March 4, 2020 | International, Aerospace

Boeing’s future attack recon helicopter has no name but 3 rotor systems

By: Jen Judson

WASHINGTON — After dropping a brief teaser trailer several weeks ago on social media with split-second glimpses of shadowy outlines of its offering to the U.S. Army' Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft competition, Boeing prompted plenty of speculation on its design.

The company has kept its FARA design close to its vest since receiving a small design contract from the Army. The company even held a 30-minute press briefing at the Association of the U.S. Army's annual conference in October 2019 where it told reporters they wouldn't be unveiling anything just yet.

Boeing finally went public on March 3 just ahead of the Army choosing two competitors from a pool of five to move forward to build a flying prototype with the intent of picking a winner at the end. The service is expected to make its selection some time this month.

Boeing is the last of those competitors to reveal its hand.

That helicopter is simply being called “Boeing FARA,” and its clean-sheet design features a hingeless, six-bladed, high-solidity main rotor; a four-bladed conventional tail rotor; and a propeller on the back, Shane Openshaw, Boeing's FARA program manager, told a small group of reporters ahead of the company's March 3 unveiling.

“That main rotor is purpose-built for this particular aircraft,” Openshaw said. “Think of it as the means to provide the agility and maneuverability that this aircraft requires.”

The tail rotor will give the aircraft the maneuverability characteristics at lower speeds of a more typical helicopter, Openshaw said, and the propeller “will give it the the speed and maneuverability that is needed to support the FARA requirements.”

Some of the “nuances that occur with an articulated rotor system” will not be experienced with the Boeing FARA design, he added. For instance, the design eliminates high rotor blade flapping.

The Army is requiring that FARA reach a cruise speed of at least 180 knots at 4,000 feet in 95 degree temperatures.

Openshaw added that the helicopter also features a Modular Open Systems Architecture, or MOSA, required for the FARA program and takes sustainment into account through a maintenance-friendly design using common Army equipment and components.

The Army wants all designs to be able to accept its Improved Turbine Engine Program's engine, which is currently under development and built by General Electric. The service also wants to incorporate an integrated munitions launcher it has internally developed.

Every design must incorporate the Army's MOSA backbone to be able to upgrade the aircraft into the future, which means the aircraft has to be able to accept capabilities with very little tweaking in order to combat threats not yet on the horizon.

The Boeing FARA design also features a single-engine aircraft with tandem cockpit seating.

“We did not go into this effort with our mind made up on what our approach was going to be,” Openshaw said. “We went through an array of trades and prioritization efforts to define our solution, and it is purpose-built for the Army. It will have the right kind of capabilities to make it a key element of their vision of the ecosystem, and it will be capable, simple and effective.”

Competition

Boeing is using its experience in model-based systems engineering, specifically what was used for its winning advanced trainer jet design for the Air Force — the T-7 Red Hawk — and also the MQ-25 Stingray aerial-refueling unmanned aircraft system for the Navy, according to Mark Cherry, general manager and vice president of Boeing Phantom Works.

FARA was specifically designed in the Phantom Works division of the company.

“It's a legacy that gives us an assurance that we're going to be able to meet prototyping requirements at the schedule that the Army is looking for,” Cherry said. Along with that, he noted, Boeing is paying close attention to life cycle costs and is using its “extensive background in design testing to ensure that we have the data that supports our analysis to ensure that the Army understands what we're providing, and more importantly, all of the parameters, so they can make their evaluations on the right capability for their needs.”

FARA is intended to fill a critical capability gap currently filled by AH-64E Apache attack helicopters teamed with Shadow unmanned aircraft following the retirement of the Bell-manufactured OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters.

Boeing is competing with AVX Aircraft Co. partnered with AVX Aircraft partnered with L3 Technologies; Bell Helicopter; a Karem Aircraft, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon team; and Lockheed Martin-owned Sikorsky. The Army awarded each a design contract in April 2019.

The AVX and L3 team unveiled its design for FARA at the Army Aviation Association of America's annual summit in Nashville, Tennessee, in April 2019. The single-engine design uses AVX's compound coaxial and ducted fans technology.

Bell revealed its design — the Bell 360 Invictus — based off its 525 technology shortly before the AUSA annual conference last year. It features a single main rotor in a four-blade configuration and a low-drag tandem cockpit fuselage.

Karem announced it would team with Northrop and Raytheon and came out with its design at AUSA — its AR-40 — with a single main rotor, tilting compound wings and a rotating tail rotor.

