Thomas (Ted) Payne

The USAF is rethinking NGAD’s integration w/ Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), focusing on autonomy, affordability & advanced control. Here’s how to leverage cutting-edge strategies to redefine next-gen air dominance. CRG’s SME-Based Opportunities, INTERIM Advice & Differentiators: Opp - Autonomous, Decentralized CCAs: Develop CCAs with AI-driven autonomy & decentralized control systems, enabling them to operate across multiple platforms without relying solely on NGAD. - Differentiator: This approach equips clients w/ adaptable, future-proof unmanned systems that reduce dependency on specific manned aircraft, enhancing flexibility and operational reach. Opp - Innovate Line-of-Sight Communications: Invest in laser-based & advanced RF technologies for reliable, secure CCA control in contested spaces, w/ redundancy & anti-jam features. - Differentiator: By mastering resilient comms, clients can offer solutions that ensure tight control under hostile conditions, setting them apart in mission-critical scenarios. Opp - Modular Design & Digital Engineering: Apply modular design principles & digital engineering to minimize development costs & accelerate production cycles through virtual prototyping & agile methodologies. - Differentiator: Clients using modular designs can quickly adapt to new requirements & reduce costs, offering high-performance solutions that meet stringent budget targets. Opp - Enhance Autonomous Decision-Making: Implement advanced AI for CCA autonomy, allowing mission continuity under predefined conditions even when comms are degraded or lost. - Differentiator: Clients stand out by providing CCAs that maintain effectiveness despite disruptions, delivering robust, adaptable solutions that meet USAF’s operational needs. Opp - Cross-Domain Synergy: Develop CCAs & NGAD w/in an integrated, network-centric approach for enhanced data sharing & collaborative targeting across air, space, cyber & ground assets. - Differentiator: Clients gain a strategic edge by delivering interconnected systems that amplify situational awareness & combat effectiveness across multiple domains. Opp - Explore Alternative Funding Models: Recommend modular upgrades, PPPs & agile acquisition strategies to manage costs & reduce financial risk. - Differentiator: Clients who adopt flexible funding approaches can spread development costs & secure more stable, long-term project funding, making their solutions more viable & attractive to USAF. By applying these advanced, innovative approaches, clients can lead in next-gen air dominance with NGAD and CCAs. CRG assists clients in executing these strategies, ensuring alignment with USAF’s evolving needs. Connect with us at crgroupinc.com I [email protected]. #CRG #NGAD #CCA #Aerospace #DefenseInnovation #DoD #USAF

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🌟 Meet our incredible members! This week, we’re shining the spotlight on Tom McDaniel from L3Harris Technologies. Tom discusses how DII has helped him and his organization. What is one way that you and your organization use DII? To me the most valuable part of DII is networking with other members offline using Member Connect and in-person during the annual Best Practices Forum (BPF) to share ideas and learn how others are implementing their respective ethics programs. Check out his full spotlight at www.dii.org #DIICommunity #ethicsandcompliance

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The Pentagon is seeking rapid, cost-effective solutions for one-way drones in contested, low-bandwidth environments—specifically for use in scenarios like Ukraine & Taiwan. With no cap on vendor involvement or spending limits, the field is wide open for new players. This is an opp for companies to supply the DoD with scalable, modular drone systems that support payload capacities up to 25 kg & travel distances over 50 km. CRG leadership has been winning & managing business in defense for over 30 years. We know your team is smart, but we are proven. We’ve established the networks, expertise, and built the KYC relationships decades ago, hitting the ground running long before your competitors. When it comes to securing contracts like this, we are the partner that can deliver, fast & effectively. Contact CRG today to lead your entry into the Pentagon’s drone initiative, securing high-value contracts with decades of expertise on your side. 👉 http://crgroupinc.com | [email protected] - Your Trusted Partner for Contract Success! #CRG #UAS #DoD #MilitaryContracts #ModularDrones #Drones #EW #UAV #AV #Replicator #DroneWarfare #DefenseTech #ElectronicWarfare #ReplicatorProgram #Innovation #DroneTech #Logistics #Aerospace #DoD #Pentagon #Ukraine #Taiwan #MissionReadiness #Warfighter

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Air Mercenaries: Retired F-16 Pilots may be eligible to fly for Ukraine under a proposed Flight-fight-win concept that will require a change to existing U.S. military and foreign policies amongst other hurdles. On aside…how is this different than offering former military the opportunity to fight on behalf of Ukraine? Does this make sense to you and is this in line with what the American people want? Who gets to decide? Let’s start a discussion and try to answer these or ask more questions.

