The Hatch Report (Issue #24)
This week’s issue begins with a note exploring how U.S.-EU trade tensions could impact Army modernization, followed by the regular round-up of DoD RFIs/RFPs and industry activity updates.
Weekly Note
Beyond the F-35, how Rising U.S.-EU Tensions Could Impact Army Modernization
A recent SIPRI report shows Europe (35%) overtaking the Middle East (33%) as the top market for U.S. defense exports. While most attention is focused on how rising tensions could disrupt this lucrative trade flow, this note explores the reverse dynamic: European access to the U.S. defense market—and the potentially acute impact on Army modernization programs.
With the AUSA Global Force Symposium underway this week, the goal of this note is to highlight three interrelated dynamics that warrant deeper scrutiny:
Foreign Partnerships: The Army has largely abandoned clean-sheet designs in favor of adapting mature platforms for its ground combat vehicle and artillery modernization programs. This shift has revealed an absence of competitive U.S.-designed options—pushing the Army and U.S. defense primes to pursue partnerships with foreign, often European, firms.
EU’s Defense Industrial Strategy: The EU's newly unveiled Readiness 2030 defense industrial strategy—and potential tit-for-tat market restrictions—could complicate these modernization programs and partnerships.
Information-Sharing Barriers: Structural barriers to information sharing continue to make it exceedingly difficult for foreign firms to effectively market and position their bids as the Army moves toward a formation-based lethality approach for evaluating new capabilities.
These dynamics are explored through the lens of two of the Army’s most important modernization programs: the XM-30 and the Next Generation Howitzer.
Why the XM-30 and NGH?
The U.S. dominates international arms sales in areas such as long-range fires, advanced munitions, aircraft, helicopters, and missile defense systems. However, it’s been notably less competitive in ground combat vehicles and self-propelled howitzer systems (SPHS). The U.S. Army's XM-30 and NGH programs underscore this disparity, as all current and anticipated bids are based on foreign-designed platforms.
Potential Caveats: General Dynamics' XM-30 bid is purported to either be a highly modified Austrian/Spanish ASCOD derivative or an entirely new design. AM General demonstrated an experimental 155mm SPHS called "Brutus" that could potentially compete for NGH.
Nevertheless, XM-30 and NGH highlight a stark reality: the U.S. has not successfully fielded a completely new, indigenously designed ground combat vehicle or SPHS since the 1980s, despite numerous attempts. On the contrary, DoD has found programmatic success when adapting mature designs. Recent examples include the Stryker, M-10 Booker, and Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV)—all adaptations of European designs first introduced decades ago. For XM-30 and NGH, the Army is pursuing a similar approach, which should be commended.
Note: To be fair, current U.S. ground combat vehicles have undergone extensive modernization and remain highly capable, particularly when operated by skilled crews. Nonetheless, except for the Abrams M1A2 SEP V3, they're objectively inferior to the latest variants of their international analogs across most key performance metrics.
Budget Headwinds and Political Complications
Despite the Army's pragmatic approach to XM-30 and NGH, both programs face significant challenges:
Budget pressures: Likely cuts and funding reallocations driven by the Administration's pivot toward INDOPACOM and NORTHCOM directly threaten both programs.
Political factors: If these programs survive budget cuts (likely requiring Congressional intervention), platform selection may hinge more on geopolitics than performance characteristics. Specifically, if the EU limits or excludes U.S. firms from major rearmament initiatives (as appears to be happening), the current U.S. administration (and its potential successor) would likely retaliate by further restricting European access to the U.S. defense market, regardless of how thoroughly "Americanized" these bids try to present themselves.
Taking a Step Back: What’s the Latest on the EU’s Rearmament Plans?
