Author: Michael

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded Sikorsky a $6 million contract to integrate an autonomous flight system onto the Army’s UH-60M Black Hawk to experiment with AI-enabled operations, the company announced Monday.
The Lockheed Martin-subsidiary will add its MATRIX autonomy system onto the upgraded helicopter, designated MX, in 2025, allowing the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) to test and mature a range of autonomous flight capabilities — from solo-pilot ops to fully unmanned flight, according to a press release.

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Sales and marketing are two of the biggest hurdles founders face when growing their businesses. Many founders are strong in their craft but often need help communicating what makes their product or service stand out. Over the last two months, I’ve had the privilege of working with over 15 founders, and nearly all of them shared a common issue: their messaging was overloaded with features and technical jargon instead of focusing on clear, customer-driven benefits. It’s easy to fall into this trap—after all, you know your product best.

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The AIM-9 Sidewinder is the most-used air-to-air missile fielded by Western and Western-aligned militaries. Over 110,000 have been produced. According to the current manufacturer, Raytheon, the Sidewinder has scored an estimated 270 kills. On October 10, 2024, Raytheon announced that it was awarded a $736 million contract to produce AIM-9X missiles.
An F-104 Starfighter engages a QF-80 target drone with an AIM-9 Sidewinder at China Lake (Public Domain)
Developed at the U.S.

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In the wake of Hurricane Helene, much of upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina was left without power. Duke Energy linemen worked tirelessly to restore power after the storm. On October 4, 2024, the energy company announced that over 2.16 million customers in the Carolinas had their power restored; this includes the Asheville VA Medical Center in North Carolina. Power was restored to the hospital by two linemen, including an Air Force veteran, who hiked nearly two miles through debris and rough terrain to reach the facility.

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Soldiers will now see $240 per month for operational duty pay when they are on deployments, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth announced Monday. Soldiers on an “operational” deployment for more than 60 days will be eligible for a flat $240 additional pay, regardless of rank. Eligibility is retroactive to Oct. 1, Wurmoth said. 
“This will be something that we will offer to our soldiers for the foreseeable future,” Wormuth said, adding that the payments are being implemented “both to recognize the hardship of being away from families but also the rigors of deployment.

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