🔷 Saved Rounds! 2.6.24

Welcome to Tuesday's Saved Rounds, where we send out all the goodies we couldn't squeeze into our Sunday newsletter.

📺PODCAST: Check it out on YouTube or download the podcast on Spotify, Apple, Pandora, iHeartRadio, etc.

🎧 LOWDOWN: Something new for ‘24 we’re trying: we just dropped a short audio-only episode that summarizes the intel crammed in our weekly newsletters. We may keep it—or kill it—depending on feedback. Check it out using the links above.

They Said It
“a relatively modest investment with significant geopolitical returns”

— CIA Director William Burns, on the US strategy of providing military aid to Ukraine. The assistance amounts to less than 5% of the US defense budget.

Zoom in

Check out this picture. On the left are 4 critical US weapon systems—including 3 that comprise the nuclear triad (bomber, ICBM, and sub). This is a supply chain map to their Chinese semi-conductor suppliers. It’s from a new Govini paper on defense acquisition, US production, and China.

Zoom in here to download the full report.

In that Number

1%

Lockheed Martin plans to reduce its workforce by 1 percent in 2024. Given it has roughly 122,000 employees, this translates into 1,200 layoffs.

Saved Rounds

• Airbus bought out Eutelsat’s position to become the sole owner of Airbus OneWeb Satellites (600+ broadband satellite constellation in orbit, factory in Florida)

• BAE was awarded a $418m Army contract to build additional self-propelled howitzers and carrier ammunition-tracked vehicles

• France is looking to replace its aging E-3F AWACS fleet with Swedish Saab GlobalEye bizjets

• Sirius Aviation unveils its hydrogen-electric ducted fan propulsion system

• Boeing and Near Earth Autonomy expanded its drone-based automated inspections of the C-5 Galaxy

• Leidos demoed a mobile force protection counter-drone system for the Army that tracked and engaged multiple threats autonomously—while mobile

• The Swiss military canceled most of its major public events for the next 2 years due to finances

• Spain is increasing its defense spending to 1.30% of GDP (gross domestic product), on a glide path to hit NATO’s 2% benchmark in 2029

• Saab began converting the first 2 Global 6000 bizjets for Sweden’s GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) program

• Elbit America’s board confirmed Luke Savoie as President and CEO

• Slovenia purchased Diehl IRIS-T air defenses through the European Sky Shield initiative

• Quindar raised $6m to develop software that automates satellite constellation operations

• SpaceX’s Starlink is now being used by 50+ different military organizations

• Northrop Grumman’s orbital refueling port was selected as the first interface standard for US military satellites

• Taiwan's Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) has delivered 27 out of 66 T-5A Brave Eagle advanced jet trainers

• Kay and Associates booked a 1-year $153m contract option to provide maintenance and support for Kuwait’s F/A-18 fleet

• Reliable Robotics received military airworthiness approval to demo dual-use automated flight capabilities using unmanned Cessna 208 Caravans for the Air Force

• Kongsberg was awarded a $134m deal from Norway for NASAMS, replacing ground-launched AIM-120 systems that sent to Ukraine (we dug into NASAMS in episode 25 of our podcast)

• Lockheed Martin delivered its 75th APY-9 radar for the Navy’s E-2D Hawkeye fleet

• Dassault Aviation’s Rafale fighter has a backlog of 200 orders that will keep production going into the 2030s

• Starlab Space, a joint venture between Airbus and Voyager Space, chose SpaceX’s Starship to launch a commercial station

• The Space Force will start charging launch companies more to use its spaceports

• Ziyan unveiled a small, slick looking helicopter drone

• Arlington Capital combined several companies to create Verus Aerospace; now one the largest US defense-focused aerostructure businesses

• The Air Force’s AFWERX officially launched Autonomy Prime, a program to develop and implement autonomous tech on drones (the first solicitation is on alternative navigation)

• France and Sweden signed a deal to pool MBDA and Saab’s resources to bolster anti-tank and air defense capabilities

• The Marine Corps plans to field squad-level loitering munitions by 2027

• Orbital Composites and Virtus Solis are teaming up to demo space-based solar power beamed to Earth

• Australia tapped 11 domestic companies to deliver drone prototypes for a demo

• RTX’s CHIMERA extended-range high-powered microwave system fried multiple targets during a recent Air Force test

• Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland are establishing a cross-border corridor to expedite east-bound military traffic

• India was approved to buy 31 MQ-9Bs as part of a $4B deal

• Italy ordered 4 SAMP/T NG air defense systems

• BAE acquired Malloy Aeronautics, a UK company that recently demoed a torpedo-dropping drone

• Germany’s twin-prop Eurodrone program is delayed over labor and technology challenges

• Raytheon received a $20m contract to develop next-gen microchips for military sensors

And Finally…

• The Air Force is testing a software tool built by DEFCON AI that performs operational analysis in minutes to provide courses of action to overcome disruptions to logistics missions (weather, aircraft maintenance, attack, etc.) 

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