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen—who heads the EU institution responsible for driving policy and managing the bloc’s budget—unveiled the ReArm Europe Plan on March 4, 2025, the latest attempt to foster a more unified European defense posture. After Italy and Spain objected to the plan’s militaristic tone, it was rebranded as Readiness 2030. That rebranding—and the broader strategy—was formalized in the Joint White Paper for European Defence Readiness 2030, published on March 19. The paper lays out the initiative’s vision and the key steps needed to mobilize up to €800 billion over the next decade to revitalize Europe’s military capacity and capabilities while reducing reliance on U.S. defense systems. Some key aspects from the white paper are summarized below:
Funding Mechanisms:
€650 billion in national defense investments over four years enabled through the Stability and Growth Pact’s escape clause, offering fiscal flexibility for defense spending without triggering the Excessive Deficit Procedure.
€150 billion in EU-backed loans via a new SAFE (Security and Armed Forces Equipment) Instrument designed to facilitate joint procurement of systems such as artillery, drones, AI, air and missile defense, and military mobility infrastructure.
Eased rules on cohesion funds, allowing Member States to redirect EU regional development funds toward eligible defense industrial projects.
Capital Mobilization and Innovation:
The European Investment Bank (EIB) will double annual defense-related investment to €2 billion, following a loosening of its lending criteria to include military and dual-use projects.
The Savings and Investment Union will be accelerated to mobilize private capital into the defense sector, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) critical to defense supply chains.
The European Defence Fund (EDF) and the newly proposed European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) will collectively channel billions into collaborative R&D, prototyping, and advanced systems development.
A European Defense Innovation Office in Kyiv will harness Ukraine’s battlefield innovation in AI and drone warfare, creating a pipeline for cross-border defense technology cooperation.
A new legal framework, the Structure for European Armament Programme (SEAP), will incentivize joint procurement with VAT exemptions and coordination across the full lifecycle of weapons systems.
Priority Areas:
Short-term: Accelerated military support for Ukraine, particularly in artillery, drone warfare, air defense systems, and battlefield logistics.
Medium- to long-term: Strategic investments in European capabilities such as missile and air defense, AI, cyber resilience, critical infrastructure protection, and rapid military mobility across borders.
Structural Reforms:
Establishment of a European military sales mechanism: To be modeled after the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program to promote EU-manufactured arms abroad and potentially stockpile and export off-the-shelf defense systems.
Joint Procurement Targets: By 2030, EU Member States are expected to spend at least 50% of their defense procurement budgets within the EU and 40% through collaborative programs, up from 18% currently. (These are non-binding targets but strongly emphasized in the strategy.)
Interoperability and Efficiency: The Defence Omnibus package and EDIP are streamlining procurement, cutting red tape, and promoting interoperability through pan-European standards.
Institutional Overhaul: A new Defense Industrial Readiness Board will coordinate efforts across Member States, the European Defence Agency, and the Commission to align industrial capacity with strategic needs.
The EU will support “ever-warm” production facilities to maintain manufacturing capacity even in peacetime, addressing one of the biggest vulnerabilities exposed during the Ukraine war.
Implementation Timeline:
SAFE and EDIP instruments are expected to be operational by summer 2025.
The Defence Omnibus regulation is set to go live in June 2025.
New military mobility frameworks will be proposed by the end of 2025, focusing on rapid force deployment across borders.
Political and Strategic Headwinds:
Despite broad consensus, challenges remain. Hungary continues to resist expanded Ukraine aid, Italy insists on protecting national industrial champions, and Spain seeks to broaden the definition of “defense” to include cyber and climate-related security—which critics argue could dilute core defense goals.
Breaking Into the U.S. Market: Complex Barriers for European Firms
As the EU pushes ahead with Readiness 2030, the potential for tit-for-tat protectionism is rising—further complicating what has long been a difficult and politically fraught path for European firms seeking to enter the U.S. market. Access has traditionally required partnering with American primes or standing up U.S.-based subsidiaries, but even that doesn’t guarantee a foothold. Foreign bidders pursuing major programs like XM30 and NGH must still navigate a thicket of legal, regulatory, and political hurdles, including:
Data Rights and Intellectual Property: The Army is likely to demand broad ownership or control over technical data to ensure flexibility for future upgrades, subsystem integration, and the ability to competitively contract sustainment or even future production tranches. European firms—now benefiting from robust demand at home—may be less inclined to go along with such stipulations, particularly in an era of rising protectionism.
Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) Restrictions: Successful bids require close collaboration with U.S. government program offices, including access to sensitive information such as adversary threat systems, weapons effects, operational concepts, C2 integration requirements, etc. For foreign firms and their U.S. subsidiaries, this access is heavily restricted. DoD requires robust safeguards to ensure that U.S.-based entities are sufficiently insulated from foreign parent companies—typically through formal FOCI mitigation agreements that limit foreign influence and protect classified or export-controlled data.
End-Use Restrictions: The U.S. will never accept constraints on platform usage. Questions remain whether entire EU approval or just the IP-originating nation's waiver is required. More broadly, how easy is it for EU nations to impede arms sales to other nations?
Supply Chain and Manufacturing Requirements: U.S.-based production utilizing local supply chains is inevitable, raising questions about timeline feasibility and whether Europe views duplicate supply chains as threats to domestic suppliers. Just as European F-35 operators worry about being cut off from U.S.-produced spare parts, the reverse also applies—platforms like the XM30 and NGH could face operational risk if foreign suppliers are disrupted or denied export clearance.
Buy American Requirements: Potential increases in domestic content requirements could complicate program timelines if components must be substituted to satisfy these provisions.
Formation-Based Lethality: Strategic Challenges for Foreign Defense Contractors
The Army's recent mantra and guiding modernization principle of formation-based lethality—an approach that evaluates platforms not in isolation but by their contribution to the overall formation's combat effectiveness—has important implications for foreign firms trying to market and position their bids. This emerging paradigm presents a unique challenge: demonstrating integrated, formation-level value often requires insight into operational concepts, unit-level mission essential task lists, other platforms and weapons systems, data flows, and C2 architectures.
However, as outlined in the previous section, FOCI mitigation measures often restrict access to the very information needed to make that case. These safeguards have only tightened under expanded DoD guidance. The result is a structural tension: while formation-based lethality demands greater visibility and integration, foreign firms can find themselves simultaneously walled off from the information needed to make a compelling case. In a climate of rising protectionism, these barriers are unlikely to ease.
Still, bidders must navigate these data constraints while clearly articulating how their platforms contribute to formation-based lethality and address the full spectrum of DOTmLPF-P considerations. For XM30 and NGH programs, this includes:
Crew training efficiency: How rapidly can personnel achieve operational proficiency?
Strategic mobility: Compatibility with C-17/C-130 and other multi-modal transport options. Can local infrastructure (bridges, rail gauges, and roadways) support the size of your platform?
Sustainment requirements: Logistical demands and maintenance requirements across echelons?
Operational endurance: Range and fuel efficiency across mission profiles?
Network Integration: Interoperability with BMC2 systems and 3rd-party ISR-T systems?
Ammunition handling: Replenishment speed and simplicity, is proprietary tooling required?
Growth capacity: SWaP margins for future growth and external power distribution capability?
Force protection: Integrated C-UAS, CROWS, passive camouflage, and obscurants. Do you require other unit assets to provide you with a baseline -level of protection?
NGH Capability Trade-offs: A Real-World Perspective
A recent Daily Mail profile comparing the performance of two potential NGH competitors in Ukraine—Sweden's Archer and France's Caesar—offers valuable insights into the practical trade-offs the U.S. Army must grapple with.
The Archer system combines rapid emplacement, a high rate of fire, and quick displacement—enabling it to “shoot and scoot” before being targeted by counter-battery fire. These advantages stem from its fully automated turret, which handles both charges and rounds, allowing the system to be operated by a single crew member. However, this level of automation comes with trade-offs: Archer is a larger, heavier platform that may constrain strategic mobility. This is a key consideration, given the Army’s consistent emphasis on lightening formations to improve deployability. Its technical complexity may also raise concerns about field-level maintenance and long-term durability in austere operational environments.
