# How the Pentagon Is Buying Hypersonics Like Software

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-defense-tech-podcast-with-fexingo-government-contracting-aerospace-and-military-tech-7871833/how-the-pentagon-is-buying-hypersonics-like-software
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-defense-tech-podcast-with-fexingo-government-contracting-aerospace-and-military-tech-7871833/how-the-pentagon-is-buying-hypersonics-like-software.md
Podcast: [The Defense Tech Podcast with Fexingo: Government Contracting, Aerospace, and Military Tech](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-defense-tech-podcast-with-fexingo-government-contracting-aerospace-and-military-tech-7871833)
Published: 2026-06-15T07:56:31+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/business/the-defense-tech-podcast/episode-0052.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/business/the-defense-tech-podcast/episode-0052.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-defense-tech-podcast-with-fexingo-government-contracting-aerospace-and-military-tech-7871833/episodes/how-the-pentagon-is-buying-hypersonics-like-software
Duration seconds: 621

## Resource

The Pentagon's 2026 hypersonic weapons push has hit a wall: traditional cost-plus contracting is too slow for the speed of flight-test iteration. Lucas and Luna dig into the new 'Other Transaction Authority' experiment at the Missile Defense Agency — a $2.1 billion prototyping deal with three competing teams that lets engineers swap guidance software mid-contract. They discuss what this means for primes like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, why the model borrows from Silicon Valley's agile playbook, and whether a program that started in March 2026 can deliver an operational hypersonic interceptor by 2029. For defense entrepreneurs and operators, this is the acquisition reform to watch. #Hypersonics #Pentagon #MissileDefenseAgency #OtherTransactionAuthority #DefenseAcquisition #AgileDevelopment #LockheedMartin #NorthropGrumman #HypersonicInterceptor #Prototyping #DefenseContracting #MilitaryTech #GovernmentContracting #Aerospace #Business #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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## Transcript

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