Page 8 – Defense Daily

Trump Picks HASC Member, China Hawk Mike Waltz As National Security Adviser

President-elect Donald Trump has selected Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, to serve as national security adviser in his next administration.

Waltz, a former Green Beret officer, is considered a “China hawk” and is set to serve a major role in the second Trump administration’s policy approach to competition with Beijing, assistance to Ukraine as Russia’s invasion approaches the three-year mark and continued conflict in the Middle East, to include the war in Gaza.

Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.)

“Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda, and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Trump said in a statement. The position does not require Senate confirmation.

The Florida Republican was first elected to Congress in 2018, which followed his service in the Army Special Forces and combat tours in Afghanistan, then time working at the Pentagon during the Bush administration and the founding of defense services company Metris Solutions in 2010.

Waltz is currently chair of the HASC Readiness Subcommittee and sits on the committee’s Strategic Forces and Intelligence and Special Operations panels, and is also a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

“At such a pivotal time for our military, I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the Subcommittee on Readiness to ensure America’s warfighters are trained and equipped at superior facilities to properly address the threats facing our country. As the Chinese Communist Party marches towards global dominance, Russia increases its malign behavior, new terrorist threats emerge in the aftermath of Afghanistan, the Iranian Regime progresses towards a nuclear weapon, and so much more, I am ready to get to work to better equip our military and turn our focus away from woke priorities and back to winning wars. Our national security depends on it,” Waltz said in January 2023 after being named as the new HASC Readiness chair.

Waltz recently wrote in an op-ed published by The Economist that the next administration should “act urgently” to bring the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East to “a swift conclusion” to “finally focus strategic attention where it should be: countering the greater threat from the Chinese Communist Party.”

“Most concerning is that, with Washington preoccupied in a two-front war, China is opening a third front, engaging in almost daily stand-offs with American allies and partners, such as Taiwan and the Philippines. The world is in danger of a third major deterrence failure, and a Eurasian-wide war against multiple nuclear-armed adversaries at the same time,” Waltz wrote in the piece along with Matthew Kroenig, vice president and senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. “A new administration should increase defense spending and revitalize the defense-industrial base to make sure its armed forces are clearly capable of denying a Chinese attack on Taiwan.”

While Waltz has been a staunch supporter of assisting Ukraine, he has more recently aligned with Trump’s view on questioning the level of continued weapons aid to Kyiv and voted against the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act in April.

“[Waltz’s selection] may have mixed implications for U.S. defense contractors. His views on China could be positive, but those on cartels, Ukraine aid, and DoD ‘waste’ may entail nuances for defense contractors to wade through in 2025 and beyond,” Byron Callan, an analyst with Capital Alpha Partners, wrote on Tuesday.

In 2019, Waltz supported a bill offered by HASC members to prohibit the sale of U.S. military equipment to Turkey in the latest effort to sanction the NATO member-nation for launching a military operation in northeast Syria and targeting Kurdish troops (Defense Daily, Oct. 16 2019).

“I am proud to join my colleagues on this important legislation,” Waltz said at the time. “We cannot take the risk of an ISIS 2.0, so we must do what we can in Congress to mitigate Turkey’s aggression in Syria.”

During debate on the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, Waltz advocated for increasing the Pentagon’s F-35C procurement plans while adding he viewed pulling from operations and maintenance, or “readiness,” accounts as “robbing Peter to pay Paul” (Defense Daily, July 15 2022).

Waltz was also a member of a recent bipartisan Congressional Task Force that focused on how to speed up the U.S. Foreign Military Sales process, with the group recommending steps to raise the thresholds for notification and holding Defense and State Department officials more accountable for management of high-value cases (Defense Daily, Feb. 9).

Trump is also reportedly set to select Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to lead the State Department, with Rubio sharing similar “hawk-ish” views on China to Waltz

Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, if confirmed as Secretary of State, would join Waltz in leading the second Trump administration’s foreign policy approach to China, Ukraine and the Middle East.

During the first Trump administration, Rubio was one of 10 votes against the FY ‘19 NDAA after the conference report removed a provision from the Senate’s original vision of the bill banning and reimposing sanctions against Chinese telecommunications company ZTE (Defense Daily, Aug. 1 2018).

“I don’t want to vote against it. I don’t like it. But I just think China’s threat is so extraordinary it rises to that level,” Rubio told Defense Daily at the time, regarding his first vote against the NDAA during his time in the Senate. “I don’t think there should be any Chinese telecommunications companies operating in the U.S. They all pose a systemic risk. Every single one of them.”

