How COVID-19 Has Affected Defense Production (Podcast)

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  August 8, 2018 | International, Aerospace

  Lockheed Martin claims both USAF hypersonic programmes

  BY: STEPHEN TRIMBLE The US Air Force has selected Lockheed Martin to rapidly develop and field both new hypersonic missiles launched as a response to surprise developments in high-speed weapons by China and Russia, newly-released acquisition documents confirm. The service already announced a $928 million award in April deal for Lockheed's Missiles and Space company to develop the Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon (HCSW, pronounced “Hacksaw”). But a new document reveals that the USAF awarded a separate deal to Lockheed's Missiles and Fire Control division in July 2017 to rapidly develop and field the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW, pronounced “Arrow”). The ARRW, now assigned the designation AGM-183A, evolves from the Tactical Boost Glide (TBG) programme launched in 2014 by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). By using a rocket to boost the missile to very high altitudes, the unpowered ARRW then glides down to lower altitudes at speeds up to Mach 20. Full Article: https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/lockheed-martin-claims-both-usaf-hypersonic-programm-450968/

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  June 19, 2018 | International, C4ISR

  Strict export regulations may be costing US industry billions in foreign sales

  WASHINGTON ― A new RAND report assessing the proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles suggests existing export controls for drones may hurt the U.S. more than it helps. Limiting U.S. drone exports has left a hole in the global market for the technology, especially in historically U.S.-dominated Middle East markets, which has been readily filled by U.S. competitors — specifically China and Russia. The Trump administration recently unveiled a new set of export policies regarding military technology in an attempt to facilitate the transfer of military technology, but the changes do not change the status of drones under the Missile Technology Control Regime, or MTCR. How does the MTCR work? The MTCR is a voluntary export control consortium of 35 nations designed to prevent signatories from proliferating longer-range cruise and ballistic missile technology. The arms control regime was extended to UAVs because early iterations of drones were considered a subset of cruise missile technology due to their active guidance system. The regime divides missiles into two categories. Category I items are capable of delivering a 500 kg payload more than 300 km. The sale of category I systems is restricted by a “strong presumption of denial,” meaning they are only exported in rare circumstances. The MQ-9 Reaper, RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-4 Triton are well-known unmanned systems that fall under this category. Over the past several years, U.S. partners such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia and UAE were denied requests to purchase American drones, and have since turned to China to purchase comparable systems. Trump administration officials have been attempting to alter the regime by adding new languagethat would drop any vehicle that flies under 650 kilometers per hour to category II systems. This would make all but the most advanced U.S. systems available for international sale. For example, the MQ-9 Reaper clocks in with a cruise speed of 230 mph or 370 kph, according to an Air Force facts sheet. Drone proliferation RAND found that 10 nations operate category I drones, and more than 15 operate near-category I systems that register just below the MTCR's payload and distance restrictions. The report says increased proliferation rates are due to a handful of countries, specifically China, Israel and the United Arab Emirates, who are not party to the MCTR. More countries are expected to procure drones, which pose a “growing threat to U.S. and allied military operations,” the report says. While category I systems can deploy missiles and other guided munitions, their main threat lies in “their ability to conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations against U.S. forces prior to hostilities,” according to RAND. “Adversaries that would otherwise have difficulty detecting U.S. force deployments, monitoring U.S. operations, and maintaining targeting data on U.S. units can employ UAVs to maintain situational awareness of U.S. capabilities” The report identifies Russia, China and Iran as unfriendly nations that will seek to utilize drones to complicate U.S. military operations. For example, China and Saudi Arabia recently agreed to set up a UAV manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia for up to 300 new UAVs, and Italy will receive 20 Hammerhead UAVs from the UAE. The coproduction of regional drone factories “could further exacerbate the proliferation of large UAVs to the degree that these systems are exported to other nations,” according to RAND, and that hurts U.S. industry. A U.S.-sized hole Voluntarily restricting U.S. drone exports have allowed competitors to establish themselves in a market Rand expects to “grow from about $6 billion in 2015 to about $12 billion in 2025.” RAND expect export controls to have a negative impact on the U.S. industrial base, something those in industry already know. “What you are enabling the competition to do is not just to sell some hardware,” Linden Blue, General Atomic's chief executive, told reporters during an Aug. 16, 2017 roundtable at the company's headquarters in Poway, California. “You're enabling it to build a customer base for at least 20 years, I would say. You're enabling them to build a logistics system. It will take them many years to get to where we are right now, but you're helping them start out. They should be very thankful.” https://www.defensenews.com/newsletters/unmanned-systems/2018/06/18/strict-export-regulations-may-be-costing-us-industry-billions-in-foreign-sales/

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  December 17, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - December 16, 2020

