Headlines: The Integration, Iteration, and Interoperability Imperative
Many DoW leaders champion integration of tech for Joint Force kill chains.
Welcome to the latest edition of Defense Tech and Acquisition.
SECWAR has a big acquisition reform speech soon.
A soldier flew a BlackHawk from a tablet, while the Navy pursues a Golden Fleet
The Air Force has a new Chief and Anduril’s CCA achieved first flight
More public private and traditional - non-traditional partnerships announced.
The Government is still shutdown and Polymarket’s latest prediction doesn’t expect the reopening before Thanksgiving. This is not helpful for rebuilding the defense industrial base since many small companies struggle to maintain the payroll and many key government workers live paycheck to paycheck. We are thrilled that the troops have been covered but that has come at a cost to shipbuilding and weapon accounts (nearly $3B in the last tranche). This is not sustainable and we encourage our elected representatives to come together and find a path earlier than Nov 27.
For many of you who are going without pay, especially those still coming into work, we feel for you and thank you for your continued service for our national security. Please check in on one another for support - call, text, or see them in person and get outside (after reading this post). There are no-interest loans up to $6,000 available for federal workers from FEEA, USAA, Navy Federal, and PenFed to name a few.
Hegseth’s Acquisition Reform Speech: What Might Come and What’s Underway
A major acquisition shakeup is poised to hit the Pentagon, and details have begun to leak out. On Nov. 7, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning a speech to roll out the plans to change the defense acquisition system.
The address will have top executives from across the defense industry — both from the major players and from the ever-growing startup scene.
OSD and the services have been reforming acquisition since January.
One major change that is expected to be announced is Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the Pentagon office that manages Foreign Military Sales cases, would move from the Under Secretary of Policy to Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment.
“Aligning these functions under Acquisition and Sustainment would accelerate the FMS process — an urgent priority given today’s threat environment.” - Dak Hardwick, AIA VP for International Affairs
Another change that may be in the works is the creation of a series of Direct Report Program Managers (DRPMs), who would have oversight of key programs for the Air Force and Navy — but report directly to DEPSECWAR Stephen Feinberg, rather than to the service acquisition officials.
Lt Gen Dale White is considered for Air Force programs B-21, F-47, and Sentinel ICBMs.
VADM Robert Gaucher is considered for Navy submarine programs.
Army was planning to rearrange and consolidate its 13 Program Executive Officers (PEOs) down to single digits. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll noted a consolidated and streamlining of how the Army buys big things and should adopt a more Silicon Valley mindset.
Air Force killed the Integrated Capabilities Command (ICC) that would have overhauled requirements process and will nest them under Air Force Futures.
The Navy [merged] several offices such as the Disruptive Capabilities Office and established the Navy Rapid Capabilities Office led by VADM Seiko Okano. SECNAV consolidated robotics and autonomous systems offices and establish a portfolio acquisition executive.
Related: Hegseth to Unveil Arms Sale Overhaul
Nominee for R&E Post Vows to Accelerate Prototyping, Experimentation
James Caggy, nominee to serve as ASD for mission capabilities told lawmakers that, if confirmed, he will work to create a sustainable system that ensures innovative capabilities can be rapidly fielded to warfighters.
The ASD for mission capabilities is expected to serve as the principal staff advisor to the USD(R&E) and primarily focus on accelerating the development and delivery of critical emerging technologies.
Caggy emphasized that the Pentagon is currently burdened by outdated bureaucracy and regulations that often prevent robust prototyping and experimentation, as well as stifle innovation.
It’s incredibly important that the mission capabilities offices works and partners with the services, labs, and DARPA and alongside the combatant commands to ensure that we can prototype, task, experiment and get validated warfighter feedback back to our industry partners, such that we can develop these capabilities at a much, much faster rate than we are doing today.
Success in this area means we won’t just innovate in a lab. We will get tech into the field where it can make a difference for the men and women on the front lines.
I will push the department to remove bureaucratic roadblocks that slow down transitioning proven technologies to the joint force, so that warfighters receive state-of-the-art capabilities on timelines measured in months, not years.
Increase the number of prototyping and experimentation exercises at the joint force level over the next year so that Pentagon officials can more quickly improve and iterate on new capabilities.
The metric I care about is speed with credibility: how quickly we can prove that a technology works and field it at scale.
Caggy also promised to bolster the department’s partnerships with the emerging defense technology industry through events like the Technology Readiness Experimentation (T-REX) series and programs such as Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT).
Related: Pentagon Tech Nominees Say They’ll Stress Speed to Service for New Capabilities
Systems, Not Silver Bullets, are Key to Victory in the Pacific
Specifically, integrated systems that can disrupt the enemy, MG VanAntwerp
No single technology can win every battle and fix every problem. Instead, the ability to integrate multiple systems, disparate systems, with more open architecture—that is eventually going to win.
For SOCPAC, VanAntwerp said the combination of robotics, autonomy, and resilient networks is absolutely critical, because information is useless unless it comes with an ability to make a coherent picture.
Whatever combination of systems that might emerge, having the ability to disrupt our adversaries’ ability to target us, that is the oxygen that we require in this theater.
It is taking the U.S. so much longer to adapt because of the lack of a tactical imperative—namely, no American troops are dying on battlefields.
With unmanned systems and the networks that enable them, the goal is to either have expendable low cost systems, or expensive highly survivable systems.
White House Pushes Agencies to Deregulate Faster
The White House released a memo to guide agencies on how to implement a directive establishing legally untested processes to speed up the repeal of regulations.
In April, OMB directed agencies to forgo notice and comment requirements when repealing rules that are deemed unconstitutional or unlawful in light of recent Supreme Court rulings that weakened agencies’ regulatory power.
When an agency promulgates a new rule, or revokes one, it must seek, respond to and potentially incorporate public comment on the proposal. That process usually takes at least a year.
Clark’s memo directs agencies, when making cost-benefit analyses of deregulation, to consider factors such as increased private freedom, the unexpected costs of a rule or if there have been few violations of existing requirements.
Product Management Talent: The Gap Agile and DevSecOps Can’t Fix
Defense software keeps failing operators because the Department is solving the wrong problem. The biggest issue isn’t delivery speed; it’s the requirements gap.
DoD is constantly building the wrong things fast and then backtracking once requirements gaps are uncovered. This inflates costs, delays fielding, and delivers capabilities that frustrated operators must devise work-arounds to do their jobs.
Product management talent solves the requirements gap by validating requirements before committing the bulk of the engineering resources.
Agile and DevSecOps can’t fix this because they assume someone already figured out what to build. Getting the wrong requirements to operators faster doesn’t help them.
Product managers bridge the buyer-user disconnect, translate operator needs into buildable requirements, and own product success.
West Coast tech companies are dominated by product management practices while SAFe is scarcely found in those same companies.
Companies like Anduril, Palantir, and Shield AI have delivered operationally successful products not because they follow Agile or DevSecOps methodologies better than traditional primes. They’ve succeeded because their founders and leadership teams possess deep product management expertise that enables them to solve the requirements gap.
What truly sets these defense technology companies apart from the vast majority of the traditional Defense Industrial Base is that they know how to discover and validate requirements, manage product risks, and own product success in ways that traditional defense contractors do not.
Product managers are responsible for minimizing five critical product risks before committing substantial engineering resources:
Value Risk: Will this capability actually improve mission outcomes?
Viability Risk: Can this program deliver within constraints?
Usability Risk: Can operators employ this under operational conditions?
Feasibility Risk: Can this be built with available technology and workforce?
Sustainability Risk: Can this be maintained throughout the platform’s life?
DoD must lead by demanding product management excellence in contracts, and the Defense Industrial Base will respond by acquiring and developing this talent.
Programs in requirements definition or early development is when product management matters most. If programs commit to full-scale development without proper requirements discovery, they lock in years of problems.
Our Take: Andrew is spot on. As the DoW transforms its requirements, acquisition, and budget systems, infusing product management into programs and portfolios is a must. This requires hiring talent with proven expertise in industry to come into key programs and portfolios to show the DoW how things should be done, then promulgate the wisdom across the workforce. It must rethink structures, metrics, and culture to embody more product management practices.
The Interoperability Imperative for Defense Analytics
The increasing use of drone warfare in global conflicts presents a new imperative for military forces to quickly identify and intercept hostile unmanned weapon systems when every minute counts. It also reveals a more profound need to gather and analyze multiple data streams and respond faster than humans can process manually.
Recent technological advances are demonstrating new promise in solving that challenge — and more broadly, one of the military’s Achilles heels: turning massive amounts of data into actionable intelligence in near real time.
Transforming this data into actionable intelligence with the speed and precision required for achieving decision advantage on the battlefield and cyberspace has remained a critical stumbling block.
Data fragmentation across both functional silos and classification levels, along with inconsistent standards, latency issues, and the sheer volume of data, creates interoperability gaps that prevent the timely movement of information from sensor to decision maker.