In late January, both Rubio and Waltz signed onto a bipartisan letter urging President Biden to create a new “interagency maritime policy coordinator” position to organize American maritime and seapower policy (Defense Daily, Jan. 31 2024).

The lawmakers argued the U.S. “has failed to give proper attention to the elements of our national sea power” just as China is expanding its strategic sea-based influence, and called for this new coordinator to also help influence industrial base resource decisions across the military and commercial sectors.

Firefly Closes $175 Million Funding Round To Scale Production, Accelerate MLV Development

Firefly Aerospace has raised $175 million in new venture capital that will help it boost production of a multi-mission orbital vehicle and its small lift rocket, and accelerate hardware qualification of a medium launch vehicle (MLV) the company is developing with Northrop Grumman

[NOC].

The Series D funding round was led by RPM Ventures, a new investor, and included existing investors, and new backers GiantLeap Capital and Human Element.

Some of the new capital will go toward expanding the market reach, and scaling production, of the Elytra spacecraft the Texas-based company is developing to satisfy government and commercial missions in cislunar space. The Elytra family of vehicles can support on-orbit transfers, hosting, delivery, servicing, and deep space communication networks, the company says.

Firefly said that the funding will also support scaling production of the Alpha small launch vehicle, which it expects to launch four to six times in 2025, and double that in 2026. Over the past year, the company has more than doubled the size of its manufacturing facilities, added two new test stands, and began operating automated fiber placement machinery for rapid carbon lamination, and a robotic powermill for rapid drilling and trimming.

Firefly and Northrop Grumman in August 2022 announced co-development plans for the MLV, which is being designed with a payload capacity of 36,000-pounds for low Earth orbit (LEO) missions, and over 7,000-pounds to geostationary transfer orbit. The launch proven Alpha can lift nearly 2,300 pounds to LEO.

“This successful funding round solidifies Firefly as the undisputed leader in responsive space,” Kirk Konert, Firefly’s chairman and a managing partner with the private equity firm AE Industrial Partners, said in a statement. “As we set out sights on 2025, we’re gearing up for a year that will redefine the industry and make history.”

Firefly is a portfolio company of AE Industrial partners.

Textron Nabs $394 Million Mod For Nine More SSC Landing Craft

The Navy on Nov. 8 awarded Textron Systems [TXT] a $394 million modification to build nine more Ship to Shore Connectors (SSC) hovercraft.

The U.S. Navy accepted the delivery of the latest Ship to Shore Connector (SSC), LCAC 110, from Textron Systems on Sept. 6, 2024. (Photo: U.S. Navy)

The SSCs are 100-class Landing Craft Air Cushion vessels that aim to replace the older legacy LCACs by using the same dimensions but host improvements in engines, higher payloads, simplified maintenance and fly-by-wire controls. They are deployed from well deck-equipped amphibious ships, the Expeditionary Sea base ships and Expeditionary Transfer Dock ships.

The Navy plans to ultimately procure 72 SSCs. The vessels each have 30-year expected service lives and can carry a 60- to 75-ton payload.

In May, the Navy took delivery of LCAC-109, the first of 16 SSCs in the initial follow-on contract to the original SSC detail design and construction contract. At that time the company was in serial production of hulls 110-122 (Defense Daily, May 31).

Then, in September, the Navy accepted delivery of LCAC-110 and the service said by then Textron was in serial production on units 111-123.

Like the previous contracts, the latest awarded work will occur at Textron’s New Orleans, La., facility and is expected to be finished by September 2030.

Autonomous KC-135 Flight Testing May Begin Next Year

Flight testing of an autonomous KC-135 Stratotanker may begin next year.

Boston’s Merlin Labs, Inc. and the U.S. Air Force’s 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill AFB, Fla., have been testing the Merlin Pilot system to provide autonomy and automation for the KC-135 tanker to reduce aircrew and allow crew members to focus on critical mission tasks (Defense Daily, May 30).

In February, Merlin said that it had signed a multi-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Air Mobility Command (AMC) and Air Force Materiel Command to develop and integrate the Merlin Pilot on the KC-135 to inform the Next Generation Air Refueling System and “pave the way for autonomous uncrewed operations of the KC-135–an unprecedented new capability for AMC and the USAF.”

Merlin said on Monday that its “airworthiness plan for the Merlin Pilot KC-135 testing has been accepted by the United States Air Force.”

“This joint USAF and Merlin project will evaluate the viability of scaling the Merlin Pilot to large transport aircraft, especially its innovative AI capabilities,” the company said. “Achieving this milestone demonstrates that Merlin’s system engineering processes are consistent with the airworthiness standards set by the USAF, and allows Merlin to progress towards aircraft integration, design completion, and testing operations.”