The Caesar system—particularly when mounted on a Renault 6×6 chassis—offers better strategic mobility. While it features a partial autoloader, the overall system is less complex but more labor-intensive, typically requiring 3–5 crew members for efficient operation. As a result, its “shoot and scoot” capability is slower than Archer’s, but its simpler design makes it theoretically more reliable and easier to sustain.
These comparisons underscore a fundamental reality: the Army cannot optimize for all attributes simultaneously. It must make deliberate trade-offs and clearly communicate to industry which capability attributes will be prioritized—and how they will be weighed in the NGH evaluation process.
Unsettled, Not Broken: The U.S.-EU Defense Outlook Remains Fluid
While the current atmosphere raises legitimate concerns about the long-term prospects of U.S.-European defense cooperation, it's important to take a measured perspective—especially just two months into the new administration. Several key variables could still meaningfully shift the trajectory:
Outcomes of U.S. presidential and congressional elections.
Resolution of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Macroeconomic pressures that could reshape European rearmament plans.
Shifts in public support for sustained defense spending across EU member states.
It’s also critical to resist viewing Europe as a monolith. Despite EU-level frameworks, national perspectives vary widely. Many Eastern European countries, while encouraged by the EU’s recent security focus, will remain skeptical of how enduring these sentiments really are. These nations are likely to hedge by preserving strong bilateral defense ties with the United States where possible.
For XM30 and NGH specifically, the outlook is somewhat more ominous: both programs face significant budgetary headwinds. Should they survive, South Korean and Israeli offerings may face less political resistance if selected—particularly given current European tensions. That said, industry teaming arrangements and the growing influence of "neo-primes" within the new administration could also shape outcomes in unexpected ways.
Conclusion: Navigating an Uncertain Path Forward
Near-term signals to watch may emerge from:
The FY26 Presidential Budget Request expected this April
Notably, this year’s Global Force agenda places greater emphasis on future force design, operational concepts, and organizational reform—while omitting reference to specific programs beyond the Army’s watercraft. In contrast, past symposiums have featured Warrior Corners and panels centered around key CFTs, PEOs, and the major modernization efforts under their purview. In this context, what’s not said may be just as revealing as what is—especially amid persistent rumors of significant Army budget cuts. That said, the Army is likely constrained in what it can disclose until the formal release of the FY26 Presidential Budget Request.
More broadly, the challenges outlined in this note only begin to capture the complexities of U.S.-European defense collaboration. While F-35 disputes often dominate headlines, the fate of programs like XM30 and NGH will serve as equally important indicators of the future direction of transatlantic defense cooperation
As we head into an increasingly protectionist geopolitical environment, this situation presents valuable opportunities for substantive dialogue between industry experts and their government counterparts who have direct experience managing transatlantic defense programs. A focused and candid discussion with experts from these two stakeholder groups—centered on key market entry barriers and how evolving political dynamics could affect these barriers—would provide informative insights for navigating this changing landscape.
DoD Opportunities
1) CDAO Sources Sought for AI & ML Programmatic Support Services
Seeking 8(a) small businesses capable of supporting AI program management, infrastructure architecture, data engineering, policy and governance, digital talent development, security, public affairs, and budget execution. The overarching goal is to help CDAO accelerate DoD’s adoption of AI and data analytics tools. Active Top Secret facility clearance required.
Response Deadline: 4 April
2) Navy DPII SBIR for Enhanced Language-Oriented Data for Track Management and Analytics
Seeks advanced software solutions that allow operators to manage and analyze operational data using structured natural language instead of traditional formats (e.g., SQL, XML, JSON). Target system is the Navy’s Maritime Tactical Command and Control (MTC2), supporting decision aids, situational awareness, and geospatial analytics for Joint Integrated C2 and Kill Chain operations.
