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The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Autonomous warfare in Operation Sindoor
Launched in early May, in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor marks a historic milestone, in which Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) played a primary role in direct military combat between two nuclear-armed neighbours, signalling an uncharted era of drone-centric warfare in South Asia. Over four days of hostilities, both sides effectively rewrote their rules of engagement, ushering in a 'new normal' of airborne deterrence without pilots, but with autonomous platforms, armed drones and loitering munitions, all operating below the threshold of a full-scale war, and shaping a calibrated, escalation-managed conflict. In the 48 hours preceding Operation Sindoor, Israeli Heron MK-II and indigenously designed TAPAS-BH-201/ Rustom-II-Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are believed to have flown deep into Pakistani airspace to gather electronic and signals intelligence and thermal signatures of suspected Islamist terror camps. Thereafter, from May 7 onwards, after the Indian Air Force (IAF) attacked nine targets inside Pakistan, both sides employed a broad spectrum of UAS — from ISR UAVs to armed drones, kamikaze loitering munitions, electronic decoys and quadcopters — as dual-purpose tools for real-time intelligence gathering and precision strikes. And as this drone war intensified, both countries sought to dominate the battlespace through persistent aerial surveillance by mapping out enemy air defences, missile batteries, command centres, troop clusters and logistical nodes. Decoy drones too were widely employed to spoof radars, 'bait' air defence systems and exhaust interceptors, minimising risk to manned assets, before ceasefire ensued on May 10. India's array of aerial systems In the intervening period, India claimed to have downed some 600 Pakistani drones, releasing intercepted footage and wreckage to reinforce its assertions in a high-stakes information war, paralleling the kinetic exchanges. Pakistan, in turn, alleged that 300–400 Indian drones had unsuccessfully targeted its military and strategic infrastructure, before being shot down. India has neither confirmed nor denied these avowals, citing Operation Sindoor's enduring operational status for its silence. Open-source intelligence and drone-tracking data, meanwhile, revealed that India's offensive against Pakistan featured a diverse UAS inventory. It was spearheaded by indigenously developed loitering munitions like the GPS-guided Nagastra-1 and Israeli-origin Harop drones, capable of autonomously homing in on enemy radar systems. To overwhelm Pakistan's air defences, India also deployed swarm drone formations developed jointly by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and private contractors to create radar clutter, trigger premature defensive responses and saturate surveillance networks. Priority targets included ammunition depots, Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) batteries, radar sites, and forward operating bases. The strikes were delivered in carefully sequenced waves. Initial sorties deployed decoy drones and electronic warfare payloads to saturate radar coverage and provoke early, albeit futile SAM launches. These were followed by precision loitering munitions and armed UAVs, guided in real-time by Heron MK IIs and TAPAS-BH-201/ Rustom-IIs. Quadcopters and micro-UAVs played a critical role in relaying live ISR feeds and target acquisition data via the Army's Integrated Battle Management System (IBMS) to forward units, ensuring dynamic targeting and reaction. Notably, media reports claimed that India's drone strikes disrupted a cricket match in Rawalpindi, forcing a stadium evacuation due to air defence alarms. Another significant Harop strike, reportedly destroyed a Chinese-supplied HQ-9 air defence system near Lahore, delivering both a psychological blow and a strategic setback to Pakistan's layered air defence shield. Consequently, military analysts noted that India's overwhelming use of varied UAS to deliver calibrated, cross-border strikes without risking manned aircraft, represented the emerging regional model of deterrence. They said it also visibly showcased India's growing competence in autonomous, cost-effective, and networked warfare, demonstrating a significant shift in the balance of aerial power in South Asia. Pakistan's retaliation Pakistan, for its part, in its reactive Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos (wall of lead), deployed a range of UAS, including its indigenously developed Shahpar (feather)-II MALE UAVs, armed Burraq (lightening) drones, Turkish-origin Bayraktar TB2s, and Chinese-supplied CH-4 and Wing Loong II platforms. These assets were complemented by CH-901 and WS-43 loitering munitions from China and domestically produced kamikaze drones, launched at multiple targets across a 1,500-kilometre expanse, stretching from Kashmir in the north to Bhuj in the