August 21, 2024 | International, Land
How a 1950s-era law has become a flashpoint for the US arms industry
A Pentagon push into biomanufacturing, by way of the Defense Production Act, has opened a debate about where U.S. priorities should lie.
April 17, 2020 | International, Aerospace
A key milestone of the Air Force One replacement program was conducted using virtual tools. It won’t be the last.
By: Valerie Insinna
WASHINGTON — The Air Force One replacement program has hit a major development milestone, and it did so without the in-person meetings that have become more risky in the age of the novel coronavirus, the U.S. Air Force's top acquisition official said on Thursday.
The Air Force recently completed the critical design review for the Presidential Aircraft Replacement program, which will replace the legacy VC-25A Air Force One planes with a new variant of the Boeing 747-8 known as the VC-25B.
Although the classified portions of the review still must be done via face-to-face meetings in secure spaces, much of it was accomplished using virtual tools and applications, said Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics.
“I was really excited that the team was able to shift their CDR [critical design review] and go virtual,” he told reporters in an April 16 teleconference, adding that more programs will shift toward using virtual meetings to conduct key reviews and milestones even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.
“I don't know if it makes any sense to do CDRs, at least at an unclassified level, outside of tools like this. And we're working really hard to provide the same capabilities at the secret level,” he said.
While Roper did not detail which communication tools were used by the program office to conduct the CDR, he described it as being very similar to widely used applications like Zoom, where the briefer can share PowerPoint slides and participants can share thoughts and questions via a written chat function.
“It allows a greater level of productivity than a meeting itself,” he said. “In meetings, you have someone speaking and you want to get a question in, but you've got to wait for them to stop, and then everyone else wants to ask a question. It's hugely inefficient. It's just such an antiquated way of sharing information that is ingrained in us.”
The Air Force One replacement drew considerable attention in 2016 after then-President-elect Donald Trump tweeted that the program was too expensive at more than $4 billion and should be canceled. After Trump held numerous meetings with Dennis Muilenburg, who led Boeing at the time, the Air Force awarded Boeing a $3.9 billion contract to modify two 747s into VC-25B jets.
However, once all costs are included — such as buying a new hangar for the aircraft and the base cost of the 747s themselves — the Air Force will pay $5.3 billion, according to Defense One. That expense includes an $84 million contract awarded to Boeing on Wednesday to modify Boeing 747 technical specifications and manuals to the VC-25B configuration.
Roper doesn't project any schedule delays to the program as a result of COVID-19, which has pummeled prime contractor Boeing's commercial business and caused a temporary pause to certain defense production lines.
In February, Boeing began modifying the two 747s slated to become VC-25Bs at its facility in San Antonio, Texas. During the first part of the process, Boeing will cut out large pieces of the aircraft's skin and structure and replace that with two specially designed “superpanels,” according to an Air Force release. The VC-25Bs will also receive upgrades including enhanced electrical power, specialized communication systems, a medical facility, a customized executive interior and autonomous ground operations capabilities.
The new Air Force Ones are expected to be operational in 2024.
