DARPA Awards Contracts for Autonomous ‘Sea Train’

On the same subject

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  December 18, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - December 17, 2018

  AIR FORCE Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Rolling Meadows, Illinois, has been awarded a $3,600,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Large Aircraft Infrared Counter Measures (LAIRCM) equipment and support. This contract provides for LAIRCM line replaceable units, support equipment, logistics support related activities, systems and sustaining engineering, program management, and other efforts necessary supporting efforts specified in each task/delivery order. Work will be performed in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and is expected to be completed by December 2025. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. This contract involves numerous foreign military sales requirements and is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8638-19-D-0001). L-3 Technologies, Greenville, Texas, has been awarded an $8,600,988 firm-fixed-price contract modification to previously awarded contract FA8620-16-G-3027/FA8620-18-F-4816 for management support services. The contract modification provides for the exercise of an option for additional services being produced under the basic contract. Work will be performed in Greenville, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2019. This contract involves 100 percent Foreign Military Sales and is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $8,600,988 are being obligated at the time of award. The 645th Aeronautical Systems Group, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. CORRECTION: The contract announced on Dec. 14, 2018, to Peraton Inc., Herndon, Virginia (FA8750-19-F-0003) for Xdomain technology through research, evolution, enhancement, maintenance, and support software and report, was actually awarded today, Dec. 17, 2018. All other information in the announcement is correct. ARMY BAE Systems Land & Armaments LP, Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $375,932,453 hybrid (firm-fixed-price and fixed-price-incentive) contract for Mobile Protected Firepower middle tier acquisition and rapid prototyping effort with low-rate initial production options. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 15, 2025. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $175,974,048 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-19-C-0035). General Dynamics Land Systems Inc., Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $335,043,086 hybrid (firm-fixed-price and fixed-price-incentive) contract for Mobile Protected Firepower middle tier acquisition and rapid prototyping effort with low-rate initial production options. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 15, 2025. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $175,011,179 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-19-C-0036). Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $91,250,000 modification (P00069) to contract W31P4Q-15-C-0102 for procurement of Joint-Air-to-Ground missiles under the initial phases of the Low-rate Initial Production 3. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2022. Fiscal 2017, and 2018 other procurement Army funds in the amount of $91,250,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Foster-Miller Inc., doing business as QinetiQ North America, Waltham, Massachusetts, was awarded a $90,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the reset, sustainment, maintenance and recap to support the overall sustainment actions of the Tactical Adaptable Light Ordnance Neutralization family of robotic systems. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 16, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-19-D-0024). Gilbane Building Co., Providence, Rhode Island, was awarded a $12,651,574 firm-fixed-price contract for modifications to an operational training facility, Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni, Japan. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Iwakuni City, Japan, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 3, 2019. Fiscal 2016 and 2017 military construction funds in the amount of $12,651,574 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Camp Zama, Japan, is the contracting activity (W912HV-19-C-0002). NAVY Lockheed Martin Corp., Owego, New York, is awarded a $92,500,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for technical, management, and process support to maintain, upgrade, and deploy software and systems configurations for all H-60 variants in support of the Navy and the governments of Denmark, Australia, and Saudi Arabia. Work will be performed in Owego, New York, and is expected to be completed in September 2023. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,392,660 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This contract combines purchases for the Navy ($70,010,000; 75.68 percent); and the governments of Australia ($15,430,000; 16.68 percent); Denmark ($3,530,000; 3.82 percent); and Saudi Arabia ($3,530,000; 3.82 percent), under the Foreign Military Sales program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-19-D-0005). Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, is awarded a $39,395,512 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N0024-16-C-2415 to exercise Option Year 3 for life cycle engineering and support services for the LPD 17 class amphibious transport dock ship program. The services include post-delivery planning and engineering; homeport technical support; class integrated product data environment; data maintenance and equipment management; systems integration and engineering support; LPD 17 class design services; research engineering; obsolescence management; class material readiness; emergent repair provision; training and logistics support; ship alteration development and installation; material management; operating cycle integration; availability planning; and configuration data management. