Inside Missile Defense

Boeing’s MH-139 Grey Wolf helicopter has achieved initial operational capability and can begin patrolling the Air Force’s nuclear missile silos as the service’s Vietnam-era UH-1N Hueys are gradually replaced, Air Force Global Strike Command announced yesterday. The chopper, which officially received the designation on Aug. 10, has been tip-toeing toward IOC for years after missing its original 2021 projection. Still, this new milestone is over a year behind schedule compared to the Grey Wolf program’s most recent predictions because...

The House voted 370-48 today to approve the Senate’s version of a continuing resolution that would extend government funding through Dec. 11, sending the measure to President Trump to be signed into law and averting the possibility of a politically costly government shutdown on Oct. 1.

The Missile Defense Agency is summoning industry to a classified meeting this month to discuss the next generation of air and missile defense, the latest step in an effort to rethink how the nation defeats increasingly complex attacks rather than simply build better versions of today's weapons. MDA will hold a classified Next-generation Air & Missile Defense Industry Day Sept. 18 at Redstone Arsenal, AL, according to an Aug. 31 notice that requires companies to register and submit security...

President Trump has officially nominated Hung Cao to serve as Navy secretary after performing the role in an acting capacity for more than four months, the president announced today via social media.

The Army is seeking additional suppliers for its Next Generation Short Range Interceptor (NGSRI) -- opening an alternate path beyond the Raytheon and Lockheed Martin prototypes now competing for the Stinger replacement -- with a spring 2027 demonstration that could lead to missile procurement awards. The service announced the NGSRI-Alternate Interceptor Demonstration (AID) effort in an Aug. 26 special notice, saying it wants to identify additional potential sources capable of meeting the program’s requirements. “The Army plans to...

The Air Force Research Laboratory is surveying the industrial base’s ability to create a modular, air-launched hypersonic weapon, according to a new notice issued today.

A bipartisan group of four lawmakers has requested a briefing by Sept. 21 from the Army on the recent decision to disband a drone battalion based in Europe -- an action happening amid a monumental leadership shakeup in the service, highlighted by the departure of Secretary Dan Driscoll this week. In a letter dated Sept. 1, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Angus King (I-ME) along with Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH) wrote that they want to better understand...

Sierra Space will run its first Dream Chaser flight with payloads from both national security and commercial customers, the company announced today.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is preparing to launch a new hypersonic cruise missile designed to fly farther, faster and higher -- performance gains the agency says are needed for operations in highly contested environments. On Sept. 2, DARPA's Tactical Technology Office said in a notice it will hold an industry day Sept. 22 for the Next Generation Hypersonic Cruise Missile program, or NGHCM, ahead of a planned program solicitation. The program aims to design, build and flight-test...

AeroVironment has won a $465 million contract for the Army’s Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL) program, the company announced today, in what marks the first directed energy production contract for the Pentagon. The company expects to deliver the Army “dozens” of its LOCUST X3 counter-drone weapon, which uses a 30-kilowatt laser to shoot down drones. The system can mount to a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle and AV is looking into Infantry Squad Vehicle configurations down the road, according to the...