Lockheed hopes to unseat an incumbent team of Raytheon and Kord Technologies, which received a $123.9 million contract this summer.
By Valerie InsinnaFlight of the Gray Eagle: How a proven platform evolves
The possibilities are endless with the next generation of Gray Eagle, making it easy to envision more missions and capabilities on the horizon.
The threat of Russian drones, helicopters, and attack jets drove the first fielding to a unit in Germany, but the 8×8 Stryker variant may well find its way to the Pacific as well.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Contractors are already “bending metal” on components for both 50-kilowatt and 300-kW lasers, Army scientist Craig Robin said.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
After weeks of COVID delays, combat soldiers are now testing both the IBCS network and the IM-SHORAD vehicle at White Sands. The first live shots against flying targets are just weeks away.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
“I spent the first 15 years of my career walking around in a lab with a laser, saying ‘does anyone want this…’ and the warfighter [kept] going ‘that’s adorable,’” Craig Robin recalled ruefully. “Just recently there’s been a tremendous pull [because] we simply just got out it into the user’s hands and they recognized the value.”
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Research and development spending on hypersonics will nearly double in ‘21, and it will triple for lasers, as the service rushes to deploy combat-ready prototypes.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
“My biggest concern is that when the budget goes down — that’s only a matter of time — that, one, we’re left with a bunch of prototypes but nothing in inventory, and a bunch of legacy systems without upgrades; and two, when the prototypes finally turn into production-ready weapons systems, how can the Army afford so many big-ticket procurement bills simultaneously?” warned Heidi Shyu.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
The connected warrior will have a common operating picture even when contested
Mobile, distributed command and control requires a common operating picture even in contested environments.
WASHINGTON: At least a dozen major Army weapons programs face big decisions in 2019. The service will launch a competition for new armored vehicles; award development contracts for scout aircraft and helicopter engines; conduct key tests of long-range missiles, anti-aircraft defenses, rifles, targeting goggles, and multiple battlefield networks; and field new electronics for command posts.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. AUSA: The Army is investing more and more money in lasers to defeat incoming rockets and enemy drones. Across the Air & Missile Defense (AMD) portfolio, “we put over 50 percent of our S&T (Science and Technology) money going towards directed energy projects,” up from about a third previously, said the AMD modernization director, Brig. Gen.…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
“We were never above probably a total of eight people,” the aviation Cross Functional Team chief, Brig. Gen. Wally Rugen, told me. “We’re not this big colossal thing, we’re a lean, mean organization.”
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Lockheed is as close to an incumbent as you get in the rapidly evolving world of high-energy fiber lasers. Raytheon, by contrast, only recently made a big play for laser weapons, but they can draw on their experience with lower-powered but exquisitely tuned laser sensors.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
With its eyes firmly on Russia, the US Army is racing to field 8×8 Strykers with an array of weapons that can down enemy aircraft — from drones to helicopters to jets — and incidentally make enemy tanks think twice. The first prototypes will be delivered next year, with up to 144 (four battalions) by…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
WASHINGTON: The Senate Armed Services Committee has lost patience with the Army program to develop cruise missile defenses, IFPC, and reallocated $500 million to buy an off-the-shelf alternative by 2020. The system would defend US bases abroad from Russian, Chinese, Iranian, or North Korean strikes. While the bill language and SASC staff are careful not…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
The Army Chief of Staff wants revolutionary new weapons. The Army Secretary wants affordable technology fast. How can they reconcile these opposites?
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
