March 8, 2021 | International, Aerospace
None
The US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) has announced that key communication upgrades are being delivered to the E-4B fleet.
May 1, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
How The Pentagon Is Reaching Small Suppliers
Jen DiMascio
The Pentagon is employing new ways to track and funnel dollars to small- and medium-sized aviation suppliers hit hard by a drop-off in their commercial business since the novel coronavirus took hold.
One way has been to accelerate up-front progress payments to prime contractors. Ellen Lord, the Pentagon's acquisition chief, announced April 30 that in this week alone, the Defense Department processed more than $1.2 billion out of $3 billion to defense contractors in accelerated payments.
The acceleration was enabled by a March 20 memo which lifted the amount that large contractors could receive before delivering a contracted item from 80%-90% and for small contractors from 90%-95%.
Lord singled out Lockheed Martin for praise for committing to speed $450 million to its supply chain.
As those payments are being released, the U.S. Air Force is studying the needs of small suppliers and charting the flow of those progress payments through the industrial base, service officials said during an April 29 Aviation Week MRO webinar.
After the first COVID-19 stimulus package was released, Col. Kevin Nalette, vice director, 448th Supply Chain Management Wing, Air Force Sustainment Center, said his office was asked to find out how much money small companies would need to maintain a constant flow of work to continue to support the defense sector. They had two days to ask contractors–the third- and fourth-tier “mom-and-pop shops” whose work becomes an end item purchased somewhere up the stream.
The majority of defense vendors do more work–55% or more–for commercial aviation businesses. “As soon as the commercial sector shut down, we had an amazing ability. We now had their full attention,” Nalette said. “When you come to their attention with basically free cash, it's amazing what you can get done.”
Tony Baumann, director of contracting for the Air Force Support Center, is capturing data about where the money and progress payments are going. And he is tracking some 2,700 contracts to find out the COVID-related constraints they are operating under.
“My guys talked to all of them,” Baumann said, and they stay in contact so that the Air Force knows when a supplier needs to shut down to clean a business. Then Nalette's group is looking at whether that closure might impact deliveries of critical supplies or inventory.
That has caused the Air Force to rewrite service contracts using new authorities granted by the CARES Act COVID-relief bill passed by Congress to keep multiple teams of service personnel on contract so that one group can work and another can be ready to backfill so that no group would experience a 14-day interruption, Baumann said.
All of those changes are being tracked and coded based on COVID-19, he added.
On the same subject
-
-
May 14, 2024 | International, Land
Leopard tank maker Rheinmetall rides arms boom but shares dip on profit miss
-
October 25, 2019 | International, Aerospace
US Air Force Selects L3Harris Technologies to Develop Space Hub End Cryptographic Unit for Protected Tactical SATCOM Program
amden, N.J., October 24, 2019 - The U.S. Air Force has selected L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) to deliver the space hub end cryptographic unit (ECU) for the Protected Tactical SATCOM (PTS) SHIELD program. The Air Force PTS program will implement Protected Tactical Waveform (PTW) over a fully-processed satellite payload, enabling adaptive, anti-jam communications channels, which will provide the greatest level of protection available for tactical U.S. and coalition/international partner warfighting efforts. As the SHIELD contractor, L3Harris will develop an NSA-certified, space-flight qualified, production-ready ECU for future PTS payloads. The L3Harris ECUs will support 13 space-based communications payload hubs that will serve up to 1,800 simultaneous tactical user terminals. L3Harris' Modular Open System Architecture (MOSA) approach employs standards-based interfaces that minimize the information security boundary and simplify integration for the multiple payload providers. The ECU incorporates L3Harris' HMV™ Space Cryptographic processor that supports full on-orbit reprogrammability in a low-power, highly extensible design. The MOSA form factor and innovative technical approach also results in a low SWaP solution for substantial cost savings due to reduced payload weight and hardware costs. “The PTS SHIELD program continues our legacy of delivering cryptography solutions for the nation's most important missions,” said Don Hairston, President, C5 Systems, L3Harris. “It reinforces our position as the leader in providing space-grade MILSATCOM cryptographic solutions and in the implementation of the Protected Tactical Waveform.” L3Harris was selected by the U.S. Air Force based on its low-risk innovative solution and extensive experience developing Type 1 hardware for space applications as proven on the AEHF, MUOS and SBIRS programs. The SHIELD solution also benefits from extensive reuse of PTW technology from the PTS Field Demonstration Terminal Program to minimize development risk and support the Air Force's critical deployment schedule. About L3Harris Technologies L3Harris Technologies is an agile global aerospace and defense technology innovator, delivering end-to-end solutions that meet customers' mission-critical needs. The company provides advanced defense and commercial technologies across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains. L3Harris has approximately $17 billion in annual revenue and 50,000 employees, with customers in 130 countries. L3Harris.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect management's current expectations, assumptions and estimates of future performance and economic conditions. Such statements are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements about product, system or technology capabilities are forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties. L3Harris disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. View source version on L3Harris Technologies: https://www.l3harris.com/press-releases/2019/10/88671/us-air-force-selects-l3harris-technologies-to-develop-space-hub-end-cryptographic-unit-for-protected-tactical-satcom-program