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USSF Space Operations Command Accepts Upgraded GPS Operating System From Raytheon
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Raytheon delivered to U.S. Space Force's Space Operations Command an updated GPS operating system.

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Operations Command, or SPOC, has accepted an upgraded operating system for its global positioning system from Raytheon.

USSF Space Operations Command Accepts Upgraded GPS Operating System From Raytheon

Join the Potomac Officers Club 2025 Air and Space Summit on July 31 to get insights on air and space defense and how to contribute to its advancement. 

What Is the GPS Next Generation Operational Control System?

The GPS Next Generation Operational Control System, or OCX, is built to improve location, navigation and timing services, and it is part of a bigger effort to modernize the entire GPS System, the Space Force said Friday. The upgrade includes new GPS III satellites and advanced military equipment. The upgrades aim to function better in areas with signal interference, improve detection of problems, provide more accurate timing and location, and ensure that the system stays secure and available.

Raytheon delivered the OCX to the military on July 1 through the submission of the Department of Defense Form 250. The Mission Delta 31, or MD 31, will continue integrated systems testing, operational readiness exercises and preparation activities until the system is ready.

MD 31 and Space Systems Command have teamed up to develop a process of transition exercises, transition rehearsals and constellation transfer trials before completely transferring to the new system.

Space Force’s Stephen Hobbs, Cordell DeLaPena Share Thoughts

According to Space Force Colonel Stephen Hobbs, MD 31 commander, the testing of the OCX is expected to be completed by late 2025. He added that there will be risk reduction activities “designed to demonstrate OCX’s ability to integrate using residual, on-orbit GPS satellites.”

Hobbs also emphasized that innovation was essential in providing reliable GPS for both military and civilian users. 

Commenting on the upgrade, Cordell DeLaPena, Space Systems Command program executive officer for military communications and positioning, navigation and timing said, “One of our missions is to deliver sustained, reliable GPS capabilities to America’s warfighters, our allies, and civilian users. The current enterprise modernization efforts underway gives users confidence that GPS will continue to provide worldwide premier PNT service.”

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Army’s EBS-C Program Delivers Ammunition Management Capability Ahead of Schedule
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The US Army’s EBS-C program rolled out ammunition management software.

The U.S. Army’s Enterprise Business Systems – Convergence program has delivered software providing distribution and supply planning capabilities for Class V conventional ammunition to pilot users at the Joint Munitions Command and Installation Management Command.

According to the service branch, the software, designed to improve ammunition inventory management, was delivered more than two and a half months ahead of schedule.

Bill Hepworth, program executive officer at the Army’s Program Executive Office Enterprise, called the achievement a “huge win” and a reflection of the PEO’s commitment to speed and efficiency.

“In just 10 short months since the contract was awarded, the team was able to deliver, proving that Agile software methodology works on enterprise-wide, complex software systems,” he said. “This accomplishment is yet another example of our ability to quickly deliver quality software that modernizes how the Army does business and meets Soldiers’ needs.”

How Will the EBS-C Software Transform Ammo Management?

The new system integrates a soldier-centered design, enabling users to explore the software’s new functionalities and provide feedback for continuous improvement. It also features a generative artificial intelligence-based training aid that reduces training time and enhances user adoption.

“While this launch is one small step for EBS-C, it’s one giant leap for Army ammo management,” said Bob Johnson, EBS-C product owner for JMC, noting that the new system will help improve inventory balance at ammunition supply points.

EBS-C expects to roll out incremental software updates rapidly as it aims to provide an integrated logistics and financial solution to 200,000 users across all Army supply classes.

The EBS-C team is preparing for an August review panel session with senior Army leadership to present a strategy for fielding the distribution and supply planning capability. The team will also share plans to deploy the ammunition management capability at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, and Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026.

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4 Potential UAVs That Could Reshape US Navy Heavy Lift Logistics
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The Navy is inquiring about a heavy lift UAV so logistics can better reach dispersed forces without risking human lives

The U.S. Navy, after years of testing, experimentation and demonstrations, is laying the groundwork toward a program for a heavy lift unmanned aerial vehicle that would drastically improve its logistical capability in combat.

The Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Office, or PMA-263, is requesting information from industry for the Long Range Heavy Lift Unmanned Logistics Systems-Air, or ULS-A, program. PMA-263 is inquiring about systems capable of providing real time logistics supply distribution with payloads of at least 1,300 lbs and a minimum radius of 100 nautical miles. The system should be capable of autonomously launching from a small and confined area with autonomous recovery from the same area as the launch.