west. While the Shahpar-IIs, TB2s, and Wing Loong IIs primarily conducted ISR missions — streaming real-time imagery of Indian troop concentrations, artillery positions, and logistics depots — Pakistan's loitering munitions targeted radar stations, forward operating bases and critical Army and IAF command nodes in the northern and western sectors. However, these attacks were effectively neutralised by India's robust, multi-tiered air defence grid, inflicting minimal or no damage at all. Strategic urban and military infrastructure hubs — including Jammu, Pathankot and Amritsar in Punjab, Bikaner and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, and Bhuj in Gujarat — too were frequently targeted. But despite the density of these assaults, India's integrated air defence network —comprising layered radar coverage, SAM batteries, automated threat-response mechanisms, and upgraded Cold War-era legacy platforms and systems — mitigated damage, preventing disruption. India's multi-layer air defence system Pakistan repeatedly sought to probe and bring to heel India's Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) — its air defence nerve centre — by launching drones via varied routes, altitudes and diverse timings, to disrupt its communication nodes and forward-deployed command centres, albeit unsuccessfully. The IACCS fuses surveillance inputs from ground-based radars, airborne early warning and control platforms, satellites, and other sensors into a centralised but distributed command-and-control network. It integrates with SAM systems and fighter aircraft, enabling the rapid detection, tracking, and interception of low-altitude threats, including UASs. Its built-in mechanisms ensured continuity of operations, even if any individual nodes were damaged, jammed or destroyed. Pakistan attempted to overload the IACCSs radar coverage, confuse response loops, and expose vulnerabilities for follow-on drone or missile strikes. However, military officials confirmed the IACCS's core network remained intact, with all and any temporary disruptions swiftly mitigated through alternate data links and pre-positioned mobile radars. Analysts further noted the system's 'mesh' architecture allowed seamless failovers when nodes were hit, with satellite uplinks and mobile platforms sustaining full situational awareness. The IACCS also displayed its Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) capability in which high-powered lasers or microwaves, via a real-time network, detected, tracked and neutralised airborne threats like drones speedily. Complementing the IACCS at the tactical level was the Akashteer (Sky Arrow) air defence control and reporting system, developed by Bharat Electronics Limited, which provided a digitised command layer for Army Air Defence units, enabling seamless coordination between sensor units and weapon platforms. Designed to rapidly disseminate targeting data and manage low-level threats — including UAVs — it ensured that frontline SAM units could engage targets with minimal delay, even under electronic warfare or communication stress. The accompanying air defence shield was built around a layered architecture combining retrofitted legacy Low-Level Air Defence (LLAD) systems with advanced missile platforms in an unparalleled innovative mix that remains a hallmark of the Indian military's improvisation. Ingeniously upgraded with radar-directed fire capability and electro-optical sights, Cold War-era systems from the early 1960s, comprised the LLAD network for close-in protection against drones. These included Pechora and OSA-AK SAM systems and ZSU-23-4 Shilka, ZU-23-2 twin barrel 23mm anti-aircraft (AA) guns from Soviet times, and the L/70 Bofors 40mm AA platform dating back to the 1940s. Army and Border Security Force snipers too were part of the LLAD structure, shooting down numerous incoming drones in Jammu, Punjab and Rajasthan. These 'heirloom' LLAD platforms were supplemented by the Israeli SPYDER short and medium-range air defence missile system using Python-5 and Derby missiles for point defence against UAVs, cruise missiles, and aircraft. A new kind of war The domestic Akash and Akash-NG (New Generation) missile system provided medium-range coverage, while the long-range Barak-8, jointly developed with Israel, defended high-value assets and strategic nodes from aircraft, drones, and ballistic/cruise missiles. These were all backed by Russia's Almaz-Antey S-400 'Triumf' self-propelled surface-to-air missile system — renamed Sudarshan Chakra — one the world's best, of which India had acquired five units for $5.5 billion in October 2018 and, so far, taken delivery of three. All these systems were centrally integrated through the IACCS, enabling coordinated, real-time responses and full-spectrum aerial threat mitigation. In conclusion, Operation Sindoor was not merely a skirmish; it was a seismic shift in which two nuclear-armed rivals stepped into the age of autonomous warfare, where deterrence is digital, and dominance is algorithmic. And as the smoke subsides, one truth remains: the next war will not begin with a soldier's charge, but with the silent whir of drones in the sky. Rahul Bedi is a veteran journalist based in New Delhi and Chandigarh specialising in military, defence and security matters.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Army To Retire All Of Its Turboprop Surveillance Planes By The End Of The Year
