South Korea FMS. The State Department has approved a potential $52.1 million deal with South Korea for 42 AIM-9X Block II and five Block II-plus Sidewinder missiles. “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement. Along with the RTX-built Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, South Korea will also receive 10 captive air training missiles, missile containers, spare and repair parts and support equipment.
New HASC Member.
Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) has been tapped to fill new Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) seat on the House Armed Services Committee. Gooden has represented Texas’ 5th district, which includes much of eastern Dallas, since 2019. He currently sits on the Judiciary and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees. Johnson had to vacate his HASC seat after being voted into the speakership.
CR Impact. Ahead of Congress’ passing a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown, Pentagon Acquisition Chief Bill LaPlante offered his outlook on the impacts the department faces having to operate under stopgap funding measures. “If a CR ends in January, which would be optimistic this time, the money that goes will now flow out to the commands that do the contracting probably till about May because [of] all the processes this takes,” LaPlante said during a discussion at the Politico Defense Summit on Nov. 14. “You cut down on training and flying hours. You’re never going to get those flying hours back. And it’s just having this devastating effect.” LaPlante noted that CRs block the Pentagon from starting new programs or initiating production rate increases, adding that “everything basically slows down.” “It’s really so frustrating that you want the Chinese to steal and adopt this model because it’s a terrible model,” LaPlante said.
Lockheed Missile Lab. Lockheed Martin opened a new missile defense lab engineering facility in Huntsville, Ala., on Nov. 14. The new facility, called the Missile System Integration Lab (MSIL), is funded as a capital project. The company said MSIL is where they plan to conduct development, testing and system integration for the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) for the Missile Defense Agency. MSIL will also host a digital engineering center and “key infrastructure to create and maintain a digital thread throughout the integration process.” Sarah Reeves, vice president of NGI at Lockheed Martin, said the facility will serve as a “testbed to prove out our hardware and software integration, adding new levels of digital capability, agility and connectivity with our customers.”
DDG-135. HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., started fabrication on the newest Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the future USS Thad Cochran (DDG-135), on Nov. 13. Starting the process means the company had cut the first 100 tons of steel and is ready to move forward. The company delivered the first Flight III shop, the USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), in June. DDG-135 makes five Flight III destroyers that HII has under construction, which also includes the future USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128), Jeremiah Denton (DDG-129), George M. Neal (DDG-131) and Sam Nunn (DDG-133).
T-ATS 11 Keel. Austal USA laid the keep for the 6th Navajo-class rescue and salvage ship, the future USNS Billy Frank Jr. (T-ATS 11), on Nov. 14 at its Mobile, Ala., shipyard. Keel laying marks the official start of ship construction. This ship class aims to perform several missions including towing, rescue, salvage, humanitarian assistance, oil spill response and wide-area search and surveillance. They are meant to replace both the Powhatan-class T-ATF fleet ocean tugs and Safeguard-class T-ARS rescue and salvage ships serving with U.S. Military Sealift Command. Austal USA is also in production on the future USNS Solomon Atkinson (T-ATS 12) while three more T-ATS- ships are under contract.
DDG-141 Named. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced on Nov. 15 that the future Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer DDG-141 will be named the future USS Ernest E. Evans. Evans was the first Native American to receive the Medal of Honor, during World War II, and was also one of two World War II destroyer captains to attain the medal. Evans won the medal posthumously for leading an offensive during the Battle of Leyte Gulf against a larger Japanese naval force without waiting for orders. He directed a torpedo run that drew fire away from aircraft carriers and repeatedly put his ship, the USS Johnston (DD-557), between Japanese and more vulnerable U.S. forces. The ship was lost during the battle, with Evans going down with the ship. Previously, a destroyer escort vessel, the USS Evans (DE 1023), was named in his honor in 1955.
LHA-10. The Navy awarded HII a $130 million undefinitized contract action on Nov. 16 covering advance procurement of long lead material for the future America-class amphibious assault ship LHA-10. The work will largely be split among Beloit, Wis., Pascagoula, Miss., and Brunswick, Ga., and is expected to be finished by July 2028.