Air Force acceptance of the Merlin Pilot KC-135 airworthiness plan “is the first major milestone to be executed under this collaboration, and lays the groundwork for the Merlin Pilot’s certification basis and eventual Military Flight Release (MFR),” Merlin said. “Integrating the Merlin Pilot on the KC-135 kickstarts Merlin’s Part 25 airworthiness programs and is material to continued advancements on this class of aircraft. Merlin is targeting the end of 2024 for its design completion, with ground testing, flight testing, and demonstrations to occur in 2025.”

In June, the company said that it had received a $105 million contract from U.S. Special Operations Command to provide advanced automation for the Air Force C-130J airlifter by Lockheed Martin [LMT] as a step toward such features for other special operations forces (SOF) fixed wing aircraft over the next five years (Defense Daily, June 12).

Merlin said that it has had a two-year partnership with the Air Force and that this summer’s C-130J contract will provide advanced automation design and integration on the C-130J; ground testing; Test Readiness Review and flight test; full takeoff to landing demonstration; and integration on other SOF aircraft.

India’s JSW Group To Invest $90 Million In Shield AI, Manufacture V-BATs

Indian conglomerate JSW Group will invest $90 million in U.S. startup Shield AI over the next two years to license and manufacture the small company’s V-BAT unmanned aircraft system (UAS) in-country, the companies said on Tuesday.

In the first year, JSW will invest $65 million to establish a global compliance program, a manufacturing facility, and training, enabling the Mumbai-based multinational company to establish a local supply chain. Large scale production of V-BAT in India will allow the companies to meet the needs of the Indian Armed Forces and expand Shield AI’s global production capacity, they said.

“Our collaboration with Shield AI is in keeping with our commitment to induct mission-critical technologies for deployment by the Indian Armed Forces and play an integral role in indigenizing defense technology in India,” Parth Jindal, a managing partner of JSW Group, said in a statement. “Through this partnership, we will be able to supply indigenous V-BATs at scale, provide flight operator training, and end-to-end maintenance, repair and overhaul services to the Indian Armed Forces.”

Shield AI currently produces V-BAT in Texas with a production team of roughly 60 to 70 people. In 2023, the company built 120 of the Group 3 UAS, and at the end of the year was producing at a rate of 30 aircraft per month, Ryan Tseng, the company’s co-founder and CEO, told Defense Daily on Nov. 8.

In 2025, Shield AI has automated more of its production and simplified the design of V-BAT, making assembly easier to the point that it can build more than 1,000 per year, Tseng said, adding this is a “conservative” estimate.

“I don’t see production being a major rate limiter for us because of a lot of investments in design for manufacturing, particularly in some of the vehicles that we’re building now, we can build them in dramatically less time than vehicles that we were building at the end of the year,” he said.

The V-BAT is used to conduct intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting missions. The UAS flies like a fixed-wing aircraft and takes off and lands vertically. The system is used by the Marine Corps, Special Operations Command, Navy, and U.S. partners and allies. This summer, the Coast Guard will begin using the UAS from its fleet of national security cutters.

The V-BAT has also been tested and operated in Ukraine using Shield AI’s autonomous pilot software, Hivemind. The Wall Street Journal reported recently that the UAS has been operated successfully through challenging electronic warfare environments, in one instance flying 60 miles into Russian controlled territory, finding a target, and enabling a successful strike against the target.

Tseng said that during the same mission, V-BAT found a Russian SA-11 air defense system but Ukrainian forces were unsuccessful in hitting that target. In both instances, the aircraft was able to provide battle damage assessment, he said. A key point, he offered, is that V-BAT found targets that otherwise would have been unmolested because in that conflict “aircraft don’t go that deep across the battlefield.”

Shield AI is still operating the V-BATs in Ukraine, he said.

Not only has V-BAT demonstrated the ability to navigate without end-to-end GPS, but it was also able to provide precise targeting data back to users for them to make decisions despite the compromised operating environment, Tseng said.

“It’s the only capability in the world that enables them to do long-range targeting for deep strike,” he said. “Targeting is the fundamental problem on the battlefield. If all of these drones were so effective, the front line would have actually moved. But it’s not moving because these fires, while numerous, are ineffective because we can’t hit strategic targets. And so, the V-BAT closes a critical gap by enabling you to do like mid- to deep-strike or even in close if you wanted to, and actually make your fires effective.”

AUV Startup Vatn Systems Raises $13 Million In Seed Round That Includes Lockheed, RTX, And SAIC

Vatn Systems, a startup developing autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for U.S. and allied military customers, on Tuesday said it has raised $13 million in seed funding to further expand its team and pave the way for its initial product releases with an aim toward scalable, affordable, attritable mass.

