Page 63 – Defense Daily

Albedo Space Says Clarity-1 to Show VLEO Is ‘Next Frontier’

The Clarity-1 very-low Earth orbit (VLEO) imaging satellite by Denver’s Albedo Space and the first microsatellite owned and operated by Norway’s Kongsberg are among the 74 payloads that reached orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched for the Transporter-13 rideshare mission on March 15 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.

Kongsberg’s Arvaker-1 in LEO is to be part of a three-satellite constellation contracted by the Norwegian government to monitor smuggling, illegal fishing, and environmental crimes in Norwegian waters and to enable aid to ships in distress, the company said.

LEO satellites typically orbit about 500 miles above Earth, while VLEO are to operate at half that altitude and lower.

“Clarity-1 is the world’s first commercial satellite designed to operate in VLEO,” Albedo said. “Clarity-1 will deliver unprecedented resolution — 10 centimeter visible imagery and 2 meter thermal imagery — that was previously only achievable using aircraft.”

AyJay Lasater, Albedo’s co-founder and chief technology officer, said in the company’s statement on the March 15th launch that “Clarity-1 will serve as the proof point that VLEO is the next frontier.” Albedo’s mission statement is to “make exquisite imaging available to the world to generate new possibilities for innovation and market growth.”

In 2023, Albedo was among companies awarded National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Strategic Commercial Enhancements (SCE) contracts “to assess and leverage commercial electro-optical capabilities” (Defense Daily, Dec. 5, 2023). Mountain View, Calif.’s Muon Space and Irvine, Calif.’s Turion Space were two other SCE awardees, which, like Albedo, had payloads on Transporter-13.

The NRO said that its Advanced Systems & Technology Directorate (AS&T) designed and is operating two 6U cube satellites on Transporter-13 for “an NRO experimental technology research mission.”

“This mission is the second NRO R&D demonstrator launched in 2025 and follows the launch of the Otter R&D payload on SpaceX’s Transporter-12 rideshare mission in January,” the agency said.

Aaron Weiner, the director of NRO’s AS&T, said in the agency statement on the NRO’s cube satellites on Transporter-13 that “through efforts like this, AS&T is posturing the NRO to maintain its advantage in delivering space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems that are responsive to future national security challenges.”

Finland’s ICEYE said that Transporter-13 includes four of its Generation 4, 25 centimeter resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites with “more than double the imaging area, ranging from 150 km to 400 km swath width.”

“The images contain 30 percent greater information density,” ICEYE said. “The improvements also include advanced orbit control for target imaging, and more imaging capacity for congested areas in a single satellite pass…ICEYE has launched 48 SAR satellites into orbit for the company and its customers since 2018 and plans to launch more than 20 new satellites annually in 2025, 2026, and beyond.”

El Segundo, Calif.-based Varda Space Industries said that Transporter-13 is testing the company’s Winnebago-3 (W-3) capsule, which carries an inertial measurement unit payload developed by the U.S. Air Force and Dayton, Ohio’s Innovative Scientific Solutions Inc. to improve the accuracy of high-hypersonic reentry vehicles.

“Varda’s capsule reenters the Earth’s atmosphere at speeds exceeding Mach 25, a unique environment that offers researchers a chance to gather data for multiple applications, expanding the possibilities for the orbital economy and supporting U.S. national security interests in low Earth orbit,” Varda said. “W-3 will spend a few weeks on orbit before reentering and landing safely at the Koonibba Test Range in south Australia.”

Despite Mixed Signals, SAIC Seeing No Major Impact To Business From Trump Efficiency Effort

The Trump administration’s government efficiency initiative has created “mixed signals” related to the federal contractor environment but impacts so far on Science Applications International Corp.’s [SAIC] business has been minimal, company officials said on Monday.

Executive orders that have flowed from the White House the past two months and program terminations have had a “nominal” impact, although the company is “prepared should conditions change,” Toni Townes-Whitley, SAIC’s CEO, said during the company’s fourth quarter earnings call.

Net income in the quarter more than doubled to $98 million, $2 earnings per share (EPS), from $39 million (74 cents EPS) from a year ago. Excluding non-recurring expenses such as acquisition, integration, restructuring, and impairment costs, adjusted earnings of $2.57 EPS clobbered consensus estimates of $2.09 EPS.

Sales increased 6 percent to $1.8 billion from $1.7 billion driven by growth in the company’s Civilian segment and to a lesser extent by slight gain in the Defense and Intelligence segment.