Deliverable is a prototype software application capable of ingesting diverse data types (textual and geospatial), running in a DEVSECOPS environment, and supporting real-time decision-making. Must demonstrate prior feasibility work (e.g., IRAD or similar) at TRL 5+—no Phase I proposals accepted. Work may become classified; U.S. ownership and clearance eligibility required.
Topic Close Date: 26 March
3) Army RPP via TReX II OTA, Next Gen Constructive & Synthetic Training Environment Software
Prototype development effort for the Army’s Synthetic Training Environment–Software (STE-SW), with focus on the Next Generation Constructive (NGC) capability. NGC is a scalable simulation environment designed to train Soldiers all the way through theater-level commanders in multi-domain operations. Scope includes modernization of simulation tools, terrain modeling, training management, and mission command interfaces across live, virtual, and constructive domains. Technical focus areas span cyber effects, sustainment, maneuver, fires, intel, EW, space, terrain, and information operations. U.S.-owned vendors only; TS/SCI security capability required. Follow-on production anticipated upon successful prototype completion.
Response Deadline: Not yet released; monitor TReX II for official posting.
4) AFRL/RYA Special Notice for Autonomous Decisions, Algorithms & Modeling (ADAM)
The Sensors Directorate’s Multiple Authority Announcement consolidates contracting pathways to support R&D across six technical areas: Multi-Domain Sense Making, Sensing Autonomy, Sensing and Effects Analysis, Multi-Sensing Knowledge, Sensing Management, and Sensor Exploitation & Autonomy Algorithms. Individual solicitations will be issued over time as Calls for Proposals or Open Periods, using one- or two-step submission processes. Awards may take the form of contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or Other Transactions.
Response Deadline: No proposals requested at this time; deadlines will be set per individual solicitation.
5) MDA SBIR DPII for Hypersonic Defense Prototype Payloads
Seeks wide area effect payloads for intercepting hypersonic and maneuvering threats. Concepts may include kinetic or non-kinetic options (e.g., blast-fragmentation) and must complement existing hit-to-kill systems. Solutions should be scalable to meet size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints of missile platforms and adaptable to integration with future MDA architectures.
Deliverable is a functional, system-integrated prototype payload demonstrated through live testing. Proposals must include prior feasibility documentation (e.g., IRAD, test data, prototype results) showing TRL 5+ maturity. No Phase I proposals accepted.
Topic Close Date: 26 March
6) GVSC RFI for Modular Active Protection System Controller (MAC)
Seeks contractors to design and build a customized hardware and software system based on the MAC, also known as the Vehicle Base Kit (VBK). GVSC aims to enhance the capabilities of the Modular APS by incorporating advanced sensor data aggregation, real-time processing, and FPGA-based code execution. Desired capabilities include the ability to develop multithreaded code, ensure rapid data processing, and support scalable, secure system integration. Responses will assist in determining if a competitive procurement is feasible.
Response Deadline: 1 April
7) ACC-Redstone Special Notice for C-UAS Support Services via OASIS+
Conducting market research for a forthcoming requirement titled “Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) Programmatic, Logistics, and Technical Support Services.” The notice specifically seeks contact info from businesses interested in the RFI but still awaiting their OASIS+ award from GSA’s ongoing rolling awards process. NAICS 541330 (Engineering Services) is expected.
Response Deadline: 25 March
8) NGA Sources Sought for Satellite Altimetry Gravity Modeling
Seeks sources capable of evaluating current satellite altimetry data and methods, developing new gravity models using modern datasets and techniques, and delivering associated training and guidance. Work supports NGA’s geospatial modeling and analysis mission.
Response Deadline: 25 March
9) DARPA/I2O RFI to Deliver Resilient Software Systems
Seeks nominations of DoD systems that would benefit from formal-methods-based software tools to enhance resilience and reduce vulnerability to cyberattacks. Responses will inform future capstone efforts to apply, test, and transition these tools. DARPA is especially interested in complex systems with unmet security needs and welcomes input from all capable organizations, including non-traditional partners.
