July 25, 2018 | International, Aerospace
By: Valerie Insinna
LONDON — The Air Force scored a major win in the 2019 defense authorization bill: Not only will it be able to cancel the JSTARS recap program, it is getting additional funds for its alternative effort called Advanced Battle Management System.
However, the service will have to make some concessions in terms of its plans to retire the existing E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System fleet, which is used for ground surveillance and command and control missions.
The Air Force had planned to retire three E-8Cs in 2019 that had become “hangar queens” cannibalized for spare parts for the rest of the fleet, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said earlier this year.
However, according to the new defense policy bill unveiled Monday, it will not be able to retire any of the 17 planes until “increment 2” of the ABMS system is declared operational, although Congress will allow the Air Force secretary to phase out planes on a case-by-case basis if an aircraft is no longer mission capable.
While the Air Force has not spelled out to the public exactly what comprises its ABMS plan, it involves a host of different upgrades for existing platforms —for instance the MQ-9 Reaper and E-3 AWACS early warning aircraft — that will allow them to network together in new ways.
A congressional aide told Defense News on July 24 that the Air Force have three ABMS increments in a series of classified briefings to members of Congress' defense committees.
Phase one, which lasts from now until about 2023, involves upgrades to datalinks and some space-based technologies, as well as linking sensors from several stealth platforms and drones together, the aide said.
Increments 2 and 3 quickly get into more classified territory, said the aide, who declined to provide greater specifics.
The defense authorization bill would accelerate ABMS by adding $120 million for six MQ-9 Reapers, which the aide said could be used to help boost the architecture's ability to prosecute targets during a low-end conflict. It also included $30 million to continue development of the ground moving target indicator radar developed by Northrop Grumman for the JSTARS recap program.
In addition, Congress levied a number of other restrictions and reporting requirements on the Air Force as part of the FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act, including:
The end of the JSTARS recap program is bad news for Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman, who were each vying for the prime contractor spot and the $6.9 billion contract for engineering, manufacturing and development. A total of 17 new planes were planned to be built throughout the program.
Over the past year, Air Force leaders grew disenchanted with JSTARS recap, saying that new battle management planes would not be survivable in future, contested battlespaces.
But while the Senate defense committees leaned in to support ABMS, House lawmakers sought to force the service to keep going with JSTARS recap.
Will Roper, the Air Force's top acquisition official, told Defense News on July 17 that he was hopeful that Congress would move forward with ABMS. However, he still acknowledged that the Air Force had never modernized a “system of systems” like ABMS before.
“It definitely needs to be a program where we embrace failure up front and prototype, because there's going to be a lot of learning to do about how do you make things work together as a team,” Roper said. “We get a sense of how commercial industry is solving it and I imagine we can use a lot of their lessons learned, but probably not all of them.”
Infighting in Georgia
What was once a disagreement between the House and Senate seems to have turned into a fight among the members of the Georgia delegation.
In a surprising move, Republican Rep. Austin Scott pointed the finger at Sen. David Perdue, a fellow Georgia Republican, for allowing the recap program to be cancelled. Georgia's Robins Air Force Base is home to the 461st Air Control Wing, the joint Air Force-Army unit that operates JSTARS.
“When Senator Perdue [...] withdrew his support of this program which the Georgia Congressional Delegation – including Senator Perdue – has overwhelmingly supported throughout the last seven years, it effectively ended the program,” said Scott.
“Unfortunately [...] the replacement aircraft will not be fielded, forcing a higher risk to our men and women in uniform by continuing to fly the 48 year old legacy JSTARS aircraft which are in need of recapitalization.”
Perdue hit back in his own statement, saying that ABMS is a better long term solution for Robins.
“The Advanced Battlefield Management System will give us the capability to access both restricted and non-restricted airspace. This is a necessity in supporting our troops in harm's way as well as our overall intelligence gathering,” Perdue said. “With the solution I support, we save JSTARS jobs, maintain the JSTARS fleet into the next decade, accelerate the implementation of ABMS, and gain a new mission for Robins. All of this guarantees a very bright future for my hometown base.”
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/07/24/jstars-recap-is-officially-dead/
January 13, 2023 | International, C4ISR
Asked if there have been any major hiccups or technical glitches, Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo said: "None that Iâve been made aware of. At all."