The seed round brings the small Rhode Island-based company’s total funding to $16.5 million and was led by DYNE Ventures

. Also contributing to the funding were venture capital arms of defense companies Lockheed Martin [LMT], RTX [RTX], and Science Applications International Corp. [SAIC], and venture capital firms Propeller Ventures, Cubit Capital, and Fortitude Ventures.

Vatn will use the new funding to hire more engineers to accelerate its initial product release and additional systems, build up the customer success team to meet customer needs, and expand the manufacturing team to meet the goal beginning production in mid-2025, Nelson Mills, the company’s co-founder and CEO, told Defense Daily. Vatn has 18 employees with three additional hires planned for 2024, and expects to have more than 40 personnel by the end of 2025, he said.

Vatn’s first product is the Skelmir 6, a six-inch diameter AUV that looks like a torpedo, weighs between 50 and 60 pounds, carries a payload up to 20 pounds, has a range of 20 nautical miles, and speed of 12 knots. The starting price is about $75,000 per unit and could come down depending on a production order, Mills said in an interview ahead of the announcement.

Vatn says its systems carry a variety of payloads depending on what a customer wants, and can attrit threats, and deploy sensors, and decoys at a large scale. While Skelmir 6 is priced to be expendable, it is also retrievable, Mills said.

In 2025, Vatn plans to announce two more products with longer ranges. The company’s products are modular and existing systems will have increased range with extended batteries, Mills said.

Mills said the company’s products are designed for quick assembly at low cost, one of its competitive discriminators.

“Our goal is to set up one of the largest production facilities for underwater vehicles or torpedoes in the world in terms of number of units per month that we can produce,” he said. The goal is to build “thousands” of AUVs per year, he said, adding that the company will have more to say about capacity in 2025.

The company has also developed a low-cost inertial navigation system for surface and subsurface operations even when global navigation satellite system signals are unavailable. This product, called INSTINCT, includes the company’s algorithms and filters to improve vehicle performance and conduct multiple missions.

The company’s AUVs are easy to learn for operators, can work with existing command and control platforms, and other companies’ vessels and vehicles, he said.

Another differentiator is the development of its own autonomy capabilities for single and multiple AUV operations with an aim toward needing less manpower to operate the drones.

“So, we’re also making a true force multiplier where one person can control many drones,” he said.

Vatn is based in Portsmouth, R.I., on Narragansett Bay and will be adding a new facility in nearby Bristol this year. The company was founded 18 months ago and about six months later was in the water testing, something it does four or five days a week throughout the year, Mills said.

Skelmir 6 went from an idea to Technology Readiness Level 7 in 18 months and is transitioning to direct sales to the government, he said. Vatn has multiple contracts with government customers that Mills said are “very promising” but cannot currently disclose. For now, the company is 95 percent focused on defense and as the business scales up it will also pursue commercial applications, he said.

The Navy’s Undersea Warfare Center is near Vatn’s operations as are other defense contractors, including L3Harris Technologies’ [LHX] OceanServer and HII’s [HII] Hydroid business units that also develop and manufacture AUVs.

“We have a really good talent pool, really good access to the customer, and really good access to water here,” Mills said.

Vatn has participated in different exercises and experiments, among them the Office of Naval Research’s Advanced Capabilities Experiment, the Special Operations Forces’ Trident Spectre, and the Navy’s Silent Swarm.

Vatn’s oversubscribed seed round also included follow-on investors Centre Street Partners, The Veteran Fund, and Blue Collective.

Army Awards Repkon USA Potential $435 Million Deal To Build New TNT Factory In Kentucky

The Army has awarded Repkon USA a contract worth up to $435 million to build a new TNT production facility in Graham, Kentucky, the service said on Friday.

The contract represents the Army’s effort to reestablish a domestic TNT production facility “for the first time in decades,” the service noted.

A block of TNT lies on the ground at the explosive ordnance disposal range minutes before it is detonated by Marine Wing Support Squadron 271 Motor Transport Company Marines during a class, Aug. 20, 2010. Photo: Photo by Cpl. Rashaun X. James, II Marine Expeditionary Force

“This is a major step forward in rebuilding our industrial base and ensuring we have the critical capabilities to support our warfighters,” Doug Bush, the Army’s acquisition chief, said in a statement. “Reshoring TNT production gives us the ability to control and secure our supply chain for this vital component, especially in an era of increasing global challenges.”

Funding for the domestic TNT production initiative was included in the $95 billion supplemental spending bill passed in April (Defense Daily, May 24).

