Weekly News Update: Aug 16, 2024
10 - 16 Aug 2024
Good morning,
Ukraine continues its drive into Kursk and now Belgorod oblasts in Russia. Iran continues preparing to retaliate against Israel, even as it increases cyber attacks against the smaller state and the USA. China shows fear as AUKUS countries agree to suspend export controls for advanced military tech.
Let’s dive in to these and more of this week’s issues surrounding aerospace and defense technology.
Weekly News Round Up
Military
U.S. Defense modernization and innovation
Twin reports suggest that the DoD is getting better at buying technology (DO)
White House advisory group blasts US gov’t, DoD inattention to GPS woes (BD)
Digital engineering saving time, money on Army’s XM30 vehicle competition (BD)
Army plans for Black Hawk to be Future Vertical Lift testbed for launched effects and autonomy (BD)
Army to test hypervelocity projectile for 155mm cannon artillery (DN)
Navy rolls out updated ‘Information Superiority Vision’ with focus on clean data (BD)
Defense Tech Opportunities
The Navy is seeking automated target recognition capabilities and other emerging tech for undersea and seabed warfare (SAM)
Missile Defense Agency to pick hypersonic interceptor vendor this year (DN)
DIU launches Blue Manufacturing program to vet advanced manufacturing companies (BD)
SSC released an RFI for the Protected Tactical SATCOM – Global (PTS-G) program (SAM)
NASA is seeking information on sources who can continue and execute the cancelled VIPER moon rover mission using existing hardware (SAM)
Europe, Russia, the Arctic, NATO, and the war in Ukraine
Ukraine gambled on an incursion deep into Russian territory; the bold move changed the battlefield (AP)
Belarus says there is a high chance of armed provocation from Ukraine (RT)
Germany investigates possible sabotage at a military barracks, NATO offices (AP)
NATO identifies emerging and disruptive technologies of interest (NATO)
Ukraine deploys robotic dogs on battlefield, in a first (FBS)
China, Korea, and Asia
China will limit exports of antimony, a mineral used in products from batteries to weapons (AP)
Philippines to intensify aerial surveillance following Chinese interception over Scarborough Shoal (USNI)
DoD launching new Indo-Pacific partnership for buying, sustaining weapons (BD)
Middle East and Africa
Google: Iranian-backed cyber attacks on the rise against Israel, US (TH)
US envoy visits Lebanon and warns that regional tensions could easily slip ‘out of control’ (AP)
US troops suffer minor injuries following drone attack in Syria (CBS)
U.S. Defense Industry News
Navy warship production in worst state in 25 years (AP)
2nd Replicator tranche to include Anduril’s underwater drones (DS)
Astrobotic won a $150,000 SBIR contract from NASA to develop an extra large vertical solar array technology for the Moon (SW)
Poland signs $10B deal for 96 of Boeing’s Apache attack helicopters (BD)
Poland also buys $850M in air-to-air missiles (S&S)
Air Force, Boeing ink $2.5B deal for E-7A Wedgetail planes (ASF)
General Dynamics Electric Boat launches newest attack sub, USS Idaho (USNI)
General Dynamics, Lockheed to enter solid rocket motor market as partners (BD)
Navy notifies Congress of pending $11.5B, 4-ship amphibious warship deal with HII (USNI)
Norway considers $580M purchase of HIMARS from Lockheed (DN)
Industry sources: Army open to replacing Microsoft as prime under ‘IVAS Next’ (BD)
US approves $20 billion weapons sale to Israel amid regional tensions (MT)
US State Department clears $5B sale of Patriot missiles to Germany (DN)
Foreign Defense Industry News
Australia, UK, and US end export restrictions for one another (DN)
Australia, US look to joint production of hypersonic missile, US lawmaker says (RT)
Norway snubs Hanwha in HIMARS purchase (DN)
Estonia and Helsing strike AI technologies agreement (BD)
SpaceX launches 2 Space Norway dual-use satellites hosting US Space Force payload (BD)
Iran shows off roles at Russian defense expo (BD)
Space
Maxar’s third and fourth WorldView Legion satellites performing well after launch (MAX)
Think tank: space arms control verification is possible (BD)
China launch of first satellite to rival Starlink fails, rocket breaks apart (ASF)
Nuclear Power & Weapons
Experts say that the US is ill-equipped for nuclear escalation with China (ASF)
Iran is advancing work on nuclear detonators (TJP)
The US is reluctantly considering building more nukes (TE)
AI, Robotics, & other Frontier Tech
Pentagon sets sights on next-generation wireless tech with new projects (DS)
NIST formally issues standards for defense against quantum hacking (BD)
DARPA is giving seven teams $2 million for infrastructure-related vulnerability finding AI (DO)
Army plans for faster AI adoption, for defense too (BD)
Bureaucracy may be inhibiting the Army’s integration of robotic vehicles into combat formations (BD)
A&D-Focused Finance
Japanese MoD sets aside $140M for new defense technology accelerator (AMR)
Quantum Circuits, a superconducting quantum computers startup, raised a $60M Series B led by ARCH Venture Partners, Sequoia, and more (PRN)
Friends of Building our Defense, Encord, nab $30M in a Series B led by Next47 to expand their Data Development platform (TC)
VSParticle, a Delft, Netherlands-based supplier of nanoparticle synthesis and deposition tools, raised €6.5 million in a Series A2 extension funding round led by NordicNinja (FSME)
EtherealX raised $5M to develop fully reusable medium-lift launch vehicles, led by YourNest (TC)
Adept Materials, a Somerville, MA-based advanced materials startup, raised $4 million in the first tranche of its seed funding round led by D.R. Horton and PulteGroup (FSME)
Perceptive Space, a Canadian aerospace startup, raised $2.8 million in a funding round led by Panache Ventures to better predict space weather (VB)
Rheinmetall acquires Michigan-based military vehicle parts manufacturing company Loc for $950M (DN)
Lockheed acquires satellite firm Terran Orbital in $450 million deal, at a massive discount to their previous offer (C4)
Hadrian, whose largely autonomous factory mass-produces parts for space and defense companies and has raised $220 million from investors, just snatched up Datum Source, a software company founded by SpaceX alums that uses AI to help hardware companies find manufacturing partners (TC)
Carlyle and German state lender KfW are in talks with German industrial engineer Thyssenkrupp for a majority stake in its warship division (RT)
Important Reads
ICYMI: we dissected Anduril’s plan for a centralized, vertically-integrated manufacturing program.
Lorenz Meier and Niall Ferguson discuss how massive fleets of drones could provide the best deterrence.
Pitchbook echoes Building our Defense’s findings that DefenseTech deals are down, despite outsized returns.
Lighter Side
Keep building!
Andrew