For fiscal year 2025, net income fell 24 percent to $362 million ($7.17 EPS) from $477 million ($8.68 EPS) a year ago and adjusted earnings were $9.13 EPS. Sales were relatively flat at just over $7.5 billion versus just under $7.5 billion a year ago.

Solid organic growth the second half of SAIC’s FY ’25, “betting on ourselves a little” to maintain the momentum, congressional approval of a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through Sept. 30, spending flexibility for agencies under the CR, and “educating” customers about the mission critical nature of SAIC’s work led it to increase the low end of its sales guidance for FY ’26 by $50 million to between $7.6 billion and $7.8 billion, Townes-Whitley, and Prabu Natarajan, chief financial officer, said during the call.

The increase would present between 2 and 4 percent organic growth over FY ’25. In FY ’27, SAIC projects organic growth of about 5 percent.

SAIC also boosted its adjusted earnings guidance by 20 cents to between $9.10 and $9.30 EPS. Free cash flow is still projected to be between $510 million and $530 million. In FY ’25, free cash flow was $499 million.

“And so, I actually feel like it’s moving toward a little more stability,” Townes-Whitley said. “Not to say [there] won’t be new initiatives that are introduced, but we are seeing at least some coalescing around clarity on the CR, clarity on flexibility within the CR, clarity on who SAIC is, engaging with the new administration, and as they learn more about who we are, I think it’s going to become very, very clear on the mission role we play.”

Backlog at the end of the quarter stood at $21.9 billion, down 4 percent from $22.8 billion a year ago. SAIC tallied $6.6 billion in orders for the year, representing a book-to-bill ration of about 90 percent of sales.

General Electric May Receive Up to $5 Billion for F110-129 Engines for Foreign F-15s

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Cincinnati’s General Electric Aerospace [GE] a contract worth up to $5 billion to provide the company’s F110-129 engines for Boeing [BA] F-15 fighters and Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-16s for the Royal Saudi Air Force, Royal Jordanian Air Force, Bulgaria and possibly other countries that have agreed in Letters of Offer and Acceptance to sole-source such engines with GE.

“This contract provides five years of pricing for F110-129 install and spare engines, with modernized engine monitoring system computers and spare engine accessories supporting FMS customers,” DoD said in a Friday contract announcement. “Work will be performed at Cincinnati, Ohio; and San Antonio, Texas, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2030.”

The Air Force said last July that it was sticking with the F110-129 for the F-15EX and would not outfit that aircraft–the latest F-15 model–with the RTX [RTX] Pratt & Whitney F100-229 engine (Defense Daily, July 9, 2024).

In 2021, the Air Force chose GE over Pratt & Whitney to build up to 329 engines for the F-15EX under a nearly $1.6 billion contract.

The Air Force had picked GE to build eight engines for F-15EX Lot 1 but opened Lots 2-9 to competition.

Foreign nations, including Indonesia and Poland, are interested in buying the fly-by-wire F-15EX, which is based on the two-seat Qatari F-15QA configuration upgraded with U.S. Air Force-only features, including the BAE Systems‘ Eagle Passive Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS) and the F-15 Operational Flight Program software.

Chris Wilson – Qlik

In this monthly column, Defense Daily highlights individuals from across the government, industry and academia whose efforts contribute daily to national defense, from the program managers to the human resource leaders, to the engineers and logistics officers.

Chris Wilson is the Federal Alliance Director at Qlik, serving in the role since October 2022. Wilson has over 26 years of experience in operations, requirements, and project management to support the Special Operations community, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, U.S. Strategic Command, and Missile Defense Agency via agile operational execution and acquisition support.

How did you get involved in the defense industry or community?

Growing up, I had always dreamed of serving in the U.S. Army. When I finally turned 17, I jumped at my first chance to join the military. I dropped out of high school, and I earned my GED allowing me to join the National Guard. After 6 months and enough college credits I was able to go full time active-duty Army and continue my education earning a BS in Environmental Policy and MS in Industrial Engineering Management. I spent the first 8 years of my career in the military, serving in the Army Chemical Corps. While serving, I was privileged enough to be selected to help set up a unit in the national capital region responsible for emergency response to Weapons of Mass Destruction incidents. From responding to the anthrax letters to participating in presidential inaugurations, this position took my national security career to the next level. At around the 8-year mark, I prioritized my then-growing family’s needs and transitioned into the defense contractor and government civilian world. I held various positions at United States Strategic Command, Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and Missile Defense Agency before joining the Qlik team. My experience in the defense sector has paved the way for my success in the contracting world, providing me with first-hand experience of customers’ wants and needs.