The U.S. Army says it is on schedule to retire the last of its turboprop-powered intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft by the end of this year. Prior to the start of these divestments in 2022, the service had dozens of crewed turboprop ISR planes spread across units in the United States and forward deployed overseas. There continue to be questions about forthcoming capability and capacity gaps, with business jet-based replacement aircraft still years away from entering service and recent reports that the Army could ultimately buy just six of them. 'The divesture of the AISR [aerial ISR] legacy fleet is ongoing and will continue throughout 2025,' a spokesperson for the Army's Program Executive Office for Aviation (PEO-A) confirmed to TWZ. 'The RC-12X, MC-12, and EO-5 fleets will be divested by the end of 2025. The divestment of the legacy AISR fleet has been ongoing since 2022.' The RC-12X, also known as the Guardrail Common Sensor (GRCS), is a twin-engine Beechcraft King Air-based ISR aircraft equipped with a signals intelligence (SIGINT) package and a ventral sensor turret with electro-optical and infrared full-motion video cameras. The RC-12X is the latest in a line of Guardrail variants with steadily improving capabilities, the first of which entered service in the 1970s and were staples during the Cold War. Prior to 2022, the Army had 14 GRCS aircraft, plus five RC-12X(T) pilot trainers with no sensors fitted. Also known as the Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System (EMARSS), the Army's MC-12S planes first began entering service in the 2010s. The fleet is an amalgam of additional Beechcraft King Air types with a variety of sensor configurations, including still and full-motion video cameras, radar and laser imaging systems, and SIGINT suites, as you can read more about here. The bulk of the 24 EMARSS aircraft had previously supported U.S. military operations on a contractor-owned and operated basis. It is unclear how many EO-5C Airborne Reconnaissance Low-Multifunction (ARL-M) aircraft, also known by the program name Crazy Hawk, were still in service by 2022 when the aerial ISR divestment process started. The Army had eight of the aircraft, which are based on the four-engine de Havilland Canada DHC-7, or Dash-7, in inventory at least as of 2015. Originally designated as RC-7Bs, the ARL-Ms first began entering service in the late 1990s. The Army had previously planned to replace the EO-5Cs with RO-6A Airborne Reconnaissance Low-Enhanced (ARL-E) aircraft based on the more modern twin-engine de Havilland Canada DHC-8, or Dash-8. Just like the EMRASS fleet, a number of the ARL-Es had already been providing ISR support through private contractors before the Army acquired them. The service retired the RO-6As back in 2022. 'The AISR mission continues to use legacy aircraft until fully divested with Contractor Owned, Contractor Operated (COCO) aircraft bridging the gap until [the] High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) is operational,' the PEO-A spokesperson also told us. ' The COCO aircraft are Airborne Reconnaissance and Targeting Exploitation Multi-Mission Intelligence System (ARTEMIS), Airborne Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare System (ARES), and Army Theater Level High-Altitude Expeditionary Next-Generation ISR aircraft (ATHENA).' The forthcoming HADES aircraft, now designated the ME-11B, as well as the ARES and ATHENA contractor-operated types, are all based on Bombardier Global 6000/6500 business jets. The ARTEMIS planes are based on Bombardier's Challenger 600 series. The transition to business jet-based ISR platforms has been the Army's stated plan for years now. In general, compared to turboprop types, jet ISR aircraft offer increased range and speed, allowing them to reach operating areas further away, do so faster, and stay on stay on station longer. Those capabilities allow them to be more readily transferred from one area to another, as well. The added performance could be particularly valuable for future operations across the broad expanses of the Indo-Pacific region. In addition, thanks to higher operating ceilings, they can provide a better perch for sensors to 'see' from. The Army has also presented all of this as helping to reduce vulnerability to increasingly more capable threat air defenses. The exact mix of sensors found on the ARTEMIS, ARES, and ATHENA aircraft is unclear, as is the planned configuration for the ME-11B. The HADES package will at least include Raytheon's active electronically scanned array (AESA) Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar System-2B (ASARS-2B). ASARS-2B, work on which first began as an upgrade for the U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane, can produce synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, which are highly detailed ground maps, and has ground moving target indicator (GMTI) functionality to spot and track vehicles on the ground. GMTI data can be used for various intelligence purposes, including establishing patterns of life or targeting, as well as be overlaid on top of SAR and other imagery to help refine collection areas. The ME-11B is also shaping up to be much more than just a traditional ISR aircraft, with its capabilities also set to include the ability to launch drones, potentially with ranges up to 1,000 miles. HADES might be able to launch electronic and cyber warfare attacks, as well. 