US Aerospace/Defense Companies & Contracts

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has announced new framework agreements with a slate of non-traditional defense companies to rapidly acquire at least 10,000 low-cost cruise missiles and up to 12,000 hypersonic weapons. The initiative is part of a broader strategy to cost-effectively build up stockpiles of standoff strike munitions and expand the industrial base in preparation for potential high-end conflicts. The Pentagon hopes to blend these new affordable systems with existing exquisite weapons to create a highly flexible, high-low capability mix.

The Low-Cost Containerized Missiles (LCCM) program encompasses agreements with Anduril, CoAspire, Leidos, and Zone 5. Procurement of over 10,000 of these cruise missiles is slated to occur over a three-year period starting in 2027, utilizing firm-fixed-price contracts. Under the framework, Anduril plans to deliver a minimum of 1,000 surface-launched Barracuda-500M weapons annually over the next three years, while Leidos will supply 3,000 units of a variant based on its AGM-190A Small Cruise Missile. CoAspire and Zone 5 have developed their own missiles under the Air Force’s Extended Range Attack Munition program. The military will begin purchasing test missiles from all four companies in June 2026 for testing.

In a parallel effort, the Pentagon plans to procure more than 12,000 Blackbeard hypersonic missiles from Castelion over the next five years. An initial two-year agreement for at least 500 missiles per year is expected after the missiles have completed testing and validation. The company has been working with the Army and Navy on ground and air-launched versions of the Blackbeard.

Source: The War Zone
Associated URL: https://www.twz.com/sea/10000-low-cost-cruise-missiles-in-three-years-procurement-plan-laid-out-by-pentagon

NASHUA, Nh. -- BAE Systems has completed the development and integration of an upgraded Link 16 test capability for Multifunctional Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS JTRS) terminals on U.S. Air Force F-16 aircraft.

The company notes that this upgrade streamlines the maintenance process, allowing aircraft to return to operation faster.

The new automated test solution is now integrated on the Versamodule Extensions for Instrumentation Improved Avionics Intermediate Shop and the Rackmount Improved Avionics Intermediate Shop, which enables the on-site validation of MIDS JTRS at customer bases.

MIDS JTRS provides situational awareness and enables Link 16 connectivity with jam-resistant, line-of-sight voice, video, and data communications for sea, ground, and air assets. Link 16 is meant to enable greater performance to the previous MIDS - Low Volume Terminal test for F-16 aircraft.

Link 16 is a standardized communications system used by NATO, the U.S., and its allies to share encrypted real-time tactical data. MIDS JTRS is a four-channel software-defined radio designed to run the complex Link 16 waveform and up to three additional communication protocols. The U.S. Department of Defense is fielding MIDS JTRS on the F-15, F-16, F/A-18, and F-22 aircraft, as well as ship and command and control assets.

Source: BAE Systems
Associated URL: https://www.baesystems.com/en/article/bae-systems-provides-advanced-aircraft-readiness-with-new-link-16-test-capability-for-f-16

SAN DIEGO & WESTMINSTER, Colo. - BAE Systems Geospatial eXploitation Products and Vantor, a provider of unified spatial intelligence, today announced that they will be providing advanced intelligence and targeting capabilities for contested electronic warfare (EW) environments. This delivery integrates part of Vantor’s Raptor, a vision-based software suite that enables autonomous systems to navigate, orient, and extract accurate ground coordinates without relying on GPS, with the GXP software ecosystem, ensuring intelligence continuity when sensors are degraded.

In modern conflict zones, the proliferation of inexpensive unmanned aerial systems (UAS) with equally low-quality sensors, in addition to widespread GPS spoofing and jamming, have rendered traditional drone video collection unreliable. Significant metadata drift in tactical video feeds leads to "targeting paralysis": high-quality imagery is available, but the underlying geographic coordinates are too inaccurate for precision activities.

To solve this, Raptor Sync georegisters the full-motion video feed from the drone’s on-board camera with Vantor’s 3D terrain data in real-time, enabling downstream GXP intelligence fusion, multi-domain interoperability across different sensors, and accurate ground coordinate extraction at a demonstrated absolute accuracy of <3 m. This system enables previously impossible intelligence and targeting workflows.

Source: BAE Systems
Associated URL: https://www.baesystems.com/gxp