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February 4, 2019 | International, Naval

Italian row with France unsettles naval industry cooperation

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ROME — A series of diplomatic rows between France and Italy, culminating in the exchange of insults between leaders, is casting doubt on naval industry cooperation between the countries.

Moves by France's Naval Group and Italy's Fincantieri to integrate their shipyard work has coincided with a crescendo of acrimony between Rome and Paris following the election last year of Italy's first populist government.

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and French President Emmanuel Macron have battled over who should take responsibility for migrants that sail to Europe from Africa, with Salvini last month calling Macron a “terrible” president who deserved to be voted out of office.

Italy's second deputy prime minister, Luigi Di Maio, who leads the anti-establishment Five Star party, has meanwhile openly backed the so-called Yellow Vest protesters who have rioted on the streets of France in protest at Macron's government and its policies.

Asked about the verbal attacks from Rome on Jan. 27, Macron replied: “Italy is a great people; the Italian people are our friends and deserve leaders worthy of their history.”

Underlying the row is the Italian government's new nationalism, which has put it at loggerheads with the European Union and Macron, who is seen by Rome as a pro-globalism politician. The spat is expected to increase as both Italy's ruling parties — Five Star and Salvini's League party — get on the campaign trail ahead of European parliamentary elections in May.

Pierside troubles

Analysts fear fallout for defense industry collaboration between the countries, which starts with the well-established satellite and space joint venture between Italy's Leonardo and France's Thales.

But the main concern is the naval deal, which was signed last October, under which Fincantieri and Naval Group created a 50-50 joint venture to build and export naval vessels.

Fincantieri CEO Giuseppe Bono said he hopes the deal is the start of wider collaboration.

Speaking at the launch of Italy's ninth FREMM frigate on Jan 26, Bono played down the frictions with France, telling reporters, “We are part of the same alliance, we have common history,” and adding that the diplomatic tensions “will not influence the work we are doing with Naval Group.”

But one analyst was less sanguine. “It's a complicated deal, and as it gets more complicated, external events become more influential,” said Jean Pierre Darnis, scientific adviser at Rome's IAI think tank.

“If ministers from the two countries don't meet, and we are waiting for [the] next bilateral [meeting], problems won't get resolved. Right now the Italian-French business community is very concerned,” he added.

The naval deal was spurred by an earlier accord for Fincantieri to take control of French shipyard Chantiers de l'Atlantique. That deal, too, was up in the air when France and Germany referred the agreement to the European Commission for anti-trust scrutiny last month.

“What has happened is extremely serious, France and Germany behaved wrongly. It throws into doubt all accords,” Italy's Salvini said.

Bono said he was confident the EU would not oppose the deal, given it is “in the interests of Europe,” echoing claims that a consolidated European shipbuilding industry would enable competition since it could compete with large players outside Europe.

But Europe's ability to consolidate industry was again thrown into doubt in January when Macron and German leader Angela Merkel agreed to forge closer ties between Germany and France to head off the political challenge in Europe from populist governments like Italy, Hungary and Poland.

One consequence, warned Italian IAI analyst Michele Nones, was that closer Franco-German ties could squeeze Italy out of access to defense industry funding provided by the new European Defence Fund.

https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2019/02/01/italian-row-with-france-unsettles-naval-industry-cooperation

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  • The carrier Ford is trying to shake years of controversy and find its groove

