Hegseth’s Meeting. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will meet with senior military leaders early next week, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed, but the topic for the gathering remains undisclosed. The Washington Post first reported on Sept. 25 that Hegseth has summoned hundreds of generals and admirals to the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va., next week. Senior leaders from military posts across the world are expected to attend the meeting, according to reports.
Project Dynamis. Gen. Christopher Mahoney, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, has signed a memo directing the establishment of Project Dynamis, an effort to accelerate the Marine Corps’ contributions to the Pentagon’s Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) in partnership with the Navy’s Project Overmatch effort. Col. Arlon Smith has been named the director of Project Dynamis and Mahoney has also established a 3-star council to guide the effort, which includes the deputy commandants for combat development and integration (DC CD&I) and information (DC I). The council is expected to deliver a plan for Project Dynamis to Mahoney within 30 days. “As Marines, our ability to aggregate, orchestrate, analyze, and share fused data at machine speeds is a warfighting imperative,” Smith said in a statement. “It is central to our value proposition. Project Dynamis is our bid for success to realize that vision.”
China’s Space Plans. Brig. Gen. Brian Sidari, the Space Force’s deputy chief of space operations for intelligence, said on Sept. 22 that China has moved its space and counter-space development plans “to the left.” “It is concerning how fast they’ve done it,” Sidari said in remarks at the Air Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference. “I’m concerned about when the Chinese figure out how to do reusable [space] lift. That allows them to put more capability in orbit at a quicker pace [and] cadence than they currently [have].” Sidari added that China has studied how the U.S. “enables the joint force with those space-based capabilities” such as global SATCOM, PNT and sensing. The number of satellites China has put on orbit “still does not compare” to the U.S., Sidari noted, while also noting that Beijing could potentially look to mimic U.S. plans for mega constellations. “But we’ll see, right? It’s easier said than done. They do have to figure it out and they do have some challenges that we haven’t dealt with,” he said.
Army Acquisition Chief. Brent Ingraham was officially sworn in on Sept. 22 as the new assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology. The Army noted that, as the service’s new acquisition chief, Ingraham will “oversee a $170 billion portfolio across more than 550 Army acquisition programs.” Ingraham, who was most recently the acting deputy under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, also enters his new role as the Army is moving out on its new transformation initiative with cuts to legacy programs and bolstered investments in autonomous and unmanned technologies. He previously served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for platform and weapon portfolio management and as executive director of the Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell.
Stinger Award. The Army on Sept. 24 awarded RTX a $578.6 million contract for Stinger missiles. Work on the latest deal is expected to be completed by the end of September 2031. RTX is currently competing against Lockheed Martin for the Army’s Stinger missile replacement effort. The Army has previously said it’s seeking a replacement missile for the Stinger “to meet increasing demand and growing threat capability.”
…120mm Mortars. The Army has also selected General Dynamics Ordnance & Tactical Systems and Premier Precision Machining to compete for orders to build 120mm mortar shell bodies under a new $333.9 million contract. Work on the new deal is expected to be completed in September 2030, according to the Pentagon.
…155mm Ammo. The service also awarded Global Military Products a $639.8 million contract for 155mm high explosive complete rounds. The munitions will be built to support the Special Ammunition and Weapons Systems program. Work on the deal is expected to be completed in July 2027.
Risk Management Framework. The Pentagon on Sept. 24 detailed its new Cybersecurity Risk Management Construct (CSRMC), which it described as a “transformative framework to deliver real-time cyber defense at operational speed.” The department said the previous risk management framework was “overly reliant on static checklists and manual processes that failed to account for operational needs and cyber survivability requirements.” “These limitations left defense systems vulnerable to sophisticated adversaries and slowed the delivery of secure capabilities to the field,” the Pentagon said. “The CSRMC addresses these gaps by shifting from ‘snapshot in time’ assessments to dynamic, automated, and continuous risk management, enabling cyber defense at the speed of relevance required for modern warfare.” The 10 “core principles” that make up the new CSRMC include Automation, Critical Controls, Continuous Monitoring and Authority to Operate, DevSecOps, Cyber Survivability, Training, Enterprise Services & Inheritance, Operationalization, Reciprocity and Cyber Security Assessments.