One of the most promising strategies to counter data fragmentation is the adoption of federated data fabrics that rely on open data standards and advanced analytics platforms like Open DAGIR, Advana, Army Advantage and Navy Jupiter.
These architectural approaches leverage governance and industry incentives to align enterprise applications, data, and infrastructure holistically to achieve greater interoperability, speed and flexibility at scale.
Adding momentum to these expanding data-sharing capabilities is the rise of high-throughput, low-latency distributed streaming platforms that allow for near real-time data processing.
A third factor accelerating real-time information sharing is the increasing adoption of zero-trust architectures and their emphasis on continuous authentication and least privilege access, which are pivotal in enabling more fluid and robust cross-domain data sharing.
While classification and sensitivity remain valid concerns, the inability to share data only serves to disadvantage the military.
Ultimately, for the defense sector to unlock the full potential of its extensive data reserves, the future of defense analytics depends on treating data as a shared resource with policies that promote interoperability, open standards, and partnerships with experienced data-sharing experts.
American AI Exports Program - RFI
As directed by Executive Order 14320, “Promoting the Export of the American AI Technology Stack” the Department of Commerce is establishing and implementing the Program and will issue a public request for proposals from industry-led consortia to deliver full-stack American AI export packages.
Through this RFI, the Department is seeking information from the public on the request for proposals that the Department will issue pursuant to E.O. 14320, including comments relating to the AI technology stack, consortia membership and formation, foreign markets, proposals’ business and operational models, federal support for consortia, national security regulations, and proposal evaluation.
The Department welcomes comment from all interested parties.
First Look at IBM’s New LLM Fine-Tuned for Defense Applications
The new IBM Defense Model combines advanced AI with domain-specific data from Janes to help improve users’ decision-making.
The tool really understands defense terminology, equipment, standards and mission context. The model is uniquely able to be deployed in defense environments and have an immediate impact.
Pentagon leadership is investing heavily to accelerate its enterprise-wide adoption of some of the most advanced commercial algorithms and LLM capabilities.
IBM’s new defense-specific LLM offering is built on the company’s Granite foundation models and deployable in air-gapped, classified, and edge settings.
Users will be able to connect this tool into their secure environments via API, which typically facilitates communication and interaction for LLMs.
Janes is the primary source of data that powers the IBM Defense Model.
Related: IBM Announces Defense-Focused AI Model to Accelerate Mission Planning and Decision Support
Public-Private AI Pilot Looks to Go Operational
NSF recently issued a solicitation seeking proposals on how to turn its current AI research pilot into a sustainable, long-term resource for stakeholders inside and outside of government.
The vision for the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR), concept is a national integrated infrastructure that would connect the research community to computational resources, datasets, models, software infrastructure, as well as user support and training that the research community really needs to really optimize their research for different platforms.
Launched in January 2024, 14 federal agencies funded the NAIRR pilot including the DoD and DARPA along with 28 private sector partners. It has supported over 500 research projects. It aligns to the administration’s AI action plan.
In September, NSF released a solicitation to establish a NAIRR Operations Center that will serve as the focal point for operational transition from the current pilot towards a sustainable long-term national AI research resource.
The goal of the National AI Research Resource initiative is to bring together researchers no matter their area of focus — whether it be defense, health, agriculture, science, etc. to exchange best practices and ideas.
The NAIRR pilot is already supporting a number of projects with DoD grants — such as one researcher developing a battlefield triage capability using AI, and a DARPA team looking at different approaches for rapidly designing inhibitors to gene-editing technologies
Dept of Energy Forms $1B Supercomputer and AI Partnership with AMD
The U.S. has formed a $1B partnership with AMD to construct two supercomputers that will tackle large scientific problems ranging from nuclear power to cancer treatments to national security.
The U.S. is building the two machines to ensure the country has enough supercomputers to run increasingly complex experiments that require harnessing enormous amounts of data-crunching capability.
The machines can accelerate the process of making scientific discoveries.
Lux supercomputer to come online in six months
Discovery supercomputer to be ready in 2029
Mr. President, We Need an America First Critical Minerals Strategy
William Crane and Peter Brown
Critical minerals are not just an economic issue or an environmental issue–but a national security crisis.
The critical mineral antimony is especially important to our warfighters.
It is used in every bullet, every pair of night-vision goggles, and in the starter battery of everything that floats, flies, or drives, from every howitzer to every stealth bomber. Without it, our military would simply shut down.
Yet right now, China controls nearly half of the world’s antimony supply and most of its processing.
In January, the Department of the Interior finally approved the application to reopen America’s only antimony mine in Central Idaho.
China controls 70% of the world’s rare earth elements production. In the critical minerals category, they control two-thirds of the world’s lithium and three-quarters of the world’s cobalt.
America needs a whole-of-government National Critical Mineral Strategy that includes fast-tracking of regulatory approvals for mining projects, such as construction permits and operating permits.
Securing America’s critical mineral independence will take time. But until then, if we cannot reshore a mineral, then we should friend-shore it.
Secretary Bessent said recently that the Administration will protect against Chinese dumping by instituting price floors to keep our most important institutions in business. As the Secretary put it with regard to rare earths, “either we have to be self-sufficient, or we have to be sufficient with our allies.”
This is our moment to declare critical mineral independence.
DoD Promised a Swarm of Attack Drones. We’re Still Waiting
Defense officials consistently tout the Replicator initiative — an ambitious effort to “swarm” thousands of attritable, inexpensive drones at a break-neck pace to counter China — as a great success.
DoD Secretary Pete Hegseth testified in June that the initiative made enormous strides towards delivering and fielding multiple thousands of unmanned systems across multiple domains, with thousands more planned through the FY26 defense budget.
CRS points out that only hundreds rather than thousands of these systems materialized by the August 2025 target date.
Replicator’s goal for its first phase was to field thousands of autonomous systems by summer 2025 was a massive undertaking, considering AI’s relatively novel, and controversial, use in military contexts.
A second part, Replicator two, which focuses on counter-drone defense, was announced last fall and is underway.
The first phase found persistent technical issues including systems’ glitches and problems integrating Replicator systems with existing command structures.
Critically, the Pentagon struggled to procure software able to command, and attack with, large numbers of different drones — a capability fundamental to Replicator’s success.
DIU which has been overseeing the initiative handed Replicator’s reins over to Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG), a new organization part of SOCOM, which is supposed to carry out the initiative’s goals within two years.
Newer defense tech power-hitters, like Anduril and Palantir have had success in recent years challenging defense primes’ dominance in the weapons industry, in part because they successfully marketed themselves as leaner, faster and more technologically savvy than traditional defense contractors.
75% of Replicator’s participants are non-traditional defense tech companies.
Be the Navy, Not a Pirate
Most great organizations begin as pirates — breaking rules, defying empires, and building fortunes from the wreckage. “Move fast and break things” captured that spirit: better to be bold and decisive than slow and perfect. But history shows us that pirates never last long.
Pirates run on instinct and luck; navies run on structure and intent. The shift from pirates to navy is what turns flashes of brilliance into lasting power.
We tend to think that large organizations are slow, bureaucratic, and complacent — but that’s only true of the bad ones.
For scaling a startup: Codify doctrine early; promote capability, not seniority; design feedback loops; and preserve tempo.
SpaceX isn’t fast because it thrives on chaos; it’s fast because it engineered order into its DNA. Its success is the result of discipline.
Building a navy like SpaceX means giving high-agency people freedom within a framework.
Even with a capable crew, a navy needs admirals who can fight. Structure should never dull the leader’s instinct for action.
The best leaders know when to enter the fabled “founder mode,” channeling the edge that built the company in the first place.
Navies are what make ambitious, civilizational projects possible. Pirates are fast, but disorganized and limited in reach. A navy builds the infrastructure, supply lines, and trust needed to operate anywhere. That’s what lets a company move from one clever product to a lasting platform — from a single ship to an empire.
NVIDIA and US Telecom Leaders Unveil the All-American AI-RAN Stack to Accelerate the Path to 6G
Booz Allen, Cisco, MITRE, ODC and T-Mobile Showcase Early 6G Applications, Including Multimodal Integrated Sensing and Communications on NVIDIA AI Aerial Platform.
NVIDIA and partners create America’s first AI-native wireless stack for 6G, integrating advanced AI across hardware, software and architecture to prepare future networks for explosive growth in AI traffic.
Built on the NVIDIA AI Aerial platform, the new stack enables breakthrough applications — including those with multimodal integrated sensing and communications capabilities for public safety and AI-driven spectrum agility and sensing — delivering unprecedented spectral efficiency and seamless connectivity.
American AI-RAN stack to also provide new revenue stream opportunities for telecom operators.
New Manufacturing Approaches, Investment Flowing to Munitions Industry
The war in Ukraine has led to global demand for munitions rising significantly, and both the U.S. government and private sector are exploring new ways to meet the production capacity needs of the modern battlefield.
The Army is “on a path” to produce 100,000 155mm artillery rounds per month — although the service missed its goal of reaching the milestone by this October — and is allocating millions to its organic industrial base to support this effort.