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi (96 percent); Norfolk, Virginia (1 percent); San Diego, California (1 percent); Mayport, Florida (1 percent); and Sasebo, Japan (1 percent), and is expected to be complete by December 2019. Fiscal 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy); and fiscal 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $19,057,104 will be obligated at time of award and contract funds in the amount of $18,017,669 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, is awarded a $28,573,043 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-17-C-2473 to exercise options for the accomplishment of the industrial post-delivery availability and planning, engineering and management efforts for the post-delivery planning yard services in support of the LHA 7 amphibious assault ship. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and is expected to be completed by December 2019. Fiscal 2012 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $21,200,000; and fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $2,355,011 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. Lockheed Martin Space, Sunnyvale, California is awarded $21,987,176 for cost-plus-fixed-fee modification P00017 under a previously awarded contract (N00030-17-C-0100) to exercise options for Trident II (D5) missile production and deployed system support. The work will be performed in Sunnyvale, California (61.25 percent); Denver, Colorado (36.04 percent); and Titusville, Florida (2.71 percent), and is expected to be completed Dec. 30, 2019. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $21,987,176 are obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. B.E. Meyers and Co. Inc.,* Redmond, Washington, is awarded a $10,348,345 delivery order (M67854-19-F-1529 0002) from a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (M67854-14-D-1040) for the purchase of 917 Ocular Interruption Systems. Work will be performed at Redmond, Washington, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2019 procurement (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $10,348,345 will be obligated at the time of award and no funds will expire the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Harris Corp., Clifton, New Jersey, is awarded $9,835,000 for firm-fixed-price delivery order modification 000105 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00016-16-G-0003) for production and qualification of ten Digital Receiver/Technique Generator Gen2 shipsets for the ALQ-214A(V)4/5 on-board jammer system in support of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) requirements. Two system spread benches are also being procured and delivered under this modification. Work will be performed in Clifton, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed in April 2020. FMS funds in the amount $9,835,000 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. Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded $8,988,458 for modification P00007 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N0001917C0059) for engineering and technical support for the flight test demonstration of an extended range capability in support of the Joint Stand Off Weapon extended range Phase 3b development effort. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed in January 2021. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Strategic Capabilities Office) funds in the amount of $661,621 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Rockwell Collins Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is awarded $8,704,807 for delivery order N0001919F0273 against a previously issued firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0021) in support of the E-6B Mercury aircraft. This order provides for non-recurring engineering for the installation of the Digital Red Switch System (DRSS) kits into the Mission Avionics Systems Trainer (MAST), as well as the procurement of six DRSS kits for the aircraft and one for MAST. Work will be performed in Richardson, Texas, and is expected to be completed in September 2022. Fiscal 2018, and 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,704,807will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Corp., Aerospace Systems, Melbourne, Florida, is awarded $7,993,664 for modification P00004 to cost-plus-fixed-price delivery order 0027 previously issued against a basic ordering agreement (N0001915G0026). This modification provides for the procurement of additional organic depot and intermediate level repair publications in support of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft, including the structural repair manual and organic depot and intermediate level repair publications. Work will be performed in Melbourne, Florida (79.6 percent); St. Augustine, Florida (11.6 percent); Menlo Park, California (7.3 percent); and Bethpage, New York (1.5 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2020. Fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,993,664 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. TKH-ASI LLC,* Kahului, Hawaii, is awarded $7,744,000 for firm-fixed-price task order N6247819F4034 under a previously awarded, multiple award construction contract (N62478-16-D-4016) to repair unaccompanied housing Building 2, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Wahiawa Annex, Hawaii. The work to be performed provides for repair of Station B1 (located in Facility S1104) and interconnecting Station B1 with Station B29. Project work will include replacing old and deteriorated components in Station B1, adding a primary circuit and circuit breaker to Station B29, and installing underground feeder cables to interconnect and consolidate Stations B1 and B29. Work will be performed in Oahu, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by February 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $7,744,000 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Hawaii, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Honeywell International Inc., Phoenix, Arizona, has been awarded an $11,499,928 firm-fixed-price delivery order (SPRPA1-19-F-KQ1B) against a five-year basic ordering agreement (SPE4A1-17-G-0017) with no option periods for 11 auxiliary power units for the P-8 aircraft. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulations 6.302-1. This is an 11-month contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Arizona, with a Nov. 11, 2019, performance completion date. Using customers are Navy and the United Kingdom. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019, Navy working capital funds and Foreign Military Sales funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1716020/source/GovDelivery/