FLRAA Refueling. Power management firm Eaton said on Sept. 25 that Bell has selected the company to develop the aerial refueling retractable probe for the Army’s MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA). “Eaton’s proven track record in hydraulic and fuel systems, combined with its global manufacturing footprint and engineering expertise, positions the company to support the MV-75 FLRAA’s mission success,” the company said in a statement. “This award builds on Eaton’s decade-long collaboration with Bell on the FLRAA program, which includes contributions to the MV-75 FLRAA’s hydraulic power generation, conveyance systems, and additive manufacturing innovations.” Bell’s V-280 tiltrotor aircraft was selected for the Army’s future FLRAA platform, with the service having detailed plans to accelerate the program’s timeline.
E-HEL Industry Day. The Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) will hold an industry day on Sept. 30 in Huntsville, Ala., to detail plans for future production of Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) capabilities. “The purpose of this industry day will be to provide an overview of the E-HEL production requirement and gauge industry’s capabilities and interest in participating in the anticipated E-HEL production effort in FY26,” RCCTO wrote in a notice. The industry day schedule includes providing an overview on production plans, demonstrations, contracting details. RCCTO said it plans to issue a Request for Information with a draft statement of work (SOW) before the industry day. “The draft SOW is subject to significant change and should not be considered final,” RCCTO noted.
FORGE Operations. The U.S. Space Force Space Operations Command (SpOC) and the Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) Center at Buckley Space Force Base, Colo., have taken delivery of the SciTec-developed FORGE Processing under RTX’s “scalable, cyber-resilient” FORGE Framework, Space Systems Command (SSC) said. “This achievement marks a key advancement in missile threat response—accelerating the transition from development to operations, specifically for SpOC’s 11th Space Warning Squadron and a dedicated FORGE workstation at the 26th Intel Squadron,” according to SSC. The SciTec-developed applications are to augment OPIR sensor processing and data exploitation.
Hybrid SATCOM. Cubic Defense’s secure communications unit said that the Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded the company a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract through July 22, 2027 to develop the Halo multi-band, multi-orbit, hybrid satellite communications antenna. Dan Moran, vice president and general manager of Cubic Secure Communications, said in a statement that Halo “will deliver compact, power-efficient, and resilient satellite connectivity to meet critical mission needs in multiple domains.”
French Refueling. The French defense ministry’s procurement agency, known as Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), this summer coordinated with the U.S. Navy’s E-2/C-2 Airborne Command & Control Systems Program Office (PMA-231) to perform the first successful mid-air refueling of an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft from three French-made tankers. The Navy’s Sept. 25 announcement noted testing entailed the French Navy and Air Force conducting “qualitative aerial refueling testing” with their Rafale, MRTT and A400M tankers. Further aerial refueling testing and pilot training will continue in France as they work towards replacing their current E-2Cs with the new E-2Ds starting in 2028. France procured three variants of the E-2D in 2020, becoming the second international customer of the Advanced Hawkeye aircraft.
MRO Navy Prize. The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) recently began a new three-phase competition worth up to $8.5 million to use commercial solutions to modernize and replace the Navy’s legacy IT systems used in the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) system across all levels of maintenance for maritime and aviation assets. The prize funding will be distributed across top-performing vendors across the three phases. Dubbed Project NextMRO, DIU is seeking to help the Navy gain a modernized system that can increase asset availability, minimize costs and downtime, optimize maintenance schedules, enable predictive and condition-based maintenance and provide real-time visibility into enterprise-level maintenance readiness. The prize aims to modernize the MRO process across organizational, intermediate and depot-level. DIU said a solution to the challenge must ultimately be able to scale up to support over 4,000 aircraft and over 400 afloat and ashore sites with over 90,000 users. Winners are expected to be announced in Jan. 2026. Ultimately, winners have the potential to win follow-on Cooperative Research and Development Agreements contracts.
Trident II Tests. The Navy’s Strategic Systems Program conducted four missile test flights of unarmed Trident II D5LE missiles from an Ohio-class nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) off Florida’s east coast from Sept. 17 to 21. The tests were launched from a submerged SSBN and landed in a “broad ocean area of the Atlantic Ocean,” the Navy said. The scheduled tests are meant to evaluate and ensure continued reliability and accuracy of the missile system. The Trident II D5 has now completed 197 total successful missile flight test launches.
Coast Guard Awards. The Coast Guard last week said it awarded contracts for engines and radar as the service expands its aircraft fleet. General Electric received a $14.3 million order for 13 T700 engines to power the MH-60 helicopter fleet, and L3Harris Technologies nabbed $13.9 million for three AN/APY-11 multi-mode radars that will be installed on future HC-130J aircraft as they are upgraded with the Minotaur mission system. Funding for the awards came from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The funding bill includes nearly $2.3 billon to build and field new MH-60s and multiple simulators, and $1.1 billion for six more long-range HC-130Js, including the service’s first HC-130J simulator.
