Dana Linnet’s Post

This article gives credible and detailed guidance on how to use existing acquisition pathways and contract mechanisms to speed the development and fielding of commercially available systems. While the MQ-9 is used as an example, the principles are relevant throughout the #unmanned sector and the DoD as a whole. #defenseprocurement #military #UAS #USMC

The Spanish company Piedrafita Systems (Piedrafita), in consortium with Repack-S and IB Fischer CFD+engineering GmbH, has set a significant milestone in the field of land defence by successfully concluding the design phase of the SRB Project. This project, part of the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) 2020, aims to develop a revolutionary rotary hydropneumatic suspension system for armoured vehicles. This new system has been designed to fit a range of existing battle tanks without significant modification. Major MBTs such as Abrams, Leopard 2, Merkava and Leclerc, among others, are able to utilise this cutting-edge technology to achieve unparalleled mobility in demanding terrain. Technically, the new design eliminates the torsion bar, increases suspension travel and offers unmatched performance in service. It ensures high mobility in challenging and extreme conditions, providing a crucial tactical advantage in high-intensity missions. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/edmQR6-B #PiedrafitaSystems #RepackS #IB #defence #military #industry #Europe #technology #cooperation #tank #armedforces #EU #EUdefence #EDIDP

Very interesting! Useful for any tracked vehicles, including civilian ones.

Some great insights from Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis. We are only at the beginning of this new arms race. We will need to define new relationships and concepts of operations between legacy forces and swarm-forces. This leaves me wondering how the Defense Industrial Base will rise to the challenge of production capacity? How will military operated supply chains re-imagine relationships with personnel and AI-centered systems? As the authors write, "the future of warfare won’t be decided by weapons systems, but by systems of weapons." Supply, manufacturing, repair, maintenance must all be ready to integrate and interoperate with forces in the field. #AI #dronewarfare #robotics #supplychaininnovation #supplychainresilience #cyberdefense #productioncapacity #manufacturinginnovation https://lnkd.in/eTRf4XMt

Owen West explains why the US defense budget is missing out on the drone revolution. Less than 1% of that budget goes to the real future of warfighting, and it goes to the wrong approaches. However, his prescription for addressing this is incomplete. He is correct that the US is the high-cost producer of everything defense-related, but he is over-optimistic that the US can change its market position fast enough to be competitive in WW3. The US is no longer the superpower it was. It can only enforce Pax Americana by partnering with its allies and globalizing defense material production. Mr. West references the MRAP "win." It is now a loss. Ukraine's Practika makes better MRAPs at much lower prices than the US equivalent (check out the TikToks). It could make 3x its current production with sufficient investment. Autonomous drones are here. My company, MITS Capital, is invested in a US company that makes an AI-enabled autonomous drone guidance system that will soon go into large-scale production... in Ukraine. The US has a similar guidance system--at 3x the cost and not close to mass production. Defeating Russia in Ukraine is critical to Pax Americana. The US needs Ukraine's warfighting innovations and low-cost production capacity to be competitive with the China/Russia/Iran weapons Axis. It needs to keep Ukraine's defense industry out of the Axis's hands, as, empowered by this, Putin will execute the rest of his Eastern Europe plan. Sweden and Finland joined NATO for a reason. There is much to be done to safeguard the free world from the autocracies. Time to wake up! Atlantic Council Council on Foreign Relations Center for a New American Security (CNAS) RAND The Brookings Institution Hudson Institute American Enterprise Institute Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) United States Department of Defense #foreignpolicy #nationalsecurity Institute for the Study of War William Collins J. Scott Christian Matt Abrams #foreignpolicy #nationalsecurity National Security Council, The White House Ashley Roque Lara Seligman Haley Britzky Joe Gould The Merge DefenseScoop Defense Brief Defense News Tony Capaccio Paul McLeary Connor O'Brien Jake Epstein Colin Demarest Valerie Insinna Breaking Defense Defensemirror.com The Defense Post Audrey Decker

AeroVironment’s (AV) Switchblade 600 loitering munition system has been selected for Tranche 1 of the first iteration of the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Replicator initiative. AV’s Switchblade 600 is a man-portable, extended-range loitering munition system equipped with an anti-armor warhead for engaging larger, hardened targets at greater distances. The first iteration of the Replicator initiative aims to accelerate all-domain, attritable autonomous systems to warfighters at speed and scale. The first iteration of the Replicator initiative will field thousands of autonomous systems across multiple domains within the next 18-24 months, as part of the Pentagon’s strategy to counter peer adversaries’ rapid military buildup. #military #defense #defence #militaryleak https://lnkd.in/gKgrHEAg

https://lnkd.in/e-zHsc7B The Pentagon is requesting $450 million for the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER) in fiscal 2025. RDER is important to continue funding at maximum levels - it is designed to reduce the timeline for acquiring/implementing innovative technology for the United States Department of Defense by two to four years compared to traditional processes. #innovation #technology

I booked the initial meeting with the Defense Innovation Unit while working at Domino. When I see stuff a post like this, it makes me smile. 😁 Sales Development is often a thankless role. Tons of pressure and lots of rejection. But every once in a while, you land a gem that creates lasting ROI and impact. As a former BDR, I love seeing meetings I sourced yield fruitful partnerships. #Sales #Marketing #Growth

Another important effort by DoD to better collaborate with industry to rapidly develop, deliver and deploy counter-swarm technology—with Epirus HPM leading the pack. "The services or combatant commanders could also choose to embark on a prototyping effort for a particular solution like the U.S. Army did, for example, with its Epirus-developed Leonidas high-power microwave counter-drone solution, Parent noted. Some solutions could be chosen for immediate acquisition, he added, because a solution showed enough maturity to address current or future threats." More ↘ https://bit.ly/3WnclQW

When people think of next generation weapons, they often picture attack aircraft, hypersonic missiles, submarines, and stealth bombers. These represent America’s sword on the battlefield. They are critical to power projection, but only represent part of the equation. The other, equally important piece is America’s shield, or our ability to protect ourselves from attacks. Advanced radar serves as our eyes on the ground, in the air, at sea, and in space. It’s pretty simple. If you can’t see it, you can’t shoot it. Advanced radar is vital to American deterrence and our adversaries know this. Chinese and Russian military doctrine is to first render U.S. forces 'deaf, dumb, and blind' by targeting these systems. Today’s radar systems were not designed for small drones, hypersonics, stealth, and precision anti-radar missiles. They were designed to track large missiles and aircraft with high heat signatures. If the Ukraine war has taught us anything, it’s that we’re not ready. CHAOS is building advanced sensing and radar capabilities for the 21st century. Their systems are highly mobile, distributed, have longer range, and significantly higher fidelity than our current arsenal. John T., Bo Marr, PhD, Gavin Hood, Brett Cummings, Will Hurd, and the rest of the CHAOS Industries team continue to blow us away with their rapid progress. We are grateful to partner with Accel and 8VC to support CHAOS in their mission to build America’s most critical technologies. CC: Steve Loughlin, Alex Moore, Joe Lonsdale https://lnkd.in/dJF76S8J