Kurt DelBene, chief information officer of the Department of Veterans Affairs, said he plans to oversee digital transformation efforts at VA that include the improvement of software development offerings and information technology systems modernization, FCW reported Thursday.

“In this work, we need to consider a number of questions including: how we can best do software and services development in an environment of heavy outsourcing to external contractors,” DelBene told the House Veterans’ Affairs’ technology modernization subcommittee Wednesday.

When it comes to broadening internal software development efforts, he told lawmakers that “one place for a huge area of opportunity is low-code and no-code solutions.”

DelBene also discussed VA’s effort to implement the cloud-based Integrated Financial and Acquisition Management System, his commitment to integrating VA’s technical personnel with contract organizations and the need to establish standards requirements for the contracting sector and implement new programs to expand relationships with small businesses.

The HTS7500 turboshaft engine, designed and manufactured by technology and engineering contractor Honeywell, will be used for an up-and-coming Lockheed Martin helicopter.

The company announced Thursday that the HTS7500 engine, which follows a historic T55 engine that carries decades of proven performance, has been tapped to power the Sikorsky-Boeing DEFIANT X helicopter.

“This engine builds upon the battle-proven architecture of the T55, but the HTS7500 takes engine performance, reliability and efficiency to a whole new level,” said Dave Marinick, Honeywell Aerospace president of engines and power systems.

The T55 engine has been the chosen fuel-burner in the H-47 fleet for over six decades and Honeywell’s engines have been prominent in the civilian and military markets for over seven decades. They are said to be favored for operation in challenging environments.

Honeywell has crafted their HTS7500 engine with the intention of it being their most advanced military-grade model. It features a control system that can manage large volumes of data and keeps users updated on engine health via the digital thread road map.

Lockheed Martin’s DEFIANT X helicopter is in the running for the U.S. Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft evaluation, which is the service branch’s selection process for the next go-to utility helicopter.

The DEFIANT X is currently in the digital combat training stage and is said to be capable of flying at speeds three times faster and farther than the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, the previous mission standard for Army helicopters.

If all goes according to plan, the DEFIANT X will replace the Black Hawk in 2030.

Honeywell is currently working under contract with the U.S. Army providing their time-tested T55 turboshaft engines for the CH-47 Chinook helicopter fleet. The contract was announced in March 2021 and lasts until the end of 2023.

U.S. Army officials have revealed that network technologies under the upcoming Capability Set ’23 will set the baseline for a military-wide concept of connecting sensors and shooters across the force, C4ISRNET reported Thursday.

CS ‘23, part of the Army’s incremental network modernization approach, will provide technologies focused on Stryker brigade teams that deliver a more holistic picture of the battlespace to commanders for joint all-domain command and control.

Among the features and capabilities with the upcoming network set are those designed for improved situational awareness, greater tracking of deployed units, better data transport from the battlefield to command posts and new automatic communications pathway transition technology.

Officials added that the set will also include electronic warfare and intelligence systems such as the Terrestrial Layer System and the Electronic Warfare Planning and Management Tool that would feed military information and sensor data into a common operating picture for JADC2 and multi-domain operations.

“I would argue this is the first real step towards a true JADC2 environment that we’re getting after here,” noted Col. Gregory Napoli, the unified network lead for the Army’s Network-Cross Functional Team.

Capability Set ’23 is set to be released in the fiscal year 2023.

The Government Accountability Office said agencies responsible for nine out of 16 U.S. critical infrastructure components have not determined their efforts to adopt the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity.

GAO said Wednesday it observed a lack of adoption determination at agencies in charge of chemical infrastructure; nuclear reactors, materials and waste; health care and public health; emergency services; financial services; dams; critical manufacturing; communications; and commercial facilities.

The accountability office recommends these agencies develop ways to measure and determine the framework adoption of their respective infrastructure sectors.

However, the government watchdog also acknowledged that agencies have determined cybersecurity adoption in the defense industrial base, government facilities and water systems.

Agencies in charge of energy, food agriculture, information technology and transportation systems have not yet achieved this determination but have already made progress towards it.