What are some challenges you faced working through your career?

One of the most significant challenges I recognized early on in my career – and still see today – is that the Department of Defense (DoD), at its core, has the same functions that any commercial or private business does. I don’t think many people realize that the DoD is the world’s largest and most complex business system. Initially, grasping the complexities of the DoD was quite challenging due to its profoundly intricate nature. I often thought I had a comprehensive view of a situation, only to realize that I was seeing just a narrow aspect. However, shifting one’s approach and viewing the DoD through a complex business lens has allowed me to better navigate its complexities – and capitalize on its opportunities.

Did you feel like you always had sufficient mentors and leaders to help guide you? Why/why not?

While a few significant mentors stand out as I look back on my career, one person immediately jumps to mind – one of my early leaders in Germany. I will never forget how fiercely he protected his team. He made it a point to never question or argue with his team in public, doing everything he could to protect us openly. Now, that doesn’t mean we got off scot-free; on the contrary, he ensured all issues were addressed. However, he did it in a forum where we could learn from our mistakes and those of our peers.

Another individual who stands out was Sergeant First Class Prendergast. Whenever someone commented that something was good or bad, he would reply, “Maybe, we’ll see,” reflecting his open-mindedness and patience. He believed that sometimes, exercising patients to gain better situational understanding was better than acting hastily. He ingrained in me that we should not overly judge someone else’s decisions or actions because we may not have the entire picture. Lessons like these have been guideposts throughout my career and my personal life.

How do you work to be a mentor yourself to younger counterparts?

I’m passionate about getting out into the community and giving back whenever possible. I’m part of a few different non-profit organizations (like Whitefish Veteran Support Team, DREAM, and others) that support veterans, either young in the ranks, transitioning into civilian life, or coping with a significant challenge such as PTSD or other traumatic experiences. I work with these folks not only to convey useful skills they can implement into their careers but also to instill in them how appreciated their service is in the greater context of the defense community.

What does it mean to be successful in your career field?

On a personal level, success has to be definable, measurable, and repeatable….being better than yesterday. In a greater sense, for the DoD, success to me would be mitigating the risk of rapidly changing technology, while also maximizing its effectiveness and utility to the DoD.

What are some of the under-appreciated positions in the defense field, the unsung heroes or essential cogs in the machine that help the job get done with less recognition?

I would say the most affected yet under-appreciated individuals are the family members—the spouses, the children, etc. While they don’t sign up for service, they are still profoundly impacted and bear a heavy burden. Military families face unfathomable challenges, from the emotional toll of uncertainty and loneliness, to the temporary loss of a prominent family member in their daily lives, up to the ultimate sacrifices with the loss of a loved one. While active-duty service members are often celebrated for their sacrifices, it is crucial to remember that their families also make significant sacrifices.

How has the culture changed around diversity within your career?

The defense industry often mirrors the rest of society, though this reflection can lag—sometimes by a few years, sometimes by a decade. It is certainly a reflection of society because the industry comprises its members. During my career, there have been many advancements in recognizing and implementing diversity, not just diversity in background but also in thought.

What is your advice for new entrants to the defense/military community?

Read tenaciously. Read like it’s your passion, even if it’s not. The more you can read, the better prepared you will be. Now, this obviously doesn’t replace experience, but I discovered later in my career that I would have been better off if I had read more, sooner.

I’m also a major proponent of building your network, keeping it alive, and expanding it. I advise many younger professionals not to wait for the opportunity to present itself to you, but rather proactively go after those opportunities – even if it scares you.

What do you see as the future of your sector in national defense?

No one knows, and that’s the exciting part: we truly have no clue what tomorrow brings. We can try to influence it and direct things in a particular manner. Still, technological advances are accelerating so rapidly that anyone’s guess is as good as the next. What I do know for certain is that we are entering a fascinating era in the defense industry

Who are the Force Multipliers in your community? Let us know at [email protected].

Army Expanding TiC Rapid Fielding Initiative To Multi-Domain Task Forces

The Army’s ongoing Transforming in Contact (TiC) initiative to get after rapidly fielding new capabilities is expanding to include its Multi-Domain Task Forces (MDTF), a lead official confirmed on Friday.

Col. Mike Rose, commander of the 3rd MDTF out of Fort Shafter, Hawaii, told reporters his unit and the Army’s two other MDTF units have been designated as formal TiC participants moving forward, citing the effort as an opportunity to address capability gaps with emerging technologies.