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To all in the aviation community- I have a big announcement. I just launched my new business, Planedock.com. It’s an online aircraft listing site that allows aircraft owners to list their aircraft for sale themselves, using their computer, tablet, or smartphone. It has long been my belief after owning an aircraft charter operation and helicopter dealership that the current options for aircraft listing are either outdated, too expensive, full of ads and spam, don’t offer important features, or all of the above. Planedock is the result of these frustrations. With Planedock, you can create your own listing immediately, with any device. You can chat in real-time with buyers and sellers without listing any personal contact information on the public Internet. Planedock is a community of aviation professionals with profiles that allow you to vet your potential buyers/sellers so you don’t waste time on spam and window shoppers. It displays your listing for a flat monthly fee: a fair price with no tiers, frills, upgrades, or minimum time-period, a fee that is prorated on cancellation. No more paying hundreds for a multi-month listing only to sell your aircraft in a week! It is my goal to make Planedock.com the standard in aircraft listing, but I NEED YOUR HELP. Please share this, tell all your broker and aircraft owner friends about it. Let’s put the power of aircraft listing back in the hands of aircraft owners! Visit Planedock.com, become a Planedock Pro member, list your aircraft and build your profile today!

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This truly bothers me, where has our integrity and ethics gone? Our first obligation in any role we play is to the American Public and it is our duty to refuse to let it slide, or roll out the door if it is not right and built to spec. Most of the incidents involved life critical welds. What in the world are we doing? No job is more important than doing it right! Refuse to pass it on, run it up the chain of command; if they don’t want to listen to you, drag the hell up! Doing so will doing nothing but strengthen your career and build your reputation; plus it keeps you out of the pokey…   This at least the fourth time that I am aware of: First two instances were falsifying NDE being performed; third was a long term metallurgist falsifying MTRs and now craft putting out sub-par welds: sounds to me like they have big time management and communication problems! I seriously doubt any of the individuals involved did this on their own accord, without being encouraged to do so by supervisors trying to roll the ships out the doors. Also delineates individuals who have integrity in doing the right thing and ones who are just worried about drawing a pay check.   Our first accountability is to the American Public, do your job!

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Performance Defense CEO, Tim Bigelow, and President, Darren C., had some great engagements at #AFA's Air, Space, and Cyber Conference last week and look forward to seeing everyone again next year! While there were several talking points throughout the week surrounding the current state of aviation and space technologies, this panel discussion was a highlight. Read more on how the Air Force plans to embrace cyber as a weapon of war in this recap article: https://hubs.ly/Q02QDy4W0

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Small unmanned surface vehicles (sUSV) have been one of the priorities for the US Navy, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), United States Department of Defense Deputy Secretary Hicks, and Replicator with contracts recently awarded to a mix of mid-size, non-traditional, and venture-backed companies. According to Hicks, “Replicator is demonstrating from the top and across the enterprise how to deliver all kinds of capability at speed and scale.... What we’ve done in under 12 months can take seven-to-ten years.” In early 2020, Federal Budget IQ identified unmanned as a 10-year multi-billion-dollar national security policy and funding priority driven by the evolution of our National Defense Strategy, its increased focus on near-peer competitors, operational and staffing challenges, and budgetary realities. #defensetech #unmanned #susv #replicator #publicsectorforecast Chauncey Goss Maureen Holohan Becky Leggieri Cameron Leuthy Austin Smythe