Companies are, through venture capital, making their own pre-contract investments in facilities, in workforce development and in materials to support this likely enduring need.
In the munitions industry, the shift away from exquisite weapons to affordable mass — such as 155mm artillery rounds or aerial drones carrying kinetic payloads — presents the sort of growth opportunity that would attract venture capital.
One company looking to capitalize on this shift is Union Technologies, which was founded in 2024 to “remodernize defense manufacturing.”
Another organization taking a unique approach to expanding munitions production is ACMI, which is developing its 1,141-acre National Security Industrial Hub adjacent to Crane Army Ammunition Activity.
The “anchor” of the hub will be the 550-acre HQ and production facility for Prometheus Energetics — a joint venture between Kratos Defense and Security Solutions and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
The Defense Department is also taking lessons from international allies on how to do multi-year contracts for munitions and send a longer-term demand signal.
“The U.S. government and its industrial base must rise to the challenge, because on the modern battlefield, platforms without munitions are glorified paperweights — and without the munitions, we can’t do as a joint force what the nation requires in the most difficult circumstances. Make no mistake — the nation that scales first wins.” Boyd Miller, principal deputy director for strategic logistics, J4, Joint Staff
Igniting the American Quantum Economy
Prineha Narang and Joshua Levine
Export controls illustrate the gap between intent and execution evidenced by the Bureau of Industry and Security (in 2024) imposing controls on quantum computing systems, targeting advanced quantum computers that could threaten U.S. national security if accessed by adversaries.
The controls required licenses for exporting systems above specified qubit counts and coherence thresholds even though groups like the Quantum Economic Development Consortium argued that the rule’s language created ambiguities.
A lack of clarity around such controls allows over-compliance and under-compliance to occur simultaneously.
Some companies restrict legitimate collaborations with allied researchers to avoid inadvertent violations.
Others interpret ambiguities permissively, confident that regulators lack the technical staff to enforce nuanced distinctions.
Neither outcome serves American interests.
Effective export controls require clarity on controlled technology categories, periodic revision as qubit performance improves, and coordination with allies to adopt equivalent restrictions.
Investment screening affects how and where quantum companies secure capital with the Bureau of Industry and Security and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. both playing a role.
The Committee treats all investment with equal suspicion, leading to lengthy reviews and uncertainty that discourages foreign investors — including from allied nations with sovereign wealth funds — from supporting funding rounds.
Quantum startups cannot afford prolonged fundraising delays. Even when the Committee does approve investments, it often imposes “overly bureaucratic, complex, and open-ended mitigation agreements” — leading to unbounded compliance costs rather than clear, targeted actions.
Recommendation: What we need are the right policy signals that match the pace of innovation, investment screening that distinguishes allies from adversaries, and strategic workforce development that turns scientific promise into manufacturing reality. Get the policy right, and quantum becomes the next chapter in American industrial leadership.
DOD Wants to Use AI to Bolster Security of INDOPACOM Networks
As part of an effort to unify more than a dozen disparate networks under INDOPACOM’s purview, DoD is planning to use artificial intelligence to predict and simulate adversary attacks, and enhance security of the resulting network.
INDOPACOM is in the process of consolidating 17 networks it operates to communicate with allies into a single, unified network under a program the DOD CIO calls Mission Network-as-a-Service.
Modeling and Simulation a Silent Engine of Military Readiness
The Pentagon’s focus on readiness has rarely been sharper. Facing peer competitors, contested domains and constrained budgets, U.S. forces must be trained to fight and win under conditions of complexity and uncertainty. Increasingly, that preparation does not begin in the field, at sea or in the sky. It begins in a synthetic world.
Modeling and simulation has become the silent engine of U.S. military readiness.
Long considered supplemental, today it sits at the core of how the military services prepare their people and platforms for combat.
As a force multiplier, modeling and simulation enhances lethality, conserves resources and accelerates adaptation across the Joint Force.
At its core, modeling and simulation allows warfighters to rehearse multi-domain operations in a safe, repeatable and cost-effective environment.
Unlike live training — where fuel, ammunition, range scheduling and platform wear all drive costs upward — simulation provides scale at marginal expense.
Units can practice complex scenarios repeatedly, from denied communications to joint fires integration, without mobilizing fleets or squadrons.
Despite its benefits, the modeling and simulation enterprise faces hurdles.
Interoperability across services and platforms remains uneven.
Without common standards, federated architectures and rigorous validation and verification, simulations risk providing a false sense of confidence.
Acquisition culture also lags behind operational demand, leaving proven technologies stranded in the “valley of death.”
That is why organizations such as the National Training and Simulation Association and its flagship event, the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference, better known as I/ITSEC, are vital.
They connect government, industry and academia, fostering adoption of technologies such as AI, digital twins and live-virtual-constructive integration.
They also provide structured matchmaking and demo days that bring user communities face to face with innovators — bridging the gap between senior directives and operator needs.
But leadership commitment will determine success. DoD must continue investing in simulation infrastructure, enforcing interoperability and holding commands accountable for integrating synthetic training into their readiness pipelines.
Willingness to Fail Among Most Urgent Needs To Prepare for Future Fights
USMARFORPAC officials are identifying and addressing the most pressing matters when it comes to getting ready for potential conflicts.
To better prepare for the future, individuals in industry must be more willing to partner with defense officials to take risks, push the boundaries and possibly fail.
Accomplishing this uncomfortable but necessary goal can lead to private and public sector developers providing warfighters with revolutionary capabilities to stay ahead of adversaries.
“You all know enough about what we need to do that you’re coming out with really good stuff. And I’ll tell you what we need: what we need is when you come with it, don’t come with one [prototype] with the intention to take it home with you and all the data that was collected while we conducted an exercise together. Come with five [prototypes]. Take one or two home, and leave three with us, and we’ll continue to work on it. We’ll give you access to all the data that’s coming off of it, and we’ll do everything we can to break it with the goal of making it better. Because in this dynamic moment, we have to be ready to fight tonight.” Lt. Gen. James Glynn, commander, MARFORPAC
SOCOM Pacific Undergoing First AI Boot Camp This Week
Special Operations Command Pacific is running its first ever AI boot camp this week, in an effort to familiarize officials with how it can be useful everyday.
The AI boot camp this week will pull in directors and deputy directors for four days with experts teaching them how to make sense of some of the large language models the command has at its top secret, secret and unclassified enclaves.
AI won’t be the decision maker, instead serving as an aid to decision making.
“The reasons why AI adoption has been difficult for us is because we’re creatures of habit, one. A lot of us have been at this for 20 or 30 years, you’ve developed workflows and processes, and we fear change. We don’t want to do something differently. It seems inefficient at first. At first, potentially, we don’t even trust it. We don’t trust the results. The second one, I think is equally as big, if not bigger, is that we don’t know how. We don’t know how to do the new thing.” Maj. Gen. Jeffrey VanAntwerp
Other Defense Tech News:
Soldier Flies Full-Size Black Hawk Helicopter Drone with Tablet in Historic First
An optionally piloted Black Hawk can reduce pilot workload or complete a resupply mission with no humans on board.
A soldier, who is not trained as a pilot, successfully planned and completed real missions using a Black Hawk helicopter made by Lockheed Martin Sikorsky. This helicopter can be piloted by someone or flown automatically.
Sikorsky, in partnership with the DARPA and the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency, fielded its Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) Black Hawk powered by MATRIX autonomy technology.
In less than an hour of training, an Army National Guard sergeant first class became the first soldier to independently plan, command, and execute OPV Black Hawk missions using only a handheld tablet.
He directed the helicopter to deliver cargo 70 nautical miles away and oversaw multiple precision airborne drops, all without a pilot or test engineer aboard.
Our Take: Wow, for a SFC to remotely pilot a full Black Hawk with less than an hour training and only a tablet is amazing. Given the Army tightly controls soldiers training on $500 drones and launches investigations when they crash, this is a big step forward. I suspect the Air Force would have required a senior test pilot to run an equivalent test. As previously discussed, designing optionally manned systems is generally inefficient as it sub-optimizes the value of autonomy, but retrofitting existing manned systems for autonomous operations is powerful.
Army’s New 3D Printed FPV Drone Can Put Lethal Effects on Target Right Now
The deployment of 3D printers and other additive manufacturing tools will be needed in the INDOPACOM theater given the tyranny of distance.
The Army’s 25th Infantry Division has successfully used 3D printing to build a FPV drone attached with lethal effects.
The Lightning Labs team fabricated a drone that called the Capstone drone, and in partnership with the EOD team, they’ve developed a detonation system for that drone so that we can go ahead and put lethal effects on target.
It’s completely built in house in the 25th ID. The 25th ID has been experimenting with 3D printers to repair parts and build new platforms, especially drones, as part of its rotational exercises across the theater.
