Surging Drones, Munitions During Shutdown
Weekly rundown of new programs, systems, and initiatives to advance defense tech.
Welcome to the latest edition of Defense Tech and Acquisition.
Government remains shutdown yet interested in the defense industry
Modernization challenged, yet advances seek to scale munitions
Shield AI unveiled their X-BAT - a stealthy, autonomous VTOL jet.
Air Force makes progress on Sentinel and looks to expand B-21 soon
Space Force focuses on maneuverable satellites and lasers
Companies take risk to build space-based interceptors
Australia supports hypersonics and critical minerals
Congress is pushing to build NATO’s eastern flank defense
The Government is still shutdown. An anonymous billionaire sent the Pentagon a $130M gift to help pay members of the military during the government shutdown. Polymarket predicts the shutdown will end on November 20th. Place continue to check in with family, friends, and co-workers impacted by the shutdown.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on U.S. Investments
Scott Bessent at CNBC Forum
“The administration’s industrial policy includes taking stakes in strategic private companies, with five already done. More may follow, especially after China’s rare earth move, as we aim for self-sufficiency or sufficiency with allies. China dominates 95% of rare earth processing, undercutting market-based economies for 20 years. We’re setting price floors and forward buying to prevent this, across industries like pharmaceuticals and defense.
While some call this socialist, it’s necessary for strategic sectors, as outlined in my Manhattan Institute paper 15 months ago. We must be vigilant but careful not to overreach, learning from past mistakes like the 1995 sale of a GM-owned rare earth company to China.
While pharmaceuticals are vital for national security and we have stakes in defense companies like the F-35 and Northrop Grumman, I don’t think we have to do that for all of them. I do think our defense companies are woefully behind in terms of deliveries.
So we may have to, as their biggest customer, prod them to do a little more research, do a little fewer stock buybacks—which is really what got Boeing into trouble—because you’re such a big customer. Sometimes we’re the only customer.
The leading Chinese rare earth company used to be owned by General Motors. The Chinese bought it in 1995. CFIUS, which I chair, mandated it stay in the US for five years. Guess what happened? Five years and one day later, it went back to China. Nobody was watching. Everyone was asleep at the switch. So we’re just not going to be asleep at the switch.”
CNAS Report: Stuck in the Cul-de-Sac
Carlton Haelig and Philip Sheers
For more than a decade, the U.S. has sought to modernize its military to deter China, but it has become stuck in a developmental cul-de-sac that has allowed China to steadily shift the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific in its favor.
Recent U.S. defense budgets have disproportionately invested in long-term developmental programs at the expense of producing sufficient capabilities available for the near term.
As a result, today’s Joint Force is smaller, older, and less capable.
Over the past 15 years, the average time and cost the Pentagon has taken to field major weapon systems has grown significantly, and the share of RDT&E spending within the broader defense budget has continued to steadily grow.
Despite extended periods of very expensive R&D, major weapon systems have frequently failed to enter production on time or in numbers large enough to make a difference for U.S. warfighters.
Near Term Recommendations
Evaluate and justify how annual procurement and RDT&E investments contribute to deterrence across time.
Procure viable and ready combat aircraft (such as the F-15EX and B-21) and ground-based long-range fires (such as the Precision Strike Missile Increment 2, Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, and Mid-Range Capability).
Reduce runaway RDT%E spending on mature weapons programs.
Pursue the rapid development, production, and scaling of lower-cost weapon systems, such as cheap cruise missiles or drones, to bridge and complement the arrival of next-generation capabilities.
Consider reallocating shipbuilding procurement funds away from nonpriority maritime platforms, such as amphibious transport ships, toward more pressing shipbuilding priorities, such as industrial capacity and undersea capabilities.
Long Term Recommendations
Continue to pursue annual increases to the topline defense budget to ensure deterrence across time.
Require that priority modernization efforts are subject to regular budgeting and long-term planning and oversight processes.
Strengthen critical space supply chains and expand national security space launch capacity.
Continue to fund long-term investments in the surface and submarine shipbuilding industrial bases.
Related Story: Pentagon Stuck in Acquisition Cul-de-Sac
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.
“Demand is rising for munitions. Industrial capacity is constrained — we need to unleash it. Technology is racing ahead — we have to master it. And that’s why affordable mass is more than a buzzword when it comes to munitions. It’s a necessity.” Boyd Miller, Joint Staff J4 Principal Deputy Director
The Army is on a path to produce 100,000 155mm artillery rounds per month and is pouring millions of dollars into its organic industrial base to support this effort.
Along with government funding, companies are, through venture capital, making their own pre-contract investments in sensing and understanding what is going to be needed and what they can provide, making those investments in facilities, in workforce development and in materials.
As defense tech has become more exciting, private capital at large is looking at the space now with an eye towards the kinds of opportunities that are presented with businesses that are now achieving a certain amount of scale.
We’re not looking for a 2x return in 10 years — we’re looking for a 200x return in 10 years. That demand curve needs to achieve an exponential growth rate, not a linear growth. And I think that’s kind of where some of the trends are pointing to.
Union Technologies is employing a software-first model at its factories. The first facility will have two forge lines, and the idea with that is each line has about 48 robots, about 14 cell blocks, very software driven. The factory is completely private industry funded.
Union Technologies feels like private industry can go out there and find just a more efficient way and a more modernized way to do it [than Army ammo plants].
The DoD is also taking lessons from international allies on how to do multi-year contracts for munitions and send a longer-term demand signal. Ina meeting with the Five Eyes, they learned they have five and 10-year flexible contracts.
The Rise Of X-BAT
Shield AI has unveiled X-BAT, a stealthy jet-powered autonomous fighter designed to take off vertically and land the same way, tail first, after completing its mission.
The company is best known for its Hivemind autonomy software and its much less complex, but combat-proven V-BAT vertical takeoff and landing drone.
Now it wants to have a very disruptive impact on the growing marketplace for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) and Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) type drones with a design that aims to offer a totally different level of mission flexibility from launch and recovery points on land or at sea.
Shield AI says the fully runway-independent X-BAT, with its cranked kite planform, will be 26 feet long, have a wingspan of 39 feet, and be 4.7 feet tall.
The drone, powered by a single afterburning jet engine, will have a maximum range of 2,000 nautical miles and a service ceiling of around 50,000 feet.
It has a highly modular design with a focus on open mission system architecture to make it easier to integrate new and improved capabilities and functionality down the line.
Shield AI reveals VTOL autonomous fighter jet dubbed X-BAT
The aircraft’s body — which features a low-signature airframe design and large jet engine — is designed to be paired with Shield AI’s Hivemind software to enable collaborative, AI-enabled flight.
Shield AI plans to conduct its first VTOL flights in fall 2026 and then “full mission capability flights” in 2028.
Related: A New Kind of CCA? Meet the Supersonic, VTOL X-BAT and Unmanned VTOL fighter plane design with 2,000-mile range unveiled, can conduct attack missions
Startup Unveils Mobile Charging Station to Transform Drone Operations
Defense tech startup Valinor is looking to improve UAS operations with its new networked docking station designed for the remote environments of future battlefields.
The company recently introduced Dispatch dock, a mobile charging station that can be integrated onto a range of military platforms and rapidly recharge different UAS.
The system designed for the Pentagon’s push to embrace drones, and features capabilities that could ease the burden for warfighters, from autonomous launch and recovery to onboard compute storage.
Valinor is currently involved in a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Army to continue developing the Dispatch dock. The company plans to demonstrate the system during the service’s upcoming Project Convergence event in 2026.