Along with funding the new TNT factory, Army munitions projects in the supplemental also included $6 billion to boost 155mm artillery ammunition production and several hundred million dollar projects to increase IMX-104 explosive production at Holston Army Ammunition Plant (Defense Daily, May 2).

The Army said the TNT facility award to the U.S.-based business of Turkish defense firm Repkon is being executed as a sole-source undefinitized contract.

“This new state-of-the-art facility is essential to the [Joint Program Executive Officer for Armaments and Ammunition’s] (JPEO A&A) mission to develop, procure and field safe, reliable and lethal munitions to our joint warfighters and international partners,” Maj. Gen. John Reim, head of JPEO A&A, said in a statement. “This project will also further strengthen our defense industrial base, enabling munitions production at speed and scale.”

TNT is used in a range of military applications such as ammunition, bombs and grenades, and as the primary explosive fill for 155mm artillery shells, the Army noted.

“Establishing a domestic TNT production capability is vital for national defense, as the current supply chain is entirely reliant on overseas sources. This accelerated timeline supports the Army’s goal of rapidly replenishing its critical munitions inventory and maintaining readiness for future conflicts,” the Army said on Friday.

General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD OTS) has previously announced that Repkon was an equipment supplier on its team that built the Army’s new Universal Artillery Projectile Lines facility in Mesquite, Texas.

The Army opened the new GD OTS-operated facility in late May, which will build metal parts for artillery shells to assist in service’s continued push to boost 155mm ammunition capacity up to 100,000 rounds per month by late 2025 (Defense Daily, May 31).

New Team Forms To Compete For CVN-75 Carrier Dismantlement

A pair of companies with experience dismantling maritime vessels and nuclear facilities, respectively, are teaming up to compete on the dismantlement of decommissioned U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, starting with the ex-Enterprise (CVN-65).

NorthStar Group Services, Inc. and Modern American Recycling Services (MARS) on Friday announced they are forming a team to compete for the carrier dismantlement work in Mobile, Ala.

The team will consist of NorthStar subsidiary, NorthStar Maritime Dismantlement Services, LLC and MARS subsidiary Modern American Recycling and Radiological Services, LLC (MARRS). They are specifically focused on dismantling nuclear-powered aircraft carriers at Mobile, Ala.

The companies argued together they combine NorthStar’s experience decommissioning U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)-regulated facilities with the MARS’ ship recycling and decommissioning specialists to work together at the MARS Deepwater facility in Mobile.

The ex-Enterprise was the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and was deactivated in 2012 and decommissioned in 2017.

After years of reviews for how to best dismantle CVN-65, in September 2023 the Navy released its August 2023 Record-of-Decision that decided on commercial dismantlement for the ship so the public shipyards can continue focusing on maintenance for current carriers and submarines rather than adding another job to their plate.

The Navy previously said the future Gerald R. Ford-class that shares the name, USS Enterprise (CVN-80), would use over 35,000 pounds of steel from CVN-65 (Defense Daily, Sept. 2, 2022)

This new industry team noted that under the current Navy plan the NRC will provide additional oversight of the successful contractor’s compliance with NRC standards for radiological work.

More recently, in February the Navy marked the establishment of the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier (CVN) Inactivation and Disposal Program Office (PMS 368), within Program Executive Office Aircraft Carriers (PEO CVN) (Defense Daily, Feb. 9).

The Navy said lessons learned from this initial CVN-65 disposal process will inform options for the 10 Nimitz-class carrier fleet as they retire over time. The last ship in the class, the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77), is set to be inactivated in the mid-2060s.

NorthStar boasted it has “pioneered nuclear decommissioning approaches under NRC supervision with its ongoing, on-budget, ahead-of-schedule work at the former Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in Vernon, Vt. It said NRC officials called that work the “best in the country.”

NorthStar also currently leads work on decommissioning Duke Energy’s Crystal River 3 nuclear complex, in Citrus County, Fla., and the GE Vallecitos Nuclear Center in Vallecitos, Calif.

The company separately argued MARS’ maritime workforce has shown the capability to handle big maritime vessel salvage and recycling, being a lead participant in the 2020-2021 effort to salvage and recycle the 660-foot, 34,000 metric ton car carrier MV Golden Ray following its capsizing and total loss.

MARS is also currently in the process of dismantling and recycling the Fluminense, a 1,280-foot, 51,000 metric ton Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel under a contract with Shell Brasil.

“Working with MARS, the most experienced maritime recycler in the U.S., competitively positions NorthStar for the opportunity to dismantle the ex-Enterprise. We look forward to applying our well-honed commercial industry practices to this first-of-a-kind project and look forward to a long relationship with MARS and the Mobile community,” Scott State, CEO of NorthStar, said in a statement.

