Speaker Race. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) has secured the endorsement of two top defense-focused lawmakers in his bid to be the next Speaker of the House. Reps. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chair of the Armed Services Committee, and Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), chair of the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, are supporting Scalise over Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Scalise and Jordan are the current frontrunners to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), after he became the first House Speaker ever to be voted out of the position by his fellow lawmakers. Jordan has picked up House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner’s (R-Ohio) endorsement as well as support from Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who leads the HASC Personnel Subcommittee.
Kuiper Lift-Off.
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying two Project Kuiper Protoflight satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla. on Oct. 6 at 2:06 p.m. Amazon plans to put 3,236 Kuiper satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) over the next six years to provide global broadband connectivity—a similar goal to that of Amazon’s competitor SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, which numbers more than 5,000 LEO satellites in orbit. The Protoflight satellites are to prove out Amazon’s small, “affordable” terminals and “a secure, resilient ground-based communications network,” Amazon said. “The Protoflight mission will test all three parts, along with the teams and systems that manage them.” ULA said that the inaugural launch of the Vulcan rocket will be next on the ULA plate.
Brussels Meeting. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will host the 16th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on October 11 in Brussels. “The secretary and chairman will join ministers of defense and senior military officials from nearly 50 nations to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and the continued support from the international community to provide the Ukrainian people with the means necessary to defend their sovereign territory,” the Pentagon said in a statement. During the visit to Brussels, Austin will also participate in the NATO Defense Ministerial Meeting on Oct. 12.
Commercial Commitment. While the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has said that it is moving to scale up its use of commercial companies for electro-optical, radar, hyperspectral, radio frequency remote sensing, and light and detection ranging data in order to provide a defense in depth and allow NRO to focus on “exquisite” payloads, industry stakeholders want to see proof in the pudding. Marc Bell, the CEO of Terran Orbital, said recently that “the government’s just not ready for unclassified commercial SAR [synthetic aperture radar],” while another issue may be the NRO’s desire to sustain its budgets and the agency’s traditional culture of ownership and not ceding that in any fashion that NRO believes could risk satellite compromise.
Systems Engineering and Integration. Booz Allen Hamilton said on Oct. 3 that the U.S. Space Force has awarded the company a seven-year $630 million contract for systems engineering and integration (SE&I) of the Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared missile warning systems, environmental monitoring, and surveillance, reconnaissance, and tracking. Work is to occur in El Segundo, Calif. and in Colorado Springs and Aurora, Colo. Booz Allen said that, in executing the contract, the company will rely on its “mission expertise in digital engineering, mission integration, agile software development, cybersecurity, change management, AI and machine learning to help the Space Force achieve its vision for a digital service.” SAIC was the SE&I incumbent. After the Space Force chose Booz Allen Hamilton for the follow-on contract in January last year, SAIC and ManTech protested, but Booz Allen Hamilton got the final go ahead in June.
LSM RFP Draft. The Navy released a raft request for proposals (RFP) for the Landing Ship medium in a Sept. 29 notice. The Navy plans to field 18 to 35 of the vessels to particularly support the Marine Corps’ Marine Littoral Regiment. The RFP included no new public design information and directed interested parties to request enclosures from the draft RFP from Naval Sea Systems Command. Questions about and responses to the draft RFP are due by Oct. 31.
DDG-125 Commissioning. The Navy plans to commission the first Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), during a ceremony on Oct. 7 in Tampa, Fla. As the first Flight III destroyer, the ship features modifications to field the AN/SPY-6 Air and Missile Defense Radar.
AFWERX Engine Award. LiquidPiston says it has received a $35 million contract from the Air Force’s AFWERX innovation unit to design, develop and qualify a 90-plus horsepower heavy-fueled rotary engine that will be incorporated into a modular Rotary Engine Hybrid Power System. The Connecticut-based company says the engine and power system can be a power pack for applications such as unmanned aircraft system propulsion, human and cargo-carrying organic resupply bus capabilities, mobile operating bases, and vehicle auxiliary power units. The award includes $15 million in small business innovation research funding from the AFWERX Strategic Funding Increase program. “Hybrid power systems and compact rotary engine technology have the potential to provide a disruptive modular power solution for a variety of critical and tactical applications,” says Lt. Col. John Tekell, AFWERX Agility Prime Lead.
Stoke Stoked. Rocket developer Stoke Space last week said it received $100 million in new Series B funding that will be used develop its first stage rocket engine and structure, the orbital version of its reusable second stage, and new construction at Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla. In September, Dallas-based Stoke successfully conducted a vertical takeoff and vertical landing of its reusable second stage rocket, launching to an altitude of 30 feet and then landing after 15 seconds of flight. Stoke’s goal is the development of a full reusable rocket, called Nova, that can be turned around in one day for the next flight. The funding round was led by Industrious Ventures with participation from others, including In-Q-Tel, and brings the company’s total funding to $175 million.