Secretary Driscoll predicted that additive manufacturing will receive more funding in the FY27 budget, especially given the imminent threat of a potential conflict with China, which the Pentagon said could potentially happen in 2027.
In the next two weeks, the 25th ID is conducting an experimentation exposition and will test 16 new formations and conduct 39 experiments in tactical environments.
From Front Lines to Factories: Embedding Industry in Army Units to Accelerate Combat Iteration
The blood-soaked battlefields of Ukraine combine timeless operational principles— speed, surprise, and combined arms maneuver—with new technology, like drones, EW, and AI. Yet, more striking than the change in the character of war is the pace at which it is changing. In such a dynamic environment, one principle remains firm: Those who adapt, win.
To meet this adaptation imperative, the Army should embed small, collaborative workshop cells— teams of industry engineers and military SMEs—within frontline units and training centers.
These teams would enable the rapid iteration of low-cost unmanned systems (UxS) and counter–unmanned systems (cUxS), ensuring that battlefield feedback shapes design in real time.
As both belligerents developed cUxS measures, like EW jamming and interceptor drones, UxS operators have had to rapidly modify their systems to remain operationally effective. Adaptations include larger frames, quieter engines, AI targeting systems, and fiber-optic control cables.
This continuous adaptation reflects what Zachary Kallenborn and Marcel Plichta call the “counter-counterdrone” dynamic—a multilayered cycle of technological escalation that makes iteration speed decisive.
The DoD acquisitions process is notoriously slow and bureaucratic. The result is predictable: failed projects, cost overruns, and institutional stagnation.
Over the last several years, DoD sought to address these deficiencies. The 2022 Adaptive Acquisition Framework created faster acquisition mechanisms, like the urgent capability acquisition pathway and middle tier of acquisition policy, and empowered project managers with greater tailoring authority. Beyond these, there are non-FAR vehicles, such as Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) and Commercial Solutions Openings (CSOs), that can be leveraged to rapidly onboard commercial technology. While the rules have changed, the culture has not.
The modern battlefield rewards not just innovation, but iteration. To do this effectively, the defense industry must understand battlefield conditions from the soldier’s perspective.
Ukraine rapidly reformed its procurement approach, opening its centralized, state-owned military research and development model and procurement system to private firms and more procurement entities.
While often conflated, iteration and innovation are two complementary, yet distinct processes.
Army should build on early steps to partner manufacturers with units under the transformation in contact initiative by launching a full pilot program to embed UxS and cUxS industry engineers within brigades rotating through US combat training centers and select forward units during peacetime exercises.
The aim is to gather live-training data and operator feedback to inform real-time iteration of technologies. These feedback loops should be institutionalized.
By treating frontline units and training centers as live test beds, the Army can shift more of the development cycle into the field, using tools like OTAs to refine systems before they ever enter a formal program of record.
To operationalize these recommendations, an implementation plan must address six enabling dimensions: legal, cultural, operational, technical, economic, and institutional.
Our Take: Recommend reading and following the full piece by this Rhodes Scholar.
Castelion to Integrate Blackbeard Hypersonic Strike Weapon Onto Army, Navy Platforms
Designed for rapid fielding, Blackbeard is Castelion’s first long-range, hypersonic strike weapon.
Castelion has secured contracts to integrate its Blackbeard weapon system onto operational platforms like the Army’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
After being integrated, this system will demonstrate its capabilities in live-fire tests – advancing the Department of War’s effort to evaluate and accelerate new, cost-effective strike capabilities for conventional deterrence.
Integration contracts validate affordability and speed.
Designed for rapid fielding, Blackbeard is Castelion’s first long-range, hypersonic strike weapon. The system leverages vertically integrated propulsion and guidance subsystems to achieve performance at a fraction of the cost of legacy weapons – supporting the Department’s objective of building credible, non-nuclear deterrent capacity at scale.
Every system is designed for manufacturability from day one, enabling rapid iteration and high-volume production. Castelion highlights that its weapon systems are fast and affordable to use.
The company aims to produce thousands of the weapons annually at full rate production, with a target cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per unit.
Trump Pushes for New Classes of Navy Warships
The president is personally involved in discussions for the Navy’s Golden Fleet.
Senior White House and Navy officials are in early discussions to replace the current mix of warships with a new “Golden Fleet” that would be better suited to counter China and other potential future threats.
Navy officials have dubbed the project Golden Fleet, following other similarly branded Trump-era initiatives, such as the Golden Dome missile defense system he ordered the military to build in January and the Gold Card immigration program.
The new fleet would comprise a number of large warships outfitted with more powerful long-range missiles, along with smaller ships such as corvettes, the people said. The Navy has 287 ships in its current inventory, mostly destroyers, cruisers, aircraft carriers, amphibious ships and submarines. A new class of frigates is also in the works.
Specifically, the White House and the Pentagon are in early talks about building a heavily armored, next-generation ship that could weigh as much as 15,000-20,000 tons and carry more powerful weapons, even potentially hypersonic missiles, in larger numbers than current destroyers and cruisers
Under the Golden Fleet concept, the Navy wants to move away from a specific number of ships as a goal, Clark said. Instead, officials will focus on a fleet of roughly 280-300 crewed ships, plus large numbers of unmanned vessels—called “robotic and autonomous systems”—to bridge the gap. The drone ships would act as “hedge forces” in each maritime theater to make up the difference between what the fleet can do day-to-day and what might be needed in conflict.
ADM Samuel Paparo, head of INDOPACOM, has discussed using such a model in the Pacific, dubbing it “Hellscape.” The strategy calls for deploying thousands of unmanned submarines, surface ships and aerial drones to flood the 100-mile waterway that separates China and Taiwan in the case of a Chinese invasion.
Navy officials have concluded that they need a “barbell-shaped” surface fleet design, with large ships at one end and small ships at the other.
The Golden Fleet and the Future of U.S. Maritime Superiority
The Golden Fleet plan envisions a barbell-shaped fleet: a smaller number of very large, heavily armed surface combatants paired with a greater number of unmanned or minimally crewed vessels. These surface combatants would carry long-range missiles—potentially hypersonic—while the unmanned vessels would provide mass, persistence, and distributed capacity.
Strategically, this initiative is driven by the growing maritime challenge posed by China’s PLA Navy, the rapid proliferation of advanced anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities, and the emergence of maritime domains where speed, reach, stealth, and autonomy matter more than raw ship numbers.
The Navy appears to recognize that the Cold War model of massive numbers of similar hulls is no longer optimal. Instead, combining fewer high-capability platforms with many autonomous systems aims to generate both deterrence and resilience.
Constructing large new warships while simultaneously fielding numerous autonomous platforms will strain an industrial base already under pressure.
The U.S. shipbuilding enterprise faces cost growth, production delays, workforce shortages, and declining capacity. The Golden Fleet’s ambitions raise the stakes of reform dramatically, demanding not only more efficient procurement but also long-term investment in industrial infrastructure and skilled labor.
Integrating unmanned fleets with crewed capital ships, managing command and control of large numbers of autonomous systems, sustaining logistics for dispersed operations, and ensuring interoperability with allies all require shifts in naval thinking, training, and organizational structure.
The timeline is critical: designing and building new classes of large surface combatants will take years, creating a potential gap between concept and capability that could leave the Navy reliant on legacy systems longer than intended. Cost and sustainability will be equally decisive.
Ultimately, the Golden Fleet Plan is more than a procurement blueprint—it is a strategic declaration of how the Navy envisions operating in the coming decades: fewer grand platforms, more autonomous assets, distributed presence, and higher resilience.
In an era of high-end naval competition, how the U.S. executes this vision may well determine who commands the seas beyond the 2030s.
Pacific Fleet Boss Stresses Operations Inside Enemy Range
Emerging technologies will allow forces to operate faster in the enemy’s decision cycle.
“Just as speed is a defining characteristic in our modern battlespace, we also need persistence. And what I’m talking about here is persistent power projection and persistent domination of the battlespace leading to a denial of the adversary’s objective. It means forces are able to execute prolonged operations against evolving threats and our forces are able to operate inside the enemy’s weapon engagement zone.” ADM Stephen Koehler, PACFLT Commander
Operating forces within the range of enemy weapons, with the needed persistence to have an effect, requires ingenuity and creativity in both tactics and equipment
Which is why the fleet is looking at emerging technology from AI to advances in communications and networks. We continue to integrate these things like commercial SATCOM, 5and 6G and open radio access networks into our maritime architecture.
Those capabilities will enhance mission readiness, survivability and ultimately, decision superiority.
We are working with partners in industry and government to integrate it into our day to day functions and operations. Those include command and control, cyber, logistics, ISR, target analysis and more.
AI, Quantum and Naval Warfare’s Future
The maritime domain stands on the verge of its most profound transformation, driven not by a new type of hull or weapon but by the convergence of two foundational technologies: AI and quantum science.
The integration of AI with quantum sensing and computing is forging a new paradigm of naval warfare defined by unprecedented transparency, speed and autonomy.
