January 13, 2024 | International, Naval
US Navy reports successful tests of newest shipboard radar
The system completed its first at-sea live fire test and will continue development through the summer in Hawaii.
March 25, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, C4ISR, Security
MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY
Lockheed Martin Corp., Missiles and Fire Control, Dallas, Texas, is being awarded a $932,836,737 modification (P00026) to previously-awarded contract HQ0147-17-C-0032 to exercise an option for the production of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors and associated one-shot devices to support the U.S. government (USG) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Foreign Military Sales (FMS) case requirements. The THAAD interceptors and associated one-shot devices will be procured under fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract line items. The value of this contract is increased from $5,366,947,800 to $6,299,784,537. The work will be performed in Dallas, Texas; Sunnyvale, California; Huntsville, Alabama; Camden, Arkansas; and Troy, Alabama, with an expected completion date of April 1, 2026. Fiscal 2020 USG procurement funds in the amount of $327,498,097; and KSA FMS funds in the amount of $605,338,640 are being obligated at time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
NAVY
CACI Inc. - Federal, Chantilly, Virginia, is awarded $180,336,750 for a single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, performance based, cost-plus-fixed-fee, level-of-effort contract (N65236-20-D-8003) to provide special operations communications systems, satellite communications (SATCOM) and network support services. Work will be performed in Fayetteville, North Carolina (65%); continental U.S. (20%); outside continental U.S. (10%); and Tampa, Florida (5%). This contract will require command, control, communications, computers, combat systems, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to exercise planning and evaluation, systems integration, operational systems, fielding, training, certification, maintenance, logistics, configuration management, systems engineering, network engineering, documentation and graphics support, program management, quality assurance and life-cycle sustainment management and support of deployable tactical SATCOM systems and military information, support operations and equipment for various joint warfighting customers at multiple locations within the global area of responsibility. Work is expected to be complete by March 2025. If the option is exercised, work may continue until September 2025. The contract includes a five-year ordering period and one six-month option with the cumulative value (ceiling) of this contract being $199,486,199. Fiscal 2019 procurement defense agency funding in the amount of $10,000 will be obligated at time of award. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was competitively procured by full and open competition via the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command E-Commerce Central website and two offers were received. The Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity.
VT Halter Marine Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, is awarded a $39,906,609 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-2230 to exercise an option for the detail design and construction of an Auxiliary Personnel Lighter – Small (APL(S)). Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi (58%); Boca Raton, Florida (25%); Mandeville, Louisiana (5%); Metairie, Louisiana (5%); Gautier, Mississippi (4%); and Billerica, Massachusetts (3%), and is expected to be complete by May 2021. The initial contract was for the detail design and construction of the lead and second craft in the APL(S) 67 class; this option exercise is for the fourth craft. Construction of all APL(S) craft is firm-fixed-price. The contract also includes options for associated support efforts related to the craft design and construction for deployment spare parts, crew familiarization, international delivery and production-level technical data package and rights. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $39,906,609 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.
Honeywell International Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, is awarded a $10,340,614 cost-plus-fixed-fee job order under basic ordering agreement N00164-18-G-GM66 for engineering sustainment support services of the strategic radiation-hardened microelectronics facility and production capability. Work will be performed in Plymouth, Minnesota, and is expected to be complete by March 2022. The sustainment services under the job order cover engineering efforts to sustain Honeywell International's strategic radiation-hardened microelectronics capability through researching extensions of existing products and technology, radiation testing and analysis, and sustaining existing application specific integrated circuit product support and multi-project wafer test/modeling capability. The services are required to maintain a domestic, trusted source for strategic radiation-hardened microelectronics to meet the Department of Defense certification to Congress, as stipulated by the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act Section 1670. Defense Production Act Title III funding in the amount of $10,340,614 will be obligated 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)(3), and was awarded to a particular source in order to maintain a facility, producer, manufacturer or other supplier available for furnishing property or services to achieve industrial mobilization. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity (N00164-20-F-G001).
