July 30, 2024 | International, Land, Security
North Korea spurs South Korea’s defence spend to $54.7bn by 2029 - Army Technology
Due to escalating tensions with North Korea, South Korea's defence budget is expected to reach $54.7bn by 2029.
December 16, 2019 | International, Aerospace
Bell Invictus to Offer Army ‘Lower-Risk Path’ to FARA Capabilities
By Brian Garrett-Glaser
ARLINGTON, Texas — Bell's offering for the Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) contest, the 360 Invictus, is intended to offer the Army an insurance policy by presenting a lower-risk path to the capabilities it hopes to acquire as a “knife fighter” light attack helicopter to replace the retired OH-58 Kiowa Warriors.
The Invictus, with its low-drag tandem cockpit design, draws from a lot of the development Bell has put into the 525 Relentless, a super-medium utility aircraft it hopes will be the first fly-by-wire rotorcraft certified for the civil market. Though Bell's FARA program is newer than some of its competitors, such as Sikorsky's S-97 Raider — Bell officials said the program had just three employees at this time last year and now comprises over 200 — the company believes its reliance on systems which it already has at a high technology readiness level due to work on the 525 will provide the Army with a compelling aircraft inside of its cost and timeline objectives.
“It's still a very advanced aircraft. But by using technologies that we already had high TRLs in, or high manufacturing readiness levels in, we are ahead on that timeline piece,” Frank Lazzara, director of advanced vertical lift systems, told Avionics International during a press visit to the company's Flight Research Center here.
The Invictus design meets or exceeds Army requirements in every area, according to Lazzara, due in part to the clean-sheet engineering that went into the Bell 525, including in the main and tail rotor systems. That aircraft has flown in excess of 200 knots without issue, despite being designed for 160 knots cruise speed. Bell intends the Invictus to cruise efficiently at 180 knots.
“We flew [the 525] until we said we're done, but that rotor wasn't done,” said Josh O'Neill, senior manager for technology and evaluation on the Bell 525 program. “So we went not just 201 knots. It was a good bit more than that.”
The 525 Relentless was the first aircraft Bell designed “totally in the 3D space,” O'Neill said, and the Invictus is similarly using a digital thread, enabling things like virtual reality maintaining exercises to provide design feedback without a physical product.
“You have a digital thread, the same part that's used when you design your aircraft is used in the maintenance training, used throughout the product,” said O'Neill. “You design the aircraft in 3D, lay out all the systems and you're able to go in there with an actual maintainer. So we pulled [a line maintainer] and had him put the gloves on and go maintain the aircraft. And you can see in the 3D space, I need to reach around this piece, I need to turn my hand in a way that the human hand doesn't like to be turned. So we need to move that item.”
As a fly-by-wire aircraft designed with a modular open systems architecture (MOSA) approach, Bell believes Invictus will provide the Army with an path to autonomy — or enable a single person in the aircraft to focus on mission functionality — similar to Bell's approach with the V-280 Valor, its offering for the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) competition. Bell officials said they are currently introducing autonomous flight software and performing software regression tests for that aircraft and intend to begin autonomous flight tests within the next few months.
In March 2020, when the Army narrows the FARA competition from five companies to two, Bell's team will be nine months into design. After that, two of the five designs — selected from Sikorsky, Bell, Karem Aircraft, AVX/L3Harris, and Boeing — will be selected to participate in a fly-off slated for the second half of 2022. The Army hopes to field the first FARA aircraft in 2028.
