The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has selected teams from Yale University, University of Washington and Broad Institute to support a program meant to develop therapeutics for multidrug resistant microbial infections.

The three teams will use synthetic chemistry, drug discovery methods, chemical biology and medicinal chemistry to combat bacterial pathogens under DARPA’s Harnessing Enzymatic Activity for Lifesaving Remedies program, the agency said Friday.

Seth Cohen, HEALR program manager, said the program aims to help speed up recoveries of warfighters and help them control bacterial infections by developing drugs that can home in on “highly resistant and immune-evasive bacterial infections.”

HEALR will address three technical areas: microbial targeting, host machinery engagement and platform integration. 

The program’s initial phase will run for 24 months and efforts under this phase will demonstrate the HEALR concept’s effectiveness. The second phase will enable the teams to further develop their technology and demonstrate the efficacy of their treatments against a pathogenic target. The teams will be required to send their drug candidates for review by the Food and Drug Administration.

The KC-46A Pegasus' boom mission set has been declared by Air Mobility Command as ready for interim operations. 

Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, commander of AMC, issued interim capability release approval that allows aircrew to refuel other KC-46, B-52H Stratofortress and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft for U.S. Transportation Command, AMC said Friday.

The refueling boom ICR decision comes nearly one month after Van Ovost approved operational use of the Boeing-built military aerial refueling platform's Centerline Drogue System mission set.

“Though a fully-mission capable aircraft is a few years away, releasing capability our KC-46 bases have demonstrated they can safely and effectively support and employ is a large part of how AMC is accelerating the KC-46 on the path to becoming fully operational and combat-ready,” said Brig. Gen. Ryan Samuelson, deputy director of strategy, plans, requirements and programs at AMC.

The U.S. Navy has received its first unit of the Leonardo-built TH-73A Thrasher helicopter through which undergraduate maritime pilots will undergo flight training.

Future aviators from the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard will train with the modern avionics-equipped helicopter, which replaces the existing TH-57B/C Sea Ranger, the Navy said Friday.

The Thrasher is developed to deliver better power, speed, payload and endurance than the Sea Ranger, with the enhancements being intended to address capability and capacity challenges and improve preparations for naval pilots. Some of the helicopter's features are fully integrated flight management system, automatic flight control system and digital cockpit displays.

Executives from the Chief of Naval Air Training office, Leonardo Helicopters and Vertex Aerospace welcomed Thrasher at Naval Air Station Whiting Field.

Leonardo produced the aircraft in Philadelphia and Vertex will support maintenance activities.

“Using current cockpit technologies and a new training curriculum, AHTS will improve pilot training and skills and ensure rotary wing and tilt-rotor aviators are produced more efficiently at a higher quality and are ready to meet the fleet’s challenges,” said Rear Adm. Robert Westendorff, CNTRA.

The Navy's TH-73A Helicopter Instructor Training Unit will use the first Thrasher to validate the aircraft's corresponding, modern curriculum.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) seeks comments on a draft publication made to help organizations understand cyber resiliency outcomes from the perspective of a systems engineer.

The publication, titled “Developing Cyber-Resilient Systems: A Systems Security Engineering Approach,” tackles how organizations can adopt a cybersecurity strategy that allows for internal system defense, instead of external defense, NIST said.

The agency designed the guidance to help organizations predict, resist and overcome state-sponsored and criminal cyber attacks, as well as other system threats.

The document also provides standardized threat classifications and  analyzes approaches to implementing cyber resiliency across systems. NIST's Ron Ross and Victoria Pillitteri worked with Mitre's Richard Graubart, Deborah Bodeau and Rosalie McQuaid to author the draft.

Interested parties may submit feedback through Sept. 20th.