August 20, 2023 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
The U.S. Army was pursuing more than 200 artificial intelligence-related projects as of 2021, according to a federal watchdog.
April 15, 2021 | International, Land
Oshkosh Defense and BAE Systems were chosen to deliver prototypes of the U.S. Army's next Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicle, the companies announced on Wednesday.
December 4, 2020 | International, Land
By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The Army wants its Joint All Domain Operations (JADO) Gray Eagles to have synthetic aperture radars, moving target indicators, electronic intelligence and communications intelligence capability as well as air-launched effects and radar warning receivers, according to a new market survey. Now, the Army wants help from industry with those payloads for its Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft systems. Specifically, the service is looking for systems that are capable of helping with joint operations across all warfighting domains against high-end threats from adversaries such as China and Russia, according to a solicitation published Dec. 2 to a government contracting website. The service's Aerial Enhanced Radar, Optics and Sensors (AEROS) product manager wants industry to “identify potential existing sources capable of providing Aerial Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (AISR) payloads for the MQ-1C Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System platform that meet the JADO environment,” the solicitation posted to Beta.Sam.Gov states. These Gray Eagles payloads must be capable of increased ranges and resolutions “to support target location and Long-Range Precision Fires (LRPF) without the use of traditional line of site visual equipment to include Electro Optical, Infrared (EO/IR) and Full Motion Video (FMV) required for today's Counter Insurgency (COIN) mission,” the request for information stresses. Traditional COIN payloads won't hold up against peer and near-peer adversaries, the Army noted, as they will “employ anti-access, area denial strategies, posing a significant challenge to the current AISR fleet,” the solicitation states. Gray Eagles must survive against an “Integrated Air Defense System (IADS)-rich environment,” the request notes. This means the Gray Eagle would fly “racetrack patterns tangential to the IADS threat at 80 km distance” and would be capable of deploying Air-Launched Effects (ALE) forward into enemy territory to detect, identify and locate targets and take out or disrupt threats, according to the request. The Gray Eagle would also have payloads that could detect IADS threats, locate them and transfer the information to other sensor systems capable of recognizing targets and coordinating long-range fires, the solicitation describes. The Army is conducting the survey ahead of a Gray Eagle sensor payload JADO demonstration that could potentially take place in fiscal 2022 where systems will be “quantitatively compared” to find the highest performing and best value payloads based on technology readiness and production cost, the request lays out. The solicitation for more advanced payloads for Gray Eagle comes at a time when the Army is trying to design a complex architecture of helicopters and unmanned aircraft systems that would be part of tight-knit kill chain to include space and ground assets underpinned by an advanced network. The Army experimented with the kill chain to include air assets at Project Convergence at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, over the summer. The effort brings together future weapons and capabilities envisioned for a 2030s battlefield against near-peer adversaries such as Russia and China. It includes using a machine learning and artificial intelligence-enabled battle management system that is in development. Gray Eagle represented a Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) surrogate. During the first mission thread at Project Convergence, which focused on the penetration phase laid out in the Army's Multidomain Operations warfighting concept, Gray Eagles and ALE partnered with space-based assets, APNT, and LRPF capabilities to locate, then degrade and destroy enemy assets modeled after the Russian Pantsir air defense systems and other weapons. The ALE pushed ingested data forward through the network to get it to the right shooters, whether that would be an Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) system on the ground or a Gray Eagle or another ALE. The Army was able to extend the ALE capability out to almost 62 kilometers, which would provide deep standoff for manned aircraft like FARA. The ALEs performed both the reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting acquisition mission and worked as a mesh network to extend the battlefield. Two ALEs were truck launched and four were air launched. Also during the final shot of the entire campaign at Project Convergence, a soldier on the ground took control of a LRPF munition surrogate (a Hellfire missile in this case) on a Gray Eagle and fired on the target. The Gray Eagle at Convergence was able to route around and avoid threat weapon systems and also fired a live Dynetics-made GBU-69 small glide munition. Previewing the future, the Army also used an open system architecture that was flexible enough for payloads and capabilities to be swapped in out of its Gray Eagles without having to rely on the original equipment manufacturer to do it. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/12/02/army-taps-industry-for-gray-eagle-payloads-for-joint-ops-against-high-end-threats/
May 11, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
