SpaceNews.com
• Sandra Erwin
The U.S. Space Force will let SpaceX determine the number and configuration of spacecraft for a new $2.3 billion low-Earth-orbit satellite network, specifying required performance rather than prescribing the system’s architecture. The approach gives the contractor greater flexibility in designing the military constellation.
Defense Industry & Major Contractors
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The U.S. Space Force will let SpaceX determine the number and configuration of spacecraft for a new $2.3 billion low-Earth-orbit satellite network, specifying required performance rather than prescribing the system’s architecture. The approach gives the contractor greater flexibility in designing the military constellation.
New investments across the defense industrial base are targeting the design, engineering and manufacturing capacity needed to respond to demand signals from the U.S. Air Force and Space Force. The activity points to an industrial response focused on strengthening the supply base and production readiness.
The U.S. Air Force has priced the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program at $20.2 billion as it advances engine and radar upgrades intended to keep the strategic bomber operational into the 2050s. The service is also working to recover schedule on the two largest elements of the modernization effort.
NATO’s DIANA accelerator is identifying promising defense innovators, yet the path from prototype to operational capability remains difficult. Weak customer demand, fragile supply chains and limited skilled labor threaten to prevent emerging technologies from achieving the scale needed for meaningful defense impact.
High activity
Jill Albertelli will become president of RTX’s Pratt & Whitney engine business on Jan. 1, 2027, succeeding Shane Eddy, who will retire after nearly four years leading the manufacturer. Eddy will remain as a special adviser through March 2027 to support the leadership transition.
GE Aerospace is developing a combined booster-and-cruiser all-up-round test bed for the Defense Innovation Unit, while AEVEX won up to $92.2 million to modernize SkyRange hypersonic telemetry and communications. Separately, BAE Systems launched Shadow EW, a family of compact electronic-warfare systems for crewed and uncrewed small airborne platforms.
Anduril executives said the company cannot start work on a production contract for the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft without funding in the fiscal 2027 budget. The company expects production assets to be moving through its facilities in 2027, but says internal investment alone is insufficient.
Air Force officials say the F-35 demonstrated combat value during Middle East operations, even as GAO found three in four aircraft unable to fly a full mission and sustainment needs reached $13.7 billion. Europe received more than three dozen jets in the past year, while Switzerland’s procurement faces rising costs and contract scrutiny.
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