November 8, 2022 | International, C4ISR
Pentagon to unveil zero-trust cyber strategy
Zero trust is often likened to 'never trust, always verify.' Or, as Pentagon CIO John Sherman put it: 'You truly trust no one or no thing.'
October 15, 2019 | International, Aerospace
Pascal Kümmerling
Le gouvernement finlandais a fixé un plafond de 11 milliards de dollars américains pour l'achat du futur avion de combat a annoncé mercredi le ministère de la Défense. Le plafond financier comprendra le coût d'achat de nouveaux jets, de leurs armes et de divers systèmes au sol.
Le projet vise à remplacer la flotte actuelle de 64 avions de combat F/A-18C/D « Hornet » achetés aux États-Unis au début des années 90. Le ministre finlandais de la Défense, Antti Kaikkonen, a déclaré que le nombre de nouveaux avions à acheter pourrait être supérieur ou égal au niveau actuel et espérait qu'il ne serait pas inférieur.
Les bases du projet
La Finlande ne veut pas sacrifier sa capacité d'engagement en temps de paix et doit pouvoir compter sur une dotation lui permettant un engagement sur de longs mois en cas de situation tendue au niveau international. Pour ce faire la Force aérienne veut un minimum de 64 nouveaux avions de combat multirôle, soit la même dotation qu'actuellement. Pour la Finlande il n'est pas question de sacrifier sa capacité d'action. L'avion doit pouvoir évoluer en réseau connecté avec les systèmes de défenses au sol et le reste de l'armée. A noter, que la Finlande estime que les coûts à l'heure de vol pourraient atteindre trois fois le montant du prix d'achat sur une période de 30 ans. Cette donnée sera prise en compte pour le choix final.
Les aéronefs en compétition
On retrouve une nouvelle fois les grands classiques du moment, avec le Lockheed-Martin F-35 «Lightning II», le Saab JAS-39 Gripen E MS21, l'Eurofighter «Typhoon II» T3A/B Block20 et le Dassault Rafale F3-R, ainsi que le Boeing F/A-18 E/F « Advanced Super Hornet ».
Essais techniques
La Finlande a observé avec intérêt les essais des quatre avions effectués ce printemps dans notre pays à Payerne. Le pays procédera également à des tests techniques qui seront effectués en Finlande cet hiver. Mais avant cela, le pays enverra des demandes d'offre plus détaillées aux candidats durant l'automne. Les dernières offres seront organisées en 2020. Le gouvernement finlandais fera son choix en 2021.
Le Hornet en Finlande
C'est en 1992 que la Finlande décida d'acquérir 64 F/A-18 C/D «Hornet» pour remplacer les bons vieux MiG-21 et Saab J-35 «Draken». A l'époque, les Hornet finlandais ne sont pas complètement équipés, notamment en matière de guerre électronique et d'avionique, ce qui avait permis à l'époque de faire baisser le prix d'achat. Mais dès le début des années 2000, la Finlande décida d'équiper ses « Hornet » des systèmes manquants. Depuis les « Hornet » finlandais ont reçu les missiles air-air à moyenne portée de type AIM-120 AMRAAM avec un système de système de visée plus performant et de doter ceux-ci, du système de guerre électronique AN/ALQ-67.
Le groupe de travail du ministère de la Défense finlandais a recommandé que la flotte de F/A-18C/D puisse entrer en retraite durant la période 2025-2030. A signaler, que la Finlande considère que le coût d'un programme d'extension de vie des « Hornet » est à la fois risqué et prohibitif.
November 8, 2022 | International, C4ISR
Zero trust is often likened to 'never trust, always verify.' Or, as Pentagon CIO John Sherman put it: 'You truly trust no one or no thing.'
September 15, 2021 | International, C4ISR
A planned 100,000-square-foot facility in Quantico, Virginia, will transform military war gaming from a tabletop exercise to an immersive experience in a simulated environment.