Discover the Navy’s FY 2026 spending priorities for unmanned aircraft at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit on August 31! Attend a star-studded panel discussion on Opportunities and Challenges in Delivering UXV to the Navy. Learn about experimentation priorities during a keynote address by NavalX Director Capt. Joel Uzarski. Sign up today for this elite GovCon conference and prepare your GovCon firm for success in FY 2026!

Why Does the Navy Need a Heavy Lift UAV?

The Navy is inquiring about an unmanned heavy lift aircraft to sustain combat effectiveness in future wars by ensuring logistics can reach small, dispersed and vulnerable forces in denied or degraded environments without putting humans or high-value assets at risk. Other priorities include better supporting distributed maritime operations, operating in contested environments, reducing the logistics footprint and bridging capability gaps.

The Navy is wasting no time preparing contract awards for this effort. Naval Air Systems Command, or NAVAIR, is considering awarding an other transaction agreement for ULS-A in FY 2026.

Let’s dive into the potential offerors for this highly-anticipated program.

4 Potential UAVs That Could Reshape US Navy Heavy Lift Logistics
The Phenix Solutions 2XL rotorcraft UAV. Photo: Phenix Solutions

Phenix Solutions Ultra 2XL

Phenix Solutions of Oregon has developed a heavy-lift dual coaxial rotor UAV that is capable of carrying more than 1,300 lbs, a company official told ExecutiveGov. The platform can use an enclosed payload container or a sling to carry its payload beneath the aircraft.

The Ultra 2XL can carry varying payload amounts depending on fuel levels and total payload. The Ultra 2XL can perform ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore and shore-to-shore logistics missions.

The company is promoting the Ultra 2XL as providing an existing and proven Technology Readiness Level-8 vehicle designed for use as a tactical unmanned resupply aircraft. The platform can perform multiple military and civilian missions beyond visual line of sight and its mission modules can be quickly reconfigured in the field if mission requirements change.

Phenix Solutions was awarded the Next Generation Logistics Unmanned Aircraft System Phase I contract specifically focusing on heavy lift aircraft, vertical replenishment logistics and ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore cargo delivery. Phenix was also selected as an original equipment UAS manufacturer for an important U.S. Marine Corps program—Medium Air Resupply Vehicle-Expeditionary Logistics, or MARV-EL, Phase I, which has similar requirements to ULS-A.

The company is in the process of submitting for the next phase of MARV-EL and expects a contract decision to be made by the end of the year.

4 Potential UAVs That Could Reshape US Navy Heavy Lift Logistics
The Near Earth Autonomy RUC-60. Photo: Near Earth Autonomy.

Near Earth Autonomy RUC-60

Near Earth Autonomy is developing an optionally-piloted aircraft based on the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that has been in service with the DOD for generations. The platform is being promoted as performing logistics missions in contested environments and can carry 2,500 lbs 125 n miles, a company official told ExecutiveGov.

Near Earth Autonomy believes retrofit kits are the most efficient way to rapidly address the need by upgrading existing aircraft into uncrewed logistics solutions. The company is also developing retrokit solutions for the AgustaWestland AW139, the Kaman KARGO UAV and the TRV-150 quadcopter.

The Army in April awarded Near Earth Autonomy a $15 million contract to retrofit UH-60Ls with its advanced autonomy kits to make the helicopters uncrewed and high-tempo logistics aircraft. The initiative creates a repeatable and scalable process and allows the Army to avoid long acquisition timelines and unlock new capabilities from legacy aircraft.

Near Earth Autonomy highlights its Captain deterministic autonomy architecture as central to this program. Designed for performance in complex and degraded environments, Captain enables safe flight and hazard avoidance without needing onboard crew, a remote pilot or a continuous data link. Near Earth Autonomy is leveraging a modular open systems approach, or MOSA, for this UH-60L retrofit contract.

The Army will work with Near Earth Autonomy to develop new operational procedures for autonomous logistics by performing a series of autonomous flights. This should lead to a mature, mission-ready product. Near Earth Autonomy began working toward an unmanned Black Hawk in 2021.

Sabrewing Aircraft Rhaegal

Sabrewing Aircraft is developing a regional cargo unmanned aircraft capable of carrying up to 5,400 lbs of payload over 1,000 n miles in vertical takeoff and landing, or VTOL, mode. If a customer prioritizes larger payload capacity for the Rhaegal, the horizontal runway takeoff and landing permits up to 10,000 lbs of payload, according to Sabrewing’s website.