    February 3, 2020 | International, Naval

    The carrier Ford is trying to shake years of controversy and find its groove

    By: David B. Larter ABOARD THE CARRIER GERALD R. FORD IN THE VIRGINIA CAPES — Capt. J.J. Cummings is literally jumping up and down with excitement. “Ahhhhhh I love that s---!” he shouts as the roar of an F/A-18 Super Hornet's twin engines fades into the distance. The fighter jet's low flyby a few hundred yards off the port side of the U.S. Navy's most expensive-ever warship is a loud reminder that the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford isn't a construction project anymore. For Cummings, the ship's Massachusetts-born commanding officer, and for the ship's crew, Ford is now a living, breathing warship with jets operating from its $13 billion flight deck. “I could watch flybys all day,” the career fighter pilot said Jan. 27 during a visit by Defense News aboard the vessel. Standing on the deck of the first-in-class Ford, Cummings is showing off the major redesign of the flight deck, which expanded the available space to maneuver and refit fighters to get back in the air. “This spot right here is what defines the Ford class,” he said, stopping in front of the in-deck refueling stations. “On the Nimitz class, if you want to refuel an aircraft you have to pull a hose across the flight deck and you can't drive over it so you can't maneuver aircraft the way you might like. “Now you just open this hatch, pull the aircraft up and hook up right here.” The redesigned flight deck, which was developed in consultation with NASCAR pit engineers, gives the Ford an extra half acre of real estate over its predecessors. The extra space is key to the Navy's newest platform, built from the keel up to maximize how efficiently the ship can generate sorties, as well as be adaptable to new aircraft and weapons systems over time. But the 23 new technologies incorporated into the Ford, while making the ship a technological marvel, have also been the cause of ongoing controversy as delays and cost overruns marred the program. Over the coming year, Ford will be underway 11 times over 220 days, working out the kinks, training sailors and writing the book on how the new class of carriers will operate. In the mind of the Cummings, that puts his crew in the history books. “What the American people should know is that this ship is absolutely amazing, and our crew is even more amazing than that,” Cummings said. “What people should know is that we are, no kidding, pioneers in naval aviation. Every [major] system on this ship is different from Nimitz class, so these people are pioneers. We're writing the book for the Ford class for the rest of history.” One of the enabling technologies to help them increase sortie generation is the advanced weapons elevators. The system is designed to cut the time it takes to move bombs from lower decks — where they are assembled and tested — to the flight deck for arming the Super Hornets. Delays with that technology contributed to the downfall of former Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer and have been the latest in a long line of headaches caused by new technologies the Navy packed into the Ford. To date, four of the planned 11 advanced weapons elevators work as advertised. As secretary, Spencer made a public pledge to have the weapons elevators ready by last summer, but now they may not all work until 2021, delays he blamed on shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries. Ensuring the Ford's readiness has been a major focus of the acting Navy secretary, Thomas Modly. For Modly, the continued troubles with the Ford are hurting the organization. "There is nothing worse than having a ship like that, our most expensive asset, being out there as a metaphor for why the Navy can't do anything right,” Modly said at a December U.S. Naval Institute forum. 