Defense

This year marked the 15th deployment of U.S. Marines to Australia under the Marine Rotation Force-Darwin (MRF-D) initiative, but this year’s rotation looked different from the rest because of its certification as a Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF). “This is the first rotation in the 15-year history of the program to be certified as a MAGTF, and that’s a big deal,”…

The Army is opening military test ranges to private industry, the service announced this month, including a Michigan site where companies can test drones and counter-drone systems against electronic warfare conditions modeled after those in Ukraine. Companies will be able to request range access even if they do not have an ongoing partnership with the government, according to the release. The…

Recent combat with Iran has put pressure on U.S. munitions stockpiles as the Pentagon pushes defense companies to accelerate production and delivery of critical weapons. Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg told defense-industry leaders in an Aug. 5 memo that they have 21 days to submit plans for “significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for…

The Marine Corps has inked an $11 million contract with electronic warfare company Epirus for a vehicle-mounted weapon that can take down dozens of drones in a single zap. The contract, awarded through the Office of Naval Research, will result in the delivery early next year of a High-power Microwave Autonomous Vehicle Operational Capability (HAVOC) system that can autonomously identify drone…