The Rhaegal achieved its first hover flight in 2022 while lifting 829 lbs. The company touts the Rhaegal’s ability to use sustainable aviation fuel to reduce carbon emissions by up to 80 percent.

Sabrewing has landed a number of contracts, including one from Ameriflight, who intends on purchasing 35 Rhaegals. Ameriflight intends to use the platform to enter new business opportunities in distribution center logistics as part of a diversified aviation services business model.

Piasecki Kaman KARGO

Piasecki Aircraft made a huge splash earlier this year when it acquired the KARGO heavy lift quadcopter UAV from Kaman Air Vehicles, developer of the K-Max TITAN heavy lift helicopter. The KARGO is a medium-lift, autonomous UAV that has been demonstrated to both the U.S. Marine Corps and Army for its VTOL cargo capabilities. The platform has a payload capacity of 1,000 lbs with a range of up to 500 n miles, according to Defense News.

The KARGO is designed to fit in a standard shipping container and can be unloaded and operated by as few as two people. Kaman, while owning the KARGO UAV program, received an initial $12 million contract from the USMC for MARV-EL and has two existing full-scale prototypes, according to a company statement.

Dig into cutting-edge aviation technologies at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit on August 26! Strike up new partnership opportunities with other leading GovCon titans. Check out offerings from leading firms such as SAIC, Seekr and SandboxAQ. All in a supportive, collaborative environment. Secure your seat now for this prestigious GovCon event and boost your bottom line!

4 Potential UAVs That Could Reshape US Navy Heavy Lift Logistics
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Scott Kupor Confirmed as New OPM Chief
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Scott Kupor received Senate confirmation for the OPM director role

The Senate on Wednesday voted 49-46 to confirm Scott Kupor, managing partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, to be the next director of the Office of Personnel Management.

Federal News Network reported that Kupor will take over responsibilities from Charles Ezell, who has been serving as acting director of OPM since January.

According to FNN, Kupor will be in charge of advancing the Trump administration’s proposed changes to the federal workforce. OPM has initiated several changes, including updating performance management standards, revising the rules concerning federal probationary periods and adding a new Schedule Policy/Career employment classification.

Designing a Talent Recruitment & Management System for Federal Employees

In April, Kupor appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and said that if confirmed for the post, he said he would design and establish a “talent recruitment, development and management system that empowers federal employees to provide the best services to all Americans – one in which innovative thinking and efficiency drive decision-making and personal growth opportunities.”

In his prepared remarks, he told lawmakers that he will work with Congress, the president and government agencies to get the fiscal house in order.

Kupor also highlighted the importance of incentives, accountability, communication, leadership, culture and transparency during his confirmation hearing. 

Who Is Scott Kupor?

At Andreessen Horowitz, Kupor was responsible for the firm’s growth initiatives, investor relations team and growth-stage companies in the bio and healthcare industries.

Before joining the venture capital firm, he served as vice president and general manager of software-as-a-service at Hewlett Packard.

Prior to HP, the newly confirmed OPM director worked at Opsware, where he held executive management roles, including senior VP of global field operations, VP of financial planning and VP of corporate development.

The author of the book “Secrets of Sand Hill Road: Venture Capital and How to Get It” sits on the boards of several companies, including Cedar, Formation Bio, Foursquare, Headway, Labster, SnapLogic, Talkiatry, Tanium and Ultima.

Kupor holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy and a law degree from Stanford University.

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Senate Confirms Preston Griffith as Under Secretary of Energy
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Preston Griffith was confirmed as the new under secretary of energy

The Senate voted 54-43 to confirm the nomination of Preston Griffith, a former special assistant to the president for international energy and environment policy, as under secretary at the Department of Energy. The vote occurred on Wednesday with three senators casting no votes.

Who Is Preston Griffith?

Prior to President Donald Trump’s nomination, Griffith spent over four years at FTI Consulting, where he was the managing director for the past two years and the senior director before that. The executive also served as managing director and senior adviser to the CEO for energy at the International Development Finance Corporation. He advised on investments and developments in the energy market while coordinating with various government agencies to garner support for the DFC’s initiatives.

Griffith concurrently served in the White House as special assistant to the president and senior director for energy and environment at the National Security Council and National Economic Council. Before that, he was with the Energy Department as acting assistant secretary and principal deputy assistant secretary, providing advice to the secretary, deputy secretary and other senior DOE officials on the development and implementation of foreign energy policies and other issues.

