In race with China, SOCOM must leverage private equity, say experts and VCs

In race with China, SOCOM must leverage private equity, say experts and VCs
In race with China, SOCOM must leverage private equity, say experts and VCs

“We are witnessing a cultural shift. Engineers want to work on problems for the DoD. We’re going to have an explosion of defense technology. Capital is following the engineers and following DoD opening of the aperture who want innovation,” said Alex Moore, partner at 8VC.

The ‘morale challenge’ facing some special operators in the era of Great Power competition

The ‘morale challenge’ facing some special operators in the era of Great Power competition
The ‘morale challenge’ facing some special operators in the era of Great Power competition

The head of US special ops in the Pacific suggested some operators are struggling with a less direct mission, though USSOCOM chief Gen. Bryan Fenton told Breaking Defense that’s not something he’s seen.

SOCOM acquisition chief: AI will be ‘key to every single thing’

SOCOM acquisition chief: AI will be ‘key to every single thing’
SOCOM acquisition chief: AI will be ‘key to every single thing’

SOCOM acquisition exec Jim Smith’s enthusiasm for AI was slightly tempered later, when he said he was “absolutely” concerned about AI-generated mistakes, though he said there are ways to manage that.

After ‘inflection point’ of Ukraine, Switchblade maker AeroVironment unveils upgrades, goes global

After ‘inflection point’ of Ukraine, Switchblade maker AeroVironment unveils upgrades, goes global
After ‘inflection point’ of Ukraine, Switchblade maker AeroVironment unveils upgrades, goes global

AeroVironment CEO Wahid Nawabi told Breaking Defense upgraded Switchblades will be headed to Ukraine, as company announces a VTOL kit for its ISR bird.

‘Gotta be there early’: American special ops lessons from Ukraine

‘Gotta be there early’: American special ops lessons from Ukraine
‘Gotta be there early’: American special ops lessons from Ukraine

Building special forces relationships with other countries requires being on the ground and meeting the partner where they are, SOCOM chief Gen. Bryan Fenton said.

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Breaking OEM vendor lock with technical data packages the DoD owns for aircraft mods against new threats

Breaking OEM vendor lock with technical data packages the DoD owns for aircraft mods against new threats
Breaking OEM vendor lock with technical data packages the DoD owns for aircraft mods against new threats

Using leading edge technology and tools to generate digital data packages in lieu of proprietary OEM data, SNC is on track to be the first to offer true digital twins in a post-production environment.

In a first, Reaper makes highway landing, Air Force says

In a first, Reaper makes highway landing, Air Force says
In a first, Reaper makes highway landing, Air Force says

During a military exercise in Wyoming, an MQ-9 Reaper made history by conducting its first highway landing alongside what the Air Force says is the greatest number of aircraft to pull off the tactic.