https://www.aviationtoday.com/2019/12/15/bell-invictus-offer-army-lower-risk-path-fara-capabilities/
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June 25, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence
Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - June 24, 2019
ARMY TCOM L.P., Columbia, Maryland, was awarded a $978,946,631 hybrid (cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and firm-fixed-price) contract for the Persistent Surveillance Systems - Tethered engineering, logistics, operations and program management support. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 19, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W56KGY-19-D-0020). Lockheed Martin Corp., Grand Prairie, Texas, was awarded a $561,802,200 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee and fixed-price-incentive) foreign military sales (Bahrain, Poland and Romania) contract for production of Army tactical missile guided missile and launching assembly service life extension program production 3. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas; Camden, Arizona; Boulder, Colorado; Clearwater, Florida; St. Louis, Missouri; Lufkin, Texas; Windsor Locks, Connecticut; and Williston, Vermont, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2022. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 missile procurement, Army and foreign military sales funds in the combined amount of $561,802,200 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-19-C-0092). Donjon Marine, Hillside, New Jersey, was awarded a $12,170,000 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance dredging of portions of the Newark Bay, New Jersey Federal Navigation Project. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Newark, New Jersey, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2019. Fiscal 2019 civil works funds in the amount of $12,170,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York, New York, is the contracting activity (W912DS-19-C-0013). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Texas Power & Associates,* Palm Harbor, Florida (SPE8EG-19-D-0117); Atlantic Diving Supply, doing business as ADS,* Virginia Beach, Virginia (SPE8EG-19-D-0112); Berger/Cummins, Washington, District of Columbia (SPE8EG-19-D-0113); Caterpillar Defense, Peoria, Illinois (SPE8EG-19-D-0114); Inglett & Stubbs International, Atlanta, Georgia (SPE8EG-19-D-0115); and QGSI-USA Emergency Power, Houston, Texas (SPE8EG-19-D-0116), are sharing a maximum $900,000,0000 fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPE8EG-18-R-0007 for generators. This was a competitive acquisition with eight offers received. These are five-year contracts with no option periods. Locations of performance are Florida, Virginia, Washington, District of Columbia, Illinois, Georgia and Texas, with a June 19, 2024, performance completion date. Using customer is Federal Emergency Management Agency. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Welch Allyn Inc., Skaneateles Falls, New York, has been awarded a maximum $100,000,000 firm‐fixed‐price, indefinite‐delivery/indefinite‐quantity contract for patient monitoring systems, accessories and training. This is a five-year base contract with one five‐year option period. This was a competitive acquisition with 36 responses received. Location of performance is New York, with a June 24, 2024, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D1‐19‐D‐0019). Hamilton Sundstrand, Windsor Locks, Connecticut, is to be awarded a $16,532,250 firm-fixed price contract for helicopter flight control computers. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Location of performance is Arizona. Using military service is the Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (SPRPA1-13-G-001X/SPRRA1-19-F-0329). NAVY L3 Technologies Inc., Northampton, Massachusetts, is awarded a $73,743,347 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract containing cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-reimbursement and firm-fixed-price provisions. This contract provides for depot-level repair, upgrade and overhaul services for submarine photonics mast programs. Work will be performed in Northampton, Massachusetts (98%), and at various places in the U.S. below one percent (2%) and is expected to be completed by June 2025. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $2,146,169 will be obligated on the first delivery order at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured, in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) - only one source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, is the contracting activity (N66604-19-D-G900). Katmai Integrated Solutions LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska, is awarded a contract ceiling $21,625,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a three year ordering period to provide subject matter support services for Immersive Training Range Support (ITRS) . Work will be performed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (40%), Camp Pendleton, California (40%), and Marine Corps Base, Hawaii (20%), and work is expected to be completed June 24, 2022. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $4,877,737 will be obligated on the first task order immediately following contract award and funds will expire the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The contract was prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-5 and 15 U.S. Code 637. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contract activity (M67854-19-D-7835). Advanced Solutions Inc., Washington, District of Columbia, was awarded $16,863,635 for firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded task order N00039-18-F-0069 issued against Blanket Purchase Agreement N00104-08-A-ZF42 and the underlying a multiple award schedule in support of Navy Enterprise Resource Planning. This modification exercises an option for cloud and integration support services. Work will be performed in Loudon, Virginia (50%) and Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania (50%) and is expected to be completed in June 2020. Fiscal 2019 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $16,863,635 will be obligated at the time of the award, which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. (Awarded June 20, 2019) AIR FORCE Concentric Security LLC, Sykesville, Maryland (FA8003-19-D-A001); Nasatka Barrier Inc., Clinton, Maryland, (FA8003-19-D-A002); Cherokee Nation Security & Defense LLC., Tulsa, Oklahoma, (FA8003-19-D-A003); and Perimeter Security Partners LLC., Nashville, Tennessee (FA8003-19-D-A004) have been awarded a $45,000,000 firm-fixed-price, multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for vehicle barriers maintenance and repair services. This contract provides for all personnel, labor, equipment, supplies, tools, materials, supervision, travel, periodic inspection, minor repair, and other items and services necessary to provide maintenance for Air Force vehicle barrier systems. Work will be performed at all Contiguous United States (CONUS) (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) active duty Air Force installations and is expected to be completed by June 23, 2024. These awards are the result of a competitive acquisition and four offers were received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $4,000 ($1,000 per awardee) are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Installation Contracting Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity. Weldin Construction LLC, Palmer, Alaska, has been awarded a $35,000,000 ceiling increase modification (P00004) to previously awarded contract FA4861-17-D-A200 for simplified acquisition of base engineering requirements. This modification will increase the contract value from $35,000,000 to $70,000,000. Work will be performed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada and Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 2021. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. The 99th Contracting Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a modification to exercise an option totaling $8,825,457 to previously awarded contract HR0011-18-C-0127 for a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) research project. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $13,204,195. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia; San Diego, California; and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, with an expected completion date of September 2020. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $4,600,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1885753/source/GovDelivery/
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November 2, 2023 | International, Land
L3Harris to develop modernize Rocket Launch Vehicle Fire Control Systems for US Army and allies
Under contracts totaling up to $124 million, L3Harris will provide the Common Fire Control System on both the M142 HIMARS and M270 MLRS vehicles produced by Lockheed Martin.