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February 14, 2019 | International, Naval

Navy Awards Boeing $43 Million to Build Four Orca XLUUVs

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The Navy awarded Boeing a $43-million contract to build four Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (XLUUVs) that will become multi-mission for the service, according to a Wednesday Pentagon contract announcement.

Boeing based its winning Orca XLUUV design on its Echo Voyager unmanned diesel-electric submersible. The 51-foot-long submersible is launched from a pier and can operate autonomously while sailing up to 6,500 nautical miles without being connected to a manned mother ship, according to the Navy. Eventually, the Navy could also use the Orca XLUUV for mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, electronic warfare and strike missions, according to a Navy outline of the system's capability development.

The company acknowledged a USNI News request for a statement on the award but did not issue one as of this posting. The Navy also considered the Lockheed Martin Autonomous Underwater Vehicle system. In October 2017, both companies received design phase awards – $43.2 million to Lockheed Martin, $42.3 million to Boeing.

Meanwhile, the Navy is also exploring the possible use of Large Diameter Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (LDUUVs) as another rapid acquisition program. The LDUUV would be a vehicle launched from either a Virginia-class fast attack submarine or from a surface ship. LDUUVs could perform similar missions as the XLUUV, however, the LDUUV would need to remain relatively close to the mother ship instead of operating autonomously like the XLUUV.

The following is the Navy contract announcement:

The Boeing Co., Huntington Beach, California, is awarded a $43,000,000 fixed-priced-incentive modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-6307 for the fabrication, test, and delivery of four Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (XLUUVs) and associated support elements. The Orca XLUUV will be an open architecture, reconfigurable Unmanned Undersea Vehicle. The Orca XLUUV will be modular in construction with the core vehicle providing guidance and control, navigation, autonomy, situational awareness, core communications, power distribution, energy and power, propulsion and maneuvering, and mission sensors. The Orca XLUUV will have well-defined interfaces for the potential of implementing cost-effective upgrades in future increments to leverage advances in technology and respond to threat changes. The Orca XLUUV will have a modular payload bay, with defined interfaces to support current and future payloads for employment from the vehicle. The competition for XLUUV requirements is still in source-selection, and therefore the specific contract award amount is considered source-selection sensitive information (see 41 U.S. Code 2101, et seq., Federal Acquisition Regulation 2.101 and 3.104) and will not be made public at this time. Work will be performed in Huntington Beach, California (29 percent); Virginia Beach, Virginia (27 percent); Waukesha, Wisconsin (8 percent); East Aurora, New York (7 percent); Concord, Massachusetts (7 percent); Camden, New Jersey (5 percent); Smithfield, Pennsylvania (4 percent); Attleboro, Massachusetts (3 percent); City of Industry, California (3 percent); El Cajon, California (3 percent); Fairfield, New Jersey (2 percent); Ontario, California (1 percent); and Farmingdale, New York (1 percent), and is expected to be complete by June 2022. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $43,000,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

https://news.usni.org/2019/02/13/41119

On the same subject

  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - October 30, 2019

    October 30, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - October 30, 2019

