Edward Carney

🚤 Leidos' USV - Sea Archer Sets Standard for Small Unmanned Surface Vessels 🎯Sea Archer is Leidos’ newest unmanned surface vessel (USV), providing exceptional performance and payload features in a small, affordable package. Coming off successful initial sea trials, Sea Archer is poised for mission tests and high-volume production. 🎤“Sea Archer brings together a unique naval architecture, autonomy and relevant payloads into a complete mission system,” said Drew Mutch, PE, USV program manager at Leidos. “It’s a ready-to-go functional tool for the warfighter.” 🎤“Sea Archer combines a superbly engineered vessel with LAVA [Leidos Autonomous Vessel Architecture] autonomy to provide unprecedented, fully autonomous capability in a small, multi-role platform,” added Charles Fralick, chief technology officer of sea systems at Leidos. “This is the same autonomy Leidos has set autonomous endurance records with on board its 132-foot Sea Hunter and Seahawk platforms, that sailed in portions of the Pacific in 2024with no humans on board.” The 37-foot-long Sea Archer, whose development has been entirely funded by a Leidos research and development investment, addresses the growing need for USVs that can perform a range of missions from intelligence to interdiction. 🎤 “Sea Archer brings together a unique naval architecture, autonomy and relevant payloads into a complete mission system. It’s a ready-to-go functional tool for the warfighter.” Said Drew Mutch, PE Leidos Unmanned Surface Vessels Program Manager. To achieve its 1,500-mile range, the craft’s unique design enables it to travel with fuel making up an extraordinary one-third of its weight, without compromising performance or payload capacity. 🎤 “It was carefully engineered to safely carry twice as high a fuel-fraction as other long-range vessels,” Mutch said, “and it does so without stability, trim or balance problems.” Next up for the Sea Archer is demonstrating mission capabilities with payloads on board, scheduled for later this year. After that, Leidos will be ready to start producing the craft at an initial rate of about 10 per month. 🎤 “We will demonstrate a number of mission payloads over the next several months that are relevant to the warfighter including electronic, kinetic and surveillance,” said Charles Fralick. There has been a persistent long-term vision of USVs of all sizes forming an integral part of the U.S. Navy fleet going forward. 📸🗒️: Leidos

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𝐔.𝐒. 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐀𝐄 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐫-𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐀𝐦𝐢𝐝 𝐂-𝐔𝐀𝐒 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 DSM article by Jon Hemler: https://lnkd.in/eEgxB6W7 The US Navy has executed the first $322M order under a broader $1.74B IDIQ contract with BAE Systems for Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) II kits, supporting the Army, Navy, and foreign customers. As unmanned aerial system threats proliferate, APKWS has emerged as a cost-effective, combat-proven solution for air-to-air counter-UAS (C-UAS)—with recent operational use in the Red Sea, live-fire demonstrations across U.S. services, and expanding relevance for allied forces. Key takeaways: 🔹 Covers Lots 13–17, up to 55,000 units through 2031 🔹 Enables precision effects across fixed-wing, rotary-wing, UAS, vehicles, and vessels 🔹 Reinforces APKWS as a low-cost kinetic option amid growing C-UAS demand ❓ How is combat-proven APKWS reshaping low-cost C-UAS strategies across U.S. and allied forces? Powered by the Platinum Forecast System: https://lnkd.in/e5DvzTYw #DefenseIndustry #C_UAS #PrecisionMunitions #APKWS #BAESystems #MilitaryAviation #DefenseProcurement #ForecastInternational #DSM #AerospaceDefense

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Portable AM Hub To Deliver Rapid Repair Parts to Distant Outposts   The Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center has partnered with NCMS – National Center for Manufacturing Sciences and industry participant Defense Engineering Systems (DES) on a CTMA initiative to create a prototype portable manufacturing system. https://lnkd.in/e2MRi3QG

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Defense Acquisition should be an opportunity, not an obstacle. Defense News recently reported that the Army's plans to accelerate MV-75 production started with a risk assessment of the program's supply chain. https://ow.ly/3RBc50XfLpS Our annual National Security Scorecard shows that many component parts of our military aviation programs are impacted by not just one, but multiple risk factors. Download the full Scorecard here: https://ow.ly/BpP950Xemts

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The latest from Emergent Defense Magazine: Local News — Defense and aerospace activity continues across the U.S., driven by contract awards, production milestones, and key deliveries. In this roundup, we highlight recent developments from regional companies supporting U.S. and allied forces. Read more! https://lnkd.in/gMkN4P3Y

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DEFENDING THE INDO-PAC - DISPERSION - To support the US Air Force’s ability to conduct dispersed operations, the US has increased the number of locations it can operate from in the Indo-Pacific, adding to the network of US bases and sites it has access to. Read @R_Schulenburg's latest analysis to find out more: go.iiss.org/4rDOb2u

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Encouraging to see continued momentum behind space innovation in the Pentagon’s newly released FY26 RDT&E budget. The U.S. Space Force is set to receive $29 billion in research and development. That increase reflects a growing recognition of space as central to modern defense. Among the standout investments is $6.4 billion to build long-range kill chains. These systems aim to link satellites that track moving targets with the platforms that can act on that data, making coordination faster and more precise. This is not just about improving sensors. It is about enabling timely decisions and reinforcing deterrence in dynamic, contested environments. For those of us focused on space strategy and international cooperation, it is encouraging to see these priorities reflected in real investment and clear direction.

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📢 Big Pentagon Update On 20 Aug 2025, OSD released new guidance reforming the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) the process the Department uses to identify and validate joint requirements. This change is directly tied to Executive Order 14265: Modernizing Defense Acquisitions and Spurring Innovation in the Defense Industrial Base. The goal is clear: • Speed up how requirements are identified • Cut down on delays and reviews • Deliver capabilities to the warfighter faster For SOCOM, this isn’t just “big DoD news.” It matters because: • We generate and validate requirements that flow through the joint process. • As both a combatant command and a service like acquisition organization, SOCOM is uniquely positioned at the intersection of requirements and execution. • These reforms reinforce what SOCOM has always been about: rapid problem solving, innovation, and getting capabilities into operators’ hands without years of waiting. 👉 Bottom line: SOCOM has been a leader in fast acquisition for years now DoD is aligning its requirements process with that same sense of urgency. #makingchanges #oldprocess #speed

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One topic, two defense contractors, plenty of Q&A and a ton of practical insights you'll be able to apply immediately. You don't want to miss this series, only at NSI Impact '26. https://lnkd.in/epDU8MPK Kathy Andrews Phil Mazzocco Curtis Chappell, ISP® Jennie Hardy LaToya Coleman Marc Ryan, CPP Nicky Acchione Kat Tran

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