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Heads Up...DoD News related to Architect - Engineering (AE) Services! (1) FINAL RULE Effective 8/26/2024 - DFARS Case 2024-D019 Architect and Engineering Service Fees. This rule changes DFARS to implement Section 2881 of the FY24 NDAA to increase the limitation of the contract price (i.e., "fee") for A-E services for the preparation and delivery of designs, plans, drawings, and specifications from 6% of the project's estimated construction cost to 10%. It is applicable to Army, Navy, and Air Force projects (references in 10 U.S.C. 7540,8612, and 9540). The new 10% limit replaces the 6% fee limitation on contract modifications for work not initially included in the contract and redesign, and applies only to that portion of the contract (or modification) price attributable to the preparation of designs, plans, drawings, and specifications. If a contract or modification also includes other services, the part of the price attributable to the other services is not subject to the fee limitation. (Personally, I've been waiting since the early 1990's for this percentage to change (and yes, I've been doing this THAT long). This makes it easier for small AE businesses to participate in the Federal space. So, YEA!) Permalink: https://lnkd.in/g7vF95R6 (2) PROPOSED RULE Comments due 9/27/2024 -- DFARS Case 2023-D007 Task Order and Delivery Order Contracting for Architectural and Engineering Services. This rules proposes a corresponding change to DFARS Subpart 216.5, Indefinite-Delivery Contracts, to require DoD Contracting Officers (KOs) to use qualification-based selections when awarding task orders and delivery orders for AE services that was previously implemented procedurally under FAR Subparts 16.500, 16.505, and 36.6 procedures in 2005 under the final rule for FAR Case 2004-001 Improvements in Contracting for Architect-Engineer Services. This proposed rule adds DoD-specific statutory guidance (10 U.S.C. 3406(h)(2)) to DFARS directing KOs not to request additional info regarding qualifications unless necessary to determine qualifications for a particular task order or delivery order under a multiple-award contract. There should be little to no impact from this proposed rule since there are no procedural changes, new clauses or provisions, and no new applicability in terms of thresholds or types of contracts. Permalink: https://lnkd.in/gwh2_38J

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Learn form the best with Rick Crawley of Achilles Heel Tactical, a proud partner of HOP Munitions. Accuracy & Time are two metrics that do not care who you are, what platform you run, what day of the week it is or what elements or circumstance you’re in. Seek training at https://bit.ly/3xtM8HV #accuracy #time #trainhard #commitment #tactical

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What do the top companies in the Silicon Valley Defense Group's NatSec 100 have in common?    Aside from their love of mission?   They are pros at Strategic Communications.   In the world of defense, telling your story can be the difference-maker between crossing the valley, and also-ran.   I went through their websites, pored over their social media accounts, scrutinized their press coverage -- and in partnership with Noah Sheinbaum and the crew at Front Door Defense, created this checklist that YOU can immediately put into action.   Don't leave money on the table!    Best of all? It’s totally free -- I’ve dropped a link in the comments.   Want to learn how to implement these practices? Join us for "Stories that Sell" - kicking off next week.    Questions? Drop 'em in the comments!

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Here we have 2 GLOCK, Inc. 19s & a #3DPrinted Ordnance Lab GLOK7, knock-off of a Glock 45 with a TacSol 22LR kit.   The left GLOCK GmbH is a Gen 2 former New York City Police Department service pistol, while the right one is a Gen 4 functioning as the host for my “GLOCK FOWTY” autosear (or “switch”). Both were made in #Austria & imported to the US as pistols. As pistols they had to conform to ATF's standards of “sporting purposes”. But once they’re imported, you do whatever you want with them so long as they remain handguns.   As a machine-gun, the host for the autosear can have any barrel-length or a stock without issue. The host is only a machine-gun as long as the auto-sear is in it. Remove the sear, it’s now a pistol & can’t have a stock.   But if I wanted to turn either into a Short-Barrel Rifle (SBR), I’d run into 922(r) issues. 922(r) prohibits the domestic assembly of non-importable shotguns & semi-auto rifles, unless it has enough American made parts. For either of these Austrian #Firearms to become a 922(r) compliant SBR, American parts would need to be substituted.   However, since the receivers were imported as pistols, even if it is registered with #ATF as an SBR, because it started life as a pistol, it automatically reverts to being a pistol when it no longer has the features making it into an SBR. When it is a pistol, 922(r) goes out the window. As an SBR, 922(r) attaches.   The GLOK7 is different in 2 ways.   Firstly, it started off as an SBR. A rifle cannot become a pistol, even if the design is nominally a handgun. For this particular pistol, without the stock attached, the weapon would still be classified as a rifle. With a barrel under 16” it is an SBR, even without the stock, because the receiver started as a rifle & can never be a pistol.   Ordnance Lab could have manufactured it as a pistol & then SBR’d it. But I wanted to be different, so it will always be a rifle, even if it isn’t set up as one. Since it is going into my personal collection & I have an FFL/SOT as sole-prop #ExpertWitness, I don’t have to worry about the $200 transfer tax a non-FFL would. It just means I have to leave it on my records as an FFL/SOT.   Secondly, it is an American origin SBR. 922(r) still attaches if I make it entirely from foreign parts. But this one is mostly made from US origin parts, so I don’t have to worry about 922(r).   Needless to say, ATF regulations are complex. I’m not a #Lawyer & none of this is #LegalAdvice. But I do regularly correct #Lawyers on #Compliance related matters. Ordnance & Energetics Consulting LLC can help you navigate ATF & #ITAR regulations for #Import, #Export, #Manufacturing & dealing of #Guns, #Explosives & #Ordnance. We work with #StartUps, #VentureCapital & other businesses in the #Defense space.   And for the record, Die Hard 2 (even with its Glock 7s) was garbage. It should be considered non-canonical & just John McClaine having bad dream, like every other Die Hard film except 1 & 3.