“MARS is excited to partner with NorthStar on this historic endeavor. Together, we will ensure that the legacy of the ex-Enterprise is honored through a safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible dismantling process,” Dwight Caton Sr., CEO and president of MARS, added.

The Navy plans to start dismantling the ex-Enterprise after the commercial contract is awarded in 2025, with work to start next year and take several years to finish.

DoD Awards New CHIPS Funds To Microelectronics Commons Hubs

The Defense Department last Friday said it has awarded $148 million that will go to its eight regional hubs under a program designed to bolster domestic microelectronics innovation and production.

The funds are part of the Biden administration’s CHIPS and Science Act that is seeding efforts across the country to reshore and strengthen a domestic semiconductor industry that is less reliant on global supply chains.

DoD said the eight Microelectronics Commons Hubs will use the new funds for infrastructure, operations support, and accelerating workforce development.

The eight hubs received an initial $240 million in 2023 (Defense Daily, Sept. 20, 2023). In the new round, the hubs and the funds are as follows: The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative-led Northeast Microelectronics Coalition, $18.7 million; the Indiana-based Applied Research Institute-led Silicon Crossroads Microelectronics Commons (SCMC), $16.6 million; the Univ. of Southern California-led California Defense Ready Electronics and Microdevices Superhub, $27 million; the North Carolina State Univ.-led Commercial Leap Ahead for Wide Bandgap Semiconductors, $23.7 million; the Arizona State Univ.-led Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub, $18.7 million; the Ohio-based Midwest Microelectronics Consortium Hub, $12.3 million; the Research Foundation for the State University of New York-led Northeast Regional Defense Technology, $10.6 million; and the California-Pacific-Northwest AI Hardware Hub led by California’s Leland Stanford Junior Univ., $15.3 million.

DoD is also providing $10 million for a Cross-Hub Enablement Solution (CHES) that allows the hubs to share electronic design automation tools and cloud computing resources. The SCMC Hub in Indian also received $2 million for a prototype project.

In September, DoD awarded $269 million in CHIPS Act funds for 33 technical projects under the Microelectronics Commons program. Those technical areas include quantum, secure edge computing, fifth and sixth-generation wireless communications, electromagnetic warfare, commercial leap-ahead technologies, artificial intelligence, and a CHES effort.

“Semiconductors are key to the must-win technologies of the future for next generation weapons systems, including artificial intelligence and 5G,” Dev Shenoy, principal director of microelectronics for DoD, said in a statement. “These technologies will be essential to achieving the goal of a dynamic, inclusive, and innovative national economy identified as a critical American advantage.”

Defense Watch: NGA AI Strategy, UKR Aid, ACV-30, More ASTs

NGA AI Strategy. Mark Munsell, the chief artificial intelligence officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, expects his agency to publish a new AI strategy in 2025 given how fast the technology is progressing. The last strategy, “The Way of AI,” was published in late 2022 and Munsell told Defense Daily

last week “I would expect we’ll probably have to publish a new strategy every two years.”

LITENING Pod. Northrop Grumman said on Oct. 31 its LITENING targeting pod finished initial flight testing on the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The company said these tests of the electro-optical/infrared pod put it through a series of “demanding” maneuvers representative of operational situations. The pod’s sensors provide high-definition video in several wavelengths to aid in surveillance and targeting missions.

20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron. Four U.S. Air Force B-52s from the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, La., landed on Friday at Royal Air Force Fairford, England for Bomber Task Force 25-1. Operating as the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, the BUFFs are to exercise with NATO countries “to synchronize capabilities and assure security commitments across the U.S. European Command area of responsibility,” United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) said. Before landing at Fairford, the bomber aircrews hooked up with those from Finnish F-18 Hornets and Swedish JAS 39 Gripens, USAFE said. The Air Force has used all its bomber types–B-52, B-1, and B-2–for BTFs, but the three types have not appeared in the same BTF.

Ten to 15 Percent? While trial balloons and wrongheaded scuttlebutt are routine parts of life in industry and the federal government, there is talk circulating of a possible Trump directive to cut 10 to 15 percent off the DoD topline as part of the incoming administration’s pledged whack to federal spending. The thinking goes that there would be no political cost to Trump, as the GOP Congress would automatically nix such a haircut–nearly a scalping, in some eyes. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the likely new chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has said that he wants to boost defense spending to five percent of GDP.