Pratt and Whitney - United Technologies Corp., Hartford, Connecticut, is awarded a $7,681,734 firm-fixed-price delivery order (N00019-20-F-0658) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-17-G-8008). This order provides for the production and delivery of seven Lift Fan Inter Stage Vane (LF ISV) kits for the Marine Corps in support of the Joint Strike Fighter program. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Indiana. The new LF ISV will provide lift fan operations over an increased temperature range, improved trailing edge angle conformance and will address vibration and flutter concerns. Work is expected to be complete by July 2021. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,681,734 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.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Ceradyne Inc., Irvine, California, has been awarded a maximum $111,100,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for enhanced small arms protective inserts. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses received. This is an 18-month base contract with two one-year option periods. Location of performance is California, with a Dec. 30, 2021, performance completion date. Using military services are Army and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-20-D-1242).
SupplyCore Inc.,* Rockford, Illinois, has been awarded a maximum $75,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for facilities maintenance, repair and operations items. 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 an 18-month bridge contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Illinois, with a Sept. 24, 2021, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE8E3-20-D-0008).
TW Metals Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois, has been awarded a maximum $62,000,000 firm-fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract for commercial metal products. 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 an 18-month bridge contract. Locations of performance are Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Illinois and West Virginia, with a Sept. 24, 2021, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE8E5-20-D-0001).
AIR FORCE
L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, Greenville, Texas, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $85,000,005 firm-fixed-price, undefinitized contract for engineering, procurement and fabrication which will result in Phase One modification to the mission aircraft. Work will be performed in Greenville, Texas, and is expected to be completed by October 2022. This contract involves 100% foreign military sales and is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $41,600,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The 645th Aeronautical Systems Group, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-20-F-4837).
JW Clark Enterprises Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia, has been awarded a $16,000,000 modification (P00006) to previously awarded contract FA4800-16-D-0001 to exercise Option Year Four. This modification provides simplified acquisition of Base Civil Engineer Requirements support for Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. The contract provides all labor, tools, equipment, transportation, materials, supervision and all other necessary supplies and services required to perform a broad range of maintenance, repair, minor and new construction work on real property on Joint Base Langley-Eustis. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds will be used to fund individual task orders awarded. Zero funds will be obligated at time of exercising this option year modification. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $75,000,000. Work will be performed on Fort Eustis and Langley Air Force Base, and is expected to be complete by March 24, 2021. The 633 Contracting Squadron, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
The Boeing Co., Layton, Utah, has been awarded an $8,330,128 firm-fixed-price contract modification (P00011) to previously award contract FA8204-19-C-0001 for the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Cryptography Upgrade Increment II production. This modification exercises production Lot 3, Options 2, 4, 8 and 9, and provides the government 176 A-4 drawers. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama; Huntington Beach, California; and Layton, Utah, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 17, 2023. The total cumulative face value is $112,543,853. Fiscal 2019 missiles procurement funds in the amount of $1,639,817; and fiscal 2020 missiles procurement funds in the amount of $6,690,311 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) Contracting Division, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. (Awarded March 23, 2020)
ARMY
Vali Cooper International LLC,* Covington, Louisiana, was awarded a $30,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for architect-engineer technical support services for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System. Bids were solicited via the internet with received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 23, 2030. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity (W9128F-20-D-0027).
CORRECTION: A $19,940,157 firm-fixed-price contract announced yesterday, March 23, 2020, to SGS LLC,* Yukon, Oklahoma (W912BV-20-C-0005), for design-build construction of a fire rescue center, was actually awarded today, March 24, 2020.
*Small business
https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2123763/source/GovDelivery/
January 13, 2024 | International, Naval
The system completed its first at-sea live fire test and will continue development through the summer in Hawaii.