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Since Texas Machine-Gun & Ordnance is the country’s largest LMT Defense M203 40mm grenade-launcher distributor, we often get calls from #LawEnforcement & #Police departments about purchasing M203s for #LessLethal use. While an M203 can be pressed into a less-lethal role, it typically is a poor choice for such an application.   The M203 is designed to chamber & fire the 40x46mm cartridge. The grenade-launcher developed from the age-old problem of wanting to “blow thine enemies to tiny bits” when you are not close enough to “lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe”.   As a result, the M203 is an extraordinarily rugged & reliable weapon that you can issue to a knuckle-dragging infantryman who scored “potato” on the ASVAB, to use as a hammer for tent stakes & it will still function as a weapon. The ability to be mounted to an M16/M4 or other #Firearms, simplifies the issuing & employment of the launcher for #Military purposes.   But features which make it a great military weapon, also make it a poor LE weapon.   Firstly we have the “YouTube effect”, where trudging around with a “grenade-launcher” isn’t going to look very good on #SocialMedia. While a 40mm “less-lethal launcher”, such as the ALS launcher in the picture will chamber & fire any 40x46 munitions, it has a very different connotation than an M203. This is especially true if it is mounted to a rifle. Certain applications such as #SWAT where intimidation & ability to have both a lethal & less-lethal option on the same weapon is a desired effect, but that is an exception.   Next is the limited ability to accept certain type of less-lethal cartridges. Most all military 40mm rounds are 40x46mm. But civilian 40mm less-lethal rounds are often longer than 46mm. Due to the M203’s design, it is limited in how long of a 40mm round it can accept. So an M203 is often only able to fire baton & barricade penetrator rounds. For applications such as SWAT, this may not be a problem. But to really harness the capabilities of the 40mm, a break-action launcher has tangible advantages of not being limited by the length of rounds.   Finally we have cost. An M203 without a mounting system runs about 50% more than the ALS launcher which doesn’t need any mounting system & is ready to go out of the box. The LMT’s stand-alone M203 is a really slick system, but costs more than double what the ALS launcher costs.   Like the clerk at Ammu-Nation in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, “ain't my business what you do with it”, when an LE agency wants to spend money on suboptimal less-lethal weapons such as an M203. But there certainly are better options for LE use than the M203.

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Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is seeking industry feedback for a “Swarm Carrier” uncrewed aircraft system capable of launching from a C-130 and deploying drones of it own, according to a new notice published Wednesday. AFSOC eventually plans to seek input on drones in sizes between Group 2 and Group 3, Pentagon parlance for small- to mid-size UAS. One drone would be a Group 2 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) drone, which could be internally carried and launched by the Group 3 “Swarm Carrier.” The Swarm Carrier itself should be capable of launching as a palletized effect from a C-130. And a separate Group 3 drone would be “signature managed” — denoting stealth qualities that could hide it from detection — and deployed from a Group 5 UAS, the largest drone class, to act as a command node for a swarm and relay data back from a contested or denied environment.