Sikorsky's offering — Raider X — is based on both its X2 coaxial technology seen in its S-97 Raider and the Sikorsky-Boeing-developed SB-1 Defiant, which are now both flying. Raider X is already under construction.

The Army continues to look for ways to accelerate FARA fielding and is on an ambitious schedule to get prototypes flying by 2023. A production decision could happen in 2028.

Much is riding on the competition. The service has tried and failed three times to fill the armed reconnaissance gap with an aircraft.

The Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche program was one of those attempts. The program was canceled in 2004 after the Army had already spent roughly $7 billion when the aircraft became unaffordable.

Boeing had offered a version of its AH-6 Little Bird for the most recent Armed Scout Helicopter competition attempted in 2012. This time the Army didn't want to get locked into keeping inflexible requirements, but did request that aircraft have a maximum 40-foot-rotor diameter.

The Army will consider speed, range and payload possibilities, but wants to encourage innovation by industry for designs that push the envelope and make FARA a true next-generation aircraft that can contribute to the fleet for the good part of a century.

https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/03/03/boeings-future-attack-recon-helicopter-has-no-name-but-3-rotor-systems

On the same subject

October 29, 2019 | International, Aerospace

European Missile Research Paves Way For Collaborative Weaponry
By Tony Osborne Future conflicts will require weapons that can adapt to different target sets and collaborate to hit harder. As several European nations gear up to begin the development of advanced new combat aircraft, such as the Franco/German/Spanish Future Combat Air System and the British-led Tempest project, and invest in long-range ground-based weaponry, European missile manufacturer MBDA has begun focusing its research programs on delivering these advanced capabilities. The Anglo-French Materials and Components for Missiles Innovation and Technology Partnership (MCM-ITP), led by MBDA and sponsored by the French and UK defense ministries to the tune of €13 million ($14.5 million) a year, has been developing technologies over the last 11 years to help increase the performance and lower the cost of MBDA's British and French weapons. Small to midsize enterprises (SME) and academia have participated in the program, validating technologies with more than 200 projects in eight research domains ranging from rocket propulsion to seekers and fusing, developing them up to a technology readiness level (TRL) of 4. The research program has assisted in development of the French Mica NG air-to-air missile, supporting a small active, electronically scanned array radar module for the seeker of the radar-guided version, while the Spear 3, a network-enabled guided missile being developed in the UK will use a wire-free architecture. In addition, as the Spear 3 family of weapons broadens in the future, it will use an adaptive control system. The ITP is beginning to look at technologies that can speed up the engagement chain, adapt warheads for different kinds of targets and even develop lower-cost air-breathing engines for new families of so-called remote carriers—the attritable unmanned air systems that will support future combat aircraft into theater. “We know that collaborative weapons would be a big advantage to defeat air defenses, but how we do that has not yet been quantified,” says Olivier Lucas, MBDA's director of Future Systems, speaking to Aviation Week at the MCM-ITP Conference in Birmingham, England, on Oct. 15. “We need to demonstrate the benefits you can get from these networked weapons through operational analysis,” he adds. To make collaborative weapons work, Lucas says there will need to be developments in low-cost data links to connect them, and then algorithms that can take advantage of the cooperation and ensure all these systems can still work together in environments where navigation and communication signals could be degraded. Industry has already proved it can make UAVs collaborate and swarm in formations, but as Lucas points out, this is usually done with the aid of satellite-based global positioning systems. The military is unlikely to enjoy such a luxury in a high-end conflict. All four global navigation satellite systems (GNSS)—the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), Europe's Galileo, Russia's Glonass and China's BeiDou—work around similar frequencies and could be easily jammed. Weapons such as cruise missiles can already operate without GNSS by relying on inertial navigation systems (INS), or if flying over land they can recognize landscapes based on internal terrain databases. But what if a considerable part of their flight is over water, where there are no landmarks? As part of the MCM-ITP, a team from MBDA, Airbus Defense and Space and French aerospace research agency ONERA have developed a means of correcting INS drift using satellite communication signals. The Resilient and Autonomous Satcom Navigation (Reason) system gives the weapon an alternative measurement signal. Many military communication satellites already have the capability of geolocating interference. Using the signals to provide navigation updates employs a reverse of that process, say engineers. They have already proved the theory by linking an INS fitted to a 4 X 4 vehicle that took signals from two of the UK's SkyNet communication satellites and compared the INS track with that of GPS, noting small deviations from course. The team believes the Reason technology will be valuable for future generations of long-range cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles such as the Anglo-French Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon, currently in a concept phase. Another MCM-ITP project is looking at using artificial intelligence (AI) and a process called deep reinforcement, learning to better understand the levels of autonomy that might be needed in the engagement chain. The Human Machine Teaming (HUMAT) project considers the growing complexity and capability of modern missiles and the increasing amounts of data being collected by multilayered intelligence systems. It recognizes that human operators may need to be supported in their analysis and prioritization of threats by artificial intelligence. The two year-long program, started in November 2017, has studied different elements of the engagement chain, as well as the ethical, legal and technological constraints, with the aim of creating “robust engagement decision-making,” and “effective transfer of task responsibilities between the human operator and the machine.” The HUMAT system has benefits for the weapon command-and-control systems, particularly air-to-surface attack, but also multilayered air defense systems, say MBDA engineers. “We have to understand the information we will share with the weapons, what will be split, what is planned and what decisions are left to the group of weapons,” says Lucas. “This process has to be tuned, you can either program the trajectory of each weapon or tell the weapons: ‘Here are your targets, now do your best,'” he says. Collaborative weapons will also need to feature additional low-cost sensors to help them make their targeting