Jon Harper
DefenseScoop
Washington, DC, United States
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Past articles by Jon:
Army testing out new armed quadcopter for training
The Army wants to prepare its soldiers for drone fights of the future, and one of its program executive offices is busy putting prototype training systems through their paces. → Read More
DOD looking to expand scholarship program to bolster hypersonics workforce
The Department of Defense aims to significantly increase the student pipeline for its SMART scholarship program → Read More
New Army white paper lays out vision for high-tech force in 2030
The "Army of 2030" vision highlights key technologies and other priorities for making the service a more “data centric" force. → Read More
Air Force sees opportunities to scale production of drones, software for wars of attrition
Ramping up production and deployment of new autonomous systems and software could be one of the few acquisition options available to the Defense Department to preserve the force and replace combat losses during a future war of attrition, according to a top service official. There has long been concern about the capacity of the Pentagon […] → Read More
Biden taps Nickolas Guertin to be Navy’s acquisition chief
President Biden has selected Nickolas Guertin, the Pentagon’s senior adviser on weapons testing and evaluation, to lead the Navy’s research, development and acquisition enterprise, the White House announced Friday. The important Navy post has not been filled by a Senate-confirmed official since James “Hondo” Geurts stepped down as assistant secretary for research, development and acquisition […] → Read More
Air Force considering wide range of options to team robotic wingmen with other platforms
The Air Force plans to field robotic wingmen in the coming years and team them with manned fighter jets. However, it is still pondering a variety of other types of crewed platforms that could be linked with the new uncrewed systems, according to the service’s top officer. Introducing unmanned “collaborative combat aircraft” (CCA) as part […] → Read More
L3Harris reveals delivery timeline for VAMPIRE systems for Ukraine
L3Harris expects to deliver its new counter-drone system to Ukraine within nine months of being put under contract, the company told FedScoop. The Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment (VAMPIRE) technology was part of a broader $3 billion military aid package announced by the Biden administration earlier this week. However, when the new weapons tranche […] → Read More
Navy on track to deploy Project Overmatch capabilities with carrier strike group in early 2023
After about 18 months of work on Project Overmatch, the Navy is on track to deploy a more advanced networking capability with a carrier strike group early next year, the service’s top officer said Thursday. The highly classified Project Overmatch is the Navy’s contribution to the Pentagon’s vision for Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2). […] → Read More
New $3B US military aid package for Ukraine includes VAMPIRE counter-drone systems
The biggest single tranche of Ukraine security assistance that the United States has announced to date will include VAMPIRE counter-drone systems and a slew of other weapons. The new $3 billion package, announced Wednesday by President Biden to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day, will help Kyiv acquire counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS), other air defense systems, artillery […] → Read More
Pentagon’s counter-UAS chief wants more widespread training on drone-killer systems
A Department of Defense leader highlights the need for more U.S. troops to learn how to use counter-drone weapons on the frontlines. → Read More
US to provide ScanEagle drones to Ukraine
The ScanEagle can be equipped with a variety of sensors including electro-optical and infrared cameras. → Read More
Pentagon issues new awards to universities to work on hypersonics tech
The Department of Defense is extending its outreach to academia for help with developing hypersonic weapons technology, announcing on Thursday several new applied research awards for work on navigation systems, scramjets, velocity and altitude controls, and capabilities for monitoring aeroshells. Hypersonic missiles, which are designed to fly faster than Mach 5 and be highly maneuverable, […] → Read More
Hicks grapples with deficiencies in Pentagon's R&D infrastructure
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio — National and military laboratories’ aging infrastructure has deteriorated — and that concern is top of mind for the Pentagon’s No. 2 official. After visiting the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) on Wednesday during a multi-state trip to observe military-related technology pursuits, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks confirmed that she’s […] → Read More
Army to kick off ‘bring your own device’ pilot in coming weeks
The initiative will allow soldiers to plug their personal IT devices into Army networks. → Read More
Army adding more cyber teams
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The Army will be building two more cyber mission force teams for U.S. Cyber Command this year, according to a top official. Lt. Gen. Maria Barrett, commander of Army Cyber Command, told an audience at the TechNet Augusta conference Wednesday that the service is dedicated to beefing up the force in support […] → Read More
DISA creates new tech incubator, DISAWERX, to support innovation
The Defense Information Systems Agency recently launched its own technology incubator — DISAWERX — designed to provide Pentagon personnel who have IT expertise with a multi-faceted hub to prototype and rapidly refine capabilities of interest. DISAWERX includes a virtual environment, event organizer and physical laboratory based in Maryland, where stakeholders from the Defense Department,… → Read More
MDA’s role in upcoming homeland cruise missile defense demo now unclear
After being passed over as the lead organization for developing new capabilities to defend the homeland against enemy cruise missiles, the Missile Defense Agency is trying to figure out what its role will be in a highly anticipated technology demonstration scheduled for fiscal 2023 and how it will be executed. Last month, under pressure from […] → Read More
Air Force Research Lab seeks new algorithms to enhance space situational awareness
The Air Force Research Laboratory is looking for new machine learning and high-performance computing capabilities that could improve the U.S. military’s situational awareness of potential threats in the space domain. AFRL, under a Broad Agency Announcement updated on Thursday, is soliciting white papers for the effort. The focus of the BAA is to “research, develop, […] → Read More
Watchdog dings Defense Department’s alternative PNT programs for incomplete business cases
The Pentagon doesn’t have a full business case for several important programs it’s pursuing to develop alternative precision navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities, a government watchdog noted in a new report, saying that could lead to trouble down the road. The U.S. military and civilians alike rely on GPS for navigation and other tasks, but […] → Read More
New $1B arms package for Ukraine includes munitions that can shoot down cruise missiles, drones
A new $1 billion security assistance package for Ukraine, announced by the Pentagon on Monday, includes munitions for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) that could be used to shoot down Russian cruise missiles, drones, and other military aircraft. The NASAMS, also known as the Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, is built by Norwegian […] → Read More