'Managing the complexity' The high-level attention on Ford, which has become a favorite topic of President Donald Trump when he talks about major defense programs, has made the Navy eager to highlight efforts dedicated to preparing the ship for theater operations. For the crew and officers, many of the headaches come from managing the sheer number of new technologies on the ship, said Cmdr. Mehdi Akacem, the air boss on Ford. “The biggest challenge is managing the complexity,” Akacem said. “I think there is more technical complexity packed into this ship than the Apollo program. I learn so much every day, I have to constantly refocus on what's in my lane. “There are so many new systems. ... The challenge is sustaining that focus on one new thing after another. I don't think there are any five people who understand all the complexity on this ship, all these technical challenges happening in parallel.” That has made it difficult to develop maintenance and qualification procedures for the crew. However, slowly but surely the crew is figuring it out, Akacem said. “One of the parts of the overall system that's still maturing is the maintenance documentation, the technical manuals, parts lists, periodicity of preventive maintenance,” Akacem said. “One of the neat modifications on the Advanced Arresting Gear, very simple to look at but a huge time saver: We used to have to take the system offline, climb into the Advanced Arresting Gear, climb all around it with a grease gun to go grease the bearings," he added. “Now there is a manifold so the sailor can just walk up with a gun — pump, pump, pump and done. And it saves about 45 minutes out of the grease process. Those are the kinds of things we've learned through the post-shakedown availability.” That's what the officers and crew of Ford hope to figure out this year: How does this ship work, and what is the best way to man and maintain it? And for sailors, the only way to figure that out is to get the ship underway. “All good things come from ships at sea,” Akacem said. “We've sat around and philosophized about, ‘Well, can we get by with less?' or ‘Do we need more here?' Now we're proving that out." “With the Advanced Arresting Gear — that's probably where the steepest learning curve exists for our sailors — we were feeling overwhelmed the first couple days with preventative maintenance, corrective maintenance and a bunch of the technical preparations. But our level of uncertainty has gone down so much in just a couple of weeks,” he added. “Just the confidence growth has been tremendous.” The learning process has even led to some firsts for the Navy, said Cummings. “We have aviation boatswains mates — typically some our roughest, toughest people up here — and we're making them be electricians and fiber-optics experts, which is a different theme," the ship's commanding officer explained. “So now we're putting [interior communications specialists] into the air department, which is a first. So now you have your ICs, who are your techie fiber-optics people, with your hardcore, hydraulic fluid-drinking, grease-wearing hard-chargers. It's a very interesting mix in the air department," he added. “So is the manning right? Absolutely not. We're still figuring it out. Some of these systems are a little immature, and we're figuring it out, but it's going to take time.” A training challenge A major hurdles for the crew has been getting sailors trained and qualified to operate, maintain and fix their own gear, Cummings said. “Self-repair: That's a challenge” he said. “The ability to get underway, operate and fix our gear ourselves without having to pull in and bring in tech reps out from all over.” In the absence of new schoolhouses, which are on the way, sailors have relied on shore-based testing sites and simulators from vendors for training, Cummings said. “It's a challenge. The infrastructure to train up our sailors — well, it's coming and we're working toward that end,” he said. “[There's] a lot of on-the-job training." As far as schools, General Atomics will host sailors at Rancho Bernardo, a neighborhood in San Diego, California. From there, the sailors will have access to a simulator to practice catapult launches. The Navy will also send sailors to the test site for Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and Advanced Arresting Gear in Lakehurst, New Jersey. “The schoolhouses are coming, but it's a challenge. We're a first-in-class, we get a lot of Nimitz-class stock projected on to our ship, but it doesn't work for our ship,” Cummings explained. Another challenge has been rack space. According to a recent Congressional Research Service report, the Navy is 100 racks short of what it would need to house a full crew and air wing. And while that isn't an immediate issue for this event, it could prove a problem closer to its first deployment. But Naval Sea Systems Command said in a statement that the ship has what it needs for its first deployment already. “The ship's bunks will be sufficient to meet ship's crew, air wing, and embarked staff requirements for first deployment, based on overall