Embraer strengthens its Industrial Cooperation with the Czech Republic

On the same subject

• 

  April 14, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  COVID-19: Masked Army Soldiers Test New Drones

  Troops in improvised face masks to slow the spread of COVID-19 have begun field testing one candidate for the Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (FTUAS). By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR WASHINGTON: First Infantry Division soldiers at Fort Riley, Kansas launched their first Arcturus JUMP 20 recon drone on Tuesday, one of four UAVs the service is evaluating to replace the aging RQ-7 Shadow. While some high-profile weapons testing has been delayed or disrupted by the COVID-19 coronavirus, from the F-35 fighter to the IBCS missile defense network, the 1st ID's commander, Maj. Gen. John Kolasheski, okayed the Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (FTUAS) test — with some precautions. “1st Infantry Division Soldiers are encouraged to wear cloth face coverings in public settings or in situations such as the FTUAS assessment, where social distancing is difficult,” said Maj. John Allen. “Our actions to protect the force and prevent the spread of COVID-19 are continually assessed and revised as necessary and in accordance with Army policy.” Allen is public affairs officer for the division's 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team. The unit, one of the oldest in the Army with a history going back to World War I, is now the first of five combat brigades that will be field-testing the four FTUAS contenders. The Martin V-Bat, Textron Aerosonde HQ, and L3Harris FVR-90 will each be tested by a different brigade, while two units (including the 1st ABCT) will try out the largest of the drones, Arcturus UAV's 210-pound JUMP 20. The exact start dates are now uncertain as each unit and contractor must take precautions against the pandemic. This multi-month, multi-brigade effort is part of Army Futures Command's emphasis on getting feedback from real soldiers early in acquisition programs, rather than trying to perfect new technology in isolation from the people who'll actually have to use it. So far, so good, according to soldiers quoted in today's Army announcement. The current Shadow drone is so loud that “we're used to screaming at each other and having to use radios in order to communicate,” said Spc. Christopher McCoy. With the JUMP 20, he said, “you can stand right next to this aircraft and not even raise your voice.” Getting a quieter scout drone is a top priority for the FTUAS program – not to save soldiers' hearing, although that's a positive side effect — but to make it harder for enemies to detect. Another priority is scrapping the cumbersome infrastructure required for the Shadow, which needs a pneumatic catapult to launch it and a runway to land on. “With the VTOL [Vertical Take Off & Landing] system on the JUMP 20, we don't need any of that,” said Spc. Nicholas Miller (pictured above in his cloth mask). “We're working with half the equipment.” The 1st Brigade will try out the JUMP 20 for five months, building up from this week's familiarization drills to full-scale brigade wargames at the National Training Center – assuming, that is, that those exercises aren't canceled by the pandemic like so many others. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/04/covid-19-masked-army-soldiers-test-new-drones

• 

  October 5, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense – October 02, 2020