Frontier AI for AWS. Artificial intelligence model developer Anthropic and the AI software company Palantir Technologies have partnered with cloud service provider Amazon Web Services to bring Anthropic’s Claude AI models to the Amazon cloud for U.S. government intelligence and defense agencies. “This partnership allows for an integrated suite of technology to operationalize the use of Claude within Palantir’s AI Platform while leveraging the security, agility, flexibility, and sustainability benefits provided by AWS,” Anthropic and Palantir said last week. Claude AI is a multi-modal model on the” frontier” of AI technology.

Counter-Drone Testing. Israel-based D-Fend Solutions has entered a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division in Florida allowing the company to test its counter-unmanned aircraft systems technologies in various Department of Defense and Homeland Security test beds. D-Fend said these test areas include government airfields, commercial airports, and other facilities that will allow data collection to continually evaluate its EnforceAir radio frequency-based drone detection, tracking and identifications system when airspace regulations are violated. The company previously participated in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport UAS Detection and Mitigation Research Program at airports in Atlantic City, N.J., and Syracuse, N.Y.

ManTech Has Defense Board. ManTech last week said it has formed its first Defense Advisory Board to help it with strategic insights to advance innovation and capabilities. Members of the new board include six retired military officers: Air Force Lt. Gen. Bill Bender who oversaw directorates in charge of cyber operations; Navy Rear Adm. Kathleen Creighton was the C4 director at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command; Navy Vice Adm. Peter Daly was a career surface warfare officer; Marine Lt. Gen. Michael Groen concluded his uniformed career as director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center and senior executive for AI in the Defense Department; Army Lt. Gen. Alan Lynn, a former director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and was vice president of engineer for Cisco’s Emerging Technology and Incubation; and Army Gen. Kurt Sonntag, commanding general for the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center & School at Fort Bragg, N.C. Also on the board is Claire Grady, ManTech’s senior vice president of strategy and a former director of defense procurement and acquisition policy at the Defense Department.

More ASTs for Big Bend. The Border Patrol has added two more Anduril Industries-built Autonomous Surveillance Towers (ASTs) the Big Bend Sector in Texas, bringing to 54 the number of ASTs the agency is using in the sector to help its agents respond to illegal activity. The Border Patrol last week said the solar-powered, long-range sensors, that include night thermal imaging, provide its agents with real-time surveillance, adding the towers “have been instrumental in identifying and tracking border crossings, contributing significantly to successful apprehensions in the sector.” Migrant encounters were down 58.4 percent in fiscal year 2024 versus the prior year, “partly due” to the ASTs in the sector to “disrupt criminal smuggling operations,” the agency said.

Coast Guard News. The Coast Guard has taken delivery of its 58^th 154-foot Fast Response Cutter, the John Witherspoon, which will be homeported in Kodiak, Alaska. The Coast Guard is budgeted for 67 of the Bollinger Shipyards-built FRCs, which have about a five-day endurance and typically operate in the littorals. The Coast Guard in fiscal year 2025 is requesting funding for two more FRCs and House appropriators have proposed upping that to four. Senate appropriators have yet to weigh in. Bollinger said that without agreement on additional vessels, the prospects are “uncertain” for the program and the 600-plus workers that build the FRC.

…MH-60T Delivery. The Coast Guard recently delivered the first MH-60T (CGNR 6063) medium-range recovery helicopter to Air Station Astoria, Oregon, as part of a service life extension program (SLEP) for the aircraft. CGNR 6063 is outfitted with a newly manufactured hull supplied by Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky unit, which so far has delivered three of 45 new hulls on order. As part of the MH-60 SLEP effort, the Coast Guard is also replacing legacy hulls with retired Navy H-60 hulls that have a low number of hours on them. The newly-built hulls provide about 20,000 additional flight hours, 8,500 more per aircraft, compared to converted Navy hulls. The Coast Guard’s original fleet of 45 MH-60Ts began to enter service in 1990 and are approaching the end of their service life.

Ukraine Aid. The Pentagon on Nov. 7 said it’s committed to providing Ukraine with the remaining $6 billion in security assistance over the last couple months of the Biden administration, which is split between about $2 billion in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds and $4 billion in Presidential Drawdown Authority. “You’re going to see us continue to draw that down pretty frequently. Could there be things that go out beyond January 20th? I can’t say for certain right now, but we’re committed to drawing down those PDA [packages]. The USAI contracts, those could go for longer, but again, those are commitments and contracts that this administration has signed, so we would expect those to be upheld,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters. “In terms of what do we have to do over the next 74 days, I mean, there’s still a lot of work and just because there is a new commander in chief coming in, in January doesn’t mean that our work stops right now.” President-elect Donald Trump has criticized the amount of aid provided to Ukraine and boasted of brokering a rapid peace deal between Kyiv and Russia. “Ukraine has bicameral and bipartisan support in Congress. So there is an administration change that’s going to happen in January, but support for Ukraine remains strong,” Singh said.