  ARMY Central Lake Armor Express,* Central Lake, Michigan (W91CRB-21-D-0004); Bethel Industries Inc.,* Jersey City, New Jersey (W91CRB-21-D-0005); Carter Enterprises LLC,* Brooklyn, New York (W91CRB-21-D-0006); Point Blank Enterprises Inc., Pompano Beach, Florida (W91CRB-21-D-0007); and Slate Solutions Inc.,* Sunrise, Florida (W91CRB-21-D-0080), will compete for each order of the $837,591,519 firm-fixed-price contract for the Soldier Protection System. Bids were solicited via the internet with 11 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 14, 2029. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Towill Inc., Concord, California, was awarded a $22,666,666 firm-fixed-price contract for photogrammetric and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) surveying and mapping. Bids were solicited via the internet with 38 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 15, 2025. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis, Missouri, is the contracting activity (W912P9-21-D-0022). Oxford Federal LLC, Lone Tree, Colorado, was awarded an $11,554,000 firm-fixed-price contract for design-build construction at sites in Israel. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Tel Aviv, Israel, with an estimated completion date of June 8, 2022. Fiscal 2021 Foreign Military Sales (Israel) funds in the amount of $11,554,000 were obligated at the time of the award. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District, is the contracting activity (W912GB-21-F-0023). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Belmont Instrument LLC, Billerica, Massachusetts, has been awarded a maximum $133,570,787 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPE2DH-16-R-0002 for a hospital and portable rapid blood infuser product line, military kits, associated consumables and accessories. This was a competitive acquisition with 132 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Massachusetts, with a Dec. 15, 2025, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2026 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D1-21-D-0004). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded an estimated $108,537,739 modification (P00122) to five-year base contract SPRPA1-14-D-002U with one five-year option period adding consumable items supporting various aircraft. Location of performance is Missouri, with a Sept. 16, 2024, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force and military forces in Australia, Finland, France, Israel, Greece, Kuwait and Switzerland. Types of appropriation are fiscal 2021 defense working capital funds and Foreign Military Sales funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a maximum $41,709,797 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order (SPRPA1-21-D-9002) against five-year basic ordering agreement SPRPA1-14-D-002U for consumable and depot-level repairable parts for the KC-46 military unique program. 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 a three-year base contract with two one-year option periods. Location of performance is Missouri, with a Dec. 15, 2023, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. OFD Foods LLC,* Albany, Oregon, has been awarded a maximum $34,162,535 fixed-priced with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for boil-in-bag dehydrated egg mix. This was a competitive acquisition with three responses received. This is a four-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Oregon, with a Dec. 11, 2024, ordering period end date. Using military services are Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE3S1-21-D-Z230). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $10,849,059 modification (P00122) against five-year basic ordering agreement SPRPA1-14-D-002U for additional F/A-18 A-D and E-G aircraft integrated product support. This is a firm-fixed-price contract. Locations of performance are Missouri, California, Virginia, Washington, Nevada and South Carolina, with a Dec. 31, 2023, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 Navy operation, maintenance and procurement funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NAVY Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, is awarded a $43,498,975 cost-plus-award-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-20-C-4203 to exercise Option Period One for the accomplishment of follow on CG 47 class integrated planning yard services. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and is expected to be completed by December 2024. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy); and other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,176,352 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea System Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Jacobs Technology Inc., Tullahoma, Tennessee, is awarded a $30,618,831 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification for the exercise of Option Two to extend services for a base operations support services contract at Naval Station (NAVSTA), Mayport, Florida; Marine Corps Support Facility (MCSF) Blount Island, Florida; and outlying areas. The work to be performed provides for base operations support services to include port operations, facility investment, custodial, pest control, integrated solid waste management, grounds maintenance and landscaping, utilities management, electrical, wastewater, steam, water, base support vehicles and equipment and environmental. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $89,063,257. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida, at NAVSTA Mayport (62%); MCSF Blount Island (37%); and outlying areas (1%). This option period is from January 2020 to December 2020. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (O&M) (Navy); fiscal 2021 O&M (Marine Corps); fiscal 2021 Navy working capital funds; and fiscal 2021 family housing O&M (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $24,963,973 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the option period. Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-18-D-1800). Ark Construction Management LLC,* Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, is awarded a $25,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for roof maintenance in the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC), Public Works Department, Pennsylvania, area of responsibility. This work to be performed under this contract will include provide roofing repair and replacement at locations in and around the Philadelphia and Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, areas. A task order in the amount of $5,000 is being issued to fulfill the minimum guarantee. Work will be performed in Philadelphia and Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months with an expected completion date of December 2025. Fiscal 2021 Navy working capital contract funds in the amount of $5,000 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by Navy working capital funds and operation and maintenance (Navy). This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website with five proposals received. NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-21-D-0014). DynCorp International LLC, McLean, Virginia, is awarded an $18,120,424 modification under contract N62742-17-C-3570 in the amount of $18,120,424 which provides for the exercise of the fourth option period under a cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for various support services to Department of Defense (DOD) components. The work to be performed provides for various support services to DOD components (e.g., Naval Mobile Construction Battalions, Naval Expeditionary Combat Command Pacific, Explosive Ordnance Detachment Group One, Coastal Riverine Group One, etc.) conducting humanitarian assistance, civic assistance, minor military construction projects, contingency efforts, supporting various exercises and other projects located at various sites, usually in remote areas in the Philippines, Cambodia, Timor-Leste and other countries in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $135,215,620. Work will be performed at various locations in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Oceania, and this option period is from January 2021 to December 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $3,187,500 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $9,297,472 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-17-C-6259 to exercise an option for Foreign Military Sales (FMS) engineering services, materials and spares. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (65%); Clearwater, Florida (32%); Syracuse, New York (2%); and Marion, Florida (1%), and is expected to be completed by August 2024. FMS funds in the amount of $2,968,429 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Country name(s) are withheld due to international agreement. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Hyatt Equities LLC, doing business as Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, Jacksonville, Florida, is being awarded an $8,324,815 firm-fixed-price, three-month contract for lodging, meal and laundry services. This contract includes one three-month option period which, if exercised, could bring the cumulative value of this contract to $16,729,503. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida. Work is expected to be completed April 12, 2021. If all options are exercised, work will continue through July 11, 2021. Fiscal 2021 military personnel (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $8,324,815 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website, with 16 proposals received. The Regional Contracting Office, Parris Island, South Carolina, is the contracting activity (M00263-21-C-0001). AIR FORCE CORRECTION: The $79,569,583 contract announced on Dec. 14, 2020, to The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri (FA8634-21-C-2702) for F-15 Eagle Passive Active Warning and Survivability System low rate initial production was actually awarded today, Dec. 16, 2020. *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2449367/source/GovDelivery/