  NAVY Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Mission Systems Sector, Linthicum Heights, Maryland, was awarded a $100,798,804 fixed-price-incentive-fee and firm-fixed-price contract for follow-on production of Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program Block 3 electronic attack systems and hardware design modifications required for aircraft carrier and amphibious assault ship installation. This contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $1,164,529,315. Work will be performed in Baltimore, Maryland (55%); Tampa, Florida (6%); Andover, Massachusetts (5%); Chelmsford, Massachusetts (4%); Rochester, New York (3%); San Diego, California (3%); Los Angeles, California (2%); Winona, Minnesota (2%); Stafford Springs, Connecticut (2%); Glendale, Arizona (1%); Nashua, New Hampshire (1%); Elk Grove Village, Illinois (1%); White Marsh, Maryland (1%); Tucson, Arizona (1%); Chandler, Arizona (1%); Washington, North Carolina (1%); Woodridge, Illinois (1%); Richardson, Texas (1%); Minneapolis, Minnesota (1%); El Cajon, California (1%); Hiawatha, Iowa (1%); Littleton, Colorado (1%); Glendale, California (1%); and miscellaneous locations - each less than 1% (4%), and is expected to be completed by May 2023. If all options are exercised, work will continue through September 2026. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) (67%); and fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) (33%) funding in the amount of $100,798,804 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website with one offer received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-20-C-5519). (Awarded Sept. 30, 2020) EFW Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $35,801,006 five-year requirements type, firm-fixed-priced contract for repair of line-replaceable units in support of the V-22 aircraft. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (50%); and Talladega, Alabama (50%). Work is expected to be completed by October 2025. Annual working capital funds (Navy) will be used and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. One company was solicited for this sole-sourced requirement under authority 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), with one offer received. The Naval Supply Systems Command, Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00383-20-D-Y001). BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., Minneapolis, Minnesota, was awarded a $17,290,912 firm-fixed-price contract for the production of two 57mm MK 110 Mod 0 gun mounts and associated hardware. Work will be performed in Karlskoga, Sweden (93%); and Louisville, Kentucky (7%), and is expected to be completed by May 2023. Fiscal 2018 weapons procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2020 weapons procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $17,290,912 will be obligated at time of award and $249,448 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. In accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), this contract was not competitively procured; only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-20-C-5300). (Awarded Sept. 30, 2020) Peraton Inc., Herndon, Virginia, is awarded a $13,891,979 cost-plus-fixed-fee, level of effort contract (N00030-21-C-0016) for program support services for the Navy's strategic weapons systems reentry subsystem. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado (75%); Washington, D.C. (15%); Albuquerque, New Mexico (8%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (1%); and Omaha, Nebraska (1%). Work is expected to be completed by March 30, 2026. Contract will be awarded subject to the availability of funds. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Once funding becomes available, contract will be funded as follows: fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $7,214,639; and fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $6,677,340, which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is being awarded to the contractor on a sole-source basis under 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) and was previously synopsized on the Beta.sam.gov (formally Federal Business Opportunities) website. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., Minneapolis, Minnesota, was awarded an $8,934,292 cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price order under previously awarded blanket ordering agreement N00024-19-G-5306 for engineering services, open, inspect and repair services and spare and component parts in support of the MK 110 MOD 0 gun mount. This order includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $23,400,781. Work will be performed in Louisville, Kentucky (50%); and Karlskoga, Sweden (50%), and is expected to be completed by December 2022. Fiscal 2020 weapons procurement (Navy) (92%); and fiscal 2018 weapons procurement (Navy) (8%) funding in the amount of $6,128,002 will be obligated at time of award, of which $495,948 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This order was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1); only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-20-F-5301). (Awarded Sept. 30, 2020) ARMY AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, was awarded a $60,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to manufacture AZD7442, a combination antibody product intended to prevent or treat clinical effects of SARS-CoV-2, for a minimum of 100,000 treatment courses. Work will be performed in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 Army general funds in the amount of $30,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911QY-20-C-0119). (Awarded Sept. 30, 2020) CORRECTION: The contract announced on Sept. 28, 2020, for Tatum Excavating Co. Inc., Texarkana, Texas (W9126G-20-F-0768), for $10,000,000, was announced with an incorrect award date. The correct award date is Sept. 29, 2020. CORRECTION: The contract announced on Sept. 29, 2020, for University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota (W9128F-20-D-0059), for $12,800,000, was announced with an incorrect awardee. The correct awardee is South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota. MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, has been awarded a $35,582,832 sole-source, hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price) contract (HQ0851-21-C-0001) under Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Case JA-P-NCO to the government of Japan. Under this contract, Lockheed Martin will perform Aegis FMS Baseline J7.B development and SPY-7(V) 1 radar production, integration and test planning support. The work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey. The period of performance is from Oct. 2, 2020, through July 31, 2021. Funds from the government of Japan in the amount of $35,582,832 are being obligated at the time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HQ0851-21-C-0001). AIR FORCE Wolverine Supply Inc., Wasilla, Alaska, has been awarded an $8,649,500 firm-fixed-price contract for repair of the Blackstart Generator. This contract provides for repair of the Blackstart Generator at the Eielson Air Force Base central heat and power plant. Work will be performed at Eielson AFB, Alaska, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 22, 2022. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and four offers were received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. The 354th Contracting Squadron, Eielson AFB, Alaska, is the contracting activity (FA500420C0015). (Awarded Sept. 30, 2020) * Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2370617/source/GovDelivery/

