President Donald Trump has threatened to decertify Canadian-made commercial jets, drawing attention to the potential impact on military contracts. The move may affect military aircraft in service or future acquisitions, including those used by the US Air Force and Army.
The Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has purchased another Bombardier Global 6500 aircraft intended for transformation into a non-prototype aircraft for the Army's High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) program of record. According to Breaking Defense, this purchase signals SNC is ahead of schedule in its delivery of HADES aircraft, per a company release.
Defense contractor Sierra Nevada Corporation and autonomy software firm Applied Intuition have announced a strategic partnership to develop autonomous weapon systems with an initial focus on air defense capabilities. The collaboration aims to integrate SNC's Expeditionary Air Defense Systems with Applied's autonomous vehicle software, enabling unmanned deployment and operation of air defense platforms.
The National Reconnaissance Office has awarded the first three contracts under its Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) program for commercial imagery providers. HEO, SatVu, and Sierra Nevada Corporation were selected to provide up-close imagery, thermal imaging, and radio-frequency geolocation data.
The US Army has released a request for information for up to 11 business jets to be used for its High Altitude Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) program, which aims to provide advanced surveillance capabilities. The RFI was published on January 22 and seeks aircraft that can operate between 41,000 and 51,000 feet above sea level.