It features a self-leveling motion platform that acts like a gimbal so that drones can always take off and land on a flat surface, even if the platform that Dispatch is mounted on is operating off-road or at sea
“One of the things that makes it unique — and really what drove us into the space — is having a mobile platform for docking stations.” Nick Leak of Valinor
Boeing to Test the Collaborative in its Collaborative Combat Aircraft
Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft will take two important steps in its development when it tests its ability to conduct combat and then later collaborate with another jet fighter.
Boeing previously announced that it would autonomously fire an air-to-air missile from the MQ-28 by the end of the calendar year.
Next year, it plans on teaming the Ghost Bat with another fighter jet flown by the Royal Australian Air Force.
The MQ-28 had been flying now for more than four years and conducted 150 flights, plus 20,000 hours of tests in a digital environment.
Earlier this year, two Ghost Bats teamed up with a Boeing-built E-7 Wedgetail, which sent the aircraft tasks to perform.
Tasks may come from the second pilot from the back seat of an F/A-18F Super Hornet or a one-seater such as the F-35A Lightning II, both flown by the RAAF.
The Rise of Loitering Munitions in High-Intensity Warfare
GlobalData sector intelligence reveals that across the next decade, the global military loitering munitions market value is expected to surge from $1.3B in 2025 to $2.5B in 2035.
Loitering munitions are aerial weapons that can stay in the air while they search for a target, with some capable of returning to base in the case of unsuccessful target identification.
While they operate similarly to armed drones, their self-destructive capabilities are what set them apart.
Ukraine is expected to be the largest spender, acquiring systems worth an average of $825m annually over the 2025-2035 period.
Russia, US, Taiwan, China, and Iran are developing and purchasing their own systems.
Iran holds a great deal of responsibility for the rise of loitering munitions in high-intensity warfare, as Russia launches thousands of their indigenously produced Shaheds against Ukraine each month.
Other trends in loitering munitions include the development of techniques to operate in GNSS/GPS denied environments, (often using long, thin fiber-optic cables) and the use of battery powered electric motors for increased stealth.
Lockheed Considering Modifying Missiles into Lower Cost Designs
The Pentagon’s hunt for cheaper, mass-produced munitions has led to a flurry of interest in new designs. Lockheed Martin is exploring ways for existing systems to fill the need, whether by introducing new technologies or scaling back certain features.
Lockheed has already introduced a lower-cost air vehicle called CMMT, but other platforms manufactured by the defense giant like the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and ship-killing Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) could be adapted to achieve the aim of an affordable mass of munitions.
Tim Cahill said: “We’re going to come at this from a number of different angles. We’re working with a number of different new entrants and others to see what would be some enabling technologies.”
The Trump administration is using various levers to surge munitions production, from big plus-ups in the Pentagon’s annual budget to extra funds provided by reconciliation spending and unfunded priority lists.
When it comes to the JASSM and LRASM specifically, which share a common airframe, the Pentagon says it wants to double its production rate from 1,100 to 2,200 rounds per year by FY30.
High-end threats likely won’t be going away, requiring the need for interceptors with greater performance as well.
The Pentagon Needs to Rethink How It Buys Munitions
American munitions today are optimized for performance—at the expense of time and scale. In preparing for a future conflict, the DoD must ruthlessly correct course.
DEPSECDEF Steve Feinberg did the right thing a few weeks ago. He hauled America’s major defense contractors into a room and demanded more munitions, yesterday.
If the Department of Defense thinks louder directives and bigger purchase orders will fix a production model built on bespoke engineering and single-source chokepoints, it is deluding itself. It must change what it buys.
Some of the weapons the Pentagon still tries to buy are fundamentally unmanufacturable at scale. This could mean catastrophic defeat in the next war.
It needs to make preventive, rather than reactive, changes by letting go of the artifacts of an earlier industrial era and by building a new, elastic munition ecosystem.
Too many of the U.S.’ weapons systems have been optimized for one metric—performance—at the expense of time and scale.
If we want surge capacity that endures, we must buy weapons that can be manufactured at scale, dump the systems that cannot, and bring new firms into the game to design and build scalable munitions.
Here are three concrete reforms to get there.
Redesign for scalable and time-bound manufacture, ruthlessly.
Stop saving every legacy system.
Bring new industrial players and create elastic surge capacity.
These reforms can be supported with three administrative fixes:
Shift urgent buys to multi-year surge contracts that reward speed and scale
Stand up an expedited qualification pathway for suppliers during surges, with after-the-fact streamlined compliance audits
Fund a national munitions modernization testbed where DFM changes are proven to reduce cycle time and increase yield before being fielded.
The Pentagon must redesign what it fields, retire what cannot be produced, and bring new companies and industrial architectures into the effort. If it can learn to treat munitions as infrastructure—modular, standardized, and backed by economic guarantees—it will get not only more rounds, but a resilient industrial base that lasts.
DORA: State of AI-Assisted Software Development
Key takeaway: AI is an amplifier
In 2025, the central question for technology leaders is no longer if they should adopt AI, but how to realize its value.
DORA’s research includes more than 100 hours of qualitative data and survey responses from nearly 5,000 technology professionals from around the world.
The research reveals a critical truth: AI’s primary role in software development is that of an amplifier. It magnifies the strengths of high-performing organizations and the dysfunctions of struggling ones.
The greatest returns on AI investment come not from the tools themselves, but from a strategic focus on the underlying organizational system: the quality of the internal platform, the clarity of workflows, and the alignment of teams.
Without this foundation, AI creates localized pockets of productivity that are often lost to downstream chaos.
Key Findings
AI adoption has become nearly universal.
Successful AI adoption requires more than just tools.
AI adoption now improves software delivery throughput, a key shift from last year.
This year’s research identifies seven distinct team profiles.
Value stream management acts as a force multiplier for AI, ensuring that local productivity gains translate into measurable improvements in team and product performance.
90% of organizations have adopted platform engineering, making a high-quality internal platform the essential foundation for AI success.
Defense Software Factories Need a Major Reset
Software factories were supposed to fix defense tech. They promised a faster, leaner path to warfighter-ready software. But instead of operating like real factories, many slid into innovation theater—promising greater agility and speed, building internal platforms and polishing slide decks—while rarely shipping software that users wanted and missions needed.
The root of the problem? Software factories are measuring the wrong things or worse, not measuring at all.
At Kessel Run, the DoD’s first modern software factory, we coined the term to resonate with leaders accustomed to physical production. We also meant it literally: a system of people, process, and technology built to continuously deliver valuable software that warfighters love.
It’s time for Software Factory 2.0, a model for continuous delivery, outcomes in production, real-world validation and alignment with mission impact.
Metrics that Matter
Performance = mission impact. Did the software help achieve an operational goal? Did it improve stability and reliability?
Cost includes not just dollars spent, but the cost of delay and instability.
Schedule = throughput. How fast and often are you shipping to production?
DORA gold standard metrics are:
Deployment frequency – How often are changes deployed to production
Change lead time – How long does it take from a decision to produce or change a given code to deployment of that code?
Change fail percentage – How often do deployments cause failures in production?
Failed deployment recovery time – How long does it take to fix a failed deployment?
Reliability – Does the system consistently perform as expected?
Efficiency only matters if you’re building the right thing.
The only milestone that matters is net value release. If the latest software update provides net value to the mission (effectiveness), if it delivers more value than it cost to build, deploy and implement (efficiency), then and only then should it be shipped.
Seven Common Misconceptions About CMMC
The Pentagon is preparing to enforce the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) across its $800B supply chain. Beginning November 10, 2025, contracting officers will require verified cyber hygiene from every company that touches DoD data. Below are seven common misconceptions we hear from contractors, and what you actually need to know to prepare.