The most immediate impact of AI lies in its ability to process and fuse data from a vast array of sources, including radar, sonar, satellites and electronic intercepts, to generate a real-time, comprehensive picture of the maritime domain that is impossible for human crews to replicate.
Through key initiatives like Project Overmatch, the Navy aims to leverage AI to create a lethal, data-driven force by networking every ship, submarine and aircraft into a cohesive, integrated whole.
AI is also the primary driver behind the proliferation of unmanned platforms. The DARPA’s Sea Hunter — a prototype autonomous submarine-hunting vessel — successfully demonstrated the potential of large unmanned surface vehicles to conduct extended operations with minimal human oversight.
While AI supplements the decision-making framework, quantum technologies are poised to rewrite the physical rules of the naval environment.
The most disruptive application is quantum sensing, which can detect subtle variations in gravity and magnetic fields. This capability threatens to undermine stealth technologies while simultaneously enabling precise, resilient navigation in GPS-denied environments, a vital function in contested seas where adversaries may jam or spoof satellite signals.
The true paradigm shift emerges from the powerful synergy of AI and quantum systems operating within a single, integrated kill chain.
Strategic advantage will belong to the side that can most quickly and accurately sense, decide and act.
Interoperability is also paramount; Project Overmatch has expanded to include Five Eyes allies to ensure architectural compatibility.
Navy CTO: Culture, Not Tech, Blocking AI ROI in Government
Despite high investment in AI, most public and private sector organizations are still failing to see meaningful returns – a problem rooted not in technology but in culture and measurement.
Navy CTO Justin Fanelli said many agencies risk falling behind as private-sector innovation accelerates unless they act quickly to translate AI investments into measurable outcomes.
There are at least 30% of any organization that will never disrupt themselves; they’ll be disrupted. Cultural resistance, not access to tools, is what holds back progress.
We know income, we know input, we know spend – those are all on the left side, it comes down to outcomes … the only thing better than high output is high outcomes.
We’re going to ultimately need to change the way you do business, which means you’re going to have to convince non-believers, which means you need data and scores.
Organizations should start proactively experimenting, iterating, and getting smarter by teaching employees how to leverage AI to support their day-to-day responsibilities, investing in people and company culture, and embracing self-disruption.
The Navajo-class Will Be The Workhorse Ships Of The Navy
The second Ford-class carrier, which was supposed to be delivered this past July, continues to run behind schedule and likely won’t enter service until at least March 2027, a delay of two years. By contrast, this week, the keel was laid for the fourth Navajo-class towing, salvage, and rescue ship, also known as “Fleet Ocean Tugs.”
That program, which initially called for 10 vessels, is a surprising example of a Navy program that has largely stayed on schedule and met production milestones.
The Navajo-class vessels were designed as a multi-mission common hull platform that can be deployed to support a range of missions, including those of the Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ships and the Powhatan-class tugboats now in service with the Military Sealift Command.
The new class will serve as multirole vessels, employed in towing, rescue, salvage, humanitarian assistance, oil spill response, and even wide-area search and surveillance.
The Fleet Ocean Tugs can launch and recover unmanned underwater and unmanned aerial vehicles, with the UUVs and UAVs serving as force multipliers across missions.
Earlier this year, Austral USA was awarded a follow-on Detail Design and Construction contract for the construction of T-ATS 11 through 15.
First Columbia-Class Sub 60% Complete, Next Year Pivotal
Nuclear ballistic missile submarine District of Columbia (SSBN-826) is more than halfway completed, with major modules due to arrive at General Dynamics Electric Boat by the end of the year.
The production rate on both the Virginia and Columbia-class submarine lines is improving due to Navy’s and industry’s focus on enhancing the submarine industrial supply chain.
Last year, Electric Boat was slowing construction on 21,000-ton District of Columbia due to late deliveries from major component suppliers. Specifically the late delivery of turbines from Northrop Grumman and the bow of the boat from Columbia-class shipbuilding partner Newport News Shipbuilding were major barriers in the sequential assembly of the submarine.
Last year, the Navy estimated that District of Columbia would deliver in FY28 — one year later than initially planned. Once delivered to the Navy, the first-in-class ship is set to go on its first nuclear deterrent patrol in FY30.
The call comes as the Navy and the Pentagon are preparing to move new nuclear submarine construction efforts to a direct reporting program under Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg.
Navy Secretary John Phelan said that accelerating submarine construction is his top priority.
HII CEO: New Agreement for 15 Subs Could be Done by End of Year
The multi-year deal to buy 15 nuclear submarines for the U.S. Navy that has been delayed by negotiations over ballooning costs of labor and material could be wrapped up by the end of the year.
The negotiations between the Navy and submarine builders HII Newport News Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Electric Boat are for the 10 Block VI Virginia-class attack boats and five Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines.
Shipbuilding funding and the contract negotiation has continued during the government shutdown.
Like the Block V boats, the Block VIs will be the second set of Virginia-class attack submarines to feature the Virginia Payload Module (VPM), which will meet the Navy’s requirement for a large-scale land strike missile platform after the Ohio-class guided-missile submarines retire.
Industry Working to Build Trust in Uncrewed Maritime Tech
The success Ukraine has had taking on the Russian navy using USVs has prompted shipbuilders far and wide to pursue the tech. However, despite the innovation on display, vendors revealed the technology remains a hard sell to wary navies.
The challenge of selling autonomous technology to the military is more cultural than anything else — they hate change. From an industry perspective, it’s quite hard to change the way they do things.
The beauty of autonomy is that it allows things to be done differently, but we are having to convince people that it’s actually better than what they already have, which is often hard.
VICTA is a particularly hard sell to its target market because the very next-gen technology is asking the most closed-door community to change the way it does its entire operation, and it is expensive enough to require political sign-off.
Anduril Opens Ghost Shark Manufacturing Facility in Sydney
The opening coincides with a major milestone: the first Ghost Shark extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XL-AUV) has rolled off the line ahead of schedule and is ready for sea acceptance testing ahead of planned delivery to the Royal Australian Navy in January 2026.
The factory opening follows the Royal Australian Navy’s award of an A$1.7 billion contract to Anduril Australia to deliver a large fleet of Ghost Sharks over the next five years.
Anduril announced the successful Program of Record designation after completing the co-development contract and delivering three Ghost Shark XL-AUVs ahead of schedule.
This was a part of the AU$140 million co-development contract to design and develop three Ghost Shark XL-AUVs in three years.
The new 7,400 square-meter facility is purpose-built to produce Ghost Shark, and its commercial baseline the Dive-XL, at scale and, subject to Government approval, for export to partners.
It incorporates input from a supply chain of over 40 Australian SMEs and companies that provide a broad range of components, subcomponents and materials.
Navy Continues AUV – SSN Torpedo-Tube Launch and Recovery Efforts
The Navy is continuing to develop different generations of its REMUS autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) family for submarine torpedo-tube launch and recovery (TTL&R), with the successful trial of a REMUS 620 medium AUV from a test fixture in early October.
HII said the test was the first torpedo-tube recovery and ‘swimout’ of a 620 vehicle. The statement also referred to the successful test as a key milestone in the USN’s development of SSN-launched uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) operations.
The latest REMUS 620 trial, which occurred at Seneca Lake, NY, saw a joint team from the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, HII, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) use a 1:1 scale Virginia torpedo tube and shutterway (torpedo-tube external door) test fixture to carry out an in-water evaluation of the vehicle’s ability to conduct the required navigational and communications protocols to dock safely with a shock and fire enclosure capsule system loaded into the submerged, fixed Virginia tube.
The vehicle also demonstrated a successful reverse swimout launch and separation.
Lockheed Martin Invests $50M in Saildrone to Advance USV Capabilities for Navy
Lockheed Martin announced a $50M investment in Saildrone, a global leader in maritime autonomous systems. This strategic collaboration will deliver commercially available USV equipped with lethal, combat-proven defense technology. The companies will collaborate with a goal of delivering integrations, including on-water, live fire demonstrations, in 2026.
This combination will be key to realizing the Navy’s USV vision for critical missions such as fleet defense, undersea surveillance, reconnaissance, and attack.
Work will begin immediately, applying an open architecture approach along with secure command and control capability to integrate Lockheed Martin’s JAGM Quad Launcher (JQL) system onto the Saildrone Surveyor platform.
Related: Lockheed Martin and Saildrone to equip USVs with lethal payloads
Other Navy News:
General tells industry to bring more prototypes to help forces move at speed
Defense firms advance shipborne laser weapon after completing trials
Navy plans solar drone that stays airborne for 90 days to deliver 5G to troops
Senate Confirms Wilsbach as Air Force Chief of Staff
The Senate on Thursday confirmed Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach as the Air Force’s next chief of staff.
Wilsbach is an experienced F-15, F-16 and F-22 pilot who flew 71 combat missions enforcing the no-fly zone during Operation Enduring Freedom.
He served most recently head of Air Combat Command.
He also previously commanded Pacific Air Forces and served as deputy commander of U.S. Forces Korea, giving him extensive INDOPACOM experience.