    NAVY CubicGATR Technologies Inc., Huntsville, Alabama, is awarded a $325,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the purchase of up to a maximum 172 Next Generation Troposcatter system manufacturing and delivery, test support, technical data delivery, logistics data delivery, training data delivery and training support, fielding support and sustainment support. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, and is expected to be complete by October 2029. Fiscal 2019 procurement (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $28,820,220 will be obligated on the first delivery order immediately following contract award, and funds will not expire at the end of current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-20-D-2000). BAE Systems Land & Armaments LP, Sterling Heights, Michigan, is awarded a $119,938,228 modification to exercise options for the fixed-price-incentive (firm target) and firm-fixed price contract line item numbers (CLINs) 4000, 4003 and 4004 portions of a previously awarded contract (M67854-16-C-0006). This modification is for the purchase of 30 Amphibious Combat Vehicles and associated production, fielding and support costs and depot support products. Work will be performed in York, Pennsylvania (60%); Aiken, South Carolina (15%); San Jose, California (15%); Sterling Heights, Michigan (5%); and Stafford, Virginia (5%), and is expected to be completed in January 2022. Fiscal 2020 procurement (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $119,938,228 will be obligated at the time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was based on full and open competition with the solicitation publicized on the Federal Business Opportunities website with five offers received. The option CLINs were included within that contract and are being exercised in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.217-7 Option for Increased Quantity-Separately Priced Line Item. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-16-C-0006). Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation-Marine Systems, Sunnyvale, California, is awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee $7,542,234 contract modification (P00024) to a previously awarded contract (N00030-16-C-0015) to provide support for technical engineering services, design and development engineering, component and full scale test and evaluation engineering and tactical underwater launcher hardware production to support the development and production of the Common Missile Compartment. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale, California (55%); Ridgecrest, California (20%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (10%); Bangor, Washington (5%); Kings Bay, Georgia (5%); Barrow-In-Furness, England (2%); New London, Connecticut (1%); Quonset Point, Rhode Island (1%); and Arlington, Virginia (1%), with an expected completion date of Sept. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $315,604; and United Kingdom funding in the amount of $5,454,694 are being obligated on this award. Funds in the amount of $315,604 expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Subject to the availability of funding, fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation and United Kingdom funding in the amount of $1,771,936 will be obligated on this award. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. 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Locations of performance are Tennessee, New York and Kentucky with an Oct. 28, 2020, performance completion date. Using customers are Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Services, and Federal Bureau of Prisons. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D2-20-D-0084). AIR FORCE L‐3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Mississippi, has been awarded an estimated $30,000,000 firm-fixed‐price, indefinite‐delivery/indefinite‐quantity modification (P00019) to previously awarded contract FA8106‐17‐D‐0001 for contractor logistic support of the Air Force C‐12 fleet. 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DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY InteIillidyne LLC, Falls Church, Virginia, has been awarded a $27,041,715 firm-fixed-price contract to provide direct support to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Global Service Center and the enterprise to fully support the integration of all desk side support, remote, or onsite troubleshooting, onsite information technology touch labor, network support services activity program management, network security and infrastructure assurance activities to include risk management framework support, in-room video teleconferencing support, Defense Health Headquarters site asset management and network/systems engineering, where required, into the Military Health System Joint Active Directory Management and the Military Health System Medical Community of Interest network environment systems and infrastructure. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. 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MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Azusa, California, is being awarded a firm-fixed-price prototype award with a total value of $20,000,000 through the Missile Defense Agency's authority under 10 U.S. Code § 2371b. This prototype award was competitively solicited via publication through the Space Enterprise Consortium Other Transaction Agreement between Space and Missile Systems Center and Advanced Technology International (FA8814-18-9-0002). Twelve proposals were received. Under this award, the performer will provide the Missile Defense Agency's Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor Program with prototype payload design and signal-chain processing risk reduction demonstration. The work will be performed in Azusa, California, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $15,000,000 will be obligated at the time of award. 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Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $15,000,000 will be obligated at the time of award. These funds will expire at the end of the 2020 fiscal year. Missile Defense Agency, Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting activity (HQ0857-20-9-0002). Harris Corp., Fort Wayne, Indiana, is being awarded a firm-fixed-price prototype award with a total value of $19,994,752 through the Missile Defense Agency's authority under 10 U.S. Code § 2371b. This prototype award was competitively solicited via publication through the Space Enterprise Consortium Other Transaction Agreement between Space and Missile Systems Center and Advanced Technology International (FA8814-18-9-0002). Twelve proposals were received. Under this award, the performer will provide the Missile Defense Agency's Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor Program with prototype payload design and signal-chain processing risk reduction demonstration. The work will be performed in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $15,000,000 will be obligated at the time of award. These funds will expire at the end of the 2020 fiscal year. Missile Defense Agency, Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting activity (HQ0857-20-9-0001). Raytheon Co., El Segundo, California, is being awarded a firm-fixed-price prototype award with a total value of $19,958,883 through the Missile Defense Agency's authority under 10 U.S. Code § 2371b. This prototype award was competitively solicited via publication through the Space Enterprise Consortium Other Transaction Agreement between Space and Missile Systems Center and Advanced Technology International (FA8814-18-9-0002). Twelve proposals were received. Under this award, the contractor will provide the Missile Defense Agency's Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor Program with prototype payload design and signal-chain processing risk reduction demonstration. The work will be performed in El Segundo, California, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $15,000,000 will be obligated at the time of award. These funds will expire at the end of the 2020 fiscal year. Missile Defense Agency, Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting activity (HQ0857-20-9-0004). *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2002532/source/GovDelivery/

