Take 2: Kratos aims for prime status on second CCA ‘increment’

Take 2: Kratos aims for prime status on second CCA ‘increment’
Take 2: Kratos aims for prime status on second CCA ‘increment’

“So there’s a sweet spot for where we can prime it and there’s a stretch area. … What I hope is you see the sweet spot increases and the stretch area is moving to higher” program sizes and complexities, Kratos’s Steve Fendley told Breaking Defense.

General Atomics debuts new XQ-67A Air Force sensing drone

General Atomics debuts new XQ-67A Air Force sensing drone
General Atomics debuts new XQ-67A Air Force sensing drone

Details of the AFRL’s Off-Board Sensing Station program remain highly classified, though the effort is expected to field an unmanned aircraft that can fly ahead of fighters and relay targeting information and other threat data back.

Quantum clocks could revolutionize precision warfare within a decade: experts

Quantum clocks could revolutionize precision warfare within a decade: experts
Quantum clocks could revolutionize precision warfare within a decade: experts

Within five to 10 years, clocks “a million times” more precise than GPS could improve accuracy, communications, and electronic warfare – without relying on an easily jammed satellite signal.

presented by
Defending every domain from the highest domain

Defending every domain from the highest domain
Defending every domain from the highest domain

High-value assets in space means positioning both exquisite payloads and quick-react, short-term, inexpensive small sats across orbital regimes to accomplish specific missions.

From prototypes to operations: In record-breaking year, DIU transitioned 17 new tech

From prototypes to operations: In record-breaking year, DIU transitioned 17 new tech
From prototypes to operations: In record-breaking year, DIU transitioned 17 new tech

The Defense Innovation Unit in FY22 awarded $203 million in prototype contracts across 165 vendors, started 52 new projects and saw a 47 percent increase in the total number of companies competing for a contract, according to DIU’s annual report.

3 keys to bridging ‘valley of death’: Get involved early, cut out middlemen and pray Congress works

3 keys to bridging ‘valley of death’: Get involved early, cut out middlemen and pray Congress works
3 keys to bridging ‘valley of death’: Get involved early, cut out middlemen and pray Congress works

“So you can have something that the chief wants that will solve the problem, but if you don’t have a way to sell it in a way that the government can buy it – and then the challenge is not, you know, in many cases the buyer isn’t the customer,” James Guerts said. “And so I think where the services are really working hard is to compress that so the buyer and the customer are more closely aligned.”

presented by
Swarms of attritable UAS can create the ISR picture the Air Force wants

Swarms of attritable UAS can create the ISR picture the Air Force wants
Swarms of attritable UAS can create the ISR picture the Air Force wants

The Air Force Research Laboratory and Kratos are developing the Off-Board Sensing System to deploy less expensive UAS in large numbers.

DoD Kicks Off New Hypersonic Program; F-18 To Get Hypersonic Cruise Missile

DoD Kicks Off New Hypersonic Program; F-18 To Get Hypersonic Cruise Missile
DoD Kicks Off New Hypersonic Program; F-18 To Get Hypersonic Cruise Missile

The Pentagon will retain strict security protocols to ensure “we’re not training Chinese scientists that are going to go help their programs” said Gillian Bussey, head of the Joint Hypersonic Transition Office 

AFRL’s First WARTECH Summit To Vet Cutting-Edge Tech

AFRL’s First WARTECH Summit To Vet Cutting-Edge Tech
AFRL’s First WARTECH Summit To Vet Cutting-Edge Tech

“It’s gonna hurt a little bit,” said new AFRL Commander Brig. Gen. Heather Pringle. “We can’t do everything — we don’t have the budget to do everything under the sun.”

Griffin Skeptical Of Anti-Missile Airborne Lasers

Griffin Skeptical Of Anti-Missile Airborne Lasers
Griffin Skeptical Of Anti-Missile Airborne Lasers

“I think it can be done as an experiment, but as a weapon system to equip an airplane with the kinds of lasers we think necessary…that combination of things doesn’t go on one platform,” Mike Griffin, head of Pentagon research. “So, I’m just extremely skeptical of that.”

AFRL Tests Launch Tech For ‘Austere’ Sites

AFRL Tests Launch Tech For ‘Austere’ Sites
AFRL Tests Launch Tech For ‘Austere’ Sites

ABL’s planned timeline would see the vehicle integration of the RS-1 this quarter, with a test launch in the third quarter of this year and the first commercial launch sometime after the end of the year. 

Air Force To Test Capella’s Rapid Sat Tasking

Air Force To Test Capella’s Rapid Sat Tasking
Air Force To Test Capella’s Rapid Sat Tasking

AFRL will test Capella’s SAR satellites ability to provide “object identification, change detection, and tip and cueing with other military systems,” says Capella’s Dan Brophy.

Hypersonics Pitch Day: Air Force Woos Startups

Hypersonics Pitch Day: Air Force Woos Startups
Hypersonics Pitch Day: Air Force Woos Startups

The nine startups are pitching everything from composite materials to small propulsion units that can enable hypersonic (i.e. faster than Mach 5) flight.

AFRL Issues New Tech Challenge, Uses Bespoke Contracts

AFRL Issues New Tech Challenge, Uses Bespoke Contracts
AFRL Issues New Tech Challenge, Uses Bespoke Contracts

AFRL’s new Air Force Explore challenge intends to make four to seven awards, each in the $1 million to $2 million range.