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force use the Versatile Radio Observation and Direction (VROD) and Modular Adaptive Transmit (VMAX) backpack EW systems, which is a lightweight man-portable electronics support and offensive electronic attack system at Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii, Nov. 1, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Mariah Aguilar, 28th Public Affairs Detachment)

“We’ve got some gaps that we’re looking to fill and some emerging technologies that we want to integrate, [such as] UAS, counter-UAS, electronic warfare, command and control. Those are the types of things for us that we’re going to be anticipating TiC 2.0 being very helpful with,” Rose said.

The Army has now stood up three of its planned five MDTFs, with two based in the Indo-Pacific and one in Europe, and Rose noting the brigade-sized theater-level units are designed to “synchronize long-range precision fires and effects across [all] domains to neutralize adversaries’ anti-access and area denial capabilities.”

The 3rd MDTF was established in September 2022 and has been operating since May 2023 in the Indo-Pacific in support of the Army’s Operation Pathways campaign to expand cooperation with allies and partners in the region.

“We are continuing to grow as a force in capacity, in formations and in new capabilities,” Rose said.

The Army’s TiC effort, spearheaded by Gen. Randy George, the service’s chief of staff, has focused on testing new operating concepts with select Army units and providing troops with new technology, such as drones or networking capabilities, to gather feedback and inform rapid fielding decisions.

Rose noted that, until recently, the 3rd MDTF had not formally been a part of the TiC while adding that “doesn’t mean we weren’t constantly doing a level of transformation.”

“The chief of staff of the Army has been very clear that transformation needs to happen at every echelon throughout the entirety of the Army,” Rose said. “We fall squarely within the chief’s intent for being part of continuous transformation as we provide warfighting capability and deliver ready combat formations at the same time.”

The MDTF has served as a “key component” for organizing multi-domain capabilities across the entire Indo-Pacific theater, Rose said, to include standing up a theater information advantage detachment, a theater strike effects group and a “robust staff that’s growing to be able to support theater-level capability specifically aligned to and designed for synchronizing at the operational-level in the Indo-Pacific.”

“So that organizational-level transformation has been ongoing. Inside of that, we have been constantly working with and employing new program of record prototype capabilities, experimental capabilities and [forming] close relationships with the entire suite of RDT&E and S&T communities prior to and in order to inform programs of record and requirements specific to our mission in our particular geography,” Rose said.

George this past October detailed the Army’s plan for TiC 2.0 that will expand the initiative beyond the few select units that have participated so far, adding “we need to move up in echelon and go across all the warfighting functions” (Defense Daily, Oct. 15 2024).

“All the work we’ve been doing without that formal label, we anticipate to be able to accelerate and to pick up speed here going forward,” Rose told reporters.

Amphib Ship Maintenance Plans Work Better If COCOMs Do Not Extend Units, Marine Corps Commandant Says

The Commandant of the Marine Corps this week said while the Navy is trying to get its ships into maintenance availability on time and out to sea on time, part of the problem is combatant commanders extending ship groups with too few operational ships.

“The Navy is attempting to get the ships in and out on time, but right now that’s not happening. The amphibs are going in and they’re staying in, and a lot of it has to do with funding and prioritization of funding. But I’ll also say, on the Navy’s behalf, it also comes down to combatant commanders when they extend the [Marine Expeditionary Unit] or extended the Carrier Strike Group. I won’t speak for [Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby], but in the case of the ARG-MEUs, they are the most sought after item by the combatant commanders after carrier strike groups and submarines,” Commandant Gen. Eric Smith said during the Defense One State of Defense 2025 event on March 13.

Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith, addresses attendees during a change of command ceremony for Training and Education Command at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. on August 9, 2024. (Photo: Lance Cpl. Ethan Miller, U.S Marine Corps) — Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith addresses attendees during a change of command ceremony for Training and Education Command at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., on Aug. 9, 2024. (Photo: Lance Cpl. Ethan Miller, U.S Marine Corps)

He underscored if an Amphibious Ready Group-Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG-MEU) is extended “then the very, very tightly woven shipyard plan comes apart” because when an amphibious ship is delayed going into dry dock maintenance for six months, something else takes its place.

“So a lot of it comes down to balancing out, getting us back to a 3.0 ARG-MEU presence,” so there would always be one ARG-MEU forward deployed off the East Coast, one deployed off the West Coast, and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit doing two episodic deployments a year out of Okinawa, Japan, Smith said.