Engine Sustainment. The Defense Logistics Agency said on Nov. 14 that it has awarded RTX’s Pratt & Whitney an up to $870 million contract for sustainment of the company’s nearly 1,000 TF33 engines, carried on such U.S. Air Force aircraft as the B-52 and the E-3 AWACS. The sustainment work at Tinker AFB, Okla., and other locations may last more than a decade through Apr. 30, 2024, as the contract is for six years with a four-year option. “This agreement is a culmination of the Defense Logistics Agency’s decades-long partnership with the 448th Supply Chain Management Wing, Tinker AFB, Okla., and Pratt & Whitney to establish a holistic sustainment solution,” Pratt & Whitney said. “This first-of-its-kind approach will reduce obsolescence, supporting the U.S. Air Force’s wartime readiness today and into the foreseeable future.” Jill Albertelli, Pratt & Whitney’s president of military engines, said in a company statement that “the TF33 enterprise is maturing beyond the conventional approach to a more complete, advance sustainment process that will maximize the TF33’s support to many missions across the globe through 2050.”
F-35 Integration. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCD) at China Lake, Calif., said on Nov. 16 that it plans to fund research and development work by Lockheed Martin “that will provide design and development studies, technology demonstrations and engineering services for rapid technology development by continuing to modify the Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) and Hellfire baseline weapon systems” by the company. In addition, the NAWCD contract would fund the integration of those missiles on the company’s F-35 fighter. “Modifications to these [weapons] systems could include enhancements such as line of sight/non-line of sight technologies for seekers, multi-mode seekers, tube-launched unmanned aircraft systems, autonomous weapons employment and precision targeting, aircraft/weapons integration, and similar applications.”
U.S.-Ukraine DIB Event. The White House last Friday said the U.S. and Ukrainian industry and government representatives will meet in December “to explore opportunities for co-production and other industrial cooperation in Ukraine. The conference is part of the U.S. government’s efforts to significantly increase weapons production to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom and security.” The U.S. will host the U.S.-Ukraine Defense Industrial Base Conference Dec. 6-7, which follows the International Defense Industries Forum hosted by Ukraine on Sept. 29. The announcement said the U.S. government representatives will include the National Security Council, and the Departments of Commerce, Defense, and State, and Ukraine’s government will be represented by the Office of the President and Ministries of Defense, Strategic Industry, and Foreign Affairs.
Circuit Board Resiliency. The Defense Department last week awarded Calumet Electronics Corp. $39.9 billion to produce High-Density Build-Up substrates, which include High-Density Interconnect Printed Circuit Board cores and HDBU build-up layers. The Defense Production Act Investment will allow the Michigan-based company to boost tooling and manufacturing operations to establish domestic production capabilities for HDBU substrates, DoD said. The substrates and advanced packing are critical technologies for sixth generation systems used in radar, electronic warfare, processing, communications, and more.
AI Education. Defense Department personnel now have access to an instant on-line learning platform about artificial intelligence that is hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology thanks to an effort by the DoD Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO), which is working to expand knowledge about the technology across the enterprise. “The CDAO is rolling out Digital On-Demand to foster a baseline understanding of AI systems and other emerging technologies,” Craig Martell, Chief Digital and AI Officer, said in a statement. “This resource demonstrates to the DoD workforce how they fit into the future of these advancements and further enables their adoption throughout the department.” The platform was previously successfully trialed with U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Central Command, and with about 1,200 DoD participants.
Undersea Partnership. ThayerMahan and Saab Australia have partnered to explore autonomous undersea surveillance systems in support of Australian sovereignty. “The partnership brings together Saab’s sovereign system integration expertise and autonomous maritime capabilities with ThayerMahan’s world-leading autonomous underwater surveillance technology,” And Keough, Saab Australia managing director, said in a statement. He said the partnership “will accelerate the integration of proven robotic and autonomous systems with surveillance capabilities that enable persistent underwater surveillance to protect Australia’s seas, underwater assets, and borders.”