Boeing and Lockheed Martin made their teaming arrangement for the next increment of the Small Diameter Bomb program official Wednesday. Raytheon has announced its intent to compete for the small bomb prize. (DR, 09/30/05) There could be other interested parties, simply waiting for USAF to issue the Phase 2 request for proposal. It is due for release late this month. The actual competition would follow in the spring.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.