Response Deadline: 3 April
10) USAF Sources Sought for Advanced Simulation Capabilities Support
Seeking industry feedback and capabilities for a planned multi-award IDIQ supporting advanced modeling and simulation. Includes software development, systems integration, threat representation, cybersecurity, and administrative support. Industry Day scheduled for 15 April at Wright-Patterson AFB.
Response deadline: 28 March
11) AFSOC Presolicitation for SUAS & SUASMAN Support Services for A3 Directorate
Intends to consolidate support services for the A3 Directorate at Hurlburt Field, FL. Work includes UAS subject matter expertise, airspace and airworthiness support, help desk operations, and full lifecycle development of the SUASMAN system. SUASMAN is a mission-critical web app used to manage SUAS equipment, operator training, and compliance across DoD units. Draft PWS provided for review; responses may inform acquisition strategy.
Response deadline: 28 March
12) USSF CSO Amendment for Operational Test and Training Infrastructure (OTTI)
Seeking innovative tech and services supporting test, training, and range infrastructure. Now includes four Areas of Interest (AOI): optical sensing, range control software, synthetic training environments, and field-deployable SATCOM test suites. Awards may be issued as fixed-price contracts or Other Transactions (OTs) for prototypes. Three-phase submission process: white paper and briefing, pitch session, and full proposal.
Response Deadline: Phase I deadlines vary by AOI; overall CSO open through December 2029.
13) DARPA/DSO Special Notice for Discover DSO Day (D3) 2025
Industry Day from 23-24 April in Chicago, IL. This in-person event connects researchers with DSO program managers and provides insight into DSO’s mission, funding pathways, and future research directions. Agenda topics include sensing technologies, next-gen computation, and processing, resilience, and reliability in challenging environments, energy and transport needs, and accelerating tech transition. Open to U.S. and eligible foreign participants. Attendance is limited to 250; advance registration is required.
Response Deadline: Registration closes 8 April or when capacity is reached
14) OSD R&E Special Notice for Mission Capabilities Industry Engagement
R&E’s Mission Capabilities Office will host a Technical Exchange Meeting (TEM) on 6 June at Johns Hopkins APL in Laurel, MD. Event will cover current threat assessments and capability gaps at the SECRET//REL FVEY level. Open to cleared U.S. and Five Eyes industry participants. Advance registration and VAR submission required.
Response Deadline: 6 April
15) Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) RFQ for Parrot ANAFI UKR UAVs
Seeks quotes from small businesses for the procurement of eight (8) Parrot ANAFI UKR small UAS equipped with EO and IR camera systems, compliant with DoD and DoN requirements. These drones are intended to be integrated with the existing DroneSense platform and Pix4D software already in use. The procurement is a 100% Small Business Set-Aside and is limited to a single source due to the proprietary nature of the Parrot ANAFI drones, which are the only models that meet the operational and cybersecurity requirements for NCIS. The RFQ will be awarded based LPTA evaluation.
Response Deadline: 28 March 2025
16) AFRL/RIGC Advanced Research Announcement for Signals Intelligence Technologies (SIFTER)]
AFRL’s Information Directorate is soliciting white papers under an open Advanced Research Announcement (ARA), functioning like a topic-level BAA. The SIFTER program seeks R&D on advanced SIGINT capabilities, including Electronic Intelligence, SIGINT Analytics, Autonomous Processing, Resilient Exploitation, and Cyber-SIGINT Cross Domain. Two-step submission process: white paper first, proposal by invitation only. Awards may be issued as contracts or Other Transactions (OTs).
Industry Activity
17) DIU Partners with Pryzm to Streamline Defense Budget Management
Pryzm’s platform integrates project management and funding analysis workflows, enhancing financial planning, tracking, and reporting. DIU can now combine data from multiple sources for faster, more accurate budget decisions. Pryzm is an Acquisition Intelligence and CRM platform that securely links public government data with proprietary data from federal and commercial organizations. The company was founded by alumni of Palantir and Lockheed Martin.
