TUCSON, Ariz. Raytheon reports that its StormBreaker smart weapon has been approved by the U.S. Navy for operational use on the F/A-18-E/F Super Hornet strike fighter. 

The modular open systems approach (MOSA) mandated by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in 2019 for all new programs and upgrades has been embraced by all the services, including the U.S. Navy, which produced a MOSA Guidebook on how and why to implement MOSA. In this interview I conducted with Jason Thomas, Systems Engineering Lead for the Department of the Navy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, Test and Engineering, at the September 2025 MOSA Industry & Government Summit, we discussed the guidebook, the current momentum of MOSA strategies, and the benefits of MOSA from a systems-engineering perspective. We also explored common misconceptions regarding MOSA, metrics for measuring MOSA success, and what Thomas would like to see from industry regarding MOSA. Edited excerpts follow.

HUDSON, N.H. BAE Systems and the U.S. Navy agreed on a new five-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to supply APKWS laser-guidance kits that will equip the U.S. military with tens of thousands of additional low-cost precision munitions. The contract has a maximum value of $1.7 billion, with an initial $322 million order.

AUSTIN, Tex. Autonomous-systems maker Saronic agreed to a $392 million production contract with the U.S. Navy to accelerate the delivery of autonomous surface vessels (ASVs), making the deal one of the Navy's largest OTA [Other Transaction Authority] agreements for maritime uncrewed systems.

ORLANDO, Fla. Lockheed Martin won a $233 million firm-fixed-price contract to deliver IRST21 Block II systems -- which the company describes as a passive, long-range sensor system used on fighter jets that uses infrared search and track technology to detect and track airborne threats -- to the U.S. Navy and Air National Guard.

SAN DIEGO. Small uncrewed surface vessel (sUSV) startup Seasats has signed a contract with the U.S. Navy -- reported as an SBIR Phase 3 indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract with a ceiling of $89 million -- to deliver its Lightfish USVs to the Marine Corps. 

SAN DIEGO. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) reports that it entered into a contract with the U.S. Navy to develop conceptual designs for a Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) that is modular and carrier-capable. GA-ASI did not disclose the value or timeline of the work, nor the date of the contract.