WASHINGTON - Raytheon Co., Andover, Massachusetts, was awarded a $168.1 million modification (P00015) to contract W31P4Q-24-C-0003 for a Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target (PATRIOT) firing unit.

Work will be performed in Andover, Massachusetts, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2029. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

Source: U.S. Army
Associated URL: http://www.defense.gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Boeing has entered a strategic partnership with Anduril Industries to compete in the U.S. Army’s Integrated Fires Protection Capability (IFPC) Increment 2 Second Interceptor program. Under the agreement, Anduril Rocket Motor Systems will supply the solid rocket motors for Boeing’s mid-range interceptor proposal.

The collaboration follows the U.S. Army’s Dec. 5 award of an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) project agreement to Boeing. The initiative is part of a broader effort to defend fixed and semi-fixed sites against low-flying aerial threats, specifically subsonic and supersonic cruise missiles and militarized drones. The Boeing-Anduril proposal is intended to bridge the gap between existing short-range and long-range air defense systems with a more cost-effective solution.

The Competitive Landscape

The Army's search for a "Second Interceptor" has drawn interest from several major defense contractors. These candidates must be compatible with the Enduring Shield launcher, currently manufactured by Leidos subsidiary Dynetics.

* Lockheed Martin: The aerospace giant secured its own OTA agreement in October 2025. Lockheed is reportedly developing a compact, high-speed interceptor in collaboration with AeroVironment, focusing on high magazine depth to allow up to 18 missiles per launcher.

* RTX (Raytheon) & Rafael: This partnership is offering SkyHunter, a U.S.-manufactured variant of the Israeli Tamir interceptor used in the Iron Dome system. The team recently established a production facility in Arkansas to support high-volume manufacturing of the missile.

* Dynetics (Leidos): As the incumbent provider of the IFPC launcher, Dynetics remains a central player. While they currently provide the initial interceptor (the AIM-9X Sidewinder), the company is positioning itself as a primary integrator for the new secondary interceptor competition.

The U.S. Army plans to evaluate these digital and physical prototypes through 2026 before selecting vendors to move forward into the formal prototyping and live-fire demonstration stages.

This development addresses a critical vulnerability in the U.S. defense industrial base: the supply of solid rocket motors (SRMs). For decades, the SRM market has been a duopoly dominated by Northrop Grumman and L3Harris (Aerojet Rocketdyne). By partnering with Anduril, Boeing is validating a "non-traditional" defense entrant, potentially easing supply chain bottlenecks that have hampered missile production since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine.

Geopolitically, the IFPC program is a cornerstone of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative. The U.S. military is under pressure to deploy more "magazine depth"-cheaper, more numerous missiles-to counter the threat of massed cruise missile and drone swarms in the Indo-Pacific, particularly for the defense of critical hubs like Guam.

Source: Forecast International
Associated URL: https://dsm.forecastinternational.com/2025/12/19/boeing-anduril-face-lockheed-rtx-rafael-in-ifpc-interceptor-race/

WASHINGTON -- On December 19, 2025, the U.S. Navy announced its plan to introduce a new class of small surface combatant ships, the FF(X), as a critical component of the Navy’s fleet of the future. The Navy selected HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division to design and build the future frigates, which will be based on HII’s Legend-class National Security Cutter design. Notably, the announcement came just days after the Navy cancelled the Constellation-class frigate program.

In his announcement, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan applauded the vessel as an American-built ship with a proven track record - HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division has already built 10 Legend-class national security cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard. By leveraging a complete design, the Navy seeks to reduce costs, production timelines, and technical risk. Accordingly, the Navy will acquire these ships using a lead yard - HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding - and seek a competitive follow-on strategy for multi-yard construction. The Navy aims to launch the first hull in the water in 2028.

According to the Navy, the FF(X) will be a smaller, highly adaptable surface combatant designed to complement the fleet’s larger, multi-mission warships and enhance operational flexibility around the globe. While its primary mission will be surface warfare, the FF(X) will reportedly be designed to carry modular payloads and command unmanned systems, enabling the vessel to execute a broad spectrum of operations.

The new ship design will be part of the Trump administration’s "Golden Fleet" concept. While the administration has released few concrete details about its concept, the idea broadly seeks to shift the balance of the Navy’s fleet with larger numbers of small surface combatants and unmanned vessels, along with some number of more heavily armored, "battleships" with increased lethality.

Source: HII
Associated URL: https://hii.com/news/hii-to-build-small-surface-combatants-for-us-navy/
Author: D. Hutchins, Analyst