DefenseNews

US Army moves out on digital engineering strategy

June 20, 2024
The Army is embarking on a strategy to implement a digital engineering environment meant to speed the pace, lower the cost and reduce risk in weapons systems development, according to Jennifer Swanson, the service’s deputy assistant secretary for data, engineering and software within its acquisition branch. Gabe Camarillo, the Army under secretary, who previewed the effort last fall, signed the…
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DefenseNews

US Army to launch AI pilot project for acquisition workforce

June 20, 2024
The U.S. Army wants to better understand how its acquisition and contracting workforce could use generative AI to improve efficiency and is launching a pilot next month to explore those questions. Jennifer Swanson, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for data, engineering…
DefenseNews

Europe's Artillery Rocket System: A Tense Race for the Future

June 19, 2024
PARIS — Tensions are running high in the race to decide Europe’s artillery rocket system of choice, with Germany emerging as a decisive player in a race between teams Rheinmetall-Lockheed Martin and Elbit-KNDS. On the opening day of the Eurosatory trade show here, all…
DefenseNews

France rethinks military light-drone acquisition as Army falls behind

June 19, 2024
PARIS — France is changing its acquisition process for light military drone unmanned aerial vehicles to become more nimble and signed a pact with local drone makers as the country’s Army threatens to fall behind in a technology that military leaders say is remaking warfare. French Armed Forces Minister Sebastian Lecornu signed a “defense UAV pact” at the Eurosatory defense show here on…
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DefenseNews

How many F-35s to buy? Draft defense bills disagree

June 18, 2024
The Senate’s proposed National Defense Authorization Act would leave the military’s planned purchases of 68 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in fiscal 2025 unchanged. The chamber’s draft NDAA, which members of the Senate Armed Services Committee unveiled Friday, represents…
DefenseNews

GM Defense eyes $1 billion European market for tactical vehicles

June 18, 2024
PARIS — GM Defense hopes that a resurgence of the car giant’s commercial business in Europe will pave the way for sales of militarized trucks used by special operations units, a company executive said.The company makes the Infantry Squad vehicle, based on the Colorado pickup truck, which is in production for vanguard U.S. Army formations including the 82nd Airborne Division, and is readying a…
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DefenseNews

Defense spending bill would defund Biden’s Gaza pier

June 14, 2024
The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday advanced its fiscal 2025 defense spending bill while adding a provision that would eliminate the military’s makeshift pier off the coast of the Gaza Strip, which has struggled to deliver an adequate level of humanitarian aid…
DefenseNews

Osprey fleet won’t return to full flight operations until 2025

June 13, 2024
The U.S. military doesn’t expect its fleet of more than 400 V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft to fully resume normal flight operations until at least the middle of 2025, a Navy admiral in charge of the joint program told a House Oversight subcommittee Wednesday. Naval Air Systems Command boss Vice Adm. Carl Chebi, whose office oversees Ospreys tiltrotor aircraft uses the Air Force, Navy and Marine…
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