He said the combatant commanders would then not choose to extend an ARG-MEU because they are confident another one is coming right away to replace the last one, that’s what we really need – is seven ARG-MEUs.”

When asked how the Navy is working with him to make the process work better, Smith noted a big problem is there are just no more additional major shipbuilders left in the country, and only a few yards they can pull into for maintenance.

The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship future USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) was launched at the Huntington Ingalls Industries’ [HII] Ingalls Shipbuilding Division in Pascagoula, Miss in March 2020 (Photo: U.S. Navy by Huntington Ingalls Industries). — The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship future USS *Fort Lauderdale* (LPD-28) was launched at the **Huntington Ingalls** **Industries**’ [HII] Ingalls Shipbuilding Division in Pascagoula, Miss., in March 2020 (Photo: U.S. Navy by Huntington Ingalls Industries).

“So we’re competing with the rest of the fleet. And so we have to have our place in it. And again, I would go back to the combatant commanders have to release the ARG-MEU on time. You can’t keep extending it. Because when you ride a horse hard and put it away wet, horse pulls up lame,” Smith said.

He also reiterated if amphibious ship readiness cannot get into the 80 percentile range it necessitates the Navy operating more than the congressionally-mandated floor of 31 amphibious ships.

“It’s just a supply and demand issue, because what we need is 31 operationally available amphibs based on 80% readiness. And when the readiness is down in the 50 percentile, then 31 is not going to do it.”

Smith said, in turn, if Marines cannot go out on these deployments due to ship delays, it hurts retention “because Marines signed up to deploy. They didn’t sign up to sit in the barracks at Camp Lejeune or sit in the barracks at Camp Pendleton.”

When Marines are waiting for deployment rather than going out to see the world while doing their jobs, “when they don’t get to do that, then they vote with their feet and they’ll get out. And manpower, again, is the one thing you can’t buy back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

Ursa Major Nabs Award To Develop In-Space Propulsion Capability

Ursa Major, which has been cutting its teeth developing solid rocket motors and liquid rocket engines, has received a contract from an undisclosed customer to develop chemical propulsion for tactical satellite busses.

The multi-year award is worth between $10 million and $15 million and includes development, manufacturing, assembly, integration, and testing of a full propulsion system capable of six degree-of-freedom maneuverability, which refers to it being able to rotate in three-dimensions.

Ursa Major said its entrée into in-space propulsion is being fueled by growth in the satellite industry and demand for “propulsion systems that provide efficient mobility for maneuverability, collision avoidance, and timely deorbiting.” The company added that it will leverage its existing, and scalable manufacturing capabilities to meet demand.

“This award demonstrates the engineering rigor in propulsion systems to yield a new generation of highly maneuverable buses at significantly faster lead times than currently fielded systems,” Dan Jablonsky, Ursa Major’s CEO, said in a statement.

The work will take place at the company’s facilities in Berthoud, Colo.

Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Create Shipbuilding Commission

Three House members on Thursday introduced a bill that would create a new maritime industrial base commission to study and make recommendations on the U.S. maritime industry.

The bill, called the Save Our Shipyards (SOS) Act of 2025, would specifically “investigate the condition of the U.S. maritime industry and impediments to its growth. With a laser focus on the needs of the American military, the Commission will develop actionable policy recommendations to revitalize our maritime industrial base,” the original sponsors said in a joint statement.

The bill was introduced by Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) and House Armed Services Committee Members Don Davis (D-N.C.) and Jen Kiggans (R-Va.).

This comes after President Trump announced a new White House office focused on improving domestic military and commercial shipbuilding during a joint address to Congress on March 11. The following day, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said he did not know of those plans ahead of time, but said he was encouraged by the focus (Defense Daily, March 5).

The bill directs the commission to investigate and study the condition of the U.S. maritime industry “and any impediments to a strong and competitive United States maritime industry, with a particular focus on the needs of the United States military, including shipyards, shipbuilding and repairs, harbors, and skilled workforce.”

The commission is expected to culminate in policy recommendations to the President and Congress. The bill specified the commission would be directed to investigate the current condition of the maritime industry and how it will likely change in the next decade; the adequacy of the maritime industry to aid national defense; the adequacy of the mariner and shipyard workforce; legislative or administrative actions that can strengthen the maritime industry including taxation, regulation, investment incentives, effect of foreign government subsidies on the industry, and prioritization of national security matters in regulatory review and approval processes.

