Acquisition news
Some stories on military acquisitions struck me. Not surprisingly, at the top of the heap are drones – lots and lots of drones.
The Pentagon has created a new program to spend $1 billion over the next two years to buy hundreds of thousands of one-way attack drones for the military. Dubbed the Drone Dominance Program (DDP), it is an implementation of War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s July memo authorizing major changes to how the department procures and uses these weapons.
Someone would have to tell me – over 300,000 of any new weapon other than sidearms have to be a record?
“The Drone Dominance Program (DDP) is designed to help industry organize around the need for low-cost, supply-chain secure sUAS manufacturing at scale, urgently,” according to a Request for Information (RFI) published Tuesday. “The DDP intends to place $1 billion in fixed-price orders utilizing 10 U.S.C. 4022 [existing federal procurement authorities] over four phases in the next two years.”
The RFI does not specify what types of drones DDP is seeking, but based on the anticipated cost per unit, it is most likely first-person view (FPV) drones and other small quadcopters now ubiquitous on the battlefields of Ukraine.
“Vendors are expected to incorporate feedback and improve their designs across the phases while maintaining production capacity to be competitive.”
“Vendors will bear development and manufacturing risk,” the RFI notes. “The government will pay a fixed price only for units that are delivered, inspected and accepted. There will be no progress payments or cost-reimbursement terms under this effort.” TWZ
I especially like that last – unlike the typical cost+ contracts, the manufacturers are paid only for success, not overruns.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, our experience with the Houthi and drones launched at Israel must have highly impressed us.
The Pentagon is standing up its first dedicated one-way attack drone unit in the Middle East, turning to a low-cost system reverse-engineered from Iran’s Shahed-136 as part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s push to accelerate the use of cheap, rapidly fielded unmanned weapons, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“Reverse engineered”… typically means ‘we stole it’. A proud tradition – we had to pay Mauserwerke $600,000 back when we, er, “appropriated” their stripper clip design for the 1903 Springfield. ‘Course, the Iranians shamelessly copy OUR technology, so it’s all good.
The FLM 136, also called Lucas, has a triangular wingspan just over eight feet. It can fly for about six hours and uses onboard sensors and AI for autonomous navigation. At $35,000 per unit, it costs a fraction of an MQ-9 Reaper, which runs roughly $16 million. Seeking Alpha
In a quick follow-up to our breaking post on the Pentagon sending Shahed-136 clones to the Middle East, specifically “to flip the script” on Iran, we are getting new images of what configurations the Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS) kamikaze drones that will be used by Task Force Scorpion Strike (TFSS) exist in. The adaptability of the basic Shahed-136 platform is a key feature we highlighted in our extensive case for the U.S. pursuing large quantities of these drones, which you can read in full here. TWZ II
Recently released photos indicate that these FL-136 drones have the option of a nose-mounted gymbaled camera and what looks like a satellite connection, implying both targeting on the fly and controlled drone swarming capability.
And near and dear to some of youses hearts, Mossberg has announced winning an $11.6 million dollar contract to supply shotguns…LOTS of shotguns, to the Army.
The M590 is based on the company’s legendary M500 platform, but with a heavy-walled barrel, metal trigger guard and safety, clean-out mag tube, and a thick Parkerized or Marinecote finish. Numerous stock, forend, and barrel length options exist, as well as the always popular heat shield and bayonet lug.
It is unclear if the award is an extension of the $19 million maximum value contract for 17-inch M590s issued in September, but either way, the Army is getting a lot more 12-gauge Mossys. Guns.com
Interesting we are buying so many shotguns as we raise the emphasis on drones.
Category: "Your Tax Dollars At Work", Army
Hopefully units get the M590. The military supposedly adopted it back in the ’90s, before I bought my 590A1, but all I ever saw were 500 Mil-Specs. The Marines, meanwhile, gripe about second hand guns and gear, but adopted the Benelli M1014 for some reason, which costs about 4x more than the Mossy.
The 500 is a great shotgun, but the 590 is just a bit more rugged, and the ability to easily clean the magazine tube is a definite plus for austere environments.
Used to be into sporting clays with my 590.
Lived on a stream that fed the backwaters of a lake so it
was great practice for Duck season.
Had to purchase a “duck stamp” each season and I still have
the expired licenses with the yearly stamps affixed.
Clays are fun and you can eat Ducks and Geese but I would
love to take on drones from the blind.
Will the feds issue “drone stamps”?
The shotguns are one aspect of anti drone ops, teaching wing shooting will have to be a priority. Just pointing in the general direction and yanking the trigger won’t get the job done.
SSG to squad: “meet at the skeet range tomorrow at 0730. Jones’ll draw the weapons. Smith’ll bring the ammo. Make sure the truck is properly dispatched and has ammo placards. See ya!”
So, shotguns vs drones?
I don’t think that would stop in time an incoming FPV drone with a fragmentation warhead.
Unless, we are talking about using long range smart munitions fired out of the shootie. That might work.
3 inch magnum #4’s or even #2’s but still, the drone would
have the “stand off” advantage.
That’s when you bring out the AR.
Bayonet lug? Who the hell still uses bayonets?
I always carried a sharpened screw driver as a disposable and a straight blade stiletto style knife for last resort.
Bayonets are tools for working, not for killing Hajj. Their tip does not help penetration, and the serrated side slows withdrawal from target.
If you have to use a blade to deal with Hajj, and you shouldn’t, that’s why we do weapons maintenance before and after each mission, but if you have to, use a straight blade or a sharpened flat head screwdriver. Do not try to cut, slashing cuts don’t stop Hajj. Penetrate the vitals. Multiple times. The heart if you can.
Don’t waste your time with the neck. It is way harder to get the carotid artery than most people think, and even then, it is not instant kill or anything like that.
These guys would disagree with you.
Not exactly a bayonet…
That looks useful for reaching behind the paunch when field dressing a Moose.
One of my SFOC classmates carried one into the field for our ten day FTX. He was a CPT from Nepal. Every soldier in the Nepalese Army has one.
Not really an acquisition topic, but a military aircraft question. When the FAA grounded the DC-10 fleet (and MD-11 fleet), did the Air Force take any actions regarding the KC-10 tanker fleet?
See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yigWdZ_jUbU
Air Force retired the last KC-10 last year
Arizona Air Guard is still flying KC-135’s. I thought those were supposed to be gone after the KC-10 came online.
Used to grab a sub for lunch and park at the end of
the Bangor runway to watch the KC-135’s doing
touch and go’s.
Speaking of subs….also watched the occasional
P-3 outta Brunswick doing the same thing.
That parking lot is now a city sponsored homeless
camp.
Passin’ gas to the Buffs!!
In an April 1957 a major US magazine (Time, Life, one of them) had a front page picture of a B-58 and, inside, an article of how the B-58 was the new replacement for the B-52. Look at how that turned out.
I only saw my dad cry three times in my life:
1- When he had to put down our dog.
2- When my mother passed away.
3 When he saw them cutting up B-52’s on DM.
I have one of those M590’s. I bought it for a tactical shotgun course. It is built like a tank.