August 31, 2020 | International, Aerospace
By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The newest version of the UH-72B Lakota light utility helicopter will enter the U.S. Army fleet in 2021, aircraft manufacturer Airbus announced Aug. 28 at the National Guard Association of the United States virtual trade show. Beginning with the newest orders placed in 2020, Airbus will deliver 17 UH-72Bs next year after supplying 460 UH-72As across the Army, Navy and National Guard. In September, the last UH-72A (the 463rd) will roll off the production line in Columbus, Missouri, according to the statement. The “B” model will look distinctly different from the “A” variant. The aircraft is based off the Airbus H145 and will feature a Fenestron tail rotor, which the current A model does not have, according to Airbus. The B model will also have more powerful engine technology, “enhanced” controls and the Airbus Helionix avionics suite, the company said. The new helicopter variant will go to the Army National Guard. “Since we first began operations with the UH-72 Lakota some 15 years ago, this helicopter has been the workhorse of the Army and National Guard, saving lives, assisting in disaster relief, training thousands of pilots, and, more importantly, helping to protect our communities and our country,” Col. Calvin Lane, the Army's project manager for utility helicopters, said in the statement. “Procuring the UH-72B Lakota provides tremendous value with no research and development costs for the Army.” Since the program's inception in 2006, the Army and National Guard have logged nearly 800,000 flight hours, serving as the initial entry rotary-wing training aircraft for the Army at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and has flown search and rescue, medical evacuation and disaster relief missions as well counter-drug operations at the Southwest border. The Army chose to make the Lakota the primary training helicopter and retire its TH-67 aircraft when it restructured its entire aviation fleet in 2013. The decision met some resistance. Several companies like Bell Helicopter and AgustaWestland were hoping at the time to sell military training helicopters to several armed services, including the Army. AgustaWestland, a Leonardo subsidiary, filed a lawsuit four years ago in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims over the Army's plan to buy 16 of the aircraft for the training fleet. The court ruled in favor of AgustaWestland, and the Army was barred from buying the Lakotas. But the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the lower court's decision in early 2018, allowing the service to move forward in procuring Lakotas. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/08/28/airbus-unveils-b-model-lakotas-will-enter-us-army-fleet-in-2021/
November 29, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
AIR FORCE Sierra Nevada Corp., Centennial, Colorado, has been awarded a $329,076,750 undefinitized contract action (UCA) for 12 A-29 aircraft for the Nigerian Air Force. The total not-to-exceed amount of the UCA is approved at $344,727,439 to include a Forward Looking Infrared System for six of the aircraft. This piece is projected to be funded soon after UCA award. In addition to the 12 aircraft, this contract provides for ground training devices, mission planning systems, mission debrief systems, spares, ground support equipment, alternate mission equipment, contiguous U.S. interim contractor support, outside of continental U.S. (OCONUS) contractor logistic support, and five field service representatives for OCONUS support for three years. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida, and is expected to be completed May 2024. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $220,167,735 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8637-19-C-6009). Honeywell International Inc., Tempe, Arizona, has been awarded a $32,114,856 face-value, bilateral modification (P00145) to contract FA8208-07-C-0001 for secondary power systems support for ground start carts, C-130, B-2, F-15, B-1 and FMS and other services for F-15, C-130 and ground start carts. The contract modification extends the period of performance by three months. Work will be performed in Tempe, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 28, 2019. This modification involves foreign military sales to Republic of Korea, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Bahrain, Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, Jordan, Australia, NATO, Argentina, Kuwait and Pakistan. Fiscal 2019 working capital funds are being obligated at the time of modification. Air Force Sustainment Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. AGTeck Inc., Cocoa, Florida (FA8232-19-D-0007); Aero-Glen International LLC, DFW International Airport, Texas (FA8232-19-D-0008); Borsight Inc., Ogden, Utah (FA8232-19-D-0009); Cherokee Nation Aerospace and Defense LLC, Pryor, Oklahoma (FA8232-19-D-0010); and TFAB Defense Systems LLC, Madison, Alabama (FA8232-19-D-0011) have been awarded a $20,000,000 total firm-fixed-priced, multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for F-16 bracket parts and kKit assemblies. This contract provides for low cost and rapid delivery of diverse bracket parts and kits for the F-16 fleet to include all block aircraft. Work will be performed at Cocoa, Florida; DFW International Airport, Texas; Ogden, Utah; Pryor, Oklahoma; and Madison, Alabama, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2023. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition. Fiscal 2017 Air National Guard funds in the amount of $79,883.75 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. ARMY Communications and Power Industries LLC, Palo Alto, California, was awarded a $24,780,643 firm-fixed-price Foreign Military Sales (Bahrain, Egypt, Japan, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates) contract to acquire Klystron Tubes spares to support the Homing All the Way Killer missile system. One bid was solicited with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 27, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-19-D-0008). Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was awarded a $20,103,984 modification (P00113) to contract W56HZV-15-C-0095 for Joint Light Tactical Vehicle fielding. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2019. Fiscal 2017 and 2018 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $20,103,984 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Trace Systems Inc., Vienna, Virginia, was awarded an $11,857,548 modification (P00006) to contract W91RUS-17-C-0044 for information technology engineering and logistics support services. Work will be performed in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar; and Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance Army funds in the amount of $11,857,548 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. NAVY Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is awarded $20,512,216 formodification P00056 to increase the ceiling of a previously awarded fixed-price incentive contract (N00019-09-D-0008) for additional Joint Performance Based Logistics support for the Marine Corps MV-22 and the Air Force and Special Forces Operations Command CV-22 aircraft. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (46.6 percent); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (41.4 percent); Fort Walton Beach, Florida 6.1 percent); Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (4.3 percent); and St. Louis, Missouri (1.6 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2019. No funding will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin Co., Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded $14,976,124 for cost, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price task order N0001919F2578 against a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract (N00019-16-D-1000). This task order provides for security, project engineering, sustainment engineering, integrated logistics support, material support, program support and training for the VH-3D/VH-60N executive helicopter special progressive aircraft rework. Work will be performed in Stratford, Connecticut (88 percent); and Quantico, Virginia (12 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2019. Fiscal 2019 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,976,124 will be obligated at time of award; all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Advanced Alliant Solutions Joint Venture Team, Fairfax, Virginia, is awarded $8,806,234 for modification P00014 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-16-C-0068) to exercise an option for information assurance services in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division's Information Technology/Cyber Security Department. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (99 percent); and Lakehurst, New Jersey (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2019. Fiscal 2019 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $4,035,039 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Q.B.S. Inc.,* Alliance, Ohio, is awarded $8,422,000 for firm-fixed-price task order N4008519F4222 under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price multiple award construction contract (N40085-17-D-5040) for the replacement of a concrete batch plant located in Building 20 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. This requirement includes the procurement, design, and installation of four new 45-cubic-foot cement mixers with sand and cement delivery systems and various structural components, spare parts, technical documentation, training, and the demolition and removal/disposal of the existing cement plant. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed by November 2019. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation, (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $8,422,000 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with three proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Melwood Horticultural Training Center Inc., Upper Marlboro, Maryland, is awarded an $8,217,493 modification under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N40080-16-D-0303) to exercise option three for custodial services at the U.S. Naval Academy Complex, Annapolis. The work to be performed provides for custodial services such as trash removal, cleaning, vacuuming, floor cleaning and scrubbing, re-lamping, specialized cleaning of the John Paul Jones Crypt, and basketball floor installation and removal. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $32,956,636. Work will be performed in Annapolis, Maryland, and work is expected to be completed November 2019. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $8,217,493 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the option period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY LVI, Pendergrass, Georgia, has been awarded a $7,532,249 modification (P00030) exercising the third one-year option period of a three-year base contract (SPM1C1-14-C-0002) with four one-year option periods for warehousing, storage, logistics and distribution functions. This is a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract. Location of performance is Georgia, with a Dec. 1, 2019, performance completion date. Using customers are Army and Defense Logistics Agency. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, has been awarded a $7,064,050 modification (P00001) exercising the one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPRDL1-19-C-0009) with one one-year option period for distribution boxes. This is firm-fixed-price contract. This was a sole source acquisition using justification 10 U.S.C. 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Locations of performance are Michigan and Florida, with a May 29, 2020, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1700404/source/GovDelivery/