“For too long, America has ceded its leadership in shipbuilding, which is critical to our defense industrial base. The United States used to be the world leader in commercial shipbuilding. The stark reality is that while the People’s Republic of China builds over 1,700 ships annually, the U.S. struggles to produce even a handful. This decline jeopardizes our military readiness, depletes our skilled workforce, and undermines our ability to project strength. The SOS Act is a critical step towards restoring our maritime industrial base and bolstering our national security,” Green said in a statement.

The commission would consist of 15 voting and seven non-voting members: five voting members appointed by the president; seven non-voting members appointed by the president; three voting members appointed by the Senate majority leader and Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively; and two voting members appointed each by the minority leaders of the Senate and House.

The bill cites voting commissioners should be experts in commercial shipping, international trade, maritime industry policy and regulations, and related disciplines and who can represent United States-flagged vessel operators, seafaring and shipbuilding labor, shipbuilders, shippers, and the financial community with expertise in maritime issues.

The presidentially-appointed non-voting members would come from each of the Navy, Coast Guard, U.S. Maritime Service, Marine Corps, U.S. Naval War College, Maritime Administration and U.S. Merchant Maritime Academy.

If the bill is passed, the commission is due to deliver a report on its activities and recommendations within a year after its first meeting.

Defense Watch: FPV Drones, Portugal Fighters, Reaper Pod, Office of Net Assessment Closes, McAleese Conference

First-Person View. Conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine should spur the Pentagon to put a higher priority on offensive first person view (FPV) drones, according to one lawmaker. “We think of offensive drones as Reapers and Predators dropping Hellfires, and then we’re defending against small drones, but we are not, as far as I can tell, adopting small UAS organic to our maneuver elements,” Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) says. “Just like every infantry squad has an automatic weapon, every infantry squad should have an organic sUAS offensive capability—a backpack full of FPVs that they can fly at and into the enemy maneuver units and disrupt them just like we’re seeing all over the world on battlefields from Iranian proxy groups to the Russia-Ukraine war. From my old buddies still in uniform, I do not hear that we have an organic, offensive small UAS capability within our maneuver units, and I think that’s gonna be a great disservice to our young men and women when the next conflict arises.”

…6,000 FPVs. The Latvia-based International Drone Coalition is funding a buy of 6,000 Archer FPVs by California-based Neros Technologies, the company said. The International Drone Coalition’s “down-select process started with 260 companies and included multiple rounds of rigorous testing, which ultimately led to the selection of Archer,” according to Nero Technologies. Archer became the first FPV to receive Pentagon “authority to operate” last month through the drone’s certification under the Defense Innovation Unit’s Blue UAS list, started in 2020 to accelerate the adoption of commercial UAS by DoD. The U.S. Army has an FPV-focused Personal Battlefield Awareness System (P-BAS) program–also called the Company Level sUAS–in the works.

Portugal Fighters. Portugal’s parliament ended Prime Minister Luis Montenegro’s center-right administration with a vote of no confidence on March 10, and new elections may come in May. Outgoing Portugal Defense Minister Nuno Melo told the Portuguese newspaper, Publico, on Thursday that the country is unlikely to buy the Lockheed Martin F-35 despite the Portuguese Air Force recommending the fighter as the prime candidate to replace the country’s F-16s. “We cannot ignore the geopolitical environment in our choices,” Melo said. “The recent position of the United States, in the context of NATO…must make us think about the best options, because the predictability of our allies is a greater asset to take into account.” Melo said that Portugal is concerned that the U.S. “could bring limitations to use, maintenance, components, and everything that has to do with ensuring that aircraft will be operational and used in all types of scenarios.” Instead of up to 28 F-35s, Portugal may now opt for the Rafale or Eurofighter.

Reaper Pod. The Navy MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle test squadron at Patuxent River, Md., received its first SkyTower II (STII) pod in February, ahead of initial operational capability set for later this year, the Navy said this month. Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron (VMU) 3 is currently flying MQ-9s in theater today and are set to be the first to deploy with this new system in 2026. A Navy official said they worked with GALT, a small business prime vendor, to quickly develop the capability via middle-tier acquisition. The STII is an airborne network extension pod to improve cross-domain communications, required to perform the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) concept of operations.