  • Serbia looks to acquire Chinese drones and the technological know-how

    September 25, 2018 | International, Aerospace

    Serbia looks to acquire Chinese drones and the technological know-how

    By: Jaroslaw Adamowski WARSAW, Poland — Serbia's acting assistant defense minister has announced the ministry is negotiating with a number of Chinese drone manufacturers to acquire UAVs for the Serbian military. Nenad Miloradovic said Serbia aims to buy Chinese drones for its armed forces as well as the technology that will allow the country's defense industry to produce UAVs in the long term. "This package deal, under which we plan to purchase, but also produce reconnaissance drones for the Serbian military, should be implemented shortly," Miloradovic said, as reported by local daily Blic. The official said that Serbia is positioning itself as a military-neutral country, and its government aims to procure weapons and military gear for the country's armed forces from various suppliers. "We don't have ideological prejudices in what concerns buying weapons," Miloradovic said. In a sign of strengthened military cooperation with Russia, Serbia's government earlier this year approved the purchase of six Mil Mi-17 helicopters, complementing acquisitions of other aircraft and weapons from Moscow. In contrast, Serbia signed a deal in 2016 to buy nine H145M helicopters from Dutch-French company Airbus. The value of the planned UAV deal was not disclosed by the Serbian official. https://www.defensenews.com/unmanned/2018/09/20/serbia-looks-to-acquire-chinese-drones-and-the-technological-know-how

  • Thales lance une plateforme collaborative « secret-défense »

    January 14, 2022 | International, Aerospace

    Thales lance une plateforme collaborative « secret-défense »

    C'est une première en France et en Europe. Thales lance, ce vendredi, la commercialisation d'une plateforme collaborative privée, qui permet aux industriels de l'armement, à leurs sous-traitants, leurs clients ainsi qu'au ministère des Armées et à la Direction générale de l'armement (DGA) d'échanger des données sensibles, classées au 1er niveau du secret-défense. « Nous avons lancé ce projet en partant du retour d'expérience du premier confinement. Il a montré la difficulté d'échanger à distance, de façon sécurisée, des données à diffusion restreinte alors que, pendant cette période, les risques de cyberattaques et de fuites s'étaient multipliés », explique Marc Darmon, directeur général adjoint de Thales en charge des activités communications et sécurité. Présentée hier à Joël Barre, directeur de la DGA, la plateforme collaborative, baptisée « TrustNest Restricted » (espace de confiance pour l'échange de données confidentielles), a été certifiée par l'Autorité nationale en matière de sécurité et de défense des systèmes d'information (ANSSI). Ce cloud doit prochainement équiper le ministère des Armées. Le premier marché visé est celui de l'industrie de l'armement dont les acteurs ont déjà des systèmes informatiques à diffusion restreinte. Ces terminaux seront aussi proposés aux industriels européens qui sont engagés dans des programmes de défense en coopération, tels que le système de combat aérien du futur (SCAF) et le système principal de combat terrestre (MGCS). Autres marchés visés, celui des opérateurs d'intérêt vital (OIV), qui regroupe quelque 200 entreprises dans les transports, l'énergie et le nucléaire, ainsi que toute entreprise opérant dans un domaine sensible. Globalement, en France, 30% des informations échangées relèvent de la diffusion restreinte. Le Figaro du 14 janvier

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