'While HADES is expected to rapidly deploy and provide deep-sensing capabilities, the task force is learning the aircraft could provide even more capability than it initially imagined, including the ability to disable enemy space-based capabilities,' Defense News reported earlier this month, but did not elaborate. The 'task force' referred to here is the Army's Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Task Force. Andrew Evans, the ISR Task Force's director, had spoken to Defense News and other reporters about plans for HADES and other developments at the Army Aviation Association of America's (AAAA) Mission Solutions Summit on May 15. 'We are committed to building HADES in a way that unlocks maximum value for Army and Joint forces operating anywhere on the globe, including USINDOPACOM [U.S. Indo-Pacific Command] as the priority theater,' Evans subsequently told TWZ in a statement. 'The manner in which we will interact with and affect adversarial capabilities operating in the land, sea, space, and cyber domains remains classified.' Overall, the Army is certainly presenting HADES as a major upgrade over its existing crewed turboprop ISR aircraft, but the first of the jets are not currently expected to enter service until 2027 at the earliest. In addition, serious questions remain about what the future ME-11B fleet will ultimately offer, not least of which due to its planned size. The service has said in the past that it could buy at least 12 of the jets, and potentially as many as 14 to 16. However, reports earlier this month, citing an internal Army memo, say that number could be slashed to just six as part of a larger force structure shakeup. Just how survivable the non-stealthy ME-11Bs would really be during a future high-end fight, such as one in the Pacific against China, remains an open question, as well. The jets still have to be able to get close enough to designated target areas to bring their sensors to bear, and available line of sight could be a further limiting factor. The aircraft also have to remain on station for at least some amount of time to gather useful data, making them a prime target. The air defense threat ecosystem continues to evolve and expand, and the U.S. Air Force has said that it could include anti-air missiles with ranges of up to 1,000 miles by 2050. In the meantime, there continues to be significant demand across the U.S. military for aerial ISR support in hotspots where the airspace is largely permissive, especially in Africa and Latin America. There are also a variety of peacetime surveillance requirements, including on the Korean Peninsula and in Europe. Army turboprop surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft have historically played a major role in meeting these kinds of demands. Aerial ISR has been a major component of stepped-up U.S. military support along the southern border with Mexico since President Donald Trump took office in January. U.S. Air Force RC-135V/W Rivet Joints and U-2 Dragon Ladies, and U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidons – all far higher-end platforms than the Army's turboprop ISR fleets – along with MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk drones, have been employed on border surveillance missions in recent months. The Army's aerial ISR divestments also come at a time when U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is moving to cut its own fleets of U-28A Draco and MC-12-type turboprop ISR aircraft. SOCOM does plan to leverage the resources freed up by retiring the U-28As and the MC-12s to help field its new OA-1K Skyraider IIs, but has stressed it does not see the new light attack aircraft as direct replacements for the ISR types. This has raised separate questions about ISR capability and capacity gaps, which the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a Congressional watchdog, is now notably scrutinizing. It is worth noting that the Army's future aerial ISR vision includes a mix of other capabilities beyond crewed fixed-wing aircraft, including high-altitude balloons and very high-flying drones with extreme endurance. The service has also been investing in new types of smaller and shorter-ranged drones for more localized surveillance and reconnaissance tasks. There is also a broader move across the U.S. military to push a variety of surveillance and reconnaissance functions that have traditionally been performed by aircraft into space, with a number of at least prototype systems already in orbit. As has been done for years, the Army could use contractors to fill any new capacity gaps. Private companies that provide aerial ISR services might seek to acquire the aircraft the Army is now divesting. The planes could also go to other U.S. government agencies, such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which operate similar types. 