ACV-30. The Marine Corps’ recent award to Norway’s Kongsberg for production of 30mm remote guns for the turreted variant of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle will begin with a $51 million order for “long lead material procurement for 60 turrets to maintain the production schedule,” a Marine Corps Systems Command spokesperson told Defense Daily. The Pentagon previously announced on Nov. 4 that the Marine Corps had awarded Kongsberg a deal worth up to $329 million to provide turrets for the BAE Systems-built ACV-30. The Marine Corps is still in negotiations on the ACV-30 full-rate production contract with BAE Systems, according to the MARCORSYSCOM spokesperson, while the first ACV-30s are expected to be delivered in the third quarter of fiscal year 2026. “This agreement is an important milestone for the U.S. Marine Corps ACV-30 program, enabling rapid deliveries when full-rate production starts. We are pleased that U.S. Marine Corps has selected the highly advanced 30mm Protector remote turret system from Kongsberg in the program,” Eirik Lie, president of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, said in a Nov. 7 statement.

Open RAN. The Pentagon on Nov. 4 announced a $6.5 million award to Hughes Network Systems to develop a 5G Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) prototype at Fort Bliss in Texas. “The Open RAN project at Fort Bliss is a valuable opportunity for the DoD to explore the enhanced command and control capabilities that near-real time control of the RAN offers DoD. The DoD CIO will continue to prioritize the deployment of Open RAN architectures and 5G across the Department, leveraging these information communications technologies for strategic warfighter advantage,” Antony Smith, DoD’s acting deputy CIO for command, control and communications, said in a statement. The initiative at Fort Bliss will serve as a testing ground for developing new Open RAN RIC tactical applications, developing footprints for other installations and establishing a training site for both civilian and military technical staff, DoD noted. The department added that an Open RAN ecosystem can help with increased functionality and scalability of 5G wireless networks and bolster incorporation of AI and machine learning into DoD systems.

DDG-122. The Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA guided-missile destroyer USS John Basilone (DDG-122) is set to be commissioned on Nov. 9 in New York. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toto will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. The ship is named after a World War II Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient for actions in the Battle of Guadalcanal. He was killed in action during the February 1945 invasion of Iwo Jima and posthumously also awarded the Navy Cross. Basilone is the only enlisted Marine awarded both awards and this will be the second ship named after Basilone.

Northeast VCNO Visit. Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO) Adm. Jim Kilby visited several Northeast shipyards and facilities Oct. 29-Nov. 1. The visits included submarine builder General Dynamics Electric Boat’s shipyard in Groton, Conn.; Naval Submarine New London for a ribbon cutting at a new AI and Machine Learning Lab for the Undersea Warfighting Development Center; Portsmouth Naval Shipyard; and destroyer builder General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. The Navy said during these visits Kilby discussed quality of service for sailors assigned to the base and shipyard workers as well as what role the yards play in the CNO’s Navigation Plan 2024.

Museum Piece. California’s Yates Electrospace Corp. said that it has donated one of its first, one-ton GD-2000 autonomous drone test gliders to the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. The GD-2000 is to be able to carry 1,500 pounds of cargo 35 miles. The company said that it has built 73 GD-2000s and that the latter is in full production in the United Kingdom. GD-2000 stands for “Glider, Disposable, 2,000 pounds,” and Yates Electrospace Corp. said that the glider is “capable of internal or external airborne deployment from rotorcraft or from fixed-wing cargo ramps,” such as the C-130, C-17, and A400M. Last December, the Department of the Air Force’s AFWERX innovation arm awarded the company a small business innovation research contract for the company’s Silent Arrow Contested Logistics System-300 (CLS-300), based on the GD-2000. The CLS-300 is to be able to fly nearly 10 times as far as GD-2000 via “an innovative propulsion unit and propeller system that are inexpensive enough to allow the entire cargo drone to be attritable,” the company has said. Yates has said that it has received work from Air Force Special Operations Command, including the deployment of Silent Arrows from MC-130s.

Aussie Maintenance. The Navy on Nov. 4 announced in October the Southwest Regional Maintenance Center (SWRMC) successfully completed a planned maintenance availability on the Australian HMAS Brisbane (DDG-41). During the month-long availability, SWRMC provided technical assistance and intermediate-level maintenance for issues aboard the Australian guided-missile destroyer at Naval Base San Diego. The U.S. Navy argued this was an example of interchangeability between the U.S. and Royal Australian Navy.