SPACECOM To Tighten Ties To Japan 

WASHINGTON: Japan is on deck this year as the next US ally to formally tie a knot to Space Command, following in the footsteps of France and Germany. “SPACECOM is working on a memorandum of understanding for collaboration with Japan,” confirmed a spokesperson today.

Source: SPACECOM To Tighten Ties To Japan « Breaking Defense – Defense industry news, analysis and commentary

Automotive chip shortage may last all year

The automotive industry is in a quandary, faced with an ongoing chip shortage that is forcing OEMs to temporarily cut production and update financial and volume trajectories, demonstrating the potential to be a problem for the length of 2021, according to Phil Amsrud, senior principal analyst for automotive at IHS Markit.

Source: Automotive chip shortage may last all year | Electronics360

Apple Maintains Dominance in Global Smartwatch Market 

Impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, global smartwatch shipments in the fourth quarter of 2020 saw a slight year-on-year decrease to book an almost flat 2020, according to the latest Global Smartphone Shipments Tracker from Counterpoint Research.In a year where annual growth inched forward at only 1.5%, Apple maintained its solid number one position and increased its market share by 6 percentage points (pp), helping shift the overall market closer to the premium segment.

Source: Apple Maintains Dominance in Global Smartwatch Market – EE Times Asia

Semiconductor shortage halts auto factories 

Semiconductor executive Tom Caulfield knew a crisis was brewing when he started getting frantic calls from big automakers just before Christmas.“Tom, you’re killing me. You need to make more,” Caulfield, the chief executive of chipmaker GlobalFoundries, recalls the auto executives saying. “Ford, Volkswagen, BMW, Daimler-Benz, Fiat Chrysler, GM — every one of them became my new best friends.”

Source: Semiconductor shortage halts auto factories – The Washington Post

L3Harrris wins contract for support of ULA’s Vulcan Centaur

United Launch Alliance (ULA) has extended L3Harris Technologies’ (NYSE:LHX) contract to provide mission-critical avionics and related services in support of the Vulcan Centaur rocket for U.S. Space Force launches.

Source: Mission-Critical Avionics + Services For ULA’s Vulcan Centaur Contracted To L3Harris Technologies

NASA to release LandSat Next Earth-observation satellite imaging sensors solicitation in March

GREENBELT, Md. – U.S. space experts are making plans to ask industry to narrow-down choices for space sensor systems for a next-generation Landsat Earth-observation imaging satellite in the late 2020s with enhanced sensor capabilities.

Source: sensors Earth-observation Landsat Next | Military & Aerospace Electronics

Lockheed Martin Wins Space Contract 

In 2020, Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) received $123 billion in contract awards including awards which are optional in nature. With a change in administration, there’s some doubt about how defense budgets will develop going forward. We won’t directly see any big changes in financial results when there’s a transition in administration and weapon system acquisition tends to be a multi-year trajectory, so changes might actually not be as obvious as some expect, but it remains highly interesting to look at how contracts awards are developing.

Source: Lockheed Martin Wins Space Contract (NYSE:LMT) | Seeking Alpha

BAE Systems to Develop Advanced Military GPS Receivers and Chips

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa–(BUSINESS WIRE)–BAE Systems received a $247 million contract from the U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center to design and manufacture an advanced military GPS receiver and next-generation semiconductor. The technology will provide positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) capabilities to warfighters so they can execute missions in challenging electromagnetic environments.

Source: BAE Systems to Develop Advanced Military GPS Receivers and Chips | Business Wire

Stratford-based Sikorsky lands $1B contract for U.S. Air Force helicopter upgrades

A week after awarding Sikorsky $478 million to complete a fleet of “Marine One” helicopters for use by the White House, the Department of Defense signaled the Stratford manufacturer could see nearly $1 billion more to upgrade a fleet of helicopters.

Source: Stratford-based Sikorsky lands $1B contract for U.S. Air Force helicopter upgrades

Top-100 U.S. Defense Contractors FY 2020 

A detailed listing of the Top-100 U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) contractors in FY 2020 ranked by total amount of contract funds awarded.

Source: Top-100 U.S. Defense Contractors FY 2020 | FI AeroWeb

DoD Budget ‘Bloodletting’ Inches Closer To Reality 

WASHINGTON: The head of the House Armed Services influential seapower subcommittee just stepped closer to the position of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs that the Navy might be in line for a funding boost — and other services will have to pay the bill.

Source: DoD Budget ‘Bloodletting’ Inches Closer To Reality « Breaking Defense – Defense industry news, analysis and commentary

Boeing’s 4Q20 Results And 2021 Outlook Signals Inevitable Pullback 

Boeing (NYSE:BA) is a national treasure in terms of innovation and advanced technology, defense of the homeland, and export of American-made goods and services. The scope of its products and services is immense. They range from military and commercial aircraft, space launch and missile defense systems, satellites for communication and navigation, and Air Force One, a premier symbol of American prestige for U.S. President’s traveling abroad.

Source: Boeing’s 4Q20 Results And 2021 Outlook Signals Inevitable Pullback (NYSE:BA) | Seeking Alpha