Acquisition Talk • PPBE reform • Industrial mobilization 🇺🇸 • Father
Arlington, VA
Joined December 2018
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Big news! I suspect we will see more like this coming down the pike for defense tech industry.
Shield is acquiring Echodyne to expand our Mission Systems business with software-defined radars, engineering expertise and manufacturing capacity.
The $5.3B transaction is supported by a $2.5B raise, including Series H funding at a $28.8B valuation, and will accelerate our efforts to meet growing demand for multi-mission capabilities.
Echodyne’s industry-leading technology is used in hundreds of counter-drone and security systems worldwide, where it helps track drones, secure airspace, and protect people and infrastructure.
Full release: bit.ly/4iYGLWc
Funding includes a structured equity investment from @Blackstone and a Series H co-led by @disruptivetech and Innovation X Capital, with participation from @adventintl, the Strategic Investment Group of JPMorganChase's Security and Resiliency Initiative, @SnowpointVC, Apandion, Center15 Capital, and others.
Autonomy for the world. The greatest victory requires no war.
New entrants posting their Ws. Great work @hermeuscorp
Two years ago, Hermeus hadn’t flown an aircraft. Today, we’ve reached supersonic flight, and our latest aircraft will push to Mach 2+.
Inspired by Kelly Johnson’s “one miracle per program” mantra, each Quarterhorse tackles a new set of engineering challenges and takes us one step closer to building the world's fastest operational aircraft.
We break down our rapid roadmap to high-Mach flight below.
The @DroneDomProgram gauntlets worked. So now they’re expanding them.
Maj Gen Solo Kunkel confirmed @DIU_x is taking the same high-tempo competitive testing model to USVs, UUVs, and long-range UAVs. Same rapid selection pressure, broader mission sets.
Edge force capabilities should not follow the normal 10-year acquisition lifecycle.
Listen to the full episode on the #AcquisitionTalk podcast
Great leader and acquisition professional. Congrats to Jon!
Holy moly!
"The Court finds that the Navy engaged in disparate treatment, and thus, acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner in its review of Saildrone’s proposal"
Navy cannot spend more than $1.5B of the $2.1B for MUSV allocated until is reevaluates.
Blue water autonomy's protest was rejected.
breakingdefense.com/2026/11/…
New entrants winning. Moar!
@USNavyCNO, meet Blackbeard.
ALT Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle received a tour of several sites around NAS Patuxent River during his visit Oct. 28, including a briefing of the @USNavy's new hypersonic air-launched missile, Blackbeard. Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy.
Getting a big OSC loan while competing in @DroneDomProgram is a strong signal. Wonder how that impacts other contenders like Perennial, Skycutter, etc.
PDW received a larger conditional loan a few months ago. Difference is PDW hasn’t received any drone dominance orders yet, but it is poised to be a vendor in the U.S. drone supply chain.
Neros has received a $450M conditional loan commitment from the Office of Strategic Capital under the @deptofwar, and is adding $165M in Neros equity to accelerate vertically integrated drone production and in-house component manufacturing. This combined $615M project will be used to scale America's drone industrial base.
Been seeing a lot of posts like this lately.
Is U.S. contract manufacturing customer service broken or is there an influence campaign amplifying the “China is easier” narrative?
Tough to rebuild an industrial base when the domestic option is a hassle.
Built in a dorm room.
If that’s the bar, export controls are cannot keep similar systems from proliferating worldwide.
nitter.cf/tomas_salvo22/status/2…
My college dorm project just broke the world speed record.
Reaper hit 790 km/h (491 mph) carrying a 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) payload.
These 3 Reapers are now the world’s fastest small jet-powered drones.
Each of them can hold that speed for 4 minutes on a full tank.
Reaper can be rail- or truck-launched, climb to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in under 20 seconds, then fly for 50 km (31 mi) at full speed.
This is now a reliable and repeatable system. Future testing and small optimizations should push the top speed past 800 km/h (500 mph).
Glad to see DoW hedging bets with new low cost interceptors and expanding the industrial base by choosing **checks notes** Lockheed Martin.
defensescoop.com/2026/10/29/…
I don't think this MUSV OT protest will have a "chilling effect." The Navy ran it weird: selected companies -> changed its requirement -> kicked companies out.
But it could slow down the critical program. Crazy. So many personnel and unmanned program pivots in the last couple years. I think Navy will stabilize it now.
insidedefense.com/share/2291…
Good to see, but if Japan is just assembling AMRAAMs and relying on same seeker, rocket motor, etc supply chains from US then not clear how more will spit out the back end. Will need to qualify more sources.
share.google/si6zpvZ4n31e724…
“Just a girl making inflatables” could do more damage to a munitions budget than most actual air defenses... Add low-cost decoys to list of things we need.