AIR FORCE Cardinal Contracting Inc., Freehold, New Jersey (FA4484-20-D-0007); Ranco Construction Inc., Southampton, New Jersey (FA4484-20-D-0008); Rome Management Associates LLC, Trenton, New Jersey (FA4484-20-D-0009); The Oak Group Inc., Camden, New Jersey (FA4484-20-D-0010); and GWP Enterprises Inc., Franklinville, New Jersey (FA4484-20-D-0022), are each being awarded a ceiling $66,000,000, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for asphalt paving and concrete of one base-year, plus up to four one-year options. The contractors will provide all plant, labor, materials, equipment, transportation, fuel, supervision and permits required. All work will be performed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed by May 10, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with seven offers received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds will be used, with no funds being obligated at the time of award. Funding will be provided on individual task orders. The 87th Contracting Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity. Moog Inc., Elma, New York, was awarded a $9,508,592, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity requirements modification (P00013) to FA8118-15-D-0001 for the overhaul of the B-2 Hydraulic Servocylinder contract line item numbers during a six-month extension of services from May 8, 2020, through Nov. 8, 2020. Work will be performed in Elma, New York. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition and one offer was received. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Sustainment Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity. Georgia Tech Applied Research Corp., Atlanta, Georgia, has been awarded a $9,443,405 task order (FA8523-20-F-0027) on basic contract FA8523-19-D-0006 for engineering sustainment in support of the AAR-44, AAR-47 and Georgia Tech Synthetic Imaging Missile Simulation systems. This order provides support to the analysis and evaluation of various electronic optical/infrared and radio frequency threats and responses which will improve the survivability, reliability and mission success for U.S. warfighting airborne elements. Work will be performed in Atlanta, Georgia, and is expected to the completed by May 21, 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,697,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity. ARMY Kord Technologies LLC, Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $50,965,000 modification (P00004) to contract W31P4Q-17-D-0044 for target system hardware support. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 13, 2022. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity. AAI Corp., doing business as Textron Systems, Hunt Valley, Maryland, was awarded a $25,610,000 firm-fixed-price contract for three Aerosonde Mk4.7 systems, initial spare parts, logistics support, new equipment training and two field service representatives. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Nigeria, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2019 overseas contingency operations, defense funds in the amount of $25,610,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911QY-20-C-0025). AAI Corp., doing business as Textron Systems, Hunt Valley, Maryland, was awarded a $20,780,000 firm-fixed-price contract for two Aerosonde Mk4.7 systems, initial spare parts, new equipment training, logistics support and a field representative. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Uganda, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2022. Fiscal 2020 peacekeeping operations and overseas contingency operation funds in the amount of $20,780,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911QY-20-C-0014). Manson Construction Co., Seattle, Washington, was awarded a $20,300,000 firm-fixed-price contract for fully crewed and equipped self-propelled trailing suction type hopper dredge on a rental basis. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Plaquemines, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 13, 2021. Fiscal 2020 civil operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $20,300,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, is the contracting activity (W912P8-20-C-0024). Healy Tibbitts Builders Inc., Aiea, Hawaii, was awarded a $9,745,000 firm-fixed-price contract for Honolulu Harbor maintenance dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Honolulu, Hawaii, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 20, 2021. Fiscal 2020 civil construction funds in the amount of $9,745,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Honolulu, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (W9128A-20-C-0003). Rockwell Collins Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was awarded a $7,561,560 firm-fixed-price contract for small mission computer hardware and executable software for the RQ-7B Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 15, 2022. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $7,561,560 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911QY-20-C-0060). NAVY Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Syracuse, New York, is awarded a $47,654,068 cost-plus-incentive-fee delivery order to previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00024-19-D-6200) for the procurement of submarine modernization kits, equipment and installation. Work will be performed in Syracuse, New York, and is expected to be complete by February 2023. Fiscal 2020 and 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $39,580,396 and 2020 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,073,672 will be obligated at time of award and not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. AAI Corp., doing business as Textron Systems, Hunt Valley, Maryland, is awarded a $20,720,170 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-14-C-6322 for engineering and technical services for the Unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS) and Unmanned Surface Vehicle program. Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, Maryland (70%) and Slidell, Louisiana (30%). The UISS will allow the Littoral combat ship to perform its mine countermeasure sweep mission and targets acoustic, magnetic and magnetic/acoustic combination mine types. The UISS program will satisfy the Navy's need for a rapid, wide-area coverage mine clearance capability which are required to neutralize magnetic/acoustic influence mines. The UISS also seeks to provide a high-area coverage rate in a small, lightweight package with minimal impact on the host platform. Work is expected to be complete by September 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,193,864 will be obligated at time of award and not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY S&L Aerospace Metals LLC,* Flushing, New York, has been awarded a $24,386,400 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for cylinders and pistons. This was a limited competitive acquisition set-aside to small business sources only, as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 19.502-2. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is New York, with a May 7, 2025 performance completion date. Using military service is Army. The type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (SPRRA1-20-D-0043). *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2181939/source/GovDelivery/