Earlier in his career, Griffith was heavily involved with the Republican Party, helping the campaigns of several politicians.

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Hegseth’s Memo Directs Military to Equip Warfighters With US-Built Drones
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DOD Secretary Pete Hegseth’s memo seeks to bolster U.S. military drone dominance

Pete Hegseth, secretary of the Department of Defense and a 2025 Wash100 awardee, has released a memorandum outlining DOD’s approach to driving U.S. military drone dominance.

In early June, President Donald Trump signed and issued an executive order that seeks to strengthen U.S. leadership in the development and commercialization of unmanned aircraft systems.

Defense Secretary Rescinds DOD Policies That Hindered Drone Production

In the July 10 memo, Hegseth wrote that DOD is “going above and beyond” the EO by overturning several policies that limited drone production and access.

“I am rescinding restrictive policies that hindered production and limited access to these vital technologies, unleashing the combined potential of American manufacturing and warfighter ingenuity. I am delegating authorities to procure and operate drones from the bureaucracy to our warfighters,” Hegseth noted.

Breaking Defense reported that the defense secretary is rescinding several Pentagon policies, including the 2022 “Exception to Policy Requirement for Blue Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems” memo that details conditions where a governmentwide commercial purchase card can be used to buy small drones and a 2021 memo that provides procedures for the operation and procurement of drones to implement the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act’s Section 848.

Pentagon’s Threefold Approach to Driving US Military Drone Leadership

According to Hegseth, DOD will approve hundreds of American products for procurement by the U.S. military to strengthen the U.S. drone manufacturing base.

“Leveraging private capital flows that support this industry, our overt preference is to Buy American,” he added.

The Pentagon will equip combat units with low-cost drones produced by American engineers and artificial intelligence experts to advance a “technological leapfrog.”

“Drone dominance is a process race as much as a technological race. Modern battlefield innovation demands a new procurement strategy that fuses manufacturers with our frontline troops,” Hegseth noted.

The DOD official highlighted the need for training and called on senior officers to address the “bureaucracy’s instinctive risk-aversion” to budgeting, training and weaponizing.

“Next year I expect to see this capability integrated into all relevant combat training, including force-on-force drone wars,” he added.

Hegseth noted that the department is now investigating the investment methods outlined in the EO to address the need for drones.

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NASA Names Instruments for Integration Into Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicle
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NASA identifies tools for integration into the Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicle.

NASA has selected three instruments that will be deployed to the lunar surface. Two of the instruments will be attached to the Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicle during its mission to explore the moon, while the remaining will be used on a future orbital mission, NASA said Thursday.

The LTV is part of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to send astronauts back to the moon for the first time in over 50 years. The LTV can carry two astronauts or operate remotely without a crew to achieve more of the space agency’s science and exploration goals.

“The science instruments selected for the LTV will make discoveries that inform us about Earth’s nearest neighbor as well as benefit the health and safety of our astronauts and spacecraft on the Moon,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

Selected Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicle Instruments

The first instrument, called the Artemis Infrared Reflectance and Emission Spectrometer, will look for minerals and volatiles, such as water, ammonia or carbon dioxide on the moon. It will capture spectral data overlaid on visible light images of both specific features of interest and broad panoramas to discover the distribution of minerals and volatiles across the moon’s south polar region.

The second, the Lunar Microwave Active-Passive Spectrometer, will look beneath the lunar surface and search for possible locations of ice. The tool will use a spectrometer and a ground-penetrating radar to measure temperature, density and subsurface structures to more than 131 feet below the surface.

Combining the data from AIRES and L-MAPS will provide a picture of the lunar surface and subsurface components to support human exploration and reveal more information about the history of rocky worlds in our solar system.

NASA also selected the Ultra-Compact Imaging Spectrometer for a future orbital mission. The instrument will provide regional context for LTV discoveries and map the moon’s geology and volatiles.

“With these instruments riding on the LTV and in orbit, we will be able to characterize the surface not only where astronauts explore, but also across the south polar region of the Moon, offering exciting opportunities for scientific discovery and exploration for years to come,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

The space agency has been working with Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost and Venturi Astrolab to complete their preliminary design reviews of their proposed LTVs. A final decision on which design will be deployed for the demonstration mission will be made in the coming months.

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AUVSI Adds WingtraRAY to Green UAS Cleared List
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The WingtraRAY has been added to the the AUVSI's Green UAS Cleared List.

