DefenseNews

US Army wants industry to keep COVID safety rules in place, even after the pandemic ends

WASHINGTON — In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the defense industry began adjusting its facilities to avoid major outbreaks that could shut down production lines for days or weeks at a time. And now that those changes are in place, the U.S. Army’s top acquisition official thinks they should remain so for good. Speaking to reporters during the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual…
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Boeing and General Atomics join forces on new laser weapon

WASHINGTON — General Atomics and Boeing are teaming up to build a new high-energy laser for air and missile defense, the companies announced Oct. 13. Under the agreement, the companies will create a 100 kilowatt laser that will be scalable to 250 kilowatts, the…
DefenseNews

US Navy eyes new design for next-generation destroyer

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy is looking to build a new generation of destroyers from a clean-sheet design, following the model of one of its most successful ship classes, the Arleigh Burke-class DDG, the service’s top officer said Tuesday. The idea, colloquially referred to in-house as DDG Next, is to build a new hull smaller than the nearly 16,000-ton Zumwalt-class destroyer but still big…
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How many Humvees will remain after the US Army brings in its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle?

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army is trying to balance its vehicle fleet between Joint Light Tactical Vehicles and Humvees, according to service leadership in charge of acquisition and force development. The JLTV was meant to replace the Humvee fleet, but not one-for-one, and it’s unclear how many Humvees the Army may keep or buy in addition to the JLTV fleet, which is a more expensive vehicle. …
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US Army pegs 2023 as tipping point for ending old weapons

WASHINGTON — The Army will see a significant shift in funding from its current fleet to new and modern capability designed to fight in multidomain operations in fiscal 2023, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told Defense News in an Oct. 8 interview. The service has conducted…
DefenseNews

General Dynamics rolls out new TRX ground robot at AUSA

WASHINGTON — General Dynamics Land Systems debuted its new medium-class robotic combat vehicle — Tracked Robot 10-Ton, or TRX — at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference, which came together using AI-enhanced design and lightweight materials. TRX is an independent research project that GDLS has been working for over year that builds on the technologies from its successful…
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