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  February 20, 2018 | International, Aerospace

  DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) United States / Canada Joint Certification Program DD2345

  Sydney, Feb 19, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) (OTCMKTS:DRSHF) ("DroneShield" or the "Company") is pleased to advise that the United States Defense Logistics Agency, the logistics combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense, has certified DroneShield's subsidiary DroneShield LLC under the United States / Canada Joint Certification Program DD2345 (militarily critical technical data agreement). With this certification, DroneShield LLC has established eligibility to access unclassified export-controlled technical data of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and Canada's Department of National Defence (DND). - United States Defense Logistics Agency has certified DroneShield LLC under the United States / Canada Joint Certification Program DD2345 (militarily critical technical data agreement). - Establishes eligibility to access unclassified military technical data belonging to the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and Canada's Department of National Defence (DND). DroneShield LLC's certification under this program is part of its participation in the U.S. DOD and Canadian DND procurement processes. This announcement follows the recent award to the Company of a NATO Stock Number for its DroneGun MKII product. About DroneShield Ltd Based in Sydney, Australia and Virginia, USA, DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) (OTCMKTS:DRSHF) is a worldwide leader in drone security technology. The Company has developed the pre-eminent drone security solution that protects people, organisations and critical infrastructure from intrusion from drones. Its leadership brings world-class expertise in engineering and physics, combined with deep experience in defence, intelligence, and aerospace. http://www.abnnewswire.net/press/en/92055/DroneShield-Ltd-(ASX-DRO)-United-States-Canada-Joint-Certification-Program-DD2345-92055.html

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  March 12, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  U.S. Military Exploring eVTOL Solution to Resupplying Troops

