Brazil's Embraer, Air Force agree on cutting KC-390 orders

On the same subject

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  August 11, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Support to pursue Hawaii-based missile defense radar continues after DoD drops funding

  By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — Support is growing both in Congress and in the Pentagon to pursue a Hawaii-based ballistic missile defense radar that the Missile Defense Agency did not include in its fiscal 2021 funding request. Previous MDA budget requests in FY19 and FY20 asked for funding for the discriminating radar as well as another somewhere else in the Pacific. The plan in FY19 was to field the Homeland Defense Radar-Hawaii, or HDR-H, by FY23, which meant military construction would have taken place beginning in FY21. Then in FY20, MDA requested $247.7 million for the radar. Lockheed Martin received an award to develop the radar in December 2018. But in FY21, funding for both the Hawaiian radar and the Pacific radar was missing in the request. MDA Director Vice Adm. Jon Hill said in February, when the request was released, that the agency decided to hit the brakes on its plans to set up the radars in the Pacific, instead planning to take a new look at the sensor architecture in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command region to figure out what is necessary to handle emerging threats. Hill noted that the area is covered by a forward-deployed AN/TPY-2 radar in Hawaii as well as the deployable Sea-Based X-Band radar. Additionally, Aegis ships with their radars are mobile and can be repositioned as needed to address threats in the near term, he added. Yet, over the summer, the Hawaiian radar gained traction in Congress via funding support in the House Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee's version of the FY21 defense spending bill and the Senate Armed Services Committee's version of the defense policy bill. The House subcommittee injected $133 million to pursue the homeland defense radar in Hawaii, and the SASC added in $162 million to continue HDR-H development. The SASC also included language that essentially reminded the Pentagon that HDR-H was a response to a mandate in the FY18 National Defense Authorization Act to improve coverage for the threat of ballistic missiles in Hawaii. The HDR-H was also listed as an unfunded requirement for FY21 by Indo-Pacific Command. The SASC also directed the MDA to provide an updated plan that accounts for delays related to finding a site in Hawaii, noting it expects the Pentagon to fund the program in subsequent budget requests. During a presentation at the virtually held Space and Missile Defense Symposium on Aug. 4, Hill showed a slide listing focus areas for the agency in FY21. The presentation included the currently unfunded radar, third from the top of the list. “The potential for getting a radar onto Hawaii as part of another major sensor allows us to have that launch-all-the-way-to-intercept view out in a very large ocean area in the Pacific,” Hill said. The HDR-H is categorized as a focus area for the MDA “because if the [Defense] Department decides to move forward with HDR-H, then the HDR-H will be deployed as part of the U.S. homeland defense architecture against long-range threats,” Mark Wright, MDA spokesman, told Defense News in an Aug. 6 statement. The missile defense architecture “must evolve with advancements of the threat,” he added. “Space sensors do not replace but complement ground-based radars by providing track custody during radar coverage gaps. Having both terrestrial radar and space sensors provides dual phenomenology to accurately track and discriminate the threat as it continues to become more complex.” https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/smd/2020/08/07/support-to-pursue-hawaii-based-missile-defense-radar-continues-after-dod-drops-funding/

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  February 3, 2021 | International, Naval