berthing numbers identified in the manpower estimates for the Gerald R. Ford class,” NAVSEA said in a statement. “For ship's crew, specifically, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is designed to operate with hundreds fewer Sailors than required on the Nimitz class.” ‘Off and running' But for all the myriad issues that come from fielding a radically different first-in-class ship, Cummings and his crew are jazzed about how it's performing. Many of the key technologies, such as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and the Advanced Arresting Gear have performed remarkably well — a significant improvement over some of the bugs the ship faced when aircraft started landing on and launching from the carrier in 2017. “I just spoke to some of the first ones to use the flight deck back in 2017 and 2018: exponential improvement in performance,” Cummings said. “For the catapult, we smoothed out many of the software issues and tolerances. We reduced those tolerances to a right number and we've had very few issues with the catapults. “Our Advanced Arresting Gear is performing spectacularly. A couple hiccups here and there, a quick reset: off and running.” Ford has been using its time at sea to develop wind envelopes for all the aircraft currently flying in the fleet. The process included generating a series of wind conditions, launching and landing an aircraft, and downloading the technical data; then rinse and repeat. “By the time we pull in at the end of January, every fleet aircraft — C-2, E-2D, F/A-18 Super Hornet, Growler and T-45 (our jet trainer) — will be validated to be given their full envelopes for these aircraft to go on deployment or to train our young aviators,” Cummings said. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will ultimately be integrated into the ship, which is a matter of reconfiguring some spaces to handle classified materials and storing parts, among other things, but the ship will not deploy with the jet at first. As the ship keeps to a breakneck schedule over the next year, Cummings hopes to rack up a significant number of “cats and traps” (meaning individual catapult launches and recoveries) to get a stronger idea of how the ship will stand up to the crushing operations tempo of a carrier on deployment. “Our goal is to get about 7,000-8,000 cats and traps to figure out: ‘Hey, what's going to break?' ” he said. “What parts do we need on order?' Let's refine our procedures. So through post-delivery test and trial period, that's our goal. And with an embarked air wing in the April time frame, we're going to be able to start getting after that. We've got a big year ahead of us." The Ford is doing about 10-15 traps per day as it works through the data set, and ultimately it should have about 1,000 by the time it pulls back in at the end of January, Cummings said. To get to that 7,000-8,000 goal, the Navy must get its student pilots lots of traps on Ford. “For the Next year, the only carrier on the East Coast able to provide carrier qualification capability is the Gerald R. Ford,” Cummings said. “When we get our flight deck certified in March, after that we're going straight into carrier qualifications. So all year, any chance we can: ‘Hey, bring 'em out because we need some time in the batting cage. Hit off the tee and see where we have holes in our swing.' ” The post-delivery test and trial period is supposed to last 18 months. After PDT&T, the ship is headed to full-ship shock trials, where live explosives are set off next to the ship to see how the class stands up to shock damage. Navy officials previously testified the entire process could delay the Ford's deployment by up to a year. So taking a year to conduct the trials, then fix all the broken crockery: That would allow Ford to enter the 7.5-month carrier predeployment workup cycle in the second half of 2022, and then it would likely be able to deploy by mid-2023. So, after years of delays, cost overruns and controversy, the ship is finally getting into its groove. And that's the message Cummings wants to send over the next year of operations. “This ship is kick-ass,” Cummings said. “I came here a year and a half ago, I heard all the stories, heard from the critics, came here, and they were all wrong in their assumption about our ship. What people should know is that this ship is amazing.” https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/01/30/the-carrier-ford-is-trying-to-shake-years-of-controversy-and-find-its-groove/

