December 27, 2018 | International, Aerospace
By Ed Adamczyk
Dec. 26 (UPI) -- A Program Management Office has been established by the Air Force at Tyndall Air Force Base to lead redevelopment and reconstruction efforts there, which are expected to take more than five years and cost about $3 billion.
The PMO will be responsible for leading the redevelopment and reconstruction efforts at the base after it sustained devastating damage in October from Hurricane Michael, the U.S. Air Force said in an update Wednesday.
November 7, 2018 | International, Aerospace
ZHUHAI, China—A new stealth UAV program announced at Airshow China here Nov. 5 could represent a significant step toward the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force acquiring an anti-airborne early warning (AEW) ... http://aviationweek.com/defense/chinese-stealth-uav-mockup-unveiled-airshow-china
October 15, 2019 | International, Aerospace
ByEd Adamczyk Oct. 11 (UPI) -- ImSAR LLC was awarded a $7.2 million contract for work on payload systems and communications packages of the RQ-21 Blackjack unmanned aerial system. The cost-plus-fixed fee delivery order against a previous ordering agreement calls for work to be executed by October 2020, the Defense Department announced Thursday. The RQ-21 Blackjack is 8.2 feet long, weighs 134 pounds and has a wingspan of 15.7 feet. It can carry a payload of up to 39 pounds, and is used primarily for forward reconnaissance. Introduced in 2014, it was designed by Insitu, a Boeing Co. subsidiary. The contract with the U.S. Navy is in support of a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research program effort named "Advanced Radar Concepts for Small Remotely Piloted Aircraft." ImSAR, headquartered in Springville, Utah, will provide research, development, procurement and sustainment of the AN/DPY-2 split aces payload systems and communications relay package aboard the RQ-21A. The SBIR program is coordinated by the U.S. Small Business Administration to aid small businesses conduct research and development for future U.S. government needs, with a goal of technical innovation through investment of federal research funds. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2019/10/11/ImSAR-LLC-wins-72M-contract-for-work-on-RQ-21A-unmanned-aerial-systems
July 10, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR
By Allen Cone July 9 (UPI) -- Four companies have been awarded contracts worth $72.8 million for unspecified special projects and electronic systems for the U.S. Navy, Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and other government agencies. The three-year contracts include two two-year option periods, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of all four contracts to an estimated $176.4 million, the Department of Defense announced Monday. Awarded contracts were Deloitte Consulting for $21.7 million, Serco Inc. for $18.2 million, McKean Defense Group for $17.6 million and Alutiiq Information Management for $15.3 million in the execution of sustainment and technical support for special projects and electronic systems for experimental, demonstration and developmental technology. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Pacific Special Projects and Electronics Systems Branch last June posted a proposal for management, hardware engineering, software engineering, configuration management and logistics support that includes experimental, demonstration and developmental technology for the U.S. Navy, Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and other government activities. Among the Naval units involved with the developmental efforts are the Mine and Anti-Submarine Warfare Command, Naval Information Warfare Systems Command Program Executive Offices, Commander Third Fleet, Sea Systems Command and Facilities Command, in addition to non-Navy units. All four companies will compete for task orders under the contracts, which run through July 7, 2022. If all contract options are exercised, the period of performance extends through July 7, 2026. All work under the contracts will be performed in San Diego. The U.S. Navy in June removed "space" from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, or SPAWARS, and added "information" in a rebranding effort that emphasizes information warfare. The agency's new name is the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command. This past February, the two echelon III commands -- formerly "systems centers" -- also changed names. In Charleston, S.C., the command became the Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic and in San Diego it was changed to Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2019/07/09/Four-companies-awarded-728M-for-special-projects-for-Navy-DHS-CBP/4101562677362/