A Government Shutdown Won’t Delay CMMC
Don’t Bet on Level 2 Self-Assessments in Phase 1
Don’t Bet on Waivers Either
Two Metrics Matter More Than DoD’s “Phases”
The Contracting-Officer Reality Check
Don’t Assume Your Prime Will Carry You
CMMC Doesn’t Replace DFARS 7012
DISA Planning 2026 Industry Day Focused on AI Tools
DISA published an Industry Day Announcement: AI, Smart Databases, and Emerging Technology. It will be at Joint Base Andrews on Feb 13, 2026.
Our Industry Day is a premier engagement event designed to connect government agencies with innovative technology providers driving digital transformation. As public sector organizations look to modernize operations, streamline data systems, and enhance service delivery, we are inviting qualified vendors to showcase solutions that meet these critical needs.
DISA plans to share its requirements with companies, as well as potential challenges and risks associated with integrating AI capabilities.
The industry day will also be used to conduct market research and solicit feedback regarding technology solutions.
Interested participants have until Nov. 21 to register.
Critical Minerals and Hard Power
The latest U.S. - China fusillade is the latest move in a sharper contest over who controls the critical-minerals value chain that runs upstream from today’s sources of hard power—from the neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets inside PGMs to the heavy rare earth oxides that make active electronically scanned array radars sing.
Beijing has moved to tighten export controls on rare earths, magnets, and key processing technologies, using the weapon of licensing to cover goods that contain more than trace amounts of Chinese content or may have been processed by Chinese facilities.
The strategic logic is simple. China has worked for years to knit together dominance from mine head to magnet shop, and now it is moving to police outflows with a ruleset that is a functional analogue to the Foreign Direct Product Rule that Washington has long enforced in the U.S. defense market.
When Washington answers with tariff threats, it is not haggling over container-ship prices; it is signaling that supply chains for defense-critical materials are now national security goods and that economic instruments will be used accordingly.
New U.S. rules will phase in a prohibition on Chinese-origin rare-earth magnets in defense systems by Jan 2027, extending the restriction across the entire magnet supply chain—from mined material through sintered magnet—thereby forcing prime contractors to certify non-Chinese provenance or risk program disruption.
The intention is clear: de-risk weapons programs before licensing games and legal exposure cause line-down delays.
China’s decision to license and, when it chooses, ration the flows of rare earths and the know-how to process them is a rational play for leverage.
The West is finally treating critical minerals as strategic inputs, not commodity trivia. The value chain is the battlefield. If we build ours with the urgency of a defense program—not a subsidy pageant—we won’t just weather this fight. We’ll help win it.
The Supply Chain Chokepoints in Quantum
Prineha Narang and Joshua Levine
As quantum technologies move from proof-of-concept to deployment, supply chain resilience becomes just as critical as qubit coherence times. Resilience includes redundancy, domestic capacity, and timely alternatives when foreign manufacturers face disruptions or reprioritize their customers.
Expertise and capital are key to driving technological innovation but mean little if a company or research lab does not have access to the necessary inputs and reliable supply chains.
Lack of access to one aspect of the supply chain can grind further research and development to a standstill, a red flag for investors and potential researchers.
Quantum systems depend on components with no commercial-scale alternatives and lead times that constrain deployment timelines regardless of which qubit modality wins.
Six-to-nine-month lead times become constraints when quantum computer builders are iterating on hardware every 12 to 18 months.
If domestic dilution refrigerator and cryocooler production cannot meet demand surges — whether from defense procurement or commercial scaling — deployment timelines slip by quarters, not weeks.
Helium-3 presents a different vulnerability: it is simply scarce and everyone in quantum needs it.
Rare earth elements (those with atomic numbers 57–71) create a different kind of supply chain problem — not scarcity, but concentration. Over 90% of high-purity rare earth processing occurring outside NATO territories.
Semiconductor fabrication affects nearly every quantum platform. Semiconductor manufacturing supply chains and fabrication facilities are cross-cutting risks.
These supply chain gaps are not hypothetical. They determine whether quantum systems can scale from tens of units per year to thousands, whether deployment timelines compress from years to months, and whether the U.S. maintains the industrial capacity to support both defense applications and commercial markets.
Google’s Quantum Computer Makes a Big Technical Leap
Michel H. Devoret was one of three physicists who won this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics for a series of experiments they conducted more than four decades ago.
Dr. Devoret and his colleagues at a Google lab said their quantum computer had successfully run a new algorithm capable of accelerating advances in drug discovery, the design of new building materials and other fields.
Google’s machine ran this algorithm 13,000 times as fast as a top supercomputer executing similar code in the realm of classical physics.
Google’s new algorithm, Quantum Echoes, shows that scientists are rapidly improving techniques that could allow quantum computers to crack scientific problems no traditional computing device ever could.
Other Defense Tech News:
Trump Nominates New Vice Chief of Army
Trump nominated LTG Christopher LaNeve to be the next Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. LTG LaNeve is currently the Senior Military Assistant to SECDEF. Previously, he served as the Commanding General of the Eighth Army in the Republic of Korea. Before that, he served as the Special Assistant to the Commanding General of Army Forces Command and the Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division.
Five Ways the Army Is Transforming After AUSA 2025
Counter-UAS Capabilities. BG Matt Ross, director of the newly formed Joint Interagency Task Force 401, emphasized that the Army must accelerate how it adapts to drone threats—iterating faster and incorporating lessons from allies in real time.
Army Accelerating Fires Transformation. MG Frank Lozano, PEO Missiles and Space, urged the service to accept and underwrite risk to deliver cutting-edge capabilities faster, noting that the Army is investing heavily in programs like the Precision Strike Missile, HIMARS, and the Integrated Battle Command System.
Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command Expands Mission. LTG Sean Gainey said SMDC has significantly expanded its role to lead a broader portion of the homeland air and missile defense mission.
Army Announces Nuclear Power Program. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Energy Secretary Christopher Wright announced the Janus Program, a joint Army–Department of Energy initiative to deploy microreactors on U.S. Army installations.
Army Embracing Transformation. GEN Randy George emphasized that the Army must continuously transform to confront a world dominated by cheap drones, rapid technological change, and increasingly lethal adversaries.
Army’s New Tank Will Roll Out a Decade Early. Here’s How They Did It
Soldiers are expected to be riding in the M1E3 next year, well ahead of the tank’s planned 2030s arrival.
It’s been about 30 years since the Army welded a new Abrams tank, and it was going to be another decade until they built a new one, when they sat down to hammer out the requirements for the combat vehicle’s next generation.
But when the Army awarded the M1E3 contract to General Dynamics last year, the acquisitions leaders said that wasn’t good enough.
Rather than pick out every single communications system and sensor that would go into the next Abrams for the rest of its service life, the Army is opting for an open system that will allow new software to be plugged in as needed.
GD’s EVP said: We make some big decisions on the key subsystems, but even those subsystems were not locked in for the next 30 or 40 years, and we create a truly modular, next-generation, lighter, more lethal, more integrated platform that is going to change.
The M1E3 is one of the key examples of the Army’s current push to transform how it acquires new systems—a stark contrast to the M10 Booker light tank it canceled earlier this year, after it became a requirements boondoggle.
Our Take: Simplifying requirements to focus on operational objectives enables industry to offer solutions and design details in a faster, dynamic operational and technical environment. Modular, software based systems enable greater flexibility and iteration of tech.
