New Pentagon group hopes to revitalize effort to reduce mishaps

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  October 25, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - October 24, 2019

  ARMY Frank X. Spencer Inc.,* El Paso, Texas, was awarded a $240,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for professional land survey architect-engineer services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 12 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 23, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock, Arkansas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-20-D-6001). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Combat Medical Systems LLC, Harrisburg, North Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $43,432,160 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for medical and surgical supplies. This was a competitive acquisition with 16 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no options. Location of performance is North Carolina, with an Oct. 23, 2024, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DE-20-D-0003). Creighton AB Inc., Reidsville, North Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $8,055,077 firm-fixed-price contract for men's trousers. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. Locations of performance are North Carolina and New York, with an Oct. 23, 2020, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-20-D-1211). (Awarded Oct. 23, 2019) NAVY General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is awarded a $32,082,297 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-2104 to exercise options for the accomplishment of reactor plant planning yard services for nuclear-powered submarines and support yard services for the Navy's moored training ships. This option exercise is for the accomplishment of reactor plant planning yard services for nuclear-powered submarines and support yard services for the Navy's moored training ships. General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp. will furnish, fabricate, or acquire such materials, supplies and services as may be necessary to perform the functions of the planning yard for reactor plants and associated portions of the propulsion plants for nuclear powered submarines. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut (90%); and Charleston, South Carolina (10%), and is expected to be complete by September 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy); and other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $13,214,312 will be obligated at time of award and $5,514,432 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. ViaSat Inc., Carlsbad, California, is awarded a $23,914,150 five-year, firm-fixed-price, long-term requirement contract for the repair support of the Multifunctional Information Distribution System, Low Volume Terminal for the Navy. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Work will be performed in Oostkamp, Belgium (50%); Carlsbad, California (37%); Palm Bay, Florida (9%); and Lynwood, Washington (4%). Work is expected to be completed by October 2024. Annual working capital funds (Navy) will be used and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. A delivery order in the amount of $3,930,305 will be obligated at the time of award. One company was solicited for this sole sourced requirement under authority 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command, Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00383-20-D-VK01). FreeAlliance.com LLC,* McLean, Virginia, is awarded a $15,299,578 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for advanced cyber support services in support of the Marine Corps Cyberspace Operations Group. Work will be performed in Quantico, Virginia. This one-year contract includes four one-year option periods which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $79,599,761. The period of performance of the base period is Nov. 1, 2019, through Oct. 31, 2020. If all options are exercised, the period of performance would extend through Oct. 31, 2024. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $1 million will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $1 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via request for proposal N66001-18-R-0011, which was published on the Federal Business Opportunities website and the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce Central website. Five offers were received and one was selected for award. The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-20-C-3406). Bristol Design Build Services LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska, is a $14,435,000 firm-fixed-price task order N62473-20-F-4013 under a multiple award construction contract for the design and construction at Repair Building 618 at Naval Amphibious Base, Naval Base, Coronado, California. The work to be performed provides for a three-story unaccompanied housing facility and is being utilized for enlisted program sailors. Repair work includes addressing deteriorated exterior and interior facility systems and components such as fatigued concrete floors, walls and hallways, damaged ceiling tiles, rusted out doors and door casings, cracked concrete stairs, damaged/aging electrical systems and components, mechanical heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, lighting and faulty wet utility/plumbing systems. Work will be performed in Coronado, California, and is expected to be completed by May 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $14,435,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-17-D-4636). AIR FORCE Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Corp., Marietta, Georgia, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $12,437,030 undefinitized contractual action contract for C-130-J support. The contract will provide long term sustainment (LTS) for France's C-130-J aircraft. Critical components of LTS support include program management support; spares, supply support services; support equipment; diminishing manufacturing sources, sustaining engineering services, sustaining engineering/technical services, field services representatives (FRS), logistics service representatives, contract field team, FSR deployment/travel, technical order updates; technical order print and distribution; country standard time compliance technical orders; depot maintenance; aircraft modifications; and data and configuration management programs. Work will be performed at Marietta, Georgia; and at French air bases, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 1, 2023. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition and is 100% foreign military sales. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $2,487,391 will be obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8553-20-C-0001). *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/1998102/source/GovDelivery/

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  October 15, 2024 | International, Aerospace

  Sending THAAD to Israel adds to strain on US Army, leaders say

  The top two Army leaders said the THAAD deployment also adds potential delays in modernizing the service’s missile defense systems.