decisions, including those that understand radar signal and resolution, so that the most appropriate weapon can be selected to hit a particular target successfully. Mission planning is also being addressed. MBDA engineers and academics from Queen Mary University of London have been exploring the use of deep-learning techniques to speed up the targeting process for weapons such as cruise missiles. Current air-launched cruise missiles such as MBDA's Storm Shadow/SCALP family use an imaging infrared sensor and autonomous target recognition system in the terminal phase of flight. But to recognize the target, a 3D model needs to be developed as part of the mission planning process. This process can be laborious and time-consuming, so engineers have been studying ways to create the models using satellite imagery. Using deep-learning techniques, the system has been fed thousands of daylight and infrared satellite images taken in different conditions at different times of the day. The Fast Targeting algorithms have learned how to match images with the target area despite various geometric and radiometric distortions, allowing a 3D model of the target to be built much faster. The idea is to make such weapons much more flexible and pave the way for them to be used against time-sensitive targets. Lucas says such technologies will help address the issues associated with combat mass, dealing with the challenge of fewer platforms, so the same weapons will have to be adaptable for different missions and targets. “In recent conflicts in Libya and Syria, weapons could not be used to their full effectiveness, because they were too powerful, and there was a risk of collateral damage,” says Lucas. Operators will be able to program future weapons to scale the warhead's effects up or down to deal with different targets and environments, he suggests. Other projects in the MCM-ITP are developing lethality models for different types of targets, including aircraft, ships and structures. Replacing metal parts in warheads with reactive materials could result in more efficient and increased lethality, and if combined with additive manufacturing techniques warhead costs could also be reduced, say engineers. Additive manufacturing processes could lead to new designs for penetrator warheads in particular. Engineers from MBDA and SMEs Impetus Afea and Fluid Gravity Engineering have developed a 3D penetrator warhead case with a smaller mass than the thick casings usually produced through casting. Using the 3D-printed case means less energy is lost during warhead detonation than with the older cast penetrator. Testing has proved the 3D-printed casing can match the survivability of the thicker casing, and reduced collateral effects can also be achieved, MBDA says. The company is now looking to evolve the MCM-ITP to deal with new technologies that may cut across the eight domains of research, with the addition of a new ninth, open-challenge domain that will be more flexible for future program needs. A name change is also in the offing, with MCM-ITP being renamed the Complex Weapons Innovation and Technology Partnership (CW-ITP) from early next year. https://aviationweek.com/defense/european-missile-research-paves-way-collaborative-weaponry
November 27, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 26, 2019
NAVY Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded an $831,008,187 modification to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm-target, firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-17-C-0001). This modification provides for the production and delivery of 15 lot 14 F-35A aircraft and associated red gear in support of the Government of Australia. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (59%); El Segundo, California (14%); Warton, United Kingdom (9%); Cameri, Italy (4%); Orlando, Florida (4%); Nashua, New Hampshire (3%); Baltimore, Maryland (3%); San Diego, California (2%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (2%), and is expected to be completed in March 2023. Non-U.S. Department of Defense participant funds in the amount of $831,008,187 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $327,950,000 fixed-price-incentive-firm-target advance acquisition contract to procure long lead material, parts and components in support of the Lot 15 production and delivery of 48 F-35A Lightning II aircraft for the Air Force. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (35%); El Segundo, California (25%); Warton, United Kingdom (20%); Orlando, Florida (10%); Nashua, New Hampshire (5%); and Baltimore, Maryland (5%), and is expected to be completed in June 2023. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $327,950,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-20-C-0009). Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $29,180,420 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously-awarded contract N00024-16-C-5103 for additional Aegis combat system engineering, computer program maintenance, in-country support, staging support and implementation studies in support of current and future Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Aegis shipbuilding programs in support of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force, Republic of Korea Navy, Spanish Armada, Royal Australian Navy and Royal Norwegian Navy, with scope available to support other potential FMS customers. The current Aegis FMS programs supported include the Japanese Kongo and Atago-class ships, Korean KDX III class ships, Spanish F-100 and F-110 program, Norwegian F310-class ships and Australian Hunter and Hobart-class ships. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (96%); Tokyo, Japan (1%); Seoul, South Korea (1%); Bergen, Norway (1%); and Adelaide, Australia (1%), and is expected to be completed by June 2020. FMS funding in the amount of $29,180,420 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. University of Missouri at Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, was awarded a $27,248,586 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Short Pulse Research, Evaluation and non-Space, Weight and Power (SWAP) demonstration for Counter-Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-sUAS). Work will be performed in Kansas City, Missouri, and is expected to be completed by March 2022. The period of performance is 55 months including a 48-month base period, three 24-month option periods, two 32-month option periods, and three 36-month option periods, which will run concurrently Fiscal 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation, Navy funds in the amount of of $8,314,445 are obligated at time of award and incrementally funded with a base period valued at $7,913,051 and options at $19,335,535, and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was originally competitively procured under N00014-18-S-B001 FY18 long range broad agency announcement (BAA). Since proposals will be received throughout the year under the long range BAA, the number of proposals received in response to the solicitation cannot be determined at this time. Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia is the contracting activity (N00014-18- C-1017-P00006). (Awarded Nov. 25, 2019) Applied Physical Sciences Corp, Groton, Connecticut, was awarded a $23,225,953 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the multi-disciplinary tools, technologies, and experimental methods in support of future naval platform stealth and operations. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut (87%); and Cheswick, Pennsylvania (13 %), and is expected to be completed by October 2024. The total cumulative value of this contract including the base period is $23,225,953. This contract has no options. Fiscal year 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation, Navy funds in the amount of $146,749 are obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under N00014-19-S-B001, “Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science and Technology.” Since proposals will be received throughout the year under the long range BAA, the number of proposals received in response to the solicitation cannot be determined at this time. Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00014- 20-C-0001). (Awarded Nov. 25, 2019) Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $17,620,319 fixed-price-incentive (firm target), cost and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-14-C-5104 to exercise options for ship integration and test of the AEGIS Weapon System (AWS) for AWS Baselines through Advanced Capability Build (ACB) 12. The contract provides for AEGIS shipboard integration engineering, AEGIS test team support, AEGIS modernization team engineering support, ballistic missile defense test team support, and AWS element assessments. This contract will cover the AWS ship integration and test efforts for five new construction DDG 51 class ships, the major modernization of five DDG 51 class ships, and the major modernization of six CG 47 class ships. It will additionally cover the integrated combat system modifications and upgrades for all current ships with all AWS baselines up to and including ACB 12. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (44%); Everett, Washington (42%); Pascagoula, Mississippi (4%); Bath, Maine (3%); Moorestown, New Jersey (3%); Camden, New Jersey (2%); and various places below one percent (2%), and is expected to be complete by November 2021. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy-OPN); fiscal 2020 operation and maintenance (Navy-OMN); and fiscal 2013 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy-SCN) funding in the amount of $10,882,412 will be obligated at the time of award, and $589,453 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year — fiscal 2020 OPN, 92%; fiscal 2020 OMN, 5%; and fiscal 2013 SCN, 3%. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $13,741,368 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order (N00019-20-F-0338) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0001). This delivery order provides production engineering support for the installment and integration of weapon systems on the F/A-18 E/F and EA-18G aircraft. This delivery order also includes an option for research development, test and evaluation production engineering support. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (82%); and St. Louis, Missouri (18%), and is expected to be completed in December 2020. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $13,641,692 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Centurum Information Technology Inc., Marlton, New Jersey, is awarded an $11,665,502 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide technical sustainment engineering, logistics and modernization support for integrated and non-integrated shipboard and ashore installations of satellite communications systems. Support will be provided to the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Army, Air Force and Department of Homeland Security programs. This one-year contract includes four one-year options, which, if exercised, would bring the potential value of this contact to an estimated $59,414,364. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (40%); onboard Navy ships (40%); and at the contractor's facilities in Marlton, New Jersey (20%). The period of performance of the base award is Nov. 26, 2019, to Nov. 25, 2020. If all options are exercised, the period of performance would extend through Nov. 25, 2024. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); operations and maintenance (Navy); and other procurement (Navy) funds. This contract was competitively procured via Request for Proposal N66001-18-R-0119, which was published on the Federal Business Opportunities website and the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce Central website. Two proposals were received and one was selected for award. Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-20-D-0119). University of Missouri at Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, was awarded an $8,514,445 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract N00014-18-C-1017. The total value of this contract is $27,248,586, including base and exercised options. This modification provides for the short pulse research, evaluation and non-space, weight and power demonstration for counter-small unmanned aerial systems. Work will be performed at Kansas City, Missouri, with an expected completion date of March 2022. Fiscal 2019 research, development test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,314,445 are obligated at time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $8,314,445 will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Nov. 25, 2019) Austal USA, Mobile, Alabama, is awarded a $7,993,893 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-2301) for littoral combat ships (LCS) industrial post-delivery availability (IPDA) support for LCS 24. This contract modification is for IPDA efforts for LCS 24. Austal USA will provide shipboard support to implement approved engineering change proposals, approved government-responsible deficiencies identified during test and trials, and crew-related activities and preventative maintenance. Austal will also provide program management support and logistics support for technical documentation affected by the work performed. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama (80%); and Pittsfield, Massachusetts (20%), and is expected to be completed by October 2020. Fiscal 2015 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $3,000,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-11-C-2301). AIR FORCE M1 Support Services, Denton, Texas, has been awarded a $101,871,372 modification to previously awarded contract FA4890-16-C-0005 for the backshop and flight line maintenance of multiple aircraft types on Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The contract modification provides for the exercise of an option for an additional year of maintenance support under the multiple year contract. Work will be performed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2020. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $526,894,462. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $101,871,372 will be obligated at the time of the award. The Air Combat Command, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, is the contracting activity. The Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory LLC, Laurel, Maryland, has been awarded a $93,000,000 bilateral modification (P00002) to previously awarded contract FA8819-18-D-0009 for additional engineering support services, systems engineering for complex systems, specialized research and development and other support functions. This modification increases the ceiling of the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract from the previously awarded amount of $93,000,000 to $186,000,000. Work will be performed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, and is expected to be completed by May 10, 2025. The total ceiling of the contract is $186,000,000. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance; and fiscal 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 research and development funds are being used and no funding is being obligated at the time of the award. The Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity. Coulson Aircrane Ltd., Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada, has been awarded a $39,262,254 firm-fixed and cost-type contract to procure design, engineering, development, manufacture and install of a 4000 gallon fire retardant delivery system for California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The contract award provides a 27 month period of performance. Work will be performed at Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada, and is expected to be completed by February 2022. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $39,262,254. Fiscal 2018, 2019 and 2020 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $36,730,820 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8504-20-C-0001). Phoenix Management Inc., Austin, Texas, has been awarded a $12,097,480 face value, firm-fixed-price, cost reimbursable, labor hour modification (P00004) to previously awarded contract FA6606-19-C-A003 for base operations support services at Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts. This contract modification is for the addition of an option for an additional 12 months of service. Work will be performed at Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2020. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $20,942,258. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds are being used and no funds are being obligated at the time of award. The 439th Contracting Flight, Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Corp., Marlborough, Massachusetts, has been awarded an $8,517,484 modification (P00093) under previously awarded contract FA8705-14-C-0001 to exercise the interim contractor support, data and travel option for Global Aircrew Strategic Network Terminal. Work will be performed at Largo, Florida, and is expected to be completed by December 2020. The total cumulative value of the contract is now $348,366,192. Fiscal 2019 other procurement funds in the amount of $8,517,484 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Material Command, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity. The Raytheon Co., Marlborough, Massachusetts, has been awarded an $8,308,308 cost-plus-fixed-fee change order contract modification (P00148) to the previously award contract FA8705-13-C-0005 for the Software InfoSec Module (SIM) Support Fixture (SSF). The contract modification is for the development and test of the SSF, which is used to maintain operational spare SIMS on the shelf to maintain the Family of Advanced Beyond Line-of-Sight Terminals Operation availability requirement for fielded sites. Work will be performed at Marlborough, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed by August 2020. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $400,411,224. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 research, development, test and evaluation in the amount of $500,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity. ARMY Leidos, Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $71,539,840 modification (P00010) to contract W52P1J-18-C-0047 for support services at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Blue Grass Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant, Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant and the Anniston Field Office. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 23, 2028. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation Army funds in the amount of $6,941,878 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Complete Mobile Dentistry,* Windsor, Wisconsin, was awarded a $19,832,365 firm-fixed-price contract for personal services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 21 received. Work will be performed in Windsor, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2020 Department of Defense acquisition workforce development funds in the amount of $19,832,365 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Health Contracting Activity, San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (W81K04-20-F-0011). Complete Mobile Dentistry,* Windsor, Wisconsin, was awarded a $15,013,694 firm-fixed-price contract for personal services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 21 received. Work will be performed in Windsor, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2020 Department of Defense acquisition workforce development funds in the amount of $15,013,694 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Health Contracting Activity, San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (W81K04-20-F-0014). Pick Electric Inc.,* Spokane, Washington, was awarded a $9,157,622 firm-fixed-price contract for upgrades to the direct current system and low voltage switchgears at the lower Granite Lock and Dam powerhouse. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Pomeroy, Washington, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 11, 2023. Fiscal 2020 firm-fixed-price funds in the amount of $5,351,690 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla, Washington, is the contracting activity (W912EF-20-C-0003). Crawford Consulting,* East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was awarded a $9,900,000 firm-fixed-price contract for engineering and construction management services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 10 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York, New York, is the contracting activity (W912DS-20-D-0001). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Sustainment Technologies LLC, Bryan, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $32,500,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for hospital equipment and accessories for the Defense Logistics Agency electronic catalog. This was a competitive acquisition with 101 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Texas, with a Nov. 25, 2024, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DH-20-D-0024). U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Marietta, Georgia, was a awarded a maximum $93,000,000 modification on an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (H92403-18-D-0002-P00002) for operational flight program upgrades on SOF C-130 fixed wing aircraft along with systems engineering and integration support activities encompassing multiple third party systems sources for U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The work will be performed in Marietta and is expected to be completed by April 2024. This contract was awarded on a sole-source basis. USSOCOM Headquarters, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2027618/source/GovDelivery/
February 9, 2021 | International, C4ISR