  National Defence says $60B warship project delayed until 2030s

  By Lee Berthiaume The Canadian Press Posted February 2, 2021 10:40 am OTTAWA – The Department of National Defence says the first of 15 new warships being built for the Royal Canadian Navy will be delivered years later than expected as officials working on the $60-billion project grapple with unexpected design and construction challenges. The delay means Canada will need to spend more on its 12 aging Halifax-class frigates to keep them floating longer, and is sure to set off a fresh wave of debate and lobbying around what amounts to the largest military procurement in Canadian history. Yet the Defence Department's head of procurement insists the project remains on budget thanks to built-in contingencies, while navy commander Vice-Admiral Craig Baines expressed confidence that his force would not be unduly affected by the delay. That is despite a recent report that outlined concerns about the advanced age of the frigates, which was making it more difficult to find spare parts and conduct other maintenance on the 1980s Halifax-class warships. “When you put ships in saltwater over time, there's going to be an effect,” Baines told The Canadian Press in an interview. “But right now, based on all our estimates on the conditions of the ships, we're very comfortable that we'll be able to transition with this plan.” The delay is nonetheless the latest setback for the new fleet of warships, which are known in military circles as Canadian “surface combatants” and are expected to serve as the Navy's backbone for the better part of the century. The warship project was launched in earnest nearly a decade ago when Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax was selected in October 2011 to build the fleet, with the total cost estimated at around $26 billion and the first ship to be delivered in the mid-2020s. That vague schedule remained largely unchanged, at least on paper, even as the estimated price tag ballooned to $60 billion and Ottawa ordered several smaller ships so Irving would have work until the surface combatants were ready for construction. But Troy Crosby, the Defence Department's assistant deputy minister of materiel, revealed Monday that the first ship is now scheduled for delivery in the early 2030s as officials grapple with the final design and face longer-than-expected construction times. The new warships are based on the Type-26 frigate, which is also being built by the United Kingdom and Australia, but Canadian officials have been making numerous changes to the design to meet Canada's unique military – and industrial – requirements. At the same time, Crosby said the British and Australian experiences have shown that construction of the new vessels will take 7 1/2 years, rather than the original estimate of five years. “So when we look at the overall timeline, we're looking at slightly longer timelines,” he said. “We're looking at the first ship being delivered to us in the early 2030s. ... In this case, we're really more specifically looking at the 2030-31 timeframe.” The schedule slippage comes as the parliamentary budget officer is preparing to release a highly anticipated update on the estimated cost of the warship project. Defence officials have quietly expressed concern the review will show a sizeable increase. Crosby, however, was adamant that the project remains within the $60-billion budget established by the Liberal government in 2017. “The project had originally included a significant amount of contingency that had been put there to address these unknowns,” he said. “That contingency is now being applied, and that's exactly what it's there for. So with that update done, we're still confident at this point that it's going to fit within the budget.” He also said Ottawa will not pony up more money for Irving to retain its workforce as the current plan is to start cutting steel on the first new warship as scheduled in 2023-24, while work on the final design continues. A similar approach is being taken with the Navy's two new supply ships, which are being built in Vancouver. Irving is currently working on a fleet of much smaller Arctic patrol ships for the navy. It originally planned to build five, before the government ordered a sixth in November 2018 to keep Irving's workers busy until the new warships were ready for construction. The government then committed $1.5 billion for two more Arctic patrol ships in May 2019, this time for the Canadian Coast Guard, for the same reason. The delay does mean the navy will need to continue operating its Halifax-class frigates longer, which means investing more money into the ships and managing how and when they are used. Defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute expressed concern about the new delay and what it means for the frigates, some of which are dealing with corrosion and metal fatigue that could limit how long they can remain in service. An internal Defence Department report published last year echoed some of those concerns, saying the navy's maintenance facilities were having an increasingly tough time repairing the frigates thanks in part to a lack of spare parts and the age of the fleet. And while Crosby said the government is working with British and Australian officials as well as industries to find ways to save time, Perry said the warship project has a long history of delays and cost overruns. “At this point in time, this project hasn't met a single one of its major milestones,” Perry said. “So 2030-31 is now the no-earlier-than-that-date for me.” Ottawa has rebuffed repeated calls to scrap its plan to build the ships in Canada, which advocates say could save the country tens of billions of dollars. https://globalnews.ca/news/7614144/national-defence-60b-warship-project/

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  October 30, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - October 29, 2020