Machina Labs Raise. Machina Labs, which uses artificial intelligence-enabled robotics to rapidly manufacture composite and metal products, has raised $32 million in a Series B investment to meet growing customer demand and bolster research. The investment round was led by Nvidia’s venture capital arm and brings total funding raised in the advanced manufacturing tools startup to $45 million. Machina Labs is targeting the defense and commercial space sectors, and other industries for customers.
LHA-8 Launch. HII launched the Navy’s America-class amphibious assault ship the future USS Bougainville (LHA-8) on Sept. 30 at its shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. The ship previously moved from land to the floating dry dock in early September. LHA-8 will be the first America-class ship built with a well deck, reintegrating that previous amphibious ship capability into the class. The ship’s flight deck will also be configured for the F-35B and MV-22B Osprey. HII is also building the future USS Fallujah (LHA-9), which had a keel authentication ceremony last month.
SSN-810. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro recently announced the Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine SSN-810 will be named the USS San Francisco. He made the announcement during the San Francisco Fleet Week, with the ship’s sponsor set to be former Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). This will be the fourth naval vessel named after the city, following SSN-711, a Los Angeles-class submarine that was decommissioned in 2022. SSN-711 currently serves as a moored training vessel for the Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit, Charleston, S.C.
Coast Guard MDA Services. The Coast Guard has awarded Technology Service Corporation a potential $3.5 million contract to begin providing Sea Dragon aerial intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance services for maritime domain awareness (MDA) flying out of either Florida or another Caribbean airport. Using either a Cessna or King Air aircraft, TSC’s Threat Emitter Geolocation System will provide wide area, maritime surveillance using radar and electro-optical sensors to identify small targets and relay results in real-time via a satellite communications link. The TEGS allows targets of interest to be geo-tagged using EO high-definition image capture to include vessel hull identification and deck activity for Coast Guard command and control and for evidentiary purposes.
New GDIT Center. General Dynamics said recently that Information Technology business opened the new 6,200 square-foot Emerge Innovation Center at its headquarters in Falls Church, Va. The Emerge Innovation Center is part of GDIT’s bolstering of its research and development labs nationwide in support of government missions and part of a technology investment strategy that prioritizes digital accelerators, expanded R&D and commercial partnerships, and upskilling its workforce. The new center will provide a venue for GDIT to demonstrate digital accelerator solutions to customers, develop prototypes and proofs of concepts with customers and technology partners, and showcase new innovations.
Franchetti Advances. The Senate Armed Services Committee voted on Sept. 27 by voice en bloc to report out a list of thousands of military nominations for the full Senate floor, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti to become the next Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). Franchetti currently serves as Vice Chief of Naval Operations and is performing the duties of the CNO after former CNO Adm. Michael Gilday retired earlier this year.
People News. The Center for a New American Security has launched the Defense Technology Task Force, honing the think tank’s policy focus on helping the Defense Department and national security community better leverage the burgeoning defense innovation ecosystem of traditional and non-traditional companies. Robert Work, a former deputy secretary of defense, Ellen Lord, a former DoD acquisition chief, and Michael Brown, a former director of the DoD Defense Innovation Unit, are co-chairing the task force. Separately, Retired Navy Adm. Craig Faller was elected last week to HII’s board to serve on the Audit and Finance Committees. Faller retired from the Navy in Oct. 2021 after ending his military career as commander of U.S. Southern Command and before that as the senior military assistant to the secretary of defense.
G/ATOR Award. The Marine Corps on Sept. 28 awarded Northrop Grumman a $513 million modification to Northrop Grumman to procure another 14 full-rate production Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) systems. This includes an option for four more Lot Six G/ATOR systems as well. The work is expected to be finished by Oct. 2028.
SCO Support. QinetiQ has received a new five-year, $125.7 million contract to continue providing support services to the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO), the company said on Oct. 3. The company said its work includes supporting SCO’s “mission to analyze and accelerate the development, demonstration and transition of capabilities to counter strategic adversaries and improve the United States’ security posture.” Shawn Purvis, QinetiQ’s president and CEO, said “We are excited to continue delivering mission led innovative solutions through our partnership with SCO.”
R&S TSA Win. The Transportation Security Administration last week said it awarded Rohde & Schwarz a potential $13 million contract to provide advanced imaging technology scanners at airport security checkpoints. With the competitive win, R&S will be joining Leidos as the only other supplier of the checkpoint body scanners. TSA currently owns 22 R&S QPS-201 systems, which consist of two flat panels and do not require passengers to raise their arms during scanning as the Leidos ProVision 2 does. TSA’s current QPS-201s were acquired through a combination of donated and purchased systems and are used for passenger checkpoint deployments and demonstrations. Under the new contract, TSA may acquire up to 68 of the R&S systems.