• 

  September 2, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  F-35 program costs are evolving, and these savings matter

  By: Steven P. Bucci Last month, Congress held an oversight and accountability hearing regarding the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's burdensome logistical IT system. The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General reported earlier this year that millions of additional dollars were spent in the form of labor hours by military personnel who manually tracked the plane's spare parts since its electronic logistical system didn't. The congressional review was undoubtedly warranted, especially as the F-35 program office phases in a newer system over the next two years to replace its legacy IT platform. But noticeably absent from this testimony, was a more fulsome discussion (and understanding) about the affordability of the program and how both acquisition costs and the price to fly the aircraft are significantly trending downward at a time that matters most. In an era of increased military competition against peer adversaries and during a period of tremendous budgetary constraints in the United States, incremental savings across a large enterprise such as the F-35 program matter. The Defense Department understands this well. It has smartly leveraged its buying power, driving down the cost of each F-35A to approximately $80 million one year earlier than planned — now costing taxpayers less than some of the less capable fourth-generation aircraft, and on a par with others. The F-15EX, for example, costs nearly $88 million, and gives our forces no help in a fifth-gen fight. Why spend more for less? This is critical because over the next five years, the number of F-35s purchased will more than double to approximately 1,200 aircraft. That translates to increased capacity and capability for the United States and its allies as they operate in the Indo-Pacific and European theaters. Congress recognizes that the costs to acquire the aircraft have been significantly reduced, and it has now rightfully turned its attention to the costs associated with sustaining the aircraft. But most lawmakers missed the opportunity during July's hearing to more fully explore a key statement made by the F-35′s prime contractor, Lockheed Martin. Lockheed announced that it has reduced its share of the aircraft's sustainability cost per flying hour over the past five years by nearly 40 percent, plummeting the costs to fly the aircraft to nearly $5,000 less each hour than earlier hourly costs. The company says it has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to build state-of-the-art tools, analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, which has led to labor efficiency gains as well as improvements to supply response times and data quality. The company implemented robust asset management tools and robotic automation to eliminate manual tasks, while placing a concerted focus on improving the reliability of aircraft parts to meaningfully reduce future repair requirements and material costs. This is significant because the number of hours flown each year will increase by approximately 140,000 hours over the next five years alone. Those savings add up. And more can be done. The F-35′s manufacturer believes it can further drive down its cost share to fly the aircraft by approximately an additional 50 percent. This is all the more significant when considering that the military services and aircraft's engine maker, Pratt & Whitney, are responsible for more than one-half of the total sustainment costs of the program. If a similar level of savings can be achieved by the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Pratt & Whitney, those savings can be confidently reinvested back into the program to ensure enough aircraft are being procured to deter and, if necessary, fight our adversaries. As the military services and foreign countries consider future threats and the capabilities needed to impede adventuresome opponents, these savings matter. These savings come at the same time the DoD reports that the aircraft's mission-capable rate has increased from the mid-50th percentile to the low 70th percentile from just a couple of years ago. And further improvements in the aircraft's mission-capable rate should be forthcoming as repair backlogs and mismatched spare parts are corrected by a new IT logistical system. A theoretical military principle suggests that steady quantitative changes can lead to a sudden, qualitative leap. After many, many years of sustained focus to drive down F-35 costs, the program may be representative of that maxim and allow the Defense Department to fully realize the advantages of the F-35′s gamechanging technologies. Steven P. Bucci is a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation. He previously served as a U.S. Army Special Forces officer and is a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense. The Heritage Foundation takes no funding from any government. It does take donations from corporate entities, which average about 4 percent of their total funding in any given year. The think tank reports it does not take a position based on donations, nor do donors have editorial input.. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/09/01/f-35-program-costs-are-evolving-and-these-savings-matter/