🔷 Lowdown 5.18.25

In That Number

1,000 miles

The Air Force revealed a graphic advertising the F-47 Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter’s combat radius of greater than 1,000 miles—nearly double that of the F-22.

It also stated the F-47 will be fielded between 2025 and 2029, though.

TRIVIA

In May 1942, a German U-boat torpedoed an American cargo ship just 30 miles off the US coast, exposing how vulnerable merchant vessels were, even in home waters. Which state's coast was the site of this attack?

A) California
B) Louisiana
C) New York
D) North Carolina

On the Radar

E-7A Wedgetail DOA? The Air Force's plan to buy 26 E-7A Wedgetails faces cancellation as FY26 budget talks heat up, and just as the program nears the first prototype’s flight. Critics argue space-based AMTI sensors—now in orbit—can do the job. Supporters say the E-7 is more than a sensor truck; it’s a battle manager that can “make sense and act.” But with the first delivery not until 2027, and tech moving fast, the clock may run out.

• The Merge’s Take: The E-7 was 10 years late to need, and the fleet wouldn’t field until 2032. By then, other countries (Australia & South Korea) operating the E-7 will likely have retired them. It still doesn’t answer the question about battle management, an area that is certain to play a role in the more complex systems, kill chains, and operational environments that lie ahead. Click here for the backstory on why it takes so long to build an E-7.

Army BizJet ISR pivot? The Army’s Bombardier Global 6500-based HADES spy jet hasn’t even been fielded yet, and the service is looking at slashing the fleet in half. The 14-jet number mentioned last year moved to 12, and now potentially just 6. For context, these 6 jets would replace the RC-12 Guardrail fleet (which had 40+ planes in service during the GWOT-era). The news comes as SNC's 6500-based RAPCON-X finished initial flight testing for prototype operations.

• The Merge’s Take: Army aviation is at an inflection point, but the good news is that leadership seems to be leaning hard into the paint. Modern sensors, software, and autonomy all point to a future with distributed sensing and organic ISR. To this point, the Army also announced it may use these jets to launch 1,000-mile+ launched effects to perform extensible ISR. But….the Army also says it's not set in stone because it's being politically driven.

Navy F/A-XX delayed? After reports that a decision was imminent, news broke that the Navy and Congress are battling the White House, which wants to delay the decision 3 years and use the ~$450M currently appropriated by Congress elsewhere. The F/A-XX program is intended to replace all F/A-18 variants, from single-seat F/A-18 Super Hornets to EA-18G Growlers, and is intended to be the ‘lead sled dog’ with the MQ-25 Stingray. Part of the issue is the funding commitment, but part of the issue is the lack of details on what comprises the Air Wing of the Future (AWOTF)—a forward-looking 2040 vision.

• The Merge’s Take: The Navy needs an ‘Air Wing of the Immediate Future.’ With the Super Hornet line expected to shut down in 2027, there needs to be a funded plan in place now to ensure there isn’t a force structure gap. So, that money can either go to buying more 4th-gen fighters or investing in a 6th-gen fighter. Indecision is a decision itself: A 3-year delay is a death sentence. Without funded work, Boeing and Northrop Grumman will shift their teams to revenue-generating programs, losing talent, continuity, and momentum. The Air Force recognized with its delay of its 6th-gen program, and funded both competitors with TMRR (Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction) contracts to keep the teams intact and employed. Pull the trigger on F/A-XX ASAP.

They Said It

“Two engines, because the F-35 has a single engine. … I don’t like single engines.”

— President Donald Trump hating on the F-16 and F-35 community.

j/k 😉

It was part of a larger remark about a twin-engine F-35 (F-55?) and a super F-22 of sorts. All inquiries to the Air Force and F-35 Joint Program Office were re-directed to the White House to address, a sign that maybe there is some confusion on what was said…

Fortunately, the internet came through with several entertaining twin-engine F-35 ideas.

Knowledge Bombs

• Venus Aerospace successfully completed the first US flight test of a Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE)

• The Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) tiltrotor will be designated the MV-75

• Sierra Space progressed testing of its R-GPS solution

• Poland is buying 10,000 Warmate loitering munitions

• DZYNE tested a turbine-powered longer-range autonomous cargo delivery system

• The US announced a $142B defense package for Saudi Arabia (few details at press)

• Australia became the first international partner to connect its F-35 simulators to Lockheed Martin’s distributed mission training

• X-Bow has raised an additional $35M in Series B funding ($105M total), led by Lockheed Martin (which also entered a strategic agreement for solid rocket motors)

• Lockheed Martin's Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) passed its production quality tests and is on path for full-rate production

• Raytheon was awarded $580M for Lot 5 production of the EA-18G Next-Gen Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB)

• Qatar signed a $3B deal to buy General Atomics MQ-9B drones ($2B) and Raytheon counter-UAS systems ($1B)

• The Pentagon’s Golden Dome missile defense effort is likely to exceed $500B

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ANSWER
B. A German U-boat torpedoed the SS Virginia in the Gulf of Mexico just off the coast of Louisiana as part of a broader offensive in the Gulf of Mexico targeting vital oil and cargo shipments. The surprise attack pushed the US to boost coastal defenses with convoys, air patrols, and anti-submarine warfare.