Oiler Engines. Fairbanks Morse Defense won another contract from General Dynamics NASSCO to build the main propulsion diesel engines for a Military Sealift Command John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oiler, the future USNS Dolores Huerta (T-AO 214), the company said March 11. T-AO 214 will be the 10th new oiler in the class and will be powered by two 12V 48/60 CR main propulsion engines and two 71 32/44 CR service diesel engines built at the company’s Beloit, Wis., facility. Fairbanks Morse already previously supplied the engines for T-AOs 205 to 2011 and is producing engines for T-AO 212 and 213.

Kratos. Kratos said it won a contract on March 11 worth up to $50 million as a partner to Corvid Technologies LLC for the Short/Medium Range Sub-Orbital Vehicle (SSOV) II contract. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme, White Sands Detachment awarded the contract to cover the design, manufacture, and delivery of short- and medium-range suborbital vehicles. This also includes the provision of ground test hardware, special test equipment, materials, engineering, and launch support services. Work for the subcontract will occur for both the U.S. and international customers, like AUKUS partners Australia and the U.K. in support of missile defense target missions and defense launch services. Kratos is set to provide its Oriole Rocket Motor, Thrust Vector Control and other hardware and systems to help perform complex mission trajectories. The subcontract component could exceed $50 million if all options are exercised. Senior Vice President at Kratos Defense & Rocket Support Services Josh Peterson said the suborbital configurations under the contract “significantly enhance the nation’s ability to rapidly and affordably demonstrate emerging technologies.”

T-REX Assessments. The Department of Defense’s Research and Engineering Office this month is conducting its first Technology Readiness Experimentation (T-REX) event of the year at Camp Atterbury, Ind., with a focus on passive multi-spectral air surveillance kill chain sensor and fusion integration, and low-cost short range air defense counter-drone activities. Companies participating in the counter-unmanned aircraft system limited objective experimentation get to demonstrate their technologies in an operationally relevant environment. T-REX is running March 10 through 18. T-REX is part of R&E’s Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve to put promising prototypes into experimentation campaigns to provide lessons and observations that could help them become fielded quickly.

Sat-to-UAS Comms. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems last week said its Gray Eagle Extended Range unmanned aircraft system (UAS) in January began flight tests using a proliferated low Earth orbit satellite constellation for aircraft communications under an Army contract. The company said this is the first Army aircraft to be controlled over the satellite service. So far, two flight tests and a series of grounds tests have occurred, with more flights expected. The testing has focused on flight-critical operations, including core aircraft control function as well as sensor and communications systems, the company said.

Containerized Energetics. Maritime systems solutions provider Fairlead and Firehawk Aerospace, which is developing solid rocket motors and new manufacturing techniques for propellants, have formally teamed to adapt Fairlead’s containerized mission modules to house Firehawk’s energetics systems. The modules currently support command and control, power distribution, and electronic warfare applications. The companies last week said their partnership supports the Defense Department’s shift to distributed, forward deployed capabilities. “Combined, they will provide scalable options for shipboard, shore-based, and autonomous operations, supporting missions from force and power projection to long-range strike, deterrence, and expeditionary warfare across multiple domains, including contested environments,” they said of their combined solutions.

AI-Powered SDA. Voyager Technologies last week said it is enhancing its signal processing systems for artificial intelligence-powered space domain awareness (SDA) by leveraging Palantir Technologies’ software, marking an expanded partnership between the companies. “We’re developing an integrated solution, harnessing the power of AI with Palantir’s software stack and taking advantage of real-time radio frequency streams and imagery to perform space-based object detection, identification, classification and tracking,” Matt Magana, president of defense and national security at Voyager, said in a statement.

CISA Nominee. President Trump last week nominated Sean Plankey to be the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) at the Department of Homeland Security. During the first Trump administration, Plankey spent a year on the National Security Council as director for cyber policy before moving to the Energy Department for a year as principal deputy assistant secretary for cybersecurity, energy security, and emergency response. A former Coast Guard operations officer, Plankey also managed the service’s telecom and satellite communications, served in Afghanistan providing cyber support, was the weapons and tactics branch chief at U.S. Cyber Command, and has worked in industry. He is currently head of cybersecurity software at Indigo Vault.

More AMPVs. The Army on March 13 awarded BAE Systems a $356.7 million order for more Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles, covering the third phase of the current full-rate production contract. Work on the latest deal is expected to be completed by the end of May 2028. BAE Systems’ AMPV is the Army’s replacement for its legacy M113 armored personnel carriers, with the company receiving a full-rate production contract for the platform in September 2023 that could be worth up to $1.6 billion.

