Pentagon leaders, eager to move fast and avoid pitfalls that have plagued defense acquisition in the past, are handing authorities and oversight for some of their biggest programs to officers outside the traditional structure. But the Air Force and Space Force four-stars given those responsibilities say they don’t intend their jobs to be a permanent change to the system.
Rapid Acquisition & Sustainment
New approaches to acquisition, faster testing, and lessons from combat are shrinking the Air Force’s timelines for fielding low-cost munitions from years to months, a top Air Force weapons official told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 24.
Anduril Industries has begun production of its YFQ-44A “Fury” Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone at its Arsenal-1 plant outside of Columbus, Ohio.
The Pentagon’s top weapons tester noted progress on key munitions for the Air Force in his latest report, covering everything from dogfighting missiles to hypersonics.
The U.S. military struck a $4.5 billion deal last month to increase the rate of production on its new B-21 bomber. Now officials are considering whether they will open up an entire second production line to go even faster in constructing the sixth-generation stealth Raider.
As the Air Force races to develop and field new semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the service is also rethinking its production plan for CCAs—how many and how quickly—to replace the notional figures set several years ago.
While the Pentagon has signaled its intent to scale technology, field new systems faster, and work more with nontraditional vendors, a new report identifies persistent manufacturing capacity, resourcing, workforce, and modernization challenges that could hinder its ability to deliver on those goals.
The Air Force wants more companies able to produce its new, multi-use, anti-radar missile that one expert says will prove vital in any future peer conflict and would be in high demand for the war in Iran if stocks were available now.
Defense specialists’ stock prices jumped March 2, the first day of trading since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, led by the makers of munitions, high-tech defense specialists, and major prime contractors.