  AIR FORCE The Boeing Co., Seattle, Washington, has been awarded a $342,120,528 firm-fixed-price modification (P00009) to contract FA8609-18-F-0006 for KC-46A Aircraft 3 and 4 for Japan. This modification provides for the exercise of an option for an additional quantity of two KC-46A Japan aircraft being produced under the basic contract. Work will be performed in Everett, Washington, and is expected to be completed June 30, 2023. Foreign Military Sales funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. The total cumulative face value of this contract is $800,972,411. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. The Raytheon Co., Tucson, Arizona, has been awarded a $192,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) field team and lab support. This contract provides support for the AMRAAM system development test activities to include laboratory management, field-team test support, testing and analysis. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona; Fort Worth, Texas; St. Louis, Missouri; Seattle, Washington; Edwards Air Force Base, California; Hill AFB, Utah; and Eglin AFB, Florida, and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2030. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) funds in the amount of $479,372; and fiscal 2021 RDT&E funds in the amount of $800,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin AFB, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA86785-21-D-0030). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Northridge, California, has been awarded a $75,006,130 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, requirements contract for common munition built-in-tester reprogramming equipment (CMBRE) system. This contract provides for the program management support, sustaining engineering, repairs, consumable parts depot, and production of CMBRE systems, initial spares kits and associated items belonging to the CMBRE configuration. Work will be performed in Northridge, California, and is expected to be completed Oct. 29, 2026. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance funds will be used and obligated via an individual delivery order against the contract as requirements are made known. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8533-21-D-0001). ARMY Eli Lilly and Co., Indianapolis, Indiana, was awarded a $312,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract for procurement of monoclonal antibody therapeutic LY-CoV555. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Indiana, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2021. Fiscal 2021 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds in the amount of $312,500,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911QY-21-C-0016). (Awarded Oct. 27, 2020) Astrazeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, Wilmington, Delaware, was awarded a $286,927,159 firm-fixed-price contract for the delivery of 200 million doses of AZD1222 vaccine for COVID- 19. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in West Chester Township, Ohio; and Albuquerque, New Mexico, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2021. Fiscal 2021 other procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $286,927,159 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Newark, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-21-C-0003). (Awarded Oct. 28, 2020) DEFENSE FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING SERVICE KPMG LLP, McLean, Virginia, is being awarded a maximum $224,033,259 labor hour contract for audit services for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General audits of the Army financial statements. Work will be performed in McLean, Virginia, with an expected completion date of Dec. 31, 2021. The contract has a one-year base period with four individual one-year option periods, and is the result of a competitive acquisition for which three quotes were received. Fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $43,696,323 are being obligated at the time of the award. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Contract Services Directorate, Columbus, Ohio, is the contracting activity (HQ0423-21-F-0005). Ernst and Young LLP, New York, New York, is being awarded a maximum $98,142,615 labor hour contract for audit services for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General audits of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) financial statements, with an expected completion date of Dec. 31, 2021. The contract has a one-year base period with four individual one-year option periods, and is the result of a competitive acquisition for which two quotes were received. Subject to availability of funding, fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance (DLA) funds in the amount of $18,838,861 will be obligated when funds are available for this contract. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Contract Services Directorate, Columbus, Ohio, is the contracting activity (HQ0423-21-F-0010). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY WGL Energy Services Inc., Vienna, Virginia (SPE604-21-D-8005, $84,270,116); Reliant Energy Northeast LLC, Houston, Texas (SPE604-21-D-8004, $48,256,472); AEP Energy Inc., Chicago, Illinois (SPE604-21-D-8000, $15,924,871); MP2 Energy NE LLC, The Woodlands, Texas (SPE604-21-D-8003, $15,124,148); and Dynegy Energy Services (East) LLC, Cincinnati, Ohio (SPE604-21-D-8006, $9,060,198), have each been awarded a firm-fixed-price, requirements-type contract under solicitation SPE604-20-R-0408 to supply and deliver retail electricity and ancillary/incidental services. These were competitive acquisitions with nine responses received. They are two-year contracts with no option periods. Locations of performance are Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Ohio, with a Dec. 31, 2022, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Army Reserve, Argonne National Laboratory, Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, U.S. National Arboretum, Naval Research Laboratory, National Institutes of Health, Department of Veterans Affairs, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Communication Support System Group, National Agricultural Library, Army Corps of Engineers, Defense Intelligence Agency, Defense Information Systems Agency, Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Contract Management Agency and other federal civilian agencies. Using customers are solely responsible for funding this contract and vary in appropriation type and fiscal year. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Raytheon Co., Marlborough, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $9,455,861 firm-fixed-price delivery order (SPRMM1-21-F-DK02) against five-year basic ordering agreement SPRMM1-18-G-DK01 for electronic switches. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a 35-month contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Massachusetts, with a Sept. 30, 2023, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. (Awarded Oct. 27, 2020) Raytheon Co., Tucson, Arizona, has been awarded a maximum $9,008,686 firm-fixed-price, one-time buy, requirements contract for cooler reservoirs used in the Air to Air Stinger weapon system parts. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 (a)(2). This is a 29-month contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Arizona and India, with a Nov. 30, 2022, performance delivery date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (SPRRA2-20-C-0039). Burlington Industries LLC, Greensboro, North Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $8,134,668 modification (P00006) exercising the second one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-19-D-1112) with four one-year option periods for wool, serge, sponged mothproof cloth. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is North Carolina, with a Nov. 4, 2021, ordering period end date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NAVY Bowen Engineering Corp., Indianapolis, Indiana, is awarded an $83,424,684 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of an underwater launch test facility at Naval Support Activity, Crane, Indiana. The work to be performed provides construction of a new underwater launch test facility, to include a launch test pit, operational support building, warehouse building, water treatment building, mechanical and electrical building, waste staging area, electrical substation and other site improvements. This contract contains an option which, if exercised, would increase the cumulative contract value to $84,624,684. Work will be performed in Crane, Indiana, and is expected to be completed by August 2022. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,882,001 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website, with five proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-21-C-0009). Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $73,844,598 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract N00019-20-C-0037. This contract modification exercises an option to provide continued F-35 development lab infrastructure activities as well as recurring administration, maintenance and preparation of the F-35 laboratories to test developed configurations across the F-35 platform. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in October 2021. Fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance (Air Force) funds in the amount of $15,128,657; fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,564,329; fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $7,564,329; and non-Department of Defense participant funds in the amount of $6,664,984 will be obligated at time of award, $30,257,315 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity Dyncorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $60,040,851 modification (P00046) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable contract N68936-17-C-0052. This modification exercises an option to provide organizational level aircraft maintenance and logistics support on aircraft, systems, subsystems, aircrew systems, search and rescue equipment and support equipment for P-3 Orion, C-130 Hercules, F/A-18 Hornet, E/A-18 Growler, AV-8B Harrier II, H-60 Seahawk and E-2D Hawkeye aircraft in support of the Naval Test Wing Pacific Command. Work will be performed in China Lake, California (50%); Point Mugu, California (40%); Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii (2%); Naval Air Station, Lemoore, California (2%); Patrick Air Force Base, Florida (1%); Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico (1%); Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland (1%); Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, Arizona (1%); Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, California (1%); and North Island, California (1%), and is expected to be completed in October 2021. Working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $46,709,814 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity. Aircraft Readiness Alliance LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska, is awarded a $56,339,955 modification (P00016) to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N68936-17-C-0081. This modification exercises an option to provide depot level maintenance services for aircraft, aircraft engines, associated systems, equipment, components and materials. These services may involve rework of existing aviation end items, systems and components and the manufacture of items and component parts that are otherwise not available, modernization, conversion, in-service repair and disassembly for AV-8B, C-130, C-2, E-2, EA-6B, F/A-18, H-1, H-53, H-60, MQ-8, P-3, P-8, F-35 and V-22 aircrafts in support of Fleet Readiness Center Southwest. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (79.5%); Lemoore, California (8.5%); Camp Pendleton, California (3.4%); Yuma, Arizona (2.4%); Miramar, California (2.2%); Whidbey Island, Washington (1.7%); Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii (1%); Nellis, Nevada (1%); and Fallon, California (0.3%), and is expected to be completed in October 2021. Fiscal 2021 working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $20,073,043 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity. Vigor Marine LLC, Portland, Oregon, is awarded a $17,861,520 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-4447 to support USS Chosin (CG 65) extended dry-docking selected restricted availability. This modification will provide production work in the superstructure for various interior spaces to USS Chosin (CG 65) during the performance of the extended availability at Vigor Shipyard, Seattle, Washington. Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington, and is expected to be completed by October 2021. Fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $17,861,520 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Everett, Washington, is the contracting activity. Detyens Shipyard Inc., Charleston, South Carolina, is awarded a $10,884,056 firm-fixed-price contract for a 75-calendar day shipyard availability. The work to be performed provides for services for the post shakedown availability and dry-docking of the expeditionary fast transport USNS Puerto Rico (T-EPF 11). The contract also contains nine unexercised options, which if exercised, would increase cumulative contract value to $13,039,037. Work will be performed in Charleston, South Carolina, and is expected to be completed by April 2021. Fiscal 2021 working capital contract funds (Navy) in the amount of $10,884,056 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website, with two proposals received. The Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N32205-20-C-4088). Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Syracuse, New York, is awarded a $7,659,000 cost-plus incentive-fee modification to previously awarded task order N00024-19-F-6201 under indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00024-19-D-6200 for the design, prototyping and qualification testing for the Technical Insertion-20 AN/BLQ-10 electronic warfare system. Work will be performed in Syracuse, New York, and is expected to be completed by February 2021. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) in the amount of $7,659,000 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 Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-19-D-6200). *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2399096/source/GovDelivery/