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The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has awarded Lockheed Martin Sikorsky a contract award to study integrated platform concepts that could fulfill NATO’s next generation rotorcraft requirements through its Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) program. “Sikorsky is ready to design a rotorcraft prototype for NATO’s NGRC concept study to support defense and deterrence for an ever-changing global environment. Years of investment and rigorous flight testing with multiple X2 technology demonstrators have proven its ability to change the future airspace,” said Andrew Adams, vice president of Sikorsky Future Vertical Lift. Lockheed Martin Sikorsky’s European Industry Group includes Tier-1 aerospace suppliers, such as BAE Systems, ELT Group, ESG Elektroniksystem-und Logistik GmbH, GE Aerospace, Hellenic Aerospace Industry, Kongsberg, Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH, MAGroup, Malloy Aeronautics, SAFRAN, Rheinmetall and TERMA. This industry group will provide input as to how their world-class military products can support the X2 integrated platform concept approach to advance NATO’s capabilities and provide a next generation rotorcraft solution. Find out more 👉 https://lnkd.in/d_Eea4_r #NATO #NASPA #LockheedMartin #Sikorsky #NGRC #rotorcraft #helicopter #defence #aerospace #industry #technology #armedforces

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“Don’t meet your heroes” is great advice. It’s especially true for explosive ordnance.   Since Texas Machine-Gun & Ordnance is the country’s largest distributor for LMT Defense M203 40mm grenade-launchers, nearly every day we get asked “what about 40mm HE rounds?”.   While theoretically a private citizen could get them, the gritty details make it practically impossible. Same thing with grenades or RPGs.   While I personally own several grenades as private citizen, including live, fully functional ones, that’s only because thanks to Ordnance Lab & TXMGO, I have the infrastructure required to store them.   Assuming one has all the ATF licenses, the first challenge with explosive ordnance is finding someone to sell it to you. While not impossible, it is difficult. While I’m a money-grubbing, #FreeMarket fundamentalist with a fetish for #Capitalism; I don’t like getting sued.   So while we could presumably sell live #Ordnance to people, there’s no way we're going to make enough money to cover a lawsuit stemming from Darwin doing his thing, using #HighExplosives as bleach to cleanse the shallower end of the gene pool.   But if you do find someone to sell it to you, now you have to find a place to store it. While #ATF’s #Regulations on storing #Explosives aren’t that difficult with, state & local fire codes are a total party pooper. So you’re almost certainly going to have to have property out in the country where you can install a magazine.   Explosives don’t have to be in a magazine when “Being physically handled in the operating process of a licensee or user; Being used”, so one could argue that a live 40mm HE round or grenade used for #SelfDefense is always “being used” & so it doesn’t need to be in a magazine. But good luck with that.   But if you do have a way to store your 40mm HE round or grenade, or even somehow succeed in arguing that using it for self-defense exempts you from storage requirements, now you have to transport it somehow.   Transporting explosives is extremely complex & #DOT very much frowns upon transporting explosives without complying with the #Hazmat regulations Matthias Mackeprang loves so much. While there’s wiggle room for non-commercial intrastate transport of explosives in #Texas, most states are going to still require you to have a CDL & #HazardousMaterials #Insurance.   But if you somehow manage to get the #Logistics piece down, along with all the other stuff & finally get your hands on legit ordnance; odds are you’re going to end up like Marvin, the Martian saying “Where's the kaboom?! There's supposed to be an Earth-shattering kaboom!”   The reality is that while explosive ordnance is rather cool, it’s also not that impressive. Once you’ve played with it enough, there’s really not that much to it & you also appreciate how obscenely dangerous it is. Like most things humans yearn for, explosive ordnance is a thirst probably best left unquenched, lest you end up disappointed like Marvin with what it actually does.

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Yep no kidding - important facts folks should know that some would not want them to know. Our economy is the envy of the world - for now anyway. “The Biden-Harris administration today released numbers revealing that over the past four years, their policies have kick-started a boom in the creation of small businesses across the country. Since the administration took office, entrepreneurs have filed more than 20 million applications for new businesses, the most of any presidential term in history. This averages to more than 440,000 applications a month, a rate more than 90% faster than averages before the pandemic. Black business ownership has doubled, and Hispanic business ownership is up by 40% since before the pandemic. The administration encouraged that growth with targeted loans, tax credits, federal contracts, and support services. Small businesses are major job creators and employ about 47% of all private sector employees. “