“With his vast experience in the Pacific and as a commander at all levels, he is the right leader for the Air Force.” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink (X post)
“Wilsbach will be an outstanding leader and a great partner for the state’s airmen, Air National Guardsmen and Air Force installations.” Sen. Kevin Kramer, R-N.D
Gen. Wilsbach Faces Major Challenges as Air Force Chief
“The greatest challenge to Air Force readiness is the tension between sustaining legacy systems and investing in future capabilities under constrained budgets.”
“We owe our Airmen a modernized and ready force. The biggest threat to those two things are fiscal constraints and fielding the US Air Force the Nation needs to confront the rapidly advancing threats; the associated risk we will incur with some of our foundational underpinnings of the force (infrastructure, IT, sustaining old weapons systems, obsolete training tools); retaining talent.”
“This imbalance risks hollowing the force and delaying transformation needed to meet pacing threats. If confirmed, I would address this by making hard divestment decisions and advocating for stable funding to support modernization and readiness simultaneously.”
Anduril Drone Wingman Prototype Makes First Flight
Anduril’s YFQ-44A drone flew “at a California test location” on 31 Oct.
The YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A were picked for the CCA program last year, and are expected to join manned Air Force aircraft in battle for roles such as carrying additional munitions.
The Air Force expects to award a production contract to one or more vendors, including outside entrants, for the first round of the CCA program in fiscal 2026.
“This milestone demonstrates how competition drives innovation and accelerates delivery. These flights are giving us the hard data we need to shape requirements, reduce risk, and ensure the CCA program delivers combat capability on a pace and scale that keeps us ahead of the threat.” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink
“We designed YFQ-44A for a specific Air Force mission: to enhance survivability, lethality, and mission effectiveness by teaming with crewed fighter aircraft or operating independently. Through flight testing, Anduril and the Air Force are developing those collaborative, manned-unmanned teaming concepts and tactics that will inform how we integrate, fight with, and sustain truly autonomous aircraft. We’ve shown the airplane works. We’ve shown the autonomy works; the software brain that powers it works. We have a lot to do in terms of proving out the speed, maneuverability, autonomy, stealth, weapon systems integration and more.” Jason Levin, Anduril’s SVP of Engineering, Air Dominance and Strike
Related Articles:
F-22 Threshold Aircraft For CCAs, Others In Consideration
The Air Force is only set, for now, to pair the CCA with the Lockheed Martin F-22, though consideration is still ongoing for the rest of its fighter types.
The service in a new report to Congress says the Raptor is the “threshold platform” for CCA, though integration with F-16s, F-35As, F-15Es and F-15EXs is an emerging consideration.
Uncrewed aircraft will eventually be paired with the upcoming Boeing F-47.
The service in the report says the aircraft are expected to increase survivability of crewed aircraft, while expanding sensor coverage, carrying additional weapons, increasing capacity of combat aircraft, providing flexibility for different missions and providing a less costly option compared to crewed fighters.
Our Take: Given the relatively few numbers of F-22s and past challenges maintaining readiness, it should be a near-term imperative for the Air Force to integrate CCAs with the F-35 and other legacy 4th gen aircraft like the F-15EX and F-16 Block 60s.
Air Force Wants 1,558 Fighters for Low-Risk Wars. Can It Get There?
The Air Force told lawmakers it needs a fighter fleet of 1,558 manned, combat-coded fighters to carry out and sustain operations at a low risk, nearly 300 more than it has.
The service said it now has 1,271 combat-coded fighters, including roughly 103 A-10 Warthogs that will be largely retired by the end of fiscal 2026.
The report calls the F-35 “the foundation of the USAF fighter force structure,” and that the service plans to buy as many of the fighters as manufacturers can produce, as well as continue the jet’s modernization.
The service has roughly 500 F-35s, and eventually wants to buy a total of 1,763.
A chart included in the report said industry can reach maximum F-35A production capacity, producing 100 jets per year for the Air Force, by 2030, as well as hitting a maximum production capacity of 24 F-15EXs by 2027.
When asked about the Pentagon’s request to buy fewer F-35s in 2026, and how that squares with the Air Force’s stated desire to dramatically increase its fighter fleet, the Air Force official pointed to the lagging development of Block 4.
The idea is that the service will ramp up procurement when Block 4 is ready.
There is one major wild card in this report, however, that the service wasn’t sure how to account for: the rise of CCAs, like the General Atomics-made YFQ-42A and Anduril’s YFA-44A that are now in testing.
When they are fully operational — the Air Force wants a fleet of at least 1,000 CCAs — they will allow the service to get its missions done with fewer manned fighters, helping to burn down some of the risk it faces.
But for now, it’s hard for the Air Force to tell how many manned fighters CCAs will be able to fill in for - but it could be substantial once CCA is fielded at scale.
Project Lotus, Northrop Grumman’s Secret Autonomous Aircraft Revealed
Northrop Grumman has secretly built a large new UAS, dubbed Project Lotus, at the company’s Scaled Composites rapid prototyping facility in Mojave, California.
The Lotus UAS design in some ways resembles features of the newly revealed Lockheed Martin Project Vectis, with a long, slender fuselage positioned forward of the leading edges of the wings, capped by a nose with swept-back edges leading to a slender point.
In many other respects, the Lotus and Vectis designs diverge.
Unlike the engine inlet mounted low at mid-fuselage for the Vectis aircraft, the Lotus inlet sits high atop of the extreme aft section of its fuselage.
The Lotus also sports sharply canted tails, breaking from the tailless-configured Vectis.
Project Lotus appears to represent Northrop’s candidate for the Air Force’s CCA Increment 2 program, which is finalizing requirements for competitive prototypes ahead of a scheduled acquisition process next year.
Northrop has already built a demonstrator, perhaps gaining a step on Lockheed’s rival design, which is not scheduled to reach first flight until 2027.
Northrop also is building the XRQ-73, also known as the Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiR Demonstration (Shepard), for DARPA.
Air Force’s 10-Year Fighter Jet Report is Missing Key Details, Experts Say
A new report to Congress pitching the Air Force’s 10-year fighter jet plan is missing key details and explanations, raising questions and concerns among defense experts.
The 24-page document details Air Force Secretary Troy Meink’s support of the interim defense strategy’s mandate “to protect the homeland, deter our adversaries, and project decisive airpower” by purchasing more F-15EXs, F-35s and F-47 aircraft.
The report sets an ambitious goal of having nearly 1,400 tactical aircraft by 2030 but says the service does not have “total obligation authority” to place the necessary orders nor the industry production to meet global force requirements.
The document also said the service needs a total of 1,558 manned tactical aircraft to “achieve low risk to resourcing, executing and sustaining combat operations.”
The report didn’t include info from the Future Years Defense Program.
Defense experts were also concerned by the number of required combat aircraft detailed in the report, saying it falls short.
It shows dwindling numbers of A-10s, F-15C/D, and F-15E aircraft, while retaining the same numbers of F-16s and F-22s over the next five years.
F-22 Block 30s and 35s are getting extensive modernization while older Block 20s are planned for retirement.
Upgrading and buying more F-35s is listed as a major priority but fielding those new jets is inherently risky given funding woes and industry delivery delays.
The report identifies the F-47 and the collaborative combat aircraft prototypes as the service’s “number one modernization priority.”
Related Article: Ten-year fighter plan is aspirational without money to back it up, Air Force says
STRATCOM Nominee Wants More B-21s, Deflects on US Nuclear Tests
The nominee to become the next head of STRATCOM, VADM Richard Correll, endorsed the production of more than 100 B-21 bombers, echoing his predecessor’s view that 100 B-21 bombers are too few for the nation’s requirements.
The Navy three-star admiral was also supportive of B-52 modernization, calling the life-extending program “essential … to our strategic deterrent.”
VADM Correll said the U.S. electronic warfare game is not up to snuff, and called for more attention to domain.
He defended maintaining the AFGSC position stating that dedicated leadership there is “essential” because it’s the “single point of contact for two-thirds of our nuclear triad and 68% of our Nuclear Command and Control systems.”
He demurred on the need for real-world, explosive testing of nuclear weapons, stating that “Neither China nor Russia has conducted a nuclear explosive test, so I’m not reading anything into it or reading anything out.”
He said he believes that existing simulations for nuclear detonations are sufficient to ensure STRATCOM’s annual certification that the nuclear arsenal is reliable, effective, and credible.
Air Force Tanker Fleet Faces Major Restructuring Under 2026 NDAA
House and Senate versions of the FY26 NDAA offer competing visions for the Air Force’s refueling fleet, threatening to disrupt a newly minted modernization strategy.
The US tanker fleet, composed of a projected 466 aircraft at the start of fiscal year 2025, is undergoing a large-scale modernization effort that aims to retire aging aircraft and procure new capabilities.
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, first delivered to the Air Force in 1957, constitutes roughly 80% of the tanker fleet and is the oldest fleet operated by the Air Force at an average age of over 63 years old.
