI Aerostructures, Inc. on Nov. 20 announced that RTX authorized it as a subcontractor to start manufacturing Pods and Air Management System (AMS) for the follow-on Lot 5 Production phase of the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) program. The initial subcontract stands at $21.1 million with a not-to-exceed value of $42.3 million. The Lot 5 contract award covers deliveries starting in 2027. The Navy previously declared initial operational capability for NGJ-MB in December 2024 as one of three parts of a successor system to the legacy ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System used on EA-18G Growlers. NGJ-MB consists of two pods on each Growler aircraft.
German AMD. Northrop Grumman and Italian firm Leonardo’s MBDA on Nov. 19 announced they signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Germany aimed at enhancing Germany’s air and missile defense capabilities during the Berlin Security Conference. The companies said Northrop Grumman’s experience with Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) shows it can integrate different options into air and missile defense command and control systems like MBDA Germany’s ARANEUS. They next plan to explore leveraging their specialized defense technologies during a set of technical exchanges and potential demonstrations. IBCS is currently in full-rate production and fielded in Poland and integrated with Polish systems and is also planned to be fielded with the U.S. Army.
