July 8, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Land, Security, Other Defence
ARMY
Mike Hooks LLC, Westlake, Louisiana, was awarded a $24,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the rental of a 27-30 inch cutterhead pipeline dredge. 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 Sept. 4, 2020. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W91278-19-D-0034).
Lions Services Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina, was awarded a $7,834,750 firm-fixed-price contract for the purchase of Improved Retention System for use on the Enhanced Combat Helmet. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 4, 2022. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-19-D-0006).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
City Light & Power Inc.,* Greenwood Village, Colorado, has been awarded a maximum $9,385,656 modification (P00029) to a 50-year contract (SP0600-14-C-8291) for the ownership, operation and maintenance of the electric distribution system at Hill Air Force Base. This is a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract. Location of performance is Utah, with an April 30, 2064, performance completion date. Using military service is the Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2064 Air Force operations and maintenance funds. The contracting activity is Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
*Small business
https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1896941/source/GovDelivery/
July 21, 2022 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence
“APFIT holds great promise to transform the way the Department procures next generations solutions,” Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said. “This pilot program is well positioned to be a key asset as we continue to work to bridge the valley of death."
October 4, 2022 | International, C4ISR
ThinKom Solutions, Inc. and Inmarsat Government announced a collaboration to deliver satellite communications significantly reducing aircraft downtime and component swap requirements previously required for mission deployments.
April 9, 2020 | International, Aerospace
By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — Last week's deal between Boeing and the U.S. Air Force on a fix for the KC-46 could pave the way for the tanker to refuel other aircraft without a person needed to manually control the process, a top service official said Thursday. On April 2, Boeing agreed to fix the KC-46's troubled Remote Vision System by creating an overhauled RVS 2.0 with new hardware and software. Air Force acquisition executive Will Roper told reporters those changes would include the addition of 4K high-definition cameras that will display imagery in color as well as modern processors and LiDAR (light detecting and ranging) sensors that will help improve depth perception. “A proper RVS like that is right on the doorstep to autonomy,” Roper said. “All you have to do is take that data that tells the world inside the jet the reality of geometries between the airplane and the boom outside the jet. Once you have that, you simply need to translate it into algorithms that allow the tanker to tank itself.” The KC-46's Remote Vision System has been a thorn in the side of the aircraft program since 2017, when issues with the system were first discovered. The RVS is basically a suite of cameras, sensors and software that is supposed to allow boom operators sitting inside the aircraft to safety steer the boom into the aircraft needing fuel. But in certain conditions, the system produces distorted imagery that increases the risk of the boom hitting another aircraft. The new LIDAR system will be key to fixing that problem, said Roper, who likened it to a backup camera on a car that also provides cues to a driver for parallel parking or assessing whether a vehicle is aligned flush to a curb. “We'll have something very similar to that for the boom operators, so telling them are they left, right and how close are they getting to the airplane,” he said. “[It's] something very intuitive and easy to work with, and I think that will help significantly with them understanding their distance [from the other aircraft] because LIDAR is extremely accurate.” Because Boeing is locked into a firm fixed-price contract for the development of the KC-46, it will have to pay for the upgrade to RVS 2.0 out of its own pocket, as the Air Force maintains that the current system does not meet requirements. But the service is so confident in the prospect of using the RVS 2.0 as a stepping stone to an autonomous tanker that it included an option in last week's agreement to fund the development of technologies that enable autonomous or semiautonomous refueling. “We have added an engineering change proposal into the deal with a not-to-exceed threshold of $55 million, so that when RVS 2.0 is done, we can then take the next step beyond 2.0 to develop those autonomy algorithms and install them if we think we can certify them for safe use,” Roper said. “We took that step because, one, we're excited about being on the doorsteps of autonomy and, [two], we wanted to send a clear signal in the deal that this is our tanker for the future,” he said. If the Air Force decides to move forward with those design changes, more will need to be done to hammer out the contractual details, said Jamie Burgess, Boeing's KC-46 program manager. “There was no commitment one way or another on who pays for what. But there's definitely a strong partnership between Boeing and the Air Force as far as developing this technology,” he said. Autonomous refueling capability has been of increasing interest to the Air Force over the past few years, as sensing and artificial intelligence technologies grow by leaps and bounds. Boeing previously signaled it could include such technology as part of a menu of potential upgrade options for the KC-46, as reported by FlightGlobal in 2018. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2020/04/08/boeings-kc-46-tanker-now-has-a-pathway-for-autonomous-aerial-refueling