The KC-46 program only represents the first phase of tanker modernization. The Air Force planned follow-on programs for years.
In 2023, the Air Force announced it would abandon two programs, KC-Y and KC-Z, in favor of a plan to procure 75 additional KC-46 aircraft and accelerate efforts to develop and field a tanker aircraft with advanced capabilities, dubbed NGAS.
The Air Force cited concerns that competitive procurement for a full-scale tanker program would slow refueler modernization efforts and push back the deployment of advanced capabilities.
However, provisions included in the House’s version of the NDAA would limit the Air Force from procuring KC-46 past a total of 183 aircraft until the SECDEF certifies that the Pentagon “has developed and is implementing a plan to correct critical technical deficiencies with the KC-46”.
The House also included provisions that prohibit the retirement of KC-135s and increases the congressionally-mandated tanker fleet minimum of 466 aircraft to an incremental 504 aircraft by 2027 – resulting in a likely pause in retiring and replacing older KC-135s as new KC-46 enter service.
The House bill further requires the flight-ready preservation of retired KC-10 Extenders, which the Air Force removed from service in Sept. 2024 - and which many of them have had refueling booms and engines removed, raising questions about restoration feasibility.
Our Take: The Congress clearly understands that the future of air refueling can’t rest solely in the hands of either very old legacy aircraft nor a single contractor that has had persistent performance issues - and is in the process of resolving a strike. The time for an affordable and scalable NGAS that can support fighter/bomber aircraft forward is now. It can be executed smartly and doesn’t have to replicate the mistakes of the past.
Other Air Force News:
Colorado Sues to Stop SPACECOM Move
Colorado’s attorney general is suing the Trump administration in an effort to block the decision to relocate Space Command HQ from Colorado Springs to Huntsville.
The suit alleges that the proper congressional notification or standard site vetting procedures were not conducted before the basing decision was made.
It calls for a stop-work order on all efforts to transition SPACECOM headquarters to Alabama.
The notice, CO says, should include analysis of the training capabilities available at each location and describe how the decision would impact local communities.
Pentagon Turns to Government-Owned, Commercially-Operated Satellites Amid Conflict Risks
The Space Force is adopting a business model where the government owns satellites but relies on commercial operators to run them, a shift driven by mounting concerns over potential attacks on commercial space assets during conflicts and questions about who bears financial responsibility when satellites become military targets.
The GOCO model allows the government to leverage private sector technology and operational expertise while retaining ownership and control over critical infrastructure deemed essential for national security.
For commercial satellite operators, the GOCO structure offers crucial protection from the financial devastation that could result from having their assets targeted in a conflict.
The Space Force has already begun implementing this model in several programs.
Its MILNET low Earth orbit broadband constellation will be government-owned but operated by SpaceX, which will handle operations and network management.
Maneuverable Geosynchronous Orbit (MGEO) satellite services
Protected Tactical Satcom – Global (PTS-G) satellite procurement program
Despite the advantages of the GOCO model, executives said, significant challenges remain in the broader relationship between commercial space companies and the military.
One issue is that while defense officials increasingly recognize the value of commercial space products and services, they tend to request customizations that transform dual-use products into bespoke systems, adding costs and complexity.
Our Take: While the Space Force deserves a lot of credit for experimenting with new acquisition strategies, we would encourage them to find a way to make the contractor-owned, contractor-operated model work. This is the only way to get true efficiencies and maximize available funding. Having to procure satellites and then pay for operations and sustainment is really not much different from today where satellite manufacturer OEMs directly support the ops floor. It may provide some MILPERS funding relief but doesn’t meet the intent behind consumption-based services approaches.
Space is a Warfighting Domain. We Need Wartime Urgency for Procurement Reform.
In building the Arsenal of Democracy that helped win World War II, President Roosevelt had a simple instruction: “speed, speed, speed.” This focus spurred on the production of lethal, mass-producible American warplanes. Some 80 years later, the urgency for speed is just as relevant in another domain: space.
Over the past decade, China has made stunning strides in its development and fielding of military space capabilities.
China’s orbital presence grew from 36 satellites in 2010 to more than 1,000 in 2024, along with a growing suite of counterspace weaponry.
Some assert that Beijing has essentially developed a “kill mesh” of sensing and shooting capabilities to threaten and defeat American satellites when needed.
Gen. Saltzman’s release of the Space Warfighting Framework in March recognized this threat and highlighted the Space Force’s vision and plan to transform into a warfighting service focused on maintaining space superiority.
This paradigm shift demands an equally dramatic transformation in how we equip our guardians. Traditional procurement processes — designed for a different era — cannot deliver the capabilities needed for this new reality.
More efficient, more effective and expedited procurement is not merely desirable; it forms the foundation of credible deterrence in space.
The Space Force made strides the last decade transitioning from small numbers of prototypes to scaling production, but delivery at scale has been too slow.
Worse yet, little interest exists as it pertains to rapidly accelerating production of operational capabilities - this must change now.
The Space Force must transition from fielding small numbers of experimental systems to deploying robust constellations of operational assets that can effectively deter adversaries and deliver decisive effects when required.
Three Principles for Procurement Reform
The government should adhere to the adage of “show, don’t tell.” The Space Force cannot continue to bet billions of dollars upfront on one company based on a compelling written proposal.
Cost-plus, fixed fee contracts are stifling innovation. Leveraging fixed-price models paired with modern development practices and an appetite for responsible risk taking — helps deliver capabilities to warfighters faster while maintaining cost discipline.
The government must radically rethink its approach to data rights.
Typically, the concern around vendor lock is not an underlying codebase, but interfaces and applications. If these are standardized, then any of the black boxes can be easily competed and replaced, whether for price reasons or underperformance.
A focus on a modular open systems approach, or MOSA, can mitigate vendor lock concerns more effectively than traditional data rights.
Together, industry and the military can accelerate efforts at reform so that if space does indeed remain a warfighting domain, it is not the U.S. that is at a disadvantage.
Pentagon Nominee: Closer Space Force-NRO Integration Worth Considering
Marc Berkowitz, a veteran space policy strategist nominated to serve as assistant secretary of defense for space policy, told lawmakers that the U.S. should consider streamlining the management of national security space programs — potentially through tighter integration between the NRO and the Space Force.
Testifying in a confirmation hearing before the SASC, Berkowitz said that closer integration of the NRO and the Space Force could improve efficiency in acquisition and operations.
Berkowitz, who previously served as assistant DUSD for space policy and later as vice president for strategic planning at Lockheed Martin, has been an influential voice in debates over how the military organizes its space enterprise.
In past writings, he has argued that inefficiencies persist despite the 2019 creation of the Space Force.
His main critique is that “the number of national security space acquisition organizations has increased, key defense space programs continue to be over budget and behind schedule, and satellite, ground and user equipment continue to be unsynchronized.”
In his opening remarks, Berkowitz emphasized that “unimpeded access and use of space is of vital national interest” and “that the threat environment is extraordinarily complex,” pointing to China’s growing counterspace and missile capabilities.
“I will work very closely and collaboratively with General Guetlein and all of the department’s components involved in the Golden Dome program, not only on sensors, which are a critical aspect of it, as well as potentially space based interceptors, but also on the battle management, command and control and communications capabilities that are essential to network all of the system of systems that will comprise the homeland missile defense.”
Let’s Not Allow the ‘Golden Age’ of Space Exploration to Turn Into Fool’s Gold
In recent years, a popular slogan in the space industry has been, “We are entering the Golden Age of space exploration.” Indeed, we have witnessed unprecedented advancements in launch vehicles, the initial development of private space stations, and all other forms of space-related capabilities.
Since then, however, the ‘Golden Age’ is looking less assured. Returning to the moon by the end of this decade and sending humans to Mars in the 2030s has come into doubt as the space industry is mired in an environment of uncertainty.
In part, this is being fueled by massive cuts in NASA’s budget (including a 47% cut in NASA’s science budget) and the fact that many of the most brilliant minds at NASA are leaving that storied organization.
Doubts have also arisen about whether we’ll even succeed at returning to the moon by the end of the decade.
Unless something changes, it is highly unlikely the U.S. will beat China’s projected timeline to the moon’s surface.”
This will not be a result of us losing our scientific and technological edge, but because we have chosen to weaken our leadership in these areas, potentially leaving China as the world’s leading space power through our own neglect.
Congress has taken steps to safeguard U.S. leadership by returning NASA’s top-line budget to just under $25B but they should also set a clear mandate for NASA, commercial industry, and other partners to take the necessary steps to:
Return to the surface of the moon no later than 2028.
Commit to a goal of landing humans on Mars as early as the mid-2030s.
Empower the moon to Mars Program Office (streamline decision-making, better integrate human spaceflight with science, technology, human health, and commercial partners).
Accelerate programs such as the Mars Commercial Payload Program (CMPS).