  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 26, 2018

    November 28, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 26, 2018

    AIR FORCE The Boeing Co., El Segundo, California, has been awarded a $383,421,855 cost-plus-incentive-fee, award-fee contract for the Protected Tactical Enterprise Service. This contract provides for a joint ground system to provide tactical satellite communications with enhanced anti-jam and low probability of intercept to tactical warfighters in contested environments. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $17,234,485 are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center, El Segundo, California, is the contracting activity (FA8808-19-C-0001). Raytheon Vision System, Goleta, California, has been awarded a $19,172,016 contract modification (P00012) to contract FA9453-17-C-0038 for the Fortress Program to push the state-of-the art infrared focal plane arrays. The contract modification is seeking to develop larger format and/or high operating temperature mid-wave infrared focal plane arrays for persistent surveillance applications. Work will be performed in Goleta, California, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 9, 2022. Fiscal 2018 and research, development, test and evaluation; and Title III funds are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $26,527,033. Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is the contracting activity. Aerojet Rocketdyne Inc., Rancho Cordova, California, has been awarded a $9,452,398 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Advanced AF-M315E Engine Monopropellant Engine Development. This contract provides a contract vehicle the Air Force Research Laboratory, Aerospace Systems, and Rocket Propulsion Division can use to address technical needs for next-generation strategic, tactical, and spacecraft propulsion systems. Work will be performed in Redmond, Washington, and is expected to be completed by April 21, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with five offers received. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $900,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity (FA9300-19-C-0001). DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY Qwest Government Solutions Inc., doing business as CenturyLink QGS, Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a non-competitive firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite -quantity contract for a five-year period of performance for the continued operations and maintenance support for dark fiber and commercial facilities in the continental U.S. (CONUS) to support the Department of Defense. The guaranteed minimum amount is $1,000 and will be satisfied through task orders issued during the base year. The total amount of all orders placed against the contract shall not exceed $126,895,698. Performance will be at various locations within CONUS. The solicitation was issued on the basis of other than full and open competition pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), only one responsible source and no other type of supplies or services would satisfy agency requirements. The period of performance of this contract is Nov. 30, 2018, through Nov. 29, 2023. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity (HC1013-19-D-0002). ARMY Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $79,383,886 modification (0006 03) to contract W52P1J-17-D-0043 for night vision sensor systems, subcomponent production and technical services for the Apache attack helicopter. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2021. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Ludlow Construction Co. Inc.,* Ludlow, Massachusetts, was awarded a $24,401,154 firm-fixed-price contract for Durham Meadows waterline remedial design. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Durham, Connecticut, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 20, 2021. Fiscal 2018 other environmental funds in the amount of $24,401,154 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Concord, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (W912WJ-19-C-0002). Federal Resources Supply Co.,* Stevensville, Maryland, was awarded a $19,569,771 firm-fixed-price contract for refilling of fire suppression bottles and systems. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 26, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-19-D-0017). CORRECTION: The $15,837,195 contract (W52P1J-19-C-0005) announced on Nov. 8, 2018, to Parsons Government Services Inc., Pasadena, California, was not awarded until Nov. 23, 2018. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $7,179,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND The Boeing Co., Mesa, Arizona, was awarded a $100,000 minimum, $45,000,000 maximum indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract (H92241-19-D-0001) for 56 upgraded primary airframe structures for the A/MH-6 rotary wing aircraft. Fiscal 2018 procurement funds in the amount of $5,173,400 shall be obligated at the time of award. The majority of the work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona. This contract is a non-competitive award and is in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302.1. U.S. Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. NAVY Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is being awarded a $37,253,983 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-18-C-5407 for procurement of fiscal 2019 U.S. Navy Standard missile SM-2 and Standard missile SM-6 intermediate-level repair and maintenance. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (88 percent); Camden, Arkansas (11 percent); and Huntsville, Alabama (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by November 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $19,047,890 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. BAE Systems Technology Solutions and Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland, is awarded a $13,903,935 firm-fixed-price contract for the operation and maintenance of Navy communication, electronic, and computer systems. The contract will include a 12-month base period and four 12-month option periods which if exercised, the total value of this contract will be $79,829,608. Work will be performed in Oahu, Hawaii (94 percent); and Geraldton, Australia (6 percent). Work is expected to be completed by November 2019; if all options are exercised, work will be completed by November 2023. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,925,630 will be obligated at the time of award and funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was solicited on a full and open, unrestricted basis with two offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor, Regional Contracting Department, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N00604-19-C-4001). Landscape Management Systems Inc.,* Tumon, Guam, is awarded an $11,426,341 modification under a previously awarded individual-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N40192-15-D-9008) to exercise the fourth option for base operations support services at Naval Base (NB) Guam and Naval Support Activity (NSA) Andersen, Guam. The work to be performed provides for all labor, supervision, management, tools, material, equipment, facilities, transportation and incidental engineering and other items necessary to accomplish work to perform all ground maintenance and tree trimming services for U.S. military facilities. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $48,598,810. Work will be performed in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas area of responsibility, including but not limited to, NB Guam (70 percent); and NSA Andersen, Guam (30 percent), and work is expected to be completed November 2019. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy); fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (family housing); and fiscal 2019 Navy working capital funds in the amount of $8,348,102 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the option period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas, Guam, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1698166/

  • Elbit Systems Awarded Approximately $135 Million Contract to Establish an Artillery Ammunition Factory for an International Customer

    October 31, 2023 | International, Land

    Elbit Systems Awarded Approximately $135 Million Contract to Establish an Artillery Ammunition Factory for an International Customer

    The contract is to establish an artillery ammunition factory for an international customer.

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