The WingtraRAY has been added to the Green UAS Cleared List of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, or AUVSI. In a press release issued Thursday, AUVSI said that the inclusion of the drone to the list means that it complies with cybersecurity and National Defense Authorization Act supply chain regulations under the Department of Defense and Executive Order 14307, “Unleashing American Drone Dominance.”   

What Is the WingtraRAY?

The WingtraRAY is a drone built for survey professionals and is designed to handle high-demand operations. The drone can fly safely over people, capture detailed maps with high-quality sensors, and make it easy to manage and use the data it collects.

What Is the Green UAS Cleared List?

The Green UAS Cleared List helps industry stakeholders determine if a commercial drone is safe and secure to use. When a non-military drone on the list gets a military sponsor, it can also be part of the Department of Defense’s Blue UAS list, which is the military’s official list of approved drones. Manufacturers of individual drone parts can also be reviewed and considered for inclusion on the Blue UAS list if they share their information with AUVSI.

Remarks From AUVSI’s Casie Ocana

Commenting of the addition of WingtraRAY to the list, Casie Ocana, vice president of public affairs and certifications at AUVSI, said, “With the WingtraRAY now Green UAS cleared, surveyors, government agencies, and contractors have access to a secure, high-performance platform ready for deployment today, not months or years down the line. It’s another step forward in our mission to build a resilient, trusted uncrewed systems ecosystem.”

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House Legislators Propose Nunn-McCurdy Reform to Address Budget Overruns at DOD
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The bipartisan Nunn-McCurdy Reform Act of 2025 is designed to address budget overruns at DOD

Reps. John Garamendi, D-Calif., and Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., have proposed updates to a decades-old law to minimize overspending at the Department of Defense.

The Nunn-McCurdy Reform Act of 2025 would require the Pentagon to report to Congress if a major acquisition program exceeds its projected costs and, potentially, minimize excessive spending.

What the Nunn-McCurdy Reform Act of 2025 Might Improve

The Nunn-McCurdy Act was passed in 1982 under then-President Ronald Reagan. It tasks the DOD to notify Congress whenever a major acquisition program goes 15 percent over its baseline cost estimate. Once project spending goes past 25 percent of the cost estimate, the defense secretary will not only notify lawmakers but also terminate the program.

However, the law in its present form reportedly rarely ever leads to project cancellations.

“The defense secretary has the unilateral authority to just recertify a program and keep it moving, without really having to do anything to address the root causes,” explained Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, director of government affairs at Project on Government Oversight, which is an organization that investigates corruption and abuse of power.

If the Nunn-McCurdy Reform Act of 2025 is passed, it would restrict funding for projects that frequently go over budget.

“In the reform proposal, if a program hits two critical breaches, then it’s just canceled automatically. Congress can choose, if it wants, to reauthorize the fund, reauthorize the program, and reappropriate the funds to continue the program,” Hedtler-Gaudette added.

The reform also aims to shorten the time the Pentagon would be required to report cost breaches and increase transparency by mandating the defense secretary to publish cost growth reports on the DOD website.

In addition, the bill would designate major acquisition programs comprising two or more end items that are projected to cost over $500 million as separate sub-components.

“For years, far too many wasteful projects have gone forward without accountability, costing taxpayers billions upon billions of dollars, despite clear laws requiring them to report cost overruns to Congress,” commented Garamendi. “The Nunn-McCurdy Reform Act finally does what the original law was meant to do.”

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AFRL Seeks Input on Potential $950M Advanced Cyber Effects for Strategic Operations Contract
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AFRL seeks industry input on a potential $950 million Advanced Cyber Effects for Strategic Operations contract

The Department of the Air Force’s Air Force Research Laboratory has started conducting market research for a potential $950 million Advanced Cyber Effects for Strategic Operations, or ACESO, contract.

AFRL Seeks Input on Potential $950M Advanced Cyber Effects for Strategic Operations Contract

Get the scoop on top air and space defense efforts such as the Advanced Cyber Effects for Strategic Operations initiative at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Summit on July 31.

Advanced Cyber Effects for Strategic Operations Contract Details

According to the advanced research announcement posted on SAM.gov Thursday, AFRL seeks to develop prototypes of cyber technologies that will be integrated into operational Department of Defense platforms to strengthen cyber warfare capabilities.

The pre-solicitation notice also indicated that the total funding for the project is $950 million. Individual awards are not expected to exceed 60 months and will be valued at $10 million to $50 million, with the possibility of reaching $100 million.

AFRL plans to award the project to multiple contractors. Interested vendors have until July 10, 2030, to submit their responses.

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