  by Nick Zazulia The U.S. military is stepping up its efforts to enlist autonomous eVTOL aircraft for a variety of missions, especially those that would reduce risk to troops, such as moving cargo in combat zones. In early January, the U.S. Air Force issued a request for information to civil eVTOL developers in a bid to evaluate options for investing in the technology. For 2020 alone, the Pentagon has allocated almost $170 million to investigate options for what it calls unmanned logistic system-air (ULS-A) capability. In Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. forces have faced difficulty moving supplies, according to Carmine Borrelli, deputy head for logistics innovation with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab. Valuable military aircraft often need to be kept in reserve for higher-priority missions, and even when they are used, high sustainment costs make resupply an inefficient use for them. “They [eVTOLs] have the potential to have a platform that could be cost-effective, that could go far distances and that could carry stuff, potentially, at a lesser cost than what we were doing,” said Borrelli in a press briefing hosted by the Vertical Flight Society on March 10. The Marines are partnering with both the Army and the Air Force on different projects to realize that goal through what it calls small, medium, and large unmanned logistics systems. The Office of the Secretary of Defense is allocating approximately $120 million to the efforts of the Naval Air Systems Command (Navair) with small and medium ULS-A vehicles covered by the program objective memorandum (POM-19). Another $30 million for medium-size ULS-A in combined stakeholder investment and funding from the Office of the Secretary of Defense is being put toward joint capabilities technical demonstrations that need to be completed before the POM funding can be put to use. And the fiscal year 2020 budget from Congress includes $18.5 million to advance autonomous technology, particularly in large aircraft. There is more funding for the smaller ULS vehicles, because the use case is more clearly defined, and the work is further along. Instead of usual rigid requirements, the Marine Corps is now deliberately thinking about possible use cases in terms of range. Borrelli that this approach allows more flexibility in finding the best way to use the burgeoning eVTOL technology. The Department of Defense (DoD) considers “small” ULS to be vehicles with a 60- to 150-pound payload, designed for trips within 10 or 15 miles and a daily throughput of about 1,000 pounds per aircraft. Borrelli said the Marines are finding that it's realistic for vehicles of that size to weigh as much as or less than the payload they're designed to carry. The goal is to use them for squad resupply, leveraging highly automated routines to complete simple operations without requiring much manpower. Early operational capability is scheduled for 2023 with full operational capability on the docket for 2026. A medium ULS carries 300- to 500 pounds anywhere from a 20 to 125-mile combat radius, allowing for carrying up to 5,000 pounds of cargo in a day. As with a small ULS, medium ULS can keep their weight efficient enough that payload about meets vehicle weight, though they will be used for more complicated missions, such as supplying platoons, operations between advanced bases, and more. “We're trying to anticipate the future; potentially that size range could also do casualty evacuation...if these things prove out and they are reliable enough,” Borrelli said. The Marine Corps is working with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory on medium ULS efforts. At the end of January, Navair hosted a tactical resupply unmanned aircraft systems fly-off competition in Yuma, Arizona, won by Survice Engineering's TRV-150 system, which is based on the Malloy Aeronautics tactical resupply vehicle drone platform. Other competitors included Bell, Autonodyne, AirBuoyant, Pacific Aerospace Consulting, and Chartis Federal. Borrelli said medium ULS are targeted to enter service during fiscal year 2024 or 2025, with full operational capability in 2030. The category just finished its first year of successful joint-capabilities technical demonstration flight tests as part of a three-year effort. The large ULS category is still a bit more abstract. Initially, DoD conceived of vehicles with a 2,000- to 6,000-lb payload, in some ways a replacement for Bell Boeing V-22 Ospreys or Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallions on shorter trips. However, as the consumer market has defined and taken shape, the military realized that scaling back to vehicles with 1,000- to 2,000-lb payloads will make more sense. “We want to seriously consider and match industry's approach,” Borrelli said. “If the market is moving toward the 1,000-pound platform—a "flying car"—and many [new eVTOL aircraft] are going to be out there, it would be in our best interest to figure out how best we can use that platform to do what we need to do. We look to ride the coattails of industry.” The military is still interested in larger vehicles that can move up to 6,000 lb, but it recognizes that isn't where the bulk of innovation is taking place right now. In the large ULS category, the Marine Corps is working with the Air Force, whose Agility Prime program was started last year to leverage the commercial VTOL industry to find more efficient ways to execute resupply missions than through its high-sustainment-cost aircraft. The military wants to use these larger ULS for company resupply in remote areas with austere landing zones and launched from a new class of small, minimally-manned ships, as well as potentially to transport troops. The vehicles would work in a radius of up to 350 miles, each handling throughputs ranging from 15,000 to 30,000 pounds per day. Early operational capability for large ULS is scheduled for 2023, with full operational capability in 2030. While the military has done less work on large ULS, it hopes to rely more on the investment of the commercial UAM industry. For large ULS, Borrelli said the same weight efficiency won't be possible, so it will take a heavier vehicle to lift 2,000 pounds. Both hybrid and fully-electric propulsion is on the table and, in either case, new propulsion technology brings infrastructure questions with it. “That's something that we have constantly in the back of our minds,” Borrelli said. “So, as we're moving to the rest of the ULS space, the ground and surface and sub-surface, we're considering where those charging stations could be or where a battery inventory would be. If we don't have a charging station, we have to have a battery inventory. It's not going to do us any good to have a considerable amount of inventory unless we can be able to charge efficiently.” https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2020-03-12/us-military-exploring-evtol-solution-resupplying-troops