Contracts

Pentagon launches $1B program to build industrial base for U.S. attack drones

The Drone Dominance Program will use competitive demonstrations to select multiple companies that can produce tens of thousands of expendable drones.

Contracts

MDA awards 1,014 companies slots on $151B Golden Dome contract vehicle

The Missile Defense Agency is making staggered awards for the SHIELD contract as it works through 2,463 proposals with more winners and likely protests to come.

Contracts

DOD’s move to ‘wartime footing’ demands new contracting models

The Pentagon's leader for industrial policy says the acquisition regulation overhaul will create openings for artificial intelligence-enabled service models and drive a move away from traditional contracts.

Companies

Building maritime drones in months—not years—could be key to creating the Navy’s hybrid fleet

“That’s the kind of pace we need,” said House Armed Services Committee Vice Chair Rob Wittman.

Contracts

GAO denies EY protest over Army's corrective action in $250M contract

The Government Accountability Office denies some parts of the protest and dismisses others, while affirming an agency’s discretion to make revisions.

Companies

The military's acquisition reform push means 85% ready is good enough to start

Speaking Tuesday at an event hosted by our Defense One colleagues, a panel of industry executives highlight tradeoffs the Pentagon and companies have to think through under that new construct.

Contracts

CMMC enforcement begins with mixed industry readiness

A new survey finds two-thirds of contractors prepared for the cybersecurity certification over many years, while nearly 40% have not yet completed required self-assessments.

Companies

Should your tech company enter the defense market?  Five considerations to weigh.

From acquisition complexities to investor expectations, law firm experts from WilmerHale detail what dual-use technology companies need to know before pursuing government work.

Contracts

Marine Corps seeks light-based communications for contested battlefields

Free space optics technology could provide high-speed data transmissions with a lower risk of detection in denied environments.

Contracts

Pentagon restarts work to craft $1B research support recompete

Three companies currently work with the Defense Department's main research and engineering office on aligning business operations and technology initiatives.

Companies

What happens if the AI bubble bursts?

How a market correction could reshape military AI development – and why contractors should focus on solving the hardest 10% of problems, writes Vincent Carchidi, a defense industry analyst with Forecast International.

Contracts

CMMC enforcement begins after eight years of warnings

"There is no excuse for industry to not be ready," observers say as enforcement begins.

Companies

Defense tech companies will weather the shutdown. But what happens next?

Some primes are doing all right, while small companies brace for uncertainty under a CR.

Contracts

Experts see promise, risk in Pentagon’s draft acquisition reforms

A draft memo is circulating ahead of SecDef Hegseth’s Friday speech.

Contracts

Meet the White House pick to conquer the ‘Valley of Death’

James Caggy, a former advisor for the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office, wants companies’ tech to match operational needs.

Opinion

Congress must reauthorize and reform SBIR/STTR before it’s too late

The programs have driven breakthrough defense technologies for decades, but they need urgent reauthorization and strategic reform to counter China and eliminate waste, writes Ali Reza Manouchehri, CEO of MetroStar.

Contracts

DARPA launches search for technologies to revolutionize combat casualty care

The military's research agency wants rapid sensing, artificial intelligence-driven decision support and automated interventions that can work in austere battlefield environments.

Companies

Defense services companies face ‘structural issues’ as tech disruptors surge

Artificial intelligence displacement and higher acquisition prices threaten the growth model that has sustained industry leaders for two decades.

Companies

Defense industry must embrace speed and innovation, Austin says

The former defense secretary cites lessons from the war in Ukraine and warns about the risk of slow procurement and production gaps.

Companies

The Netherlands joins US Air Force’s robot wingman program

The U.S. ally also agreed to develop small drones for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance with General Atomics.