On the same subject
-
-
December 4, 2023 | International, Land
EU lawmakers finalize tough cyber security rules
PLUS: Montana TikTok ban ruled unconstitutional; Dollar Tree employee data stolen; critical vulnerabilities
-
August 14, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - August 13, 2019
AIR FORCE DTH Corp., Newport News, Virginia (FA4830-19-D-A002); S&W Sales and Service LLC, Fort Valley, Georgia (FA4830-19-D-A003); Artesian Contracting Company Inc., Albany, Georgia (FA4830-19-D-A004); Pyramid Contracting LLC, Irmo, South Carolina (FA4830-19-D-A005); A.C. Blount Concrete Service Inc., Moultrie, Georgia (FA4830-19-D-A006); Veterans South Contracting LLC, Tuskegee, Alabama (FA4830-19-D-A007); Nisou LGC JV LLC, Detroit, Michigan (FA4830-19-D-A008); Precision 2000 Inc., Atlanta, Georgia (FA4830-19-D-A009); and Standard Contractors, Valdosta, Georgia (FA4830-19-D-A010), have been awarded a not-to-exceed $225,000,000 multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for multi-discipline construction task orders. Work will be performed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia; and Avon Park Range, Sebring, Florida, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 12, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 40 offers were received. Operations and maintenance funds will be applied to individual task orders as needed. The 23d Contracting Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Florida, has been awarded a $99,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) foreign military sales production support. This contract will provide for lifecycle support for all efforts related to JASSM and any JASSM variants in the areas of system upgrades, integration, production, sustainment, management and logistical support. Work will be performed at Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed by August 2024. This contract involves foreign military sales to Finland, Poland and Australia. This award is the result of sole-source acquisition. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8682-19-D-0003). G2i LLC, Albuquerque, New Mexico (FA9401-19-D-A009); ORCOM, a division of Ortega Companies Inc., Los Lunas, New Mexico (FA9401-19-D-A015); Jack Wayte Construction, Alamogordo, New Mexico (FA9401-19-D-A013); LC Structural, Las Cruces, New Mexico (FA9401-19-D-A012); QA Engineering, Albuquerque, New Mexico (FA9401-19-D-A010); Weil Construction, Albuquerque, New Mexico (FA9401-19-D-A011); and Sky Blue Builders, Albuquerque, New Mexico (FA9401-19-D-A014), have been awarded a $95,000,000 multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract. This contract will design portions for a broad range of maintenance, repair, design, minor and/or new construction. The work includes facility upgrades, utility work, airfield pavements, roads, roofs and other assorted repair and maintenance projects. The tasks include trades such as carpentry, asbestos abatement/removal, demolition, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, concrete, masonry, welding and paving. Work will be performed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and is expected to be complete by Aug. 12, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 16 offers received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,695,204 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Installation Contracting Center, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is the contracting activity. Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $46,533,950 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost reimbursable, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to support the U.S. National Data Center (U.S. NDC) Operations Support and Studies (OSS) mission. This contract provides support to the U.S. NDC in the areas of maintenance, sustainment, configuration management, database and system administration, development, testing and integration of geophysical data processing software, hardware, and geophysical data from both traditional and non-traditional sources into the U.S. NDC system that includes the operational subsystem, alternate subsystem, training subsystem, sustainment/development subsystem, and special purpose/special access subsystems. The U.S. NDC OSS II effort will include conducting studies focused on improving and developing the U.S. NDC tools and methodologies for data collection, data analysis, event detection, event association, event location, event magnitude/yield estimation, event classification, seismic signatures repository, and advanced geophysical data processing needed to meet treaty-monitoring and national needs. Work will be performed at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and one offer was received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds will be used and no funds are being obligated at the time of award. The Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA7022-19-D-A002). Spartan Air Academy Iraq LLC, Irving, Texas, has been awarded a $31,477,060 task order, against indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract FA3002-18-D-0009 for continued Air Academy training in support of the Iraqi Air Force. Work will be performed at Balad Air Base, Iraq, and is expected to be completed by July 8, 2020. This contract involves foreign military sales for the country of Iraq. This award is the result of a country-directed sole-source acquisition. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $31,477,060 and are being obligated at the time of award. The 338th Specialized Contracting Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY G2 Global Solutions LLC,* Gainesville, Virginia, has been awarded a base year plus four option year time and materials contract (HHM402-19-F-0139) with a ceiling of $84,683,469 to provide analytical services for the Defense Intelligence Agency's (DIA) Directorate of Operations. Through this award, DIA will procure services of senior and mid-level analysts to who will provide strategic-level analytical support through focused all-source analysis to advance national and Department of Defense (DoD) strategic goals and objectives for protecting DoD personnel, operations and missions. Work will be performed in the National Capital Region with an expected completion date of Feb. 6, 2025. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $7,780,767 are being obligated at time of award. This contract has been awarded through a 100% 8(a) set-aside competition and four offers were received. The Virginia Contracting Activity, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY World Fuel Services Inc., has been awarded a minimum $20,284,125 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract for fuel. This was a competitive acquisition with 148 responses received. This is a 43-month contract with a six-month option period. Location of performance is Arizona, with a March 31, 2023, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia (SPE607-19-D-0119). ARMY Maersk Line Ltd., Norfolk, Virginia, was awarded a $7,124,218 modification (0001 77) to contract W52P1J-14-G-0023 for logistics watercraft and logistics support services in support of Army Prepositions Stock-4. Work will be performed in Yokohama, Japan, with an estimated completion date of March 16, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $1,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. *8(a) Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/1933591/source/GovDelivery/