Northrop Teams With Startup, Hoping to Use AI to Design Spacecraft
Northrop Grumman is teaming up with startup Luminary Cloud to use the tech firm’s physics-based AI platform, with hopes of significantly reducing the time it takes to design and develop space systems.
Using AI to make something small, like a spacecraft thruster, puts vendors on a path to do much bigger things, like using AI to design larger components or even an entire spacecraft.
Physics AI is a new, but fast-growing, technology area. Rather than generative AI, which can produce text and image from large data sets, physics AI uses the technology to generate models that make predictions about how a system will engage with the physical world.
The technology builds on the progress the Pentagon and industry have made in adopting digital design—software tools that allow engineers to design systems without pen and paper, making tweaks easier and keeping stakeholders informed of all changes as they happen.
In the case of Northrop’s rocket thruster nozzle, Luminary Cloud’s platform was able to use physics AI to predict how different designs might perform in a matter of seconds versus the hours it might typically take. The platform used NVIDIA’s open source PhysicsNeMo capability to feed data and train its models.
The implications of that technology for a program’s overall cost and schedule are significant as it can help retire risks much earlier on and provide more conclusive answers for the design process.
Related Article: Northrop Grumman inks deal with tech startup for accelerated, AI-enabled spacecraft design
Other Space Force News:
Comply or Collapse: Why President Trump’s Golden Dome for America Depends On Securing Operational Technology
With the threat of near-peer conflict at its highest since the end of the Cold War, the Golden Dome missile defense system is critical to protecting our homeland and deterring broader conflict.
In an age where U.S. national security depends on more than just a nuclear arsenal but on timely, accurate access to information made possible by dominance in the cyber and space domains, it’s no question that Operational Technology (OT) systems are a warfighting imperative across every aspect of Golden Dome.
To defend against such rapidly evolving threats, including countermeasures against UAS, we must leverage zero-trust principles to protect OT systems, the digital networks, and automated devices that control defense-critical systems.
The reality of our strategic vulnerability is that the OT supporting Golden Dome’s installations, sensors, and weapons must be digitally secure to prevent physical disruption or sabotage.
While the DOW’s business systems are prime targets for espionage, our depot and shipyard automated systems, airfield fuel distribution systems, and water and power systems each represent an operational strategic attack vector.
Golden Dome planners must prioritize funding to create and sustain cyber protections, as well as leadership accountability for timely results.
Step one is a well-crafted, integrated policy framework that mandates zero-trust principles as a backbone for Golden Dome.
Step two involves expressly budgeting for the zero-trust principles and ensuring that funding protections are mandatory system requirements; anything less dooms the effort to failure.
Step three means following through: Sustaining zero-trust and other cyber protections throughout the life cycle of Golden Dome must be elevated to a mission-critical status, with command-level visibility and defined performance metrics tied to readiness assessments.
Other GD4A News
US to Share Nuclear Sub Tech With S. Korea, Build Boats in Philly
The U.S. will share sensitive nuclear submarine propulsion technologies with South Korea. South Korea will be building its Nuclear Powered Submarine in the Philadelphia Shipyards.
South Korea’s Hanwha purchased Philly Shipyard from a Norwegian investment group last year in a strategic bid to advance its business with the US Navy.
The nuclear propulsion technology used by the United States, United Kingdom and — under the auspices of the AUKUS agreement — Australia is highly coveted and closely guarded.
The South Korean president also reportedly said possessing nuclear-powered submarines would help South Korea contribute to security in the region — a key selling point that American and British officials pushed when explaining why they agreed to assist Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines in 2021.
Hanwha would also be sure to face substantial obstacles in attracting the necessary workforce to pursue construction. The US Navy has established a massive, multi-year marketing campaign to add workers to the maritime industrial base for the express purpose of building submarines, and is struggling to meet its fiscal goals due to severe attrition in new workers.
Why NATO Needs a New Nuclear Strategy
Karl-Heinz Kamp
Whenever nuclear deterrence has been debated within NATO in recent years, two aspects have been the focus of attention, leaving out the most pressing issue connected to the alliance itself.
What political and military principles should apply to the possible use of nuclear weapons by NATO? What targets would be eligible for such use? What procedures should there be for approving such an exceptional case within the alliance?
Fortunately, a modern NATO nuclear strategy does not require reinventing the wheel. Instead, the concepts and procedures of the Cold War form an important foundation that can be drawn upon. However, these must be adapted to the security policy realities of the 21st century.
The use of nuclear weapons must also cause damage to the attacker in order to be taken seriously as a warning. This means that nuclear targeting would focus primarily on Russian territory and probably on Belarus but no longer – as in the Cold War – on NATO terrain.
Lastly, NATO must not only develop a new nuclear strategic consensus, but also regularly practice the relevant procedures, as was done until the end of the 1980s in the context of the so called WINTEX exercises. Similar political-strategic drill should be re-introduced.
Launched in the Shadows: Ukraine’s Long-Range Drones Rattle Russia
At a secret location in rural Ukraine, columns of attack drones are assembled at night and in near silence to strike deep inside Russia.
Their targets are strategic: oil refineries, fuel depots, and military logistics hubs. Since the summer, Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign has ramped up dramatically, pounding energy infrastructure across Russia and stretching Moscow’s air defenses thin.
Built from parts made in a scattered network of workshops, these drones now fly much further than at any point in the war.
Ukrainian drones have repeatedly hit 16 major Russian refineries, representing about 38% of the country’s nominal refining capacity.
We believe they’ve lost up to 20% of their gasoline supply — directly as a result of our strikes.
Kyiv’s homegrown strike capability allows independent drone launches, bypassing the Western approval required for imported long-range weapons.
That autonomy preceded tougher sanctions on Russia: allies escalated only after Ukraine had spent months hitting Russian refineries.
New Think Tank Focuses on U.S.-Ukraine Military Tech Cooperation
Ukrainian Lt. Col. Vladyslav Sobolevskyi, retired from active duty after fighting in two separate wars with Russia. Looking to still make a contribution to the cause, he decided in January 2024 to establish a U.S.-style think tank, the Snake Island Institute, which would have a primary mission to serve as a facilitator between Ukraine’s armed forces and the U.S. government, its military, defense industry and the media.
Like U.S.-style think tanks, the institute has produced several reports, and Sobolevskyi had hard copies of two of them in hand to give out to those he met in Washington.
It was about building bridges for the betterment of both nations, which is the institute’s primary goal.
Boeing Sweetens its Polish F-15EX Offer with Local Deals, Ghost Bat
As the Polish Ministry of National Defence is advancing plans to purchase up to 32 new fighter jets, Boeing is pitching the F-15EX jet, emphasizing its air superiority fighter’s payload, range and speed.
To make its effort more attractive to Poland, Boeing is combining it with an industrial cooperation package for the country’s defense sector, and the MQ-28 Ghost Bat loyal wingman-type drone offer.
SASC Confirmation Hearing
James Caggy, ASD for Mission Capabilities
Dr. Joseph Jewell, ASD for Science and Technology
Mark Berkowitz, ASD for Space Policy
Brendan Rogers, ASN Energy, Installations, and Environment
Sea Change: Reviving Commercial Shipbuilding
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Technology
Matt Paxton, President, Shipbuilders Council of America
Jeff Vogel, Vice President of Legal, TOTE Services
Dr. Salvatore Mercogliano, Professor, Campbell University
Tuuli Snow, Talent Acquisition & Engagement Manager, Snow & Company
Podcasts, Books, and Videos
Advancing Defense Through Data and Public Private Partnerships w/Tara Murphy Dougherty, Emerging Tech Horizons
Why Speed, Not Size, Will Define the Next War w/Horacio Rozanski and Gary Shield, a16z
R&D vs Procurement Dollars, Chinese Gains in Space, and Small UAS Defense: The Rendezvous, Mitchell Institute
What a government shutdown really does to the industrial base w/Jerry McGinn, Federal News Network
Speed & Agility: Building a Culture of Rapid Innovation, SCSP
The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul - The Good, Bad, & Ugly, ASI Education
Next Generation of AI, SCSP
Upcoming Events and Webinars
IndoPacific International Maritime Exposition, Nov 4-6, Sydney, Australia
Loitering Munition Systems Summit, DSI, Nov 5-6, Huntsville, AL
Hypersonic Innovation Conference, Nov 12-13, Huntsville, AL
Defense Techconnect Innovation Summit, Nov 19-21, National Harbor, MD
Military Vehicle Systems Summit, DSI, Nov 13-14, Detroit, MI
Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), NDIA, Dec 1-4, Orlando, FL
Advanced Data Analytics for Warfare & Intel, DSI, Dec 3-4, National Harbor, MD
Defence Transformation, Defence IQ, Dec 3-4, London, UK
Reagan National Defense Forum, Dec 5-6, Simi Valley, CA
Naval Nuclear Submarine + Aircraft Carrier, NDIA, Dec 10-11, Philadelphia, PA
SOF and Irregular Warfare, DSI, Dec 10-11, Tampa, FL
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