These upgrades will play a central role in the way American and allied forces fight, and are destined to keep them at the vanguard for a long time.
By GENERAL ATOMICS AERONAUTICAL SYSTEMS, INC.The command carried out steps like hydrostatic and wind tunnel tests, but is now “kind of hitting a pause” on implementing a water landing capability due to budget concerns.
By Michael MarrowWith China the primary source of quadcopters, the U.S. can counter with a superior domestic supply chain.
By Breaking DefenseSpecial operators had planned for FARA to take the role of the AH-6, but the program’s cancellation “changed our equation,” a SOCOM official said.
By Michael Marrow“We haven’t seen … the arrival of that many different, I would call ecosystems or capabilities, going that fast together in quite some time,” SOCOM Commander Gen. Bryan Fenton said of new technologies changing the nature of warfare.
By Michael MarrowThe war in “Ukraine and what happened in Israel has put in the spotlight the use of unmanned systems,” UVision exec Izthik Huber told Breaking Defense.
By Seth J. Frantzman“We are witnessing a cultural shift. Engineers want to work on problems for the DoD. We’re going to have an explosion of defense technology. Capital is following the engineers and following DoD opening of the aperture who want innovation,” said Alex Moore, partner at 8VC.
By Andrew WhiteThe head of US special ops in the Pacific suggested some operators are struggling with a less direct mission, though USSOCOM chief Gen. Bryan Fenton told Breaking Defense that’s not something he’s seen.
By Lee FerranSOCOM acquisition exec Jim Smith’s enthusiasm for AI was slightly tempered later, when he said he was “absolutely” concerned about AI-generated mistakes, though he said there are ways to manage that.
By Lee FerranBuilding special forces relationships with other countries requires being on the ground and meeting the partner where they are, SOCOM chief Gen. Bryan Fenton said.
By Lee FerranWith the right tools to fill in gaps in data when it’s not available, or when the aircraft OEM is unwilling to participate, it’s possible to generate technical data packages that become the property of the customer.
By Breaking DefenseL3 Harris could produce up to 75 AT-802U Sky Warden aircraft to replace US Special Operations Command’s U-28 Draco.
By Valerie InsinnaThe subcommittee is “encouraging the use of commercially available data” to help fill ISR gaps identified by military commanders, but there’s also has concerns about overlap in acquisition of commercial ISR.
By Theresa HitchensSOCOM “working very hard” to use AI and machine learning-driven “sentiment analysis” to better craft messaging, Gen. Richard Clarke, commander of US Special Operations Command, said.
By Andrew Eversden