“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,” said Army acquisition head Doug Bush.
Bell Textron has "a lot of experience with composite fuselages, and so they're going to use their experience to potentially design it ... more modular,” Brig. Gen. David Phillips told Breaking Defense.
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“We see a lot more demand than we can possibly keep up with, that's one of the reasons … the air defense force is so strained, frequent deployments [and the] significant demand signal to meet hotspots all over the world,” Army Under Secretary Gabe Camarillo told Breaking Defense.
Sources first indicated this summer that Bell would drop Spirit AeroSystems as a supplier due to Boeing’s upcoming acquisition of the embattled aerostructures company.
New Army policy on “enabling modern software development” actually doubles down on some of DoD’s worst dysfunctions, argues Warren Katz, chairman of the Alliance for Commercial Technology in Government, violating the spirit – and perhaps the letter – of the law.
"If some companies don't want to bid on a contract, it's a free country. Don't bid. Others will," Doug Bush said. "My goal is simply to get the capability for the Army, not to make everybody happy."
There is no single answer to the drone threat, pushing the Pentagon toward a broader mix of defenses.
“Microsoft fully intends and is prepared to compete for IVAS Next. We remain committed to delivering the industry’s best capabilities for our warfighters,” a company spokesperson told Breaking Defense.
Prime contractor Bell is now tasked with providing six aircraft prototypes, with first flight set for 2026.
"It's our first robot system like this [that] we're actually going to keep. So, I'm not surprised that there's turbulence in the key technologies, including the radio comm link, which is foundational to the whole thing," said Army acquisition head Doug Bush.
“We need co-r&d, coproduction, and co-sustainment and cooperation. We need to be able to cooperate in various sectors so all this manned and unmanned systems will replace our traditional systems,” said South Korea’s minister for Defense Acquisition Program Administration Seok Jong-gun.
A commitment to long-term operational value.
As the service rolls out a name change for the new(ish) air defense weapon, it is also eyeing future upgrades that could integrate with robots and new interceptors.
“They will tell you everything and they're not worried about your feelings,” said Doug Bush.
“Everything that we can knock off that list we will do in the archipelago…because that allows us to do the tests in the environment that the vessel will operate in ultimately,” said Maj. Gen. Jered Helwig.
Meanwhile, the Air Force’s Vice Chief of Staff Gen James Slife said his service has several “compelling programs in the pipeline” but they are “not quite as technologically mature as some of the Army programs.”