…More Coast Guard. The service’s lone heavy polar icebreaker, the 399-foot Polar Star, returned to its Seattle home port last Tuesday after 308 days away. The 49-year-old ship departed last year for its annual icebreaking mission to Antarctica and returned in late March to Vallejo, Calif., and went into dry dock at Mare Island to complete the final year of a five-year phased Service Life Extension Program. Projects this year included upgrades to navigation equipment, replacement of critical main propulsion and auxiliary systems, and refurbishments of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
Clover Awards. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency earlier this month selected Compass Inc., Exacta Solutions, LLC, Innovate Now, LLC, Logic Gate, LLC, and ProCleared, LLC to compete for task orders under the $947 million, five-year CLOVER indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract. CLOVER supports NGA’s business, financial, and acquisition management efforts.
Firehawk SRM Award. The Air Force’s AFWERX innovation arm has awarded Firehawk Aerospace a $4 million Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) award to develop extended range optimization of solid rocket motors (SRMs) using additive manufactured thermoplastic-based propellant. The Dallas-based startup says its 3D-printing techniques “enable safter, more flexible and higher-performing rocket propulsion systems…[that provide] critical advantages in operational flexibility and supply chain resilience.
…New Funding Round. Firehawk separately said it has secured investment from Presto Tech Horizons, a technology fund between European venture capital firm Presto Ventures and the Czechoslovak Group, as part of a $60 million oversubscribed funding round led by 1789 Capital. Additional partners include Donald Trump Jr. Firehawk said the investment will help it transition from research and development to production at scale. Investment by the European partners will strengthen Europe’s energetics supply chain.
UAV Debut. Wave Engine Corp. in August debuted its new unmanned aerial vehicle, the jet-powered Scitor-P at the Defense Department’s Training Readiness Experimentation event at Camp Atterbury, Ind. The Scitor-P features the Baltimore-based company’s top-mounted J-1 wave engine that uses pressure waves instead of rotating parts to achieve high-speeds using simple machinery. Wave Engine sees a variety of applications for Scitor-P, including countering drones at high-speeds using a low-cost platform.
New Taiwan Office. Shield AI, which earlier this month announced a teaming agreement with Taiwan defense prime contractor Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation, has opened an office in Taipei to ingrain its presence on the island state. “One of the lessons we learned from our work in Ukraine is that if you want to be a real partner, you need to be there,” Brandon Tseng, the company’s co-founder and president, said in a statement. The permanent presence in Taiwan will allow Shield to work “side by side with industry and government to deliver the mission autonomy and aircraft that strengthen deterrence,” he said.
Moly Confirmation. Tungsten mining company Almonty Industries has begun drilling at its Sangdong Mine in South Korea to confirm legacy data on the size and grade of molybdenum deposits, the Toronto-based company said last week. For the aerospace and defense industry, processed molybdenum is used to coat other metals to given them heat and corrosion resistance for use in rockets and missiles. Almonty, which is transitioning its headquarters to the U.S., will help mitigate supply shortages of the metal in South Korea. The company will also sell its moly to South Korean steel company SeAH Steel, which is establishing a metal manufacturing facility in Texas to service the aerospace and defense industry.
Electra Testing. Electra.aero last week said it completed its participation in the recent Air Force Research Laboratory Future Flag 25-3 event in Rome, N.Y., where its EL2 ultra-short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft was used in government directed tests and operational scenarios. In addition to the ultra-STOL aspects of the aircraft, the event showcased its hybrid-electric power capabilities. The EL2 demonstrated tactical airlift capabilities in an operational scenario that will inform the concept operations for the EL9, which Electra is developing for commercial and defense mobility and cargo applications.
Acquisition Complete. V2X last week said it has completed it acquisition of QinetiQ’s U.S. intelligence business that adds new capabilities in data engineering, intelligence mission support, and cyber solutions. V2X said the deal, valued at $24 million, improves is position in the intelligence community. The intelligence business has about 70 employees.
New NGA Digs. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency last Friday opened its new campus in St. Louis and workers will begin transitioning to the facilities this winter and be fully moved in by spring 2026. NGA West anchors a growing geospatial intelligence ecosystem in the St. Louis area.