'The Army will scale capability solutions to match the threats and demands voiced by Army and Joint Force commanders around the world. Today we are demonstrating the ability to generate transformational sensing capability at a volume and velocity that holds our adversaries at-risk anywhere in the world, in any weather, any time,' Army ISR Task Force Director Evans also told TWZ in response to a question about concerns about future ISR capacity gaps. 'The way we deliver on that commitment in the coming years may evolve, but our approach will always remain THREAT informed and SOLDIER-focused. We will ruthlessly prioritize investments to ensure that our Soldiers have this level of support when they need it most. Lethality starts with Intelligence, and the future of our nation depends on it.' If nothing else, the Army is now on track to see an end to an era by the close of this year with the complete retirement of its remaining RC-12X, MC-12S, and EO-5C aircraft. Contact the author: joe@
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Space-tech companies get an opening as India seeks more eyes in the sky
After Operation Sindoor , there is a growing push to enhance India's satellite-based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), Director General of the Indian Space Association (ISpA), told ET that while India currently operates around 10–11 defence satellites , mostly from the Cartosat and RISAT series which are one of the bests—"revisit times are long," and there is an urgent need for more satellites to ensure persistent coverage. "The Space Based Surveillance (SBS-III) program is critical, but with a 4–5 year timeline, there's pressure to fast-track it and reduce dependence on foreign or commercial satellite data after the escalations between the two countries," Bhatt said who was also former director general of military operation (DGMO), who oversaw the Doklam crisis. He added that the upcoming 52 satellites under SBS-III will be owned and operated by India, offering real-time access to imagery from both low Earth and geostationary orbits. The private sector will play a big role in the surveillance program as 31 satellites will be made by three firms. The remaining 21 will come from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Experts said accurate satellite imagery plays a critical role in identifying enemy locations, planning operations, and confirming if the target has hit the intended spot. It serves as a reliable layer of intelligence even during active conflicts, complementing drones and ground-based radars, they explained.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Space-tech companies get an opening as India seeks more eyes in the sky
After Operation Sindoor , there is a growing push to enhance India's satellite-based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), Director General of the Indian Space Association (ISpA), told ET that while India currently operates around 10–11 defence satellites , mostly from the Cartosat and RISAT series which are one of the bests—"revisit times are long," and there is an urgent need for more satellites to ensure persistent coverage. "The Space Based Surveillance (SBS-III) program is critical, but with a 4–5 year timeline, there's pressure to fast-track it and reduce dependence on foreign or commercial satellite data after the escalations between the two countries," Bhatt said who was also former director general of military operation (DGMO), who oversaw the Doklam crisis. He added that the upcoming 52 satellites under SBS-III will be owned and operated by India, offering real-time access to imagery from both low Earth and geostationary orbits. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Air conditioners without external unit. (click to see prices) Air Condition | Search Ads Search Now Undo ETtech The private sector will play a big role in the surveillance program as 31 satellites will be made by three firms. The remaining 21 will come from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Live Events Experts said accurate satellite imagery plays a critical role in identifying enemy locations, planning operations, and confirming if the target has hit the intended spot. It serves as a reliable layer of intelligence even during active conflicts, complementing drones and ground-based radars, they explained. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Army halves spy plane fleet before first takeoff