French military orders first sigint suite to work across all services
PARIS — France is to acquire its first joint tactical signals intelligence system from Thales and Airbus, the DGA procurement agency announced Feb. 8. The €160 million (U.S. $193 million) contract was signed with the two companies Dec. 31, 2020, according to a DGA statement. Early capabilities of the new system will be delivered in 2023 and full capabilities by 2025. The system will consist of a series of combinable sensors adapted to the needs of a given theater of operation and whatever environment — land, naval or air — in which it is to be operated. Signals intelligence involves using an adversary's signals — either communication (such as radio) or electronic (such as radar) — to gather data. “This information is necessary to safeguard the forces engaged, to determine the enemy's intention and to be able to independently assess the situation. It contributes to the freedom of action of forces in a theater of operations,” the DGA said in a statement. The French armed forces' current tactical sigint capabilities were developed to meet the specific needs of each service. The purpose of the joint system is to provide the three services with a homogeneous system, using as many common bricks as possible to guarantee operational continuity and joint use of the information collected. The new system will modernize and complete the current tactical sigint capabilities, taking into consideration new communications technologies used by adversaries — whether these are detecting emissions, characterizing and localizing transmitters, or intercepting communications on different frequency ranges — according to the procurement agency. In the Army, the new capability will be used by the 54th Signal Regiment on Scorpion vehicles. It will also equip the Navy's capital ships and the Atlantic 2 maritime patrol aircraft, replacing and complementing the current systems. Members of the Air and Space Force will use the system as deployable ground equipment to protect air bases. https://www.c4isrnet.com/global/europe/2021/02/08/french-military-orders-first-sigint-suite-to-work-across-all-services/

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