Australia FMS. The State Department on March 10 said it has approved a potential $91.2 million foreign military sale (FMS) with Australia for 54 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System-Alternate Warhead rounds. Along with the Lockheed Martin-produced munitions, the deal also includes engineering services, technical assistance and logistics and program support. “The proposed sale will enhance Australia’s capability to meet current and future threats by increasing its capability to deter adversaries. The proposed sale will support its goal of improving national and territorial defense, interoperability with U.S. forces, and working to uplift industry as a new source of supply,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement. Australia in October rolled out plans to spend up to $14 billion over the next decade to boost domestic production of munitions, which will include building a new facility by 2029 capable of producing thousands of Lockheed Martin’s GMLRS rockets annually.

Japan FMS. The State Department on March 10 also approved a potential $200 million FMS case with Japan for equipment and services to support its Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectiles program. Under the deal, the U.S. would provide capability to support testing and transportation efforts as well as coordination meetings in the U.S. and Japan. “The proposed sale will improve Japan’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing defense for remote islands,” the DSCA said in a statement.

ONA Closed. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the closure of the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment, often referred to as DoD’s internal think tank. Hegseth has ordered the development of a plan to rebuild it “in alignment with the department’s strategic priorities,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. “This decision ensures that our resources are focused on the most pressing national security challenges while maintaining accountability and efficiency,” Parnell said. “The Department remains committed to conducting rigorous, forward-looking strategic assessments that directly inform defense planning and decision-making.” The office’s personnel will be reassigned to new roles, according to the announcement.

GDIT/AWS. General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) announced on March 14 it’s expanding its technology partnership with Amazon Web Services through a new strategic collaborative agreement to develop “cutting-edge cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, cloud migration and modernization solutions to accelerate digital transformation” for defense, intelligence and civilian agencies. “Government agencies will benefit from AWS’s cloud computing environment, widely considered to be one of the most secure available today, to support their unique missions. GDIT will leverage its research and development labs to collaborate with AWS on emerging technologies such as quantum, edge computing and high-performance computing,” GDIT said in a statement. GDIT and AWS said they will work with customers to identify “new use cases and rapidly develop proofs of concept and solutions for a wide variety of missions,” including improving cyber security, intelligence and healthcare outcomes, reducing fraud, waste and abuse and advancing high-performance computing research.

Feinberg Confirmed. The Senate on March 14 voted 59-40 to confirm Stephen Feinberg as the new deputy secretary of defense. Feinberg is the co-founder of Cerberus Capital Management, which has invested in a portfolio of defense contractors. He also served as chair of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board and Intelligence Oversight Board during Trump’s first term. During his confirmation hearing, Feinberg said DoD should consider simplifying program requirements to spur more companies to work with the department, including large, non-defense U.S. manufacturers. Feinberg received the support of all Senate Republicans and six Democrats, to include Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Senate Armed Services Committee members Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.).

McAleese Conference. The 16th annual McAleese defense programs conference kicks off tomorrow in Arlington, Va. Speakers include Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David Allvin, Strategic Command’s Air Force Gen. Anthony Cotton, Missile Defense Agency Director Air Force Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), and other top military leaders. This year’s event includes a “defense disruptors” panel with leading CEOs.

U.S. Air Force Surveying Industry on Mature Counter UAS

The U.S. Air Force wants to hear from companies able to demonstrate mature, Technology Readiness Level 6 ground-to-air and air-to-air counter drone systems by June 30 and to increase production by 2,000 systems annually.

The request for systems able to counter drones in the Group 2 and Group 3 categories–from 21 pounds to 1,320 pounds–comes in request to a Joint Urgent Operational Need, according to a request for information by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s attack division (AFLCMC EBD) at Eglin AFB, Fla.

“This capability may be autonomous or pseudo-autonomous,” AFLCMC said. “EBD requires an effective and cost efficient air-to-air weapon system.”

Among the questions AFLCMC EBD poses to industry is a company’s “manufacturing maturity” for counter drone systems.

“Do you have the capability to manufacture this product?” the business notice asks. “At what Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) has this been demonstrated? Would it be manufactured in the U.S.? What is the current maximum production capacity per month? Describe ability to increase capacity, if any, along with tooling and ROM [rough order of magnitude] to achieve increases up to 2,000 units/year. Address willingness to provide unlimited/government purpose rights on the design for the government to pursue other/additional manufacturing sources.”

Last month, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s aviation panel heard testimony that the drone threat to military bases in Alaska points to the need for improved technology and testing (Defense Daily, Feb. 6).