Driscoll pushes Silicon Valley model for Army, Sikorsky goes unmanned at AUSA Day 1 [Video]
The Breaking Defense team walks you through the biggest news from day one of the conference.
PEO Aviation ‘can’t speak’ to long-term future of UH-60Ms, focusing on upgrades, maintenance
The service has previously said that the next buy of the UH-60Ms will be its last, but Brig. Gen. David Phillips said he foresees the fleet operating in the Army through the 2040s and 50s.
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Not just selling into the kingdom, but building partnership with Saudi Arabia’s defense industry
Partnerships with outside industry are a cornerstone of the kingdom’s ambitious growth strategy.
Sikorsky’s new S-70 UHawk is a Black Hawk, but without the pilot
“Basically what we've done is we have taken a [UH60L] Black Hawk, and using our MATRIX autonomy system, have turned this aircraft into a UAS," Erskine “Ramsey” Bentley, director of strategy and business development for Sikorsky Advanced Programs, said.
Pentagon, Sikorsky ink $10 billion deal for 99 CH-53K heavy lift helos
The new multi-year buy is the first of its kind for the program of record, which is slated to purchase 200 helicopters in total.
US clears Norway to purchase $2.6B worth of HH-60W helicopters
Oslo’s purchase of the HH-60W could help extend the helicopter’s production line after the US Air Force moved to end procurement of the platform in 2022.
Lockheed ‘looking for partners’ on NATO next-gen helo bid, will build in Europe
“Especially from an X2 standpoint, the largest procurement out there is really NGRC. And that recapitalization of the helicopter fleet in Europe is the largest thing we see today at least in the next five or 10 years,” said Sikorsky boss Rich Benton.
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Streamcaster Nexus: Empowering the connected soldier at the tactical edge
On today’s battlefield, mobility isn’t optional - it’s mission-critical.
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Keeping Black Hawk and rotary wing aviation essential with launched effects, autonomy and MOSA
With a demonstrated ability to integrate capabilities in hours with MOSA, Black Hawk can give the Army a decisive advantage across theaters.
Army leaders want FLRAA by 2028, sidestep questions on Black Hawk’s fate
“We are unwilling to make commitments that are [not], in our opinion, in the best interest of soldiers...,” Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said of the fate of a new multi-year UH-60M procurement deal.
Sikorsky to integrate Israeli systems on Israel’s CH-53K helicopters
The US State Department agreed to a potential sale of up to 18 of these helicopters to Israel in 2021, and Israel eventually went ahead with a deal for an initial 12 estimated at around $2 billion in 2022.
Preliminary discussions lead Boeing to offer CH-47F Chinook to Poland
It remains to be seen how many aircraft Warsaw will commit to, should it go ahead with an order of the US Army aircraft or if a wider industry competition is to begin near term.
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Meeting Zero Trust goals while maintaining information dominance
Balancing security and access to data are critical to providing users with trustworthy, reliable data for real-time decisions.
Army plans for Black Hawk to be Future Vertical Lift testbed for launched effects and autonomy
The Army has received its first two ITEP engines, and a re-engined Black Hawk will fly in late FY25/early FY26.
Army wraps up FLRAA PDR, incorporating special ops design changes
According to a SOCOM official, the Army included feedback from the command that led to design changes like hardware for a refueling probe and features that will enable special operators to make unique modifications.
FARA fallout: A ‘resurrection’ of Boeing’s A/MH-6 Little Bird for special forces
Special operators had planned for FARA to take the role of the AH-6, but the program’s cancellation “changed our equation,” a SOCOM official said.
Sikorsky prepares X2 offer for NATO’s next generation rotorcraft competition
The manufacturer is shifting attention to alliance requirements in the aftermath of the US Army cancelling its next-generation Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) effort.