Why Army Logistics Need to Think Like Combat Units to Survive Drones
Supply trucks and depots have been pounded by a nearly endless stream of drones and long-range munitions. Resupply of front-line units means running a gauntlet of fire.
For the first time since World War II, U.S. Army logisticians must contemplate a grim future where supply units no longer have the luxury of assuming that the Air Force can shield them from aerial threats. Nor that being behind the front lines will keep them safe from enemy bombardment.
These units must train for survivability, move like maneuver formations and plan for deception and concealment, not just the technicalities of distribution of material.
For sustainment troops to have defensive capabilities equivalent to maneuver units, they are going to need similar equipment.
Yet counter-drone assets, such as machine guns and jammers, will inevitably be in short supply. Do combat units or supply units get priority?
The Army can learn best practices from the commercial world, especially just-in-time logistics. AI and predictive analytics can reveal patterns, while decentralized fulfillment — which companies like Amazon use — can improve efficiency.
Army, Marine Corps Vehicles Not Ready for Combat
GAO warns the majority of ground combat vehicles used by the Army and Marine Corps are not ready to take part in missions due to a lack of maintenance and shortages of spare parts.
Vehicles that regularly fail to meet their expected standards of readiness include 18 key types of combat and support vehicles used by both services, including the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Armored Personnel Carrier, Stryker Combat Vehicle, Abrams Tank, Light Armored Vehicle, Assault Amphibious Vehicle and Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.
Over the last decade, both the Army and the Marines have seen their vehicle combat readiness kneecapped by a combination of industry challenges, reductions in vehicle overhauls and lack of available skilled technicians.
Industry challenges include diminishing supplies, long lead times in production, lack of available manufacturers and strains on single-source suppliers, the watchdog noted. Concurrently, manufacturing costs have gone up.
Despite the decline in performed maintenance, spending has remained high, with both services reported to have spent over $2.5B in FY23 on depot maintenance of ground vehicles.
None of the Army vehicles surveyed by GAO met their mission availability standards in FY24.
Read the GAO Report on Weapon System Sustainment: Ground Vehicle Availability
How the Army Could Customize Tanks for Future Urban Warfare
For steel beasts, the most dangerous habitat is urban. Tall buildings and narrow city streets are unfriendly territory for a 12-foot-wide tank that weighs 70 tons. Is it time for the U.S. Army to develop a specialized tank for urban warfare?
Main battle tanks, which rely on long-range firepower and speed, are willing to sacrifice extra armor to retain mobility.
In urban combat, however, the reverse is true: fights are at much closer ranges, mobility is measured by the ability to navigate sharp turns and tight/narrow streets, and speed can be sacrificed to retain maximum armor protection.
Protection would be paramount. The vehicle would be heavily armored, with a V- or octagon-shaped hull to minimize mine damage and maximize shot deflection, plus cage armor to stop drones.
To haul all that metal, the vehicle’s powerplant would resemble that of a bulldozer, favoring power over speed.
An urban tank would have a mixture of gun calibers for its main turret and side turrets/sponsons, capable of firing in multiple directions at once.
An Abrams chassis armed with a 165mm demolition gun plus a bulldozer plow and some machine guns would be a formidable combo that could be used almost anywhere, not just in cities.
Army Uses AI-Enabled Tool to Slash Scores of Acquisition Requirements
Out of 2,077 active requirements, Army senior leaders have identified 516 for inactivation.
As part of its larger push to consolidate and modernize its acquisition process, the Army has used an AI-enabled tool to find that it could safely cut scores of acquisition requirements.
The scrub was done as part of an initiative called CORA, a “tongue-in-cheek” reversal of the service’s old Army Requirement Oversight Council (AROC), with the aim to streamline the way the Army buys weapons, software or just about anything else.
CORA is meant to execute reviews of Army requirements with the goal of tossing out inactive ones from its database, getting rid of active ones that no longer serve a purpose and consolidating others into larger requirements.
So far through CORA the Army, using the AI-enabled tool has inspected 3,577 requirements and has identified 1,500 as inactive and 2,077 as active. From the active requirements, Army senior leaders have identified 516 for inactivation.
Some of them will be consolidated in accordance with the program of record they are linked to, if possible.
For example, he said the Army had an individual requirement just for the fires portfolios of NGC2, but the initiative requires software to execute digital fires, so they scrapped that standalone requirement to be subsumed into a much broader CoN NGC2 requirement.
Army Engineers to Integrate Unmanned DARPA Vehicle to Clear Mines
The Army is slated to begin its first integration of an UGV, produced by DARPA into an autonomous breaching demonstration at the end of this month.
The 36th Engineering Brigade, which is preparing for the upcoming Machine Assisted Rugged Soldier (MARS), autonomous demonstration later this month, will use the DARPA RACER Heavy Platform vehicle for mine clearing by pairing it with a M58 MICLIC — a rocket-projected mine clearing line charge used to clear direct passages for combat personnel through minefields.
The RACER Heavy Platform vehicle, first put to the test by DARPA in 2023, is designed to be both robust and maneuverable across challenging terrain.
Future Army Infantry Fighting Vehicle XM30 Designed to Survive Modern Battlefields.
The Army is moving forward with its XM30 Infantry Fighting Vehicle program, a clean-sheet design that breaks from decades of incremental upgrades to the M2 Bradley.
Developed under the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle initiative, the XM30 is intended to thrive on battlefields defined by EW, autonomous systems, and near-peer threats.
Army acquisition officials describe it as a networked, modular vehicle capable of operating with or without a crew, integrating seamlessly with the Army’s future C2 architecture.
Both General Dynamics Land Systems and American Rheinmetall Vehicles are currently constructing full-scale prototypes, scheduled for delivery to the U.S. Army in early 2026. Evaluation and trials will inform the final selection process, with a low-rate initial production decision expected by late 2027.
The XM30 must outperform the M2A4 Bradley in terms of both tactical and operational mobility. It will be equipped with a hybrid-electric propulsion system to enable silent mobility, rapid acceleration, and expanded onboard power generation.
The Army also demands superior cross-country performance, improved power-to-weight ratio, and better endurance in austere environments.
The Army Wants Loyal Wingmen Drones for Its Helicopters
Adapting loyal wingman drones to helicopters is a fundamentally different challenge than adopting them to planes, as helicopters are far slower and operate at significantly lower altitudes.
The Army is embracing the transformation being brought about by the revolution of drone warfare. The era of manned only rotary-wing and fixed-wing operations is yielding to a mixed manned/unmanned team structure.
The Army thinks that these drones would help with air superiority, high-altitude strike, and low-altitude, close-in battlefield scenarios. Helicopters, assaulting from forward bases, would need adjuncts.
This is crucial because any peer conflict will contest the skies, airspace control, ISR, and logistical lines in contested terrain.
Operating loyal wingmen drones alongside a helicopter is a fundamentally different game than pairing these drones with jets flying at 30,000 feet in the air.
The Army needs different sensors from the Air Force, survivability features—radar-avoidance, terrain-masking—different comms tech, and AI for close coordination.
If executed well, this could provide the Army with greater mass, distributed platform capability, enhanced survivability, and more affordable risk platforms to accompany its helicopters and assault missions in contested spaces.
Success depends on locking in the right requirements early for the design, managing cost/schedule, ensuring integration with existing aviation doctrine, and fielding a system that is durable, affordable, and interoperable.