18) Mach Industries Announces Mach Propulsion, New Jet Engine Factory to Fuel the Future of Unmanned Defense Technology
The company is building a new jet engine facility in Huntington Beach, California, with the capacity to produce up to 12,000 engines per year. The plant will focus on producing micro-jet engines for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and other defense technologies. This new facility will strengthen the company's ability to provide essential propulsion components and support the development of advanced defense technologies such as VTOL systems and cruise missiles.
19) ONR Contract Award to SimVentions Inc for Human & Autonomous Robotic Teaming (HART)
Contract valued at $24.5 million.
20) Shield AI, Partnership with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to Advance AI-Powered Autonomy with Hivemind Enterprise
This partnership will enhance KAI’s manned/unmanned teaming capabilities. Hivemind Enterprise is an autonomy software suite that accelerates development by providing AI-powered toolsets, platform products, and proven edge autonomy for unmanned systems in GPS- and comms-denied environments. The suite includes an integrated autonomy factory, industrial-grade middleware, a comprehensive autonomy catalog, and seamless mission control, enabling rapid, flexible deployment of mission-ready solutions.
21) PEO Missiles and Space Awards Ultra $87M OTA for Guam Defense Operations
The five-year agreement will help integrate next-generation weapons and sensors into the IBCS architecture. Work will include upgrades to Ultra’s ADSI® platform, Link-16 interoperability, and AI/ML tools to support air and missile defense operations.
22) Defense Unicorns Launches UDS Tactical Edge for Software Delivery
UDS Tactical Edge makes deploying mission-critical software to any edge system as simple as installing an app on your phone. UDS was built from the ground up, specifically to serve defense systems. It’s secure, compliant, works in degraded, denied, and airgap environments.
23) Trive-Backed Karman Space & Defense Completes Successful IPO
Raised over $500 million in its NYSE debut, with shares opening more than 30% above the offering price. The company builds systems for missile defense and space programs and operates nine facilities across four states with over 1,000 employees. Proceeds will fund acquisitions, technology investments, and expanded operations.
24) BlueHalo Announces Breakthrough in Long-Haul Laser Communication Capabilities
Successfully demonstrated a two-terminal, space-to-space laser comms system for multi-orbit operations. Validated tracking and data transfer under simulated space conditions—jitter, temperature, vacuum. Supports faster, more secure links across LEO, MEO, GEO, and beyond. Now at TRL 6. Preparing to scale for defense and commercial use.
25) Persistent Systems Supports CJADC2 Operations at Project Convergence
Persistent Systems’ Wave Relay® mobile network enabled real-time communication across units and platforms—including armored vehicles, high-altitude balloons, and tactical operations centers—spanning multiple U.S. service branches and allied partners. The network connected M1A1 tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and dismounted soldiers for the first time in a combined arms breach scenario. Wave Relay® is transport-agnostic, mobile, and scalable, operating without fixed infrastructure. The demo highlighted its ability to link dispersed assets and support joint, multi-domain operations.
26) Physics AI Accelerates Aircraft Design Time: Rune Aero Cuts Early Development Costs 80% with Luminary Cloud
The AI-powered tool let engineers test and adjust designs in real time, doubling payload capacity and cutting fuel use by 50%. The system replaces months of physical wind tunnel testing with faster, more affordable simulations. It’s part of Rune Aero’s push to develop more efficient cargo aircraft for the middle-mile market. Luminary’s platform is built on NVIDIA’s accelerated computing tools and supports rapid design across aerospace and other industries.
27) DHA, Sole-Source J&A to SpinSys-Diné, for Medical Data Aggregation & Collection Software
For DHA’s continued use and maintenance of SpinSys-Diné’s Medical Data Aggregation and Collection Application (MDACA) software. MDACA enables secure data integration across key military health systems and provides critical tools for big data processing within the Military Information Platform. No alternative product meets DHA’s technical, cybersecurity, and interoperability requirements.
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