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The U.S. Army is planning to buy half the spy planes it had previously planned to procure, according to an executive order outlining initial plans of an Army secretary-directed transformation initiative. In the May 7 document obtained by Defense News, the order requests an implementation plan within 30 days on how the Army will adjust to build six High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System, or HADES, as opposed to buying 12 of such planes. A year ago, then-director of Army aviation Maj. Gen. Wally Rugen showed a slide during the Army Aviation Association of America's annual conference in Denver, Colorado, indicating the service planned to field 14 HADES aircraft by 2035. While the executive order appears to represent a slash to the program, 'We never had a defined number in any document about how many HADES we were going to build,' Andrew Evans, Army Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Task Force director, told reporters in a Thursday briefing at the AAAA conference in Nashville, Tennessee. 'We will build to the condition of the threat. We will build to the conditions of the budget,' he said. 'What the Army is committed to is this mission of deep sensing. How many systems we need in the future will be a decision for the future based on the threat that we think that we're going to face.' While the Army is still in the early planning process for the program, any potential decision on the number of aircraft is 'not going to change a single thing about the capacity or capability that we're delivering,' Evans said. Sierra Nevada Corporation won an Army contract to serve as the lead system integrator for the HADES program in August 2024. The award for HADES integration work covers a 12-year period worth $93.5 million initially and potentially up to $944.3 million. HADES is the service's effort to overhaul existing fixed-wing aircraft that perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, missions. The service has retired roughly 70 aircraft — its entire ISR fleet — recently divesting its last legacy aircraft. And while HADES is expected to rapidly deploy and provide deep-sensing capabilities, the task force is learning the aircraft could provide even more capability than it initially imagined, including the ability to disable enemy space-based capabilities and carry launched effects. The Army is using a large-cabin business jet, the Bombardier Global 6500, as the airframe for the spy plane. The service awarded Bombardier a contract in December for one aircraft, with an option to buy two more over a three-year period. Buying more or less aircraft will not cause unit cost to grow or reduce because they are produced by hand by craftsmen at Sierra Nevada, Col. Joe Minor, the Army's project manager for fixed-wing aircraft, said. Sierra Nevada already has the first prototype aircraft delivered from Bombardier and is working in the integration piece prior to delivering the platform to the Army in September 2026, followed by a second prototype in mid-2027. The Army has spent more than six years assessing ISR fixed-wing prototypes using high-speed jets to inform the HADES program. It began with the deployment of the Airborne Reconnaissance and Target Exploitation Multi-mission System, or Artemis, which has flown in the European theater near the Ukrainian border. Leidos built Artemis using a Bombardier Challenger 650 jet. The service then deployed its Airborne Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare System, or ARES, to the Pacific region in April 2022. L3Harris built the aircraft using a Bombardier Global Express 6500 jet. The Army is also building four more prototypes that will inform the requirements for the HADES program. The service chose Sierra Nevada and a MAG Aerospace and L3Harris team to deliver two jets each with spy technologies to advance long-range targeting plans. MAG and L3's prototypes use a Global 6500 with ISR sensors for the Army's radar-focused Athena-R effort, while Sierra Nevada is providing RAPCON-X for the service's signals intelligence-focused Athena-S project. RAPCON-X is also the basis for HADES. When the first HADES prototype is ready, the Army will deploy HADES for a limited period of time and then start building more aircraft as the early prototype remains deployed. Tim Owings, executive vice president for Sierra Nevada's Mission Solutions and Technologies business area, likened it to 'sudden-death playoffs.' 'We have to deliver prototype one. We deliver prototype one, and it delivers the value that we think this platform is going to provide. We think it becomes a no-brainer decision to add more quantities down the line,' Owings said. 'This is like a newlywed couple arguing whether they wanted to have a fourth child when they haven't had a first child, or a second child or a third child yet,' he said. 'Those are decisions that are down the road. They're reserved for our senior leaders, and we're working closely with industry partners to be able to manage that, but to freak out about what's going to happen in the future, it's probably a little bit unnecessary.'