Related: Army looking to field CCA-like capability potentially in ‘next couple of years’
Other Army News:
Army plots “mass experiment” of intel-gathering balloons in Indo-Pacific
AeroVironment’s Freedom Eagle-1 Picked As New Counter-Drone Interceptor For Army
L3Harris Showcases Helicopter-capable Cruise Missile at AUSA
Army brings AI into selection boards for more efficient, transparent process
Marine Corps Force Design Update
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith published a 2025 update to the Force Design doctrine on October 23, 2025, which emphasizes “aggressive modernization” driven by rapidly changing technology and tactics.
Force Structure
Marine Littoral Regiments - 4th Marine Regiment
Marine Expeditionary Units
Infantry Battalions - Fire and Reconnaissance Company, Infantry Squad
Capabilities, Platforms, and Systems
Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS)
High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS)
TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR)
Organic Precision Fires (OPF)
F-35, XQ-58, and MQ-9A
Expeditionary Manufacturing - 12 expeditionary fab labs (XFAB) and 25 tactical fab labs (TACFAB)
Ground Based Air Defense - MRIC, MADIS, L-MADIS, I-CSUAS, O-CSUAS
Sea-based expeditionary forces are the foundation of our forward presence and global campaigning.
To enable naval, joint, and combined warfighting, Marines must be forward-deployed, agile, and positioned to seize, secure, occupy, and hold key maritime terrain.
Marine Aviation provides essential mobility via our assault support platforms. We are modernizing platforms, sustainment models, and doctrine to remain lethal and resilient.
To win modern battles, Marines must maneuver as effectively in cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum as they do on land, sea, and air.
Related: Marines’ Force Design plan urges modernization to tackle ‘the changing character of war’ and U.S. Marine Corps Force Design Update
The Navy Should Stop Trying to Be Everywhere at Once
A strategic argument posits that the Navy is trapped by nostalgia for Cold War-era dominance and anxiety over China’s growing fleet size.
The Navy no longer needs to command the sea but should instead pursue a strategy of disciplined restraint, focusing on denying sea control to rivals in key regions.
This requires a shift away from measuring strength by hull counts and toward a more flexible, distributed, and unmanned-centric force.
Such a fleet would be optimized for survivability and mobility, projecting power where it matters most, rather than trying to be everywhere at once.
The U.S. Navy Looks Stuck In the Past
The Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile Will Be Key in the War with China
Anti-ship missiles are ideal for engaging and sinking enemy warships at relatively large distances.
As China continues to invest billions of dollars into the development of its navy, military planners are taking note.
In a potential clash with China in the Indo-Pacific, the US Navy would have to fend off the Chinese fleet. Although aircraft carriers, aircraft, and submarines would play a main role in the fighting, surface combatants, such as destroyers and cruisers, would also be important.
The A/U/RGM-84 Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon anti-ship missile. Once fired, the Harpoon skims the water in order to avoid detection and make it harder for air defense systems to intercept it. It uses mid-course guidance with a radar seeker to attack its targets.
The munition has an unclassified range of over 77 miles (67 nautical miles) and carries a 500-lb. blast fragmentation warhead. The munition can be fired from surface combatants, submarines, aircraft, and even coastal defenses, making it an ideal weapon system for intra-service use.
Stealthy Submarine With No Rotating Components Could be Developed with Critical Pump Tech
A British fusion energy company is set to provide critical high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology to support a U.S. submarine program.
Tokamak Energy has been contracted by General Atomics to deliver HTS magnet technology for next-generation Undersea Magnetohydrodynamic Pumps, which use electromagnetic fields to propel water without moving parts. The system could make submarines silent and stealthy.
The HTS is the ideal technology to be deployed for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) as propulsion in water requires high magnetic fields in a compact package, and HTS technology is capable of enabling a more powerful, silent, and efficient MHD drive.
MHD pumps generate force from a magnetic field acting on an electric current flowing through seawater, requiring no rotating mechanical components. This approach reduces noise while increasing reliability in comparison to conventional propeller- or impeller-based systems.
Our Take: Sounds promising. Something out of The Hunt for Red October.
New Advances in Submarine Detection Could Upend Nuclear Deterrence as We Know It
A cornerstone of the current deterrence structure of the world’s nuclear powers is the second strike capability provided by ballistic missile submarines.
Those stealthy, undersea arsenals of nuclear destruction have for decades operated virtually undetectable below the surface of the sea, nearly-untraceable except in Tom Clancy novels and, in real life, by acoustic sensor technicians who essentially get lucky. That is all changing and, once again, AI is at the center of the revolution.
advances in sensors, the technology and ubiquity of USVs, and especially AI, are contributing to the revolution in anti-submarine warfare (ASW).
The sensors are no longer mostly acoustic, as technological advances now allow protagonists to track the affects of a submarine moving through the water, and not just the sound. Those affects can range from distortions in the Earth’s magnetic field, to ripples in the current caused by the boat’s movement, to vibrations made in undersea cables when a sub passes over top of them. New sensors can track all of those affects.
In addition to improved sensors, networked and AI-empowered USVs are also multiplying both on and below the ocean’s surface. In large numbers, those USVs can provide a wider and deeper net of acoustic and other sensors, as well as the ability of embedded AI to analyze data in real time – much faster than a human could – to then positively identify and locate a submarine.
Nuclear submarines play a major role in deterrence that as they have so far been very hard to detect, so they won’t be disabled and thus will be able to retaliate.
However, what will happen to deterrence when these submarines can be easily located by technologically-advanced and AI-empowered sensor platforms?
Our Take: This is more out of the Matrix to see the code and anomalies of the world.
Saronic and NVIDIA Form Strategic Collaboration
Saronic Technologies and NVIDIA have formed a strategic collaboration to accelerate advancements in maritime autonomy and robotics and chart a bold course for the future of maritime mobility and global prosperity.
By combining Saronic’s expertise in autonomous maritime systems, AI, and next-generation shipbuilding with NVIDIA’s accelerated compute, software libraries, and Physical AI-focused innovation, the companies aim to advance the frontier of intelligent, resilient decision-making at sea.
By tapping NVIDIA AI models, software libraries, and development environments, Saronic has significantly accelerated its algorithmic flywheel and autonomy development cycle.
Tasks that once took days can now be completed in hours, including training, verifying, and deploying new software features. This acceleration allows Saronic to rapidly iterate, harden its autonomy stack, and deliver platforms with improved resilience, reliability, and performance.
Related Articles: Saronic Technologies opens new San Diego facility and San Diego Declares “Saronic Day” as Mayor Joins Saronic to Recognize Official Opening of West Coast Facility
Other Navy News:
The Air Force is Kneecapping Software Innovation
Recent guidance from the Air Force Director of Administration and Management Nancy Andrews and Acting Deputy Chief Information Officer Keith Hardiman threatens the Air Force’s position as the vanguard of the military’s software ecosystem.
The positive aspect is that the memo defines software-as-a-service models as an application where costs are a function of consumption - which aligns more closely to a value-added model where users consume what they find useful.
The Problems
Creates definitional challenges where companies and the government argue over whether a product is “software-as-a-service” or just plain “software.”
Mandates independent contract actions (no consolidated CLINs) which precludes including a software-as-a-service subscription into a broader contract, which likely just adds time and money.
Requires use of the enterprise service catalog, the Air Force-wide digital repository of pre-vetted and approved options (only CIO can grant exception).
Addresses perceived data accessibility problem in a clumsy way that is not likely to result in a usable format.
Requires near-real-time tracking to be built into an accessible dashboard that drives low-value added front-end development.
Dramatically restricts customization and development which is fundamental the software development process.
Update: The Air Force CIO posted on LinkedIn a response to this article clarifying some clarifications will be provided. It is great to see the Air Force take corrective action although it as yet unclear if the core issues will be resolved.
AFSOC Putting Skyraider Through Its Paces
Air Force Special Operations Command has received its first dozen OA-1K Skyraider II aircraft and is already looking at new ways to use the platform.
AFSOC has received 12 of the L3Harris-Air Tractor-built aircraft, and Conley said he expected the final two in the first batch to be delivered by Oct. 1.
The program of record calls for 75 aircraft.
The Skyraider II is a fixed-wing, single-engine, turboprop aircraft envisioned for light attack and sensing missions.
It will replace the U-28A Draco, an unarmed aircraft used for surveillance and reconnaissance, mostly in counter-insurgency operations.
The Skyraider II features 10 hardpoints. Armaments so far include AGM-114 Hellfire and AGR-20 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System missiles and GBU-12 Paveway II bombs.
“It’s modular. It’s adaptable. For a relatively small aircraft, it can carry a lot of payload. … I want to be able to have as big a menu as possible of things that I could hang from a hard point on there or attach as a sensor.” Lt. Gen. Michael Conley, AFSOC commander
Lockheed Says It’s Self-Funding Prototypes. Could a Ferrari F-35 Be One?
Lockheed Martin is taking a home run approach to self-funded research and development by building full prototypes to show to the U.S. government.
This could apply to a version of the F-35 that incorporates elements from the NGAD program.
It is also likely to apply to the Space-Based Interceptor program.
Lockheed has shifted its approach on so-called independent R&D to focus more on “big-bet, home-run heavy allocation … where we are actually building prototype vehicles to demonstrate to the government, perhaps alongside the new entrants, where we can show them a working vehicle that we can produce at scale, that they can rely on.”
Northrop Checks Off Sentinel Milestones While Still Working on Program Restructure
Even as the Air Force and Northrop Grumman work on restructuring the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program, the contractor continues to knock down risk and developmental milestones on the project.
The bulk of the overage is in the massive civil engineering aspect of the program, which was originally intended to refurbish the hundreds of missile silos and launch capsules now supporting the Minuteman III.
The Air Force recently decided the existing 50-year-old Minuteman physical launch infrastructure is too decrepit to be re-used and now expects to build most or all of it new for Sentinel.
The project also requires a huge overhaul of the NC3 infrastructure. The Air Force is developing new costs for the program.
The Air Force requested $3.7B for Sentinel in its FY26 budget, but Congress added $2.5B in the reconciliation bill earlier this year for risk reduction activities.
“We had announced in this last quarter that we completed the full scale qualification test of the stage two solid rocket motor that’s part of the missile. We also just … announced that we completed the critical design review for the Sentinel Launch Support System, and that paves the way for all of our system build tasks and qualifications that underpin the Sentinel program.” Kathy Warden
Related: Northrop Grumman Clears Design Review for Sentinel’s Launch Support System
Multiple B-21s in Ground Test, Production Increase in Negotiations
Multiple B-21s are undergoing ground tests and being prepared to join the two aircraft now in test flight, and Northrop Grumman is negotiating with the Air Force about how expanded production for the bomber could be accomplished.
If a deal is reached, NGC expects to deploy additional investments to achieve the increased rate, with the opportunity to earn improved returns.
The progress paves the way for the Air Force to award low-rate initial production Lot 3 and Lot 5 advanced procurement contracts by the end of 2025.
The Air Force Could Have a New Strategic Doctrine Soon
Lt Gen David Harris wants decentralized, more survivable airfields—a virtual necessity in a future conflict in which large, sophisticated airbases would probably be destroyed in the opening hours.
Harris thinks that because of modern threats—notably from anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD), the Air Force must abandon its commitments to accoutrements such as large, lavish airbases.
The Air Force needs to get used to operating from austere environments while employing smaller footprints to deter and defeat peer rivals.
Should Harris’ vision be completed, the Air Force would have an increased emphasis on operations from austere airfields, dispersed basing, and would enjoy greater integration with allied nations, while utilizing much leaner, simpler logistical chains.
Even austere airfields, though, would be insufficient to survive—let alone remain combat-effective—against the onslaught that China and/or Russia could launch upon US forces during a great power war.
The Air Force has functioned for more than a century as an expeditionary force—projecting power over the horizon—to take care of potential threats across the sea rather than supposedly wait for those threats to materialize.
Going forward, what’s likely to occur is a sort of hybrid model in which a minimal forward expeditionary footprint for deterrence and crisis response is formulated.
A robust amount of continental defense would be needed to counter new long-range threats. And the US would need to invest in long-range strike and resilient command-and-control functions to project power globally as needed.
Other Air Force News:
Space Force Plans $905M for Maneuverable GEO Program
The Space Force expects to award $905M in contracts over the next five years through a new Maneuverable GEO program, which aims to form a commercial fleet of communication satellites that can shift around in geosynchronous orbit.
The projection is part of the Commercial Satellite Communications Office’s FY26 forecast to industry, that lays out requirements and contract opportunities.
Released Oct. 23, the 2026 forecast lists seven programs with contracts valued at up to $1.1B. The Maneuverable GEO effort is, by far, the largest of the bunch.
The Space Force plans to establish a pool of contractors with mobile satellites in GEO that can provide SATCOM capabilities and a range of other services.
Importantly, the satellites should be able to maneuver to other orbital slots to provide better regional coverage or away from potentially damaging debris.
The document also lists potential contracts, each valued at between $35M and $45M for commercial SATCOM support.
Another $63M contract would provide SATCOM services for Coast Guard aircraft, and a $650K award would support the Mobile Unmanned Vehicle Command and Control Center.
“That’s going to be a game-changer for us in the military, where you’re not at a stagnant orbit, and you’re able to drift from point to point, especially supporting us in the event of a regional or national war so that we can maneuver more of our capabilities to be more agile to the warfighter.” Col. Rich Kniseley, former director of the CSCO
As Space Weapons Proliferate, Spy Satellites Are Getting New Duties
Satellite imaging company Vantor—formerly Maxar Intelligence—has signed a contract with the Space Force to run a “neighborhood watch” in space to monitor for space-based threats like rogue satellites or debris that ground sensors may miss.
Under the new contract, Vantor will use satellites it already has in orbit to monitor space and protect U.S. satellites in low earth orbit, the increasingly crowded area of space between 99 to 1,200 miles above the surface.
Their constellation is capable of imaging LEO objects at less than 6-inch resolution and can also support tracking of objects across a much wider space volume. They have imaged objects as small as 24 cm, or about 9.5 inches.
The satellite software can be updated from Earth, and Vantor next is looking to use automation to speed up the collection rate, allowing for more pictures and faster delivery.
Starlink Mini Lasers to Link Muon Space Satellites For Near Real-Time Connectivity
SpaceX is supplying optical terminals to Muon Space, the four-year-old Californian manufacturer enabling its future Halo satellites to use the Starlink broadband constellation as a global data-relay network.
The “mini laser” terminals would link Halo satellites into Starlink’s growing mesh of optical crosslinks in low Earth orbit (LEO), providing up to 25 gigabits per second of connectivity as far as 4,000 kilometers away.
SpaceX first unveiled plans to sell the terminals to other companies in March 2024, with commercial space station developer Vast announcing plans a month later to integrate them on the Haven-1 spacecraft now slated to launch in 2026.
Each Halo satellite, ranging from around 100-500 kilograms, would typically carry one to four Starlink mini laser terminals, depending on connectivity and redundancy needs.
Muon operates its satellites on behalf of customers, who would pay for Starlink usage much like existing ground station services that are based on data volume or access time.
