“Everything that we can knock off that list we will do in the archipelago…because that allows us to do the tests in the environment that the vessel will operate in ultimately,” said Maj. Gen. Jered Helwig.

An upcoming Initial Operational Test and Evaluation event will help service leaders determine just what near-term and long-term changes they want to make to the light tank.

Three four-star US Army generals this week weighed in with their opinions about finding the right balance between conventional and high-tech munitions – but the answers aren’t easy.

“This is a critical step in delivering the capabilities we need, at the scale and speed we need, to continue securing a free and open Indo-Pacific” said Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

“We are on track from a programmatic standpoint — cost, schedule performance — but we’re always gonna be late to need,” said Col. Andrew Konicki, the program manager for Ground Based Air Defense (GBAD). “The threat is ever changing and ever evolving.”

Army acquisition head Doug Bush said he and Army Futures Command head Gen. James Rainey expect to have a plan rolled out sometime this summer.

The manufacturer is shifting attention to alliance requirements in the aftermath of the US Army cancelling its next-generation Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) effort.

HADES is “designed to support active campaigning short of conflict and then potentially support targeting in conflicted areas where you might let high-end stealthy fighters or unmanned systems take first contact,” said Andrew Evans, the ISR Task Force director.

Sikorsky is using remaining FARA dollars to test out the new T901 engine in anticipation of integrating it on a UH-60 M Black Hawk later this year.

Boeing recently announced the Block II helo’s first maiden flight and plans to deliver the first production aircraft to the service in the coming weeks.

“We’ve seen some improvement … and so readiness is there: We have enough retrofit generators right now [and] it’s not impacting readiness,” said John Chicoli, the director of Boeing’s global services for vertical lift and special operations.

General Atomics will also showcase its Mojave demonstrator for the first time during the Army Aviation Association of America conference in Denver, a company spokesman said.

“We are also looking at what additional personal protective equipment we can provide to our folks, especially instructors and others who are routinely exposed to blast pressure,” said Army Secretary Christine Wormuth.

The House is teeing up a series of votes this weekend on separate supplemental spending bills for Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine.

“This is a significant step in our partnership with the Philippines, our oldest treaty ally in the region,” said Brig. Gen. Bernard Harrington, commanding general of the 1st MDTF.