December 17, 2018 | International, Aerospace
By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — A next-generation air superiority jet for the U.S. Air Force, known by the service as Penetrating Counter Air, could cost about $300 million in 2018 dollars per plane, the Congressional Budget Office states in a new study. At that price, PCA would be more than three times that of the average F-35A jet, which is set at about $94 million to capture both the expense of early production lots and the decline in cost as the production rate increases, according the report, which predicts the cost of replacing the Air Force's aircraft inventory from now until 2050. This sum, while not an official cost estimate from the Pentagon, represents the first time a government entity has weighed in on the potential price tag for PCA. The CBO estimates the Air Force will need 414 PCA aircraft to replace existing F-15C/Ds and F-22s, the Air Force's current fighters geared toward air-to-air combat. It also surmises that the first aircraft will enter service in 2030, based on the service's stated desire to begin fielding PCA around that time frame. The reason for the whopping price tag? Part of it comes down to the cost of new technology. “The PCA aircraft would probably have a greater range and payload, as well as improved stealth and sensor capabilities, than today's F-22; those characteristics would help it operate in the presence of the high-end air defenses that DoD believes China, Russia, and other potential adversaries may have in the future,” the CBO states. The other reason comes down to history. The Air Force doesn't have a great track record when it comes to producing stealth aircraft at the low costs initially envisioned by leadership. Both the B-2 and F-22 programs were truncated in part due to the high price per plane — which in turn contributed to the production rate never accelerating to the point where unit costs begin to decrease. The early years of the F-35 program were also marred by a series of cost overruns that eventually prompted the Pentagon to restructure it. “Containing costs for the PCA aircraft may be similarly difficult,” the report states. The Air Force has said little about PCA since the release of the Air Superiority 2030 flight plan in 2016, which stated a need for a new fighter jet that would be networked into a family of systems of other air, space, cyber and electronic warfare technologies. “The replacement may not be a single platform,” Gen. Dave Goldfein, the Air Force's chief of staff, told Defense News earlier this year. “It may be two or three different kinds of capabilities and systems. And so as we look at air superiority in the future, ensuring that we're advancing to stay ahead of the adversary, we're looking at all those options.” Although Air Force leadership won't say exactly what it's doing to develop PCA or when a new jet may be coming online, it's clearly making investments. In the fiscal 2019 budget, the service requested $504 million for “next-generation air dominance,” its portfolio of future fighter technologies and weapons. The Air Force expects to ramp up funding to $1.4 billion in FY20, hitting a high in FY22 with a projected $3.1 billion in spending. According to the CBO's analysis, Air Force procurement of new aircraft could peak at about $26 billion in 2033, as the service buys both the F-35 and PCA. Those two fighters, together with the B-21 bomber, are set to be the largest drivers of cost as procurement reaches its height in the mid-2030s. “Although the Air Force could probably modify both retirement plans and replacement schedules to smooth out the 2033 peak, the average annual costs of procuring new aircraft would still be higher than in the recent past: $15 billion in the 2020s, $23 billion in the 2030s, and $15 billion in the 2040s,” the report states. Dealing with an upcoming bow wave CBO's estimates included 35 platforms that will be replacing legacy systems, with six programs making up more than 85 percent of the projected procurement costs cited throughout the report: the F-35, PCA, the KC-46A, the B-21, the C-130J cargo plane as well as the yet-unannounced C-17 replacement. The report envisions a future where the Air Force is allowed to retire all of its legacy fighter and attack aircraft — the A-10, the F-15, the F-16 and even the F-22 — in favor of three aircraft: the F-35, PCA and a light attack aircraft configured to take on low-threat missions. The Air Force has yet to decide whether to buy a light-attack aircraft or how extensive its purchase may be, although the service is expected to put out a request for proposals by the end of the month. “Funding for new fighter aircraft makes up about half of the total projected costs of procuring new aircraft,” the CBO states, with the F-35 set to be the most expensive program through the 2020s until PCA takes its place in the early 2030s. The Air Force could decrease costs in a couple of ways, although all of them come with significant drawbacks. For one, it could extend the lives of its legacy fighter and attack aircraft, and delay programs like PCA. However, the CBO notes that “obtaining replacement parts can be both difficult and expensive, and a refurbished fleet may not provide as many available and mission-capable aircraft as a new fleet.” If the service wants to increase the availability of its inventory without paying the high price associated with developing a new stealth fighter, it could retire its legacy F-15s and F-16s and buy new ones. That option is probably more expensive, but would result in aircraft that are more reliable. The Air Force could also defer the PCA program while allowing some of its legacy aircraft to be retired, the CBO posits. However, Air Force leadership contend that the service is already too small, with Secretary Heather Wilson arguing that the number of operational squadrons needs to increase from 312 to 386 — a goal that necessitates buying more aircraft. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/12/14/budget-watchdogs-warn-of-expensive-price-tag-for-next-air-force-fighter/
March 29, 2023 | International, Land
The Javelin's Basic Skills Trainer is expected to debut in 2025, according to SAIC, the contractor overseeing the program.