The company has deployed four Halo satellites so far, including a prototype in March for FireSat, a wildfire-monitoring system that Muon highlighted as an ideal application for the optical connectivity.
General Atomics Pitches Railgun for Air and Missile Defense
A General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems’ infographic states that the company’s multi-mission railgun system can fire projectiles up to Mach 6 speeds. Three variants of the railgun were listed, ranging between three to 32 megajoules of energy capacity.
The company also claims that these systems are capable of intercepting ballistic and cruise missiles.
Despite the cancellation of U.S. Navy and Army railgun programs in 2021, GA has maintained its research and development of the experimental technology and is pitching its air defense applications.
Since then, they claim that the cited operational deficiencies of railgun technologies, such as barrel wear and other technical challenges, have been solved.
Related: MQ-20 Avenger Depicted With Laser Weapon In Its Nose A Sign Of What’s To Come
Lockheed To Test Golden Dome Space-Based Missile Interceptor In Orbit By 2028
Lockheed Martin is aiming to conduct an on-orbit demonstration of at least one space-based anti-missile interceptor design no later than 2028.
“We also submitted proposals for space-based interceptors and other emerging technologies. We’re actually planning for a real on-orbit, space-based interceptor demonstration by 2028.” Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet
Startup Takes On Space-Based Missile Defense — With Its Own Cash
Apex, a Los Angeles-based satellite manufacturing startup, is investing its own capital to demonstrate it can build and deploy interceptors in space for Golden Dome.
The company on Oct. 22 revealed plans to launch a demonstration mission in June 2026 to prove it can design and operate the kind of orbital weapons the Trump administration says will be needed to protect the nation.
The company plans to invest $15M in the demonstration of space-based interceptors, called Project Shadow.
Founded in 2022, Apex manufactures three types of satellite buses — the Aries, Nova, and Comet — with payload capacities ranging from 100 to 500 kilograms. For the demonstration, the company will use a Nova bus as its host platform, which the company has named the orbital magazine.
The orbital magazine will deploy two interceptors in space, each equipped with a high-thrust solid rocket motor. The test will prove the host platform’s ability to environmentally control the interceptors, issue a fire control command and establish an in-space cross-link to transmit updates after deployment.
The interceptors present technical challenges that Apex will seek to solve.
Greenland Radars Vulnerable to Hypersonic Missiles, Critics Warn
Since the early days of the Cold War, the early warning radars on Greenland have been a linchpin for defending North America against nuclear attack by intercontinental ballistic missiles.
However, the radars themselves are vulnerable to attack by hypersonic missiles and bases in Greenland can neither detect those missiles, nor shoot them down.
In a recent essay for Small Wars Journal, Bouffard and his co-authors advocated a comprehensive air and missile defense system for Greenland, particularly for Pituffik Space Base and its missile and space defense sensors.
The authors advocate a “layered air defense using short- and medium-range systems adapted to Arctic operations.
“The new and future threat of hypersonic cruise missiles has changed everything, because the existing defense system cannot defend against them.” Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska
Understanding America’s Enormous Nuclear Arsenal
The simple truth is that the U.S. and its rivals have nuclear arsenals sufficient to end life on Earth many dozens of times over.
The U.S.’ nuclear arsenal is not based on a single weapon, but a family of warheads and delivery systems tailored for different missions.
Depending on the needs of the moment, the U.S. can deliver strategic deterrence, flexible response, and limited tactical options.
Broadly speaking, US warheads fall into three technical categories:
Simple fission weapons - warhead releases energy by splitting heavy uranium or plutonium nuclei in a rapid chain reaction.
Boosted fission weapons - weapons insert a small amount of fissionable gas—usually tritium or deuterium—into the core to multiply neutron production during the brief fission pulse, increasing the weapon’s yield efficiency without changing its overall architecture.
Staged thermonuclear weapons - use a fission primary to generate x-ray energy that compresses and ignites a separate secondary fusion stage.
Yields vary from sub-kiloton options used for limited tactical effects up through weapons with end-of-day yields measuring in the tens or hundreds of kilotons.
Most deployed warheads today are in the low-hundreds-of-kilotons range, with variable yield options maintained for flexibility.
The nuclear triad consists of:
Land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). These carry single or multiple warheads on fixed silos for a rapid ground-based response.
Submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). These provide stealthy survivable deterrence. Modern SLBMs like the Trident can carry multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs) so one missile can host several warheads.
Long-range bomber aircraft like the B-52, B-2, and upcoming B-21. These planes can deliver gravity bombs or air-launched cruise missiles, including variable-yield B61 family bombs that can be set for low to moderate yields as part of an escalation-management strategy.
Our Take: We wrote a piece on how investments in the nuclear enterprise may be reaching a tipping point and far exceeding what is needed for an effective deterrent.
US and Australia Sign Rare Earths Deal to Counter China’s Dominance
The U.S. and Australia have signed a deal intended to boost supplies of rare earths and other critical minerals, as the Trump administration looks for ways to counter China’s dominance of the market.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the deal would support a pipeline of $8.5bn (A$13bn; £6.3bn) “ready-to-go” projects that would expand his country’s mining and processing abilities.
Trump also commented on Australia’s multi-billion dollar submarine deal with the US and UK, known as AUKUS, saying it was “full steam ahead”.
The US said it would invest in the construction of a 100 tonnes-per-year advanced gallium refinery in Western Australia and was preparing to offer some $2.2bn in financing to advance critical minerals projects via its Export-Import Bank.
Related Articles:
US prepares to arm Australia with 10,000-ton nuclear subs to counter China
Morrison urges action on turning AUKUS plan into reality as sub production lags
Ukraine Unveils Upgraded Sea Drone for Black Sea Strike Missions
Ukraine’s state security service has unveiled an upgraded sea drone it says can now operate anywhere in the Black Sea, carry heavier weapons and use artificial intelligence for targeting.
Ukraine has used the unmanned naval drones to target Russian shipping and infrastructure in the Black Sea.
The range of the Sea Baby was expanded from 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) to 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) And can now carry up to 2,000 kilograms (about 4,400 pounds) of payload.
“On this new product, we have installed rocket weaponry that will allow us to work from a large distance outside of the attack range of enemy fire. We can use such platforms to carry heavy weaponry.” SBU Brig. Gen. Ivan Lukashevych
Australia Is Partnering with America for Hypersonic Weapons Development
The Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE) is a bilateral weapon-technology collaboration between Australia and DoD.
This project focuses on developing air-launched hypersonic cruise missile prototypes. The idea is simple: build “air-breathing” scramjet-powered missiles.
This means that such weapons would utilize atmospheric oxygen via a scramjet after launch rather than just a rocket boost followed by a glide.
The inclusion of Australia will help the U.S. catch up to its two principal great power rivals in this key domain of hypersonic weapons.
Another reason that Australia is being included is because it brings a panoply of impressive test ranges, such as the Woomera Test Range in South Australia.
Australia is also a leader in hypersonic research via its Defense Science and Technology Group and a key US ally in the Indo-Pacific, meaning that its systems and weapons are interoperable with American platforms.
Singapore Launches ‘Battlestar Galactica’-like Warship With Drones
When Singapore’s defense minister, Chan Chun Sing, spoke at the launch ceremony of a novel class of warship for his country’s navy this week, he likened the vessel to the fictitious spaceship Battlestar Galactica.
The 492-foot (150m) Victory, the first of six Multi-Role Combat Vessels (MRCV), was launched at ST Engineering’s Benoi shipyard in Singapore on Oct. 21.