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  February 28, 2020 | International, Land

  Rheinmetall partners with DST, CSIRO, QUT and RMIT to develop new sovereign automated military vehicle capability

  February 27, 2020 - Rheinmetall is pleased to announce the launch of its first Australian research and technology program. Under the Autonomous Combat Warrior (ACW) program, Rheinmetall's Australian, German and Canadian development teams will work alongside research teams from Defence Science and Technology (DST) group, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). The aim is to develop advanced sovereign robotics and automated vehicle technologies. This will create a local automated military vehicle capability. Rheinmetall Defence Australia Managing Director Gary Stewart said the program would lead the Australian development of next generation automated combat vehicle technologies for integration into the family of Rheinmetall vehicle platforms. “ACW's goal is to fundamentally change the way in which land vehicles support military operations by transforming a vehicle from tool to teammate to provide currently unachievable levels of soldier protection, support and tactical advantage,” Mr Stewart said. “This will see the Australian development of the next generation of land vehicle systems warfighting capability, with an emphasis on developing trusted automated systems which provide human-machine teaming and optional crewed control.” The program will focus on the automation of driving capabilities. Rheinmetall only develops systems that are strictly compliant with the rules of engagement of its customers. Rheinmetall does not develop, manufacture or market fully autonomous weapon systems. Rather, Rheinmetall is convinced that humans must retain the power of decision and therefore rejects fully autonomous weapon systems that deprive humans of the power to decide whether or not to use weapons against other humans. Rheinmetall's contribution to the program will take place across its Australian, Canadian and German businesses with the focus of research to take place at the company's Melbourne operations and its new Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence in Redbank, Queensland which is due for completion in the second half of 2020. Rheinmetall Defence Australia is working with the DST Group under a 5-year strategic R&D alliance agreement to work collaboratively to advance automated vehicle systems. The agreement builds on Rheinmetall's longstanding relationship with DST in the area of simulation and augmented reality. The partnership also includes R&D around novel concepts and technologies that support the new Boxer 8x8 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle capability Rheinmetall is delivering to the Australian Defence Force under the $5.2 billion Land 400 Phase 2 program. Rheinmetall Canada has developed Mission Master vehicles that incorporate an eight-wheel drive, skid-steer, electric, unmanned platform operated in either robotic, semi or full autonomous driving modes. These vehicles can be fitted with various payload modules including cargo, protection, medical and surveillance variants. Rheinmetall Landsysteme Germany has over twenty years of experience in the automation of vehicles. Its system safety and system architecture competencies derive from more than ten research projects, and relevant technologies such as drive-by-wire have been developed to a uniquely high level of maturity. This underscores Rheinmetall's status as a leader in automation technologies. The Autonomous driving vehicle capability, or “A-kit”, currently integrated into the Mission Master provides the base software architecture for all future stages of the ACW research program and provides the autonomous capabilities including robotic vehicle control (robotic control or semi-autonomous); “follow me” control (semi-autonomous); simultaneous localisation and mapping); autonomous waypoint navigation (semi or full autonomous); and GPS allowed/denied navigation (semi or full autonomous). Rheinmetall is also upgrading two Wiesel 2 digital vehicles with drive-by-wire architecture and the Rheinmetall Canada autonomous driving A-Kit package. These vehicles, when upgraded with Australian advanced autonomous applied research under the ACW Program, will be used to demonstrate the vehicle-agnostic and integrated payload capabilities of Rheinmetall's Advanced A-Kit. ACW's research and development objectives are to: Develop game-changing autonomous technologies in Australia; Leverage Rheinmetall global research and development efforts and existing vehicle platforms and technologies, to fast track the development of autonomous technologies; Develop a platform agnostic Autonomous Kit (A-kit), suited for integration into a variety of road and off-road military vehicles; Partner with the Australian research community and local industry with deep technical expertise to solve complex development problems; Generate a strong return on investment to the Commonwealth, in the form of employment and sovereign robotics capability; and Work with Army to support its evaluation and strategy development for the use of autonomous vehicles. RHEINMETALL AG Corporate Sector Defence Press and Information Oliver Hