The first iteration of the Pentagon’s Replicator initiative should achieve its goals of providing thousands of cheap, autonomous platforms in all combat domains by July 2025, the deputy director of the Defense Innovation Unit said Dec. 12.
Four companies will explore rapidly- and mass-produced drone concepts under the Enterprise Test Vehicle program being conducted by the Air Force’s Armament Directorate and the Defense Innovation Unit. The concepts, which are to fly this summer, are to make use of commercial, off-the-shelf, or easy-to-obtain ...
The Space Force is expanding its effort to be able to launch a satellite into orbit on a moment’s notice, with help from the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit. The two organizations put out a solicitation to industry Aug. 24 for its next “tactically responsive space” mission, ...
Space is taking on more responsibilities for the U.S. military. Next on the agenda: cargo. A June 30 solicitation from the Defense Innovation Unit is seeking “novel commercial solutions that enable responsive and precise point-to-point delivery of cargo to, from, and through space.” If successful, ...
Michael Brown, the Pentagon’s nominee to lead Defense Department acquisition, has withdrawn his nomination, citing ongoing scrutiny for allegedly circumventing hiring regulations while leading the Defense Innovation Unit. Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby said July 14 that Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III received a ...
The Air Force is moving forward with a new, algorithm-driven system to help U.S. Northern Command better detect airborne threats. NORTHCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which are tasked with protecting the homeland from attack, depend on a slew of radars and other ...
The California National Guard is employing National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency satellites in its fight against wildfires impacting the state. The state’s National Guard has “pioneered the use of space-based systems” that help it detect and map fires, as well as assess the damage they cause, California ...
Economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to undermine the growing U.S. commercial space sector and, potentially, U.S. space superiority, according to a new report by a panel of government experts released on July 28. Investors are pulling back to conserve cash at the very ...