One MRCV, with its fleet of unmanned companions, could execute missions that would otherwise require multiple manned warships.
The MRCVs are designed to have a 7,000-nautical-mile range. A mission bay holds up to eight 20-foot containers, meaning ships can rapidly transition from combat to disaster relief.
At the stern is a load and recovery system that handles smaller boats and unmanned surface vessels.
A crane performs the same job on the vessel’s flanks. Drones and a medium-sized helicopter make use of the large flight deck at the stern.
The warship’s armaments include a Leonardo Strales 76mm naval gun, two Rafael Typhoon MK 30-c remote-controlled weapon stations, and missiles. MICA and Aster missiles offer air defense.
The six MRCVs, the first of which will be delivered in 2028, will replace six 595-ton Victory-class missile corvettes serving in the Republic of Singapore Navy.
U.K. Sets Out Aggressive Goals to Grow Defense Industry
he message coming from a string of government officials speaking at the United Kingdom’s largest military trade show couldn’t have been more clear — the nation will become a major defense industrial power by 2035 — and it’s just as much about job creation as it is about security.
The UK released its new “Strategic Defence Review” and is planning on a massive influx of defense spending — some 75 billion pounds over the next six years.
The United Kingdom’s military and Ministry of Defence are undergoing “the biggest shakeup in over 50 years.
The strategic review said the ultimate goal is for the United Kingdom to be a “leading tech-enabled defense power, with an integrated force that deters, fights and wins through constant innovation at wartime pace.
Gripen E Fighter Officially Joins The Swedish Air Force
The Swedish Armed Forces have finally gotten their hands on their first operational Saab Gripen E multirole fighter. The first of 60 of the new jets marks a significant step in the modernization of the Swedish Air Force, which is reconfiguring its posture to better face off the resurgent threat from Russia.
Despite its similar outward appearance, the Gripen E is regarded as a completely new aircraft type — as you can read about here.
In basic mission terms, the Gripen E offers a longer range and can carry a heavier load than its predecessor.
The aircraft is slightly larger than the C-model at just under 50 feet and includes a beefed-up fuselage that accommodates approximately 30 percent more fuel.
The aircraft also features larger air intakes, the more powerful General Electric F414 engine, and a total of 10 hardpoints.
On those 10 hardpoints, the heavy loads can include up to four Saab RBS 15 anti-ship missiles, up to nine air-to-air missiles, or 16 Small Diameter Bombs
South Korean Collaborative Combat Aircraft Make Debut
South Korea has jumped into the collaborative combat aircraft market with the debut of two models.
Korean Air’s aerospace division is the prime contractor for the LOWUS and KUS-FX autonomous jet fighters, both intended for manned-unmanned teaming.
The LOWUS is the larger of the two models at 10.4 meters long, with a wingspan of 9.4 meters and weighing 5,700 kilograms. It carries an AESA radar and electro-optical/infrared sensors.
LOWUS is intended for a variety of missions, including sensing, electronic warfare, decoy missions or strike - and has stealth characteristics.
The KUS-FX is four meters long and 2.8 meters wide with a profile of 0.7 meters and weighs 226 kilograms. It features foldable wings for airborne or multi-launcher deployment.
Its key missions include sensing, decoying and electronic warfare support and target acquisition. It carries an EO/IR sensor.
The intent for the KUS-FX is for it to be low enough cost for it to be considered expendable, said Jung, with a price point of $700,000 each.
Taiwan’s Military Plans to Have 50,000 Drones by 2027
China’s military is probing Taiwan’s finite defenses, forcing responses, straining the limited resources of the embattled island, all while Chinese forces gather insights into the defenses that Taiwan’s Forces have prepared for their potential invasion force.
To respond, Taipei has crafted new procedures as part of a larger national strategy to deny China an advantage in the drone and electronic warfare domain.
aiwan has established a multi-layered area defense for itself. This layered defense prioritizes electronic jamming before any kinetic action is taken. By targeting the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum, data links, and sensors, Taiwan is ensuring that the country can both knock down unmanned interlopers from neighboring China.
On the other end of the equation for Taiwan is its robust investment into developing its own fleet of sophisticated drones. Its leaders plan to have just shy of 50,000 drones of various sizes and ranges by 2027.
Fincantieri Launches Its First Underwater Drone System
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has launched its first DEEP underwater drone system during a demonstration mission at the Naval Support and Experimentation Center of La Spezia.
The DEEP system is an integrated platform developed for the protection, maintenance, and monitoring of underwater infrastructure and port areas. It also supports environmental observation and protection.
The system was designed for dual use, addressing both civil and defense applications, and can operate in a range of environments for infrastructure management and environmental monitoring.
The platform includes a network of underwater sensors forming an early warning system, a Command and Control Center for real-time operations, and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) capable of carrying out missions with varying levels of autonomy and coordination.
Other International News:
Looking To Deter Russia, Lawmakers Seek To Prioritize Defense Cooperation on NATO’s Eastern Flank
Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., proposed legislation that would set a clear U.S. government policy to prioritize military and security collaboration with allies across NATO’s eastern flank.
NATO’s eastern flank extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south. Wilson’s legislation calls out Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia as explicit member states.
The legislation, which is co-sponsored by Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., and has a companion bill in the Senate, would mandate DoD and State to prioritize those nations under existing authorities — including Foreign Military Financing, Build Partner Capacity), Excess Defense Articles, and War Reserve Stocks for Allies.
“Those NATO allies are on the frontline of deterring and defending against threats from Russia and Belarus, and require continued U.S. coordination, defense cooperation, and security assistance.” Bill Language
Nominations
Brian Birdwell to be ASW(Sustainment) in ASW(A&S)
Jeffrey Bornstein, USW (Comptroller), withdrawn
Podcasts, Books, and Videos
Crossing the VoD in Digital Manufacturing w/Nate Diller, Crossing the Valley
How Anduril is Paving its Path as the Next Defense Unicorn w/Chris Brose, CTRL + ALT + DEFENSE
Missiles and the Math of Modern Warfare w/Ethan Thornton, Sean Pitt, and Steve Milano, Cogs of War
Shield AI’s X-Bat: The First AI Fighter Jet w/Brandon Tseng, Shawn Ryan Show
We Saw A New AI-Piloted Fighter Drone About To Transform Warfare, CNBC
Understanding China’s Political and Institutional Foundations: A Conversation with Chenggang Xu, Hudson Institute
When the Money Stops: How the Shutdown Is Squeezing Federal Contractors, FedGovToday
Anduril and the Promise of Autonomous Systems w/Chris Brose, Midrats
How to Streamline the Contract Review Process, ASI Education
Why Reasoning Agents Change Everything in Defense, In the Arena
Upcoming Events and Webinars
Systems and Mission Engineering Conf, NDIA, Oct 27-30, Tampa, FL
AUVSI Defense: Autonomy in Action, Oct 28-29, Washington DC
Silicon Valley Space Week, Oct 28-30, Mountain View, CA
Multinational Conference (Missile Defense), NDIA, Oct 28-30, Tokyo
IndoPacific International Maritime Exposition, Nov 4-6, Sydney, Australia
Loitering Munition Systems Summit, DSI, Nov 5-6, Huntsville, AL
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Long term development but few material goods delivered… hmm…
The Valley of Death…
That depends on what good means , it’s good for cash flow without overhead costs of production and the Valley of Death leads to the nicest Golf Courses and second career on the Board.
So it certainly delivers the good personal materials.
It’s not as if it’s life or death for anyone important anyway.
(Sadly I think R&D important and Basic Research Vital, but with untrustworthy people you can’t have nice things).