March 10, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
AIR FORCE Digitized Schematic Solutions LLC, Warren, Michigan, has been awarded a $260,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for technical data support services. This contract provides for the sustainment of Air Force Materiel Command technical data by standardizing roles, processes and methodology. Work will be performed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia; Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma; and Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. Work is expected to be complete by March 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 11 offers were received. Fiscal 2020 funds in the amount of $2,000 are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Sustainment Center, Robins Enterprise Contracting, Warner Robins, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8530-20-D-0002). The New Jersey Department of Human Services, Trenton, New Jersey, has been awarded a $57,806,700 firm-fixed-price contract for food service. This contract provides for full food service to the dining facilities on the Dix area of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB MDL), New Jersey. Work will be performed at JB MDL, New Jersey, and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2021. This award was the result of a competitive acquisition and the award was made under the priority afforded under the Randolph-Sheppard Act. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance and overseas contingency funds will be obligated by individual task orders. The 87th Contracting Squadron, JB MDL, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (FA4484-20-D-0011). C. W. Roberts Contracting Inc., Tallahassee, Florida, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $49,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides for resurfacing, painting, removing, replacing/reinstallation, modifying, full depth reconstruction and new full depth construction of pavements (e.g. airfield, roadways, parking lots, sidewalks, etc.); ramp-downs; foundation walls and footings; curbing; parking bumpers; and traffic control devices. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; and Duke Field, Florida, and is expected to be complete by March 31, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and two offers were received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA2823-20-D-0003). Valiant Global Defense Services Inc., doing business as Valiant Integrated Services, San Diego, California, has been awarded a $30,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for research and development. This contract provides for the research, development, testing and evaluation of joint and coalition requirements for tools and technologies that allow for joint and combined planning and data interchange with U.S. coalition partners in multiple theaters of operation to maximize interoperability and mission effectiveness when combatting chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. Work will be performed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii; and the Undersea Warfare Development Center, San Diego, California, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 6, 2027. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and one offer was received. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,577,055 are being obligated on the initial task order; and fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,734,995 are being obligated on the second task order, at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright Research Site, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-20-D-6058). Raytheon Corp., Marlborough, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $26,148,084 modification (P00092), to previously awarded contract FA8705-14-C-0001. This modification provides for delta pricing B-Tables for added and deleted work for contract line item numbers 0004, 0005 and 0006 for Global Aircrew Strategic Network Terminal. Work will be performed in Largo, Florida, and is expected to be complete by October 2021. Fiscal 2019 procurement funds in the amount of $16,533,066 are being obligated at the time of award. This modification brings the total cumulative value of the contract to $366,523,499. Air Force Material Command, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity. ARMY The Boeing Co., Mesa, Arizona, was awarded a $191,858,915 cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for post-production support services and warehouse management services for the United Kingdom AH-64E Apache helicopter fleet of 50 aircraft and three Longbow crew trainers. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2024. Fiscal 2020 Foreign Military Sales (United Kingdom) funds in the amount of $191,858,915 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-20-C-0014). Manhattan Construction Co., Arlington, Virginia, was awarded an $85,407,155 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a new four-story, 201,000 square-foot general instruction building to support the U.S. Army War College. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, with an estimated completion date of March 29, 2023. Fiscal 2020 military construction, Army funds in the amount of $85,407,155 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W912DR-20-C-0007). NAVY Lockheed Martin Corp. and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, are awarded a not-to-exceed $173,164,400 modification to a previously awarded, fixed-price-incentive-firm-target advance acquisition contract (N00019-20-C-0009). Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (30%); El Segundo, California (25%); Warton, United Kingdom (20%); Orlando, Florida (10%); Nashua, New Hampshire (5%); Cameri, Italy (5%); and Baltimore, Maryland (5%). This modification procures long lead materials, parts, components and support necessary to maintain on-time production and delivery of Lot 15 F-35 aircraft for the Navy, Marine Corps and government of Italy. Work is expected to be complete by December 2023. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $53,064,400; and non-Department of Defense participant funds in the amount of $120,100,000 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. Lockheed Martin Corp. Rotary and Mission Systems, Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded a $25,449,876 firm-fixed-price contract for Launch Sequencer (LSEQ) Mark (MK) 5 Mod production in support of the Vertical Launch System (VLS). The LSEQs are used in support of the VLS, which provides area and self-defense, anti-air warfare capabilities, counter-air and land attack cruise missile defense and surface and subsurface warfare capabilities. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to South Korea and Finland. Work will be performed in Oldsmar, Florida, and is expected to be completed by March 2021. This contract will provide for the manufacture, assembly, test and delivery of VLS LSEQ MK 5 Mod 2, Part Number 7104340-29. This contract includes options, which if exercised, will bring the cumulative value of this contract to $74,415,030. If all options are exercised, work will continue through March 2022. Fiscal 2017 and 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2020 procurement defense wide (Navy); and fiscal 2020 FMS funding in the amount of $25,449,876 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 three offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division, Port Hueneme, California, is the contracting activity (N63394-20-C-0004). Lockheed Martin Corp., Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded a $22,436,852 letter contract for the integration, demonstration, testing and operation of the Layered Laser Defense (LLD) weapon system prototype onboard a Navy littoral combat ship while that vessel is underway. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (30%); Baltimore, Maryland (25%); Sunnyvale, California (12%); Woodinville, Washington (10%); Manassas, Virginia (5%); Dallas, Texas (15%); San Diego, California (2%); and Santa Cruz, California (1%). Key areas of work to be performed include development of a prototype structure and enclosure to protect the LLD from ships motion and maritime environment in a mission module format; system integration and test with government-furnished equipment; platform integration and system operational verification and test; systems engineering; test planning; data collection and analysis support; and operational demonstration. Work is expected to be complete by July 2021. The total cumulative value of this contract is $22,436,852. The base period is $22,436,852 and no options are proposed. The action will be incrementally funded with an initial obligation of $11,218,426 utilizing fiscal 2019 research, development, and test and evaluation (Defense-wide) funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under N00014-20-S-B001, “Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science & Technology.” Since proposals are received throughout the year under the long range BAA, the number of proposals received in response to the solicitation is unknown. The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00014-20-C-1003). DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY General Dynamics Information Technology, Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a firm-fixed-price task order, HC1013-20-F-0073, to support the Air Force Air Defense Communication Services (ADCS). The face value of this action is $7,171,537, funded by fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds. The total cumulative value of the order is $14,486,526. This task order was awarded under the competitively awarded, single-award blanket purchase agreement (HC1013-15-A-0004) against General Services Administration's Information Technology Schedule 70 contract for ADCS. The place of performance is throughout the continental U.S., as well as Alaska, Hawaii and Guam. The period of performance for this action is April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021. There are two, six-month option periods from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2106160/source/GovDelivery/