Autonomous tech can help keep US homeland safe, NORAD’s VanHerck says

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  July 2, 2019 | International, Naval

  Three companies awarded $1.8B to support Navy shipbuilding programs

  By Allen Cone June 27 (UPI) -- Three companies -- BAE System Technology Solutions and Services Inc., Serco and Scientific Research Corp. -- have been awarded combined contracts by the U.S. Navy worth up to $1.8 billion to support the branch's shipbuilding programs, including communications and computers systems aboard vessels. The initially obligated amount on orders will not exceed $747 million throughout the duration of the awarded contracts, the Defense Department said in an announcement Wednesday. The work will be performed aboard new construction aircraft carriers and large deck amphibious ships, including refueling and complex overhaul ships. The programs require integrated work on integrated command, control, communications, computers and intelligence systems, or C4I. This includes logistics, integration, engineering, procurement, fabrication, assembly, test, inspection, zone integration and installation. The integrated capability comprises distributed systems that provide network capabilities, communications, command and control, intelligence, and non-tactical data. The breakdown is $601.5 million for BAE, $608.2 million for Serco and $599.5 million for Scientific, the Pentagon said. Seventy-three percent of the work will be performed in Newport News, Va., 17 percent in Charleston, S.C. and 10 percent in Pascagoula, Miss. Work is expected to be completed by June 2029. No contract funds have been obligated at the time of award. Each company will receive $50,000 on the first task order under each contract, which won't expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval fiscal 2017 shipbuilding and conversion, fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion, and fiscal 2019 research and development funds will be obligated. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2019/06/27/Three-companies-awarded-18B-to-support-Navy-shipbuilding-programs/5311561636928/

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  April 14, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  DARPA SBIR/STTR Opportunities

  On April 8, 2020, the DARPA Small Business Programs Office (SBPO) pre-released the following SBIR/STTR Opportunities (SBOs): "Seabed Simulation Synthesis", Announcement Number HR001120S0019-04, published at https://beta.sam.gov/search?keywords=HR001120S0019-04 "Wearable Laser Detection and Alert System", Announcement Number HR001120S0019-05, published at https://beta.sam.gov/search?keywords=HR001120S0019-05 "Open Source Wide Band Software Defined Acoustic Modem", Announcement Number HR001120S0019-06, published at https://beta.sam.gov/search?keywords=HR001120S0019-06 These SBOs will open for proposals on April 23, 2020 and close on May 26, 2020. If you have any questions on the open BAAs or DSIP, please contact the DSIP Help Desk Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET at 703-214-1333 or DoDSBIRSupport@reisystems.com. Thank you for your interest in the DoD SBIR/STTR Program. DoD SBIR/STTR Support Team

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  September 26, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land

  Faulty $5 Parts Cause 18-Month, $1 Billion Delay to Navy, Air Force Nuclear Upgrades

  Defects found in a $5 electrical component will delay the Navy and Air Force nuclear warhead refurbishment program by 18 months and cost more than $1 billion to fix, a National Nuclear Security Administration official said during a congressional hearing Wednesday. The faulty components are small commercially available capacitors that were to be used in upgrades to the Navy's W88 nuclear warheads. These weapons are deployed on the Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missile systems. Similar capacitors are needed to upgrade the Air Force's B61-12 gravity bomb, Charles Verdon, deputy administrator for defense programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration, told members of the House Armed Services subcommittee on strategic forces during the unclassified portion of Wednesday's hearing. When engineers evaluated available parts, they ran tests to determine if the off-the-shelf capacitors were compatible with the systems due for upgrades, Verdon said. Initial results suggested the components would work in the short-term. “Early tests on the capacitors now in question and subsequent tests including component, major assembly and full-up integrated system flight tests demonstrated that these components meet requirement today. Industry best practices were used to stress the components beyond their design planned usage as a way to establish confidence that they will continue to work over the necessary lifetime of the warhead,” Verdon said. “During stress testing, a few of these commercially available capacitors did not meet the reliability requirements.” The problem is, these parts used in the warhead upgrades must survive for decades, up to 30 years after production, Verdon said. However, the quality of each capacitor production lot varied, which led to the stress testing failure. Instead of using the capacitors and risking readiness in the future, Verdon said his agency decided to delay the upgrade work, initially scheduled to begin in December. Replacement capacitors are being produced but will cost about $75 per unit, compared with the $5 per unit cost of the off-the-shelf capacitors that failed stress testing. “The use of commercial-off-the-shelf electric components needs to be improved to reduce future COTS-related risk,” Verdon said. The Navy is working with U.S. Strategic Command to understand how the 18-month delay will affect near-term deployments, Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe, the director of strategic systems programs for the Navy, told the panel. “Currently, today, based on what we're doing with STRATCOM, we will meet the requirements as we move forward,” Wolfe said. The Navy and STRATCOM are developing a mitigation plan which includes is reevaluating how to turn around the submarine-based nuclear missile stockpile and how to schedule warheads for upgrades in the future, Wolfe said. More details on the Navy's plan to be discussed in a classified hearing. “If you look at the age of these systems and the technology we're using, these are tough, tough issues to solve, and it's critical technology that we're learning as we modernize these,” Wolfe said. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), chair of the strategic forces subcommittee, said he held the hearing because he wanted more information on what NNSA was doing to avoid more delays. He called the recapitalization “both necessary and hugely expensive” in his written opening statement. “Maintaining Congress and the public's confidence in these programs, and their effective execution, is imperative,” he wrote. https://news.usni.org/2019/09/25/faulty-5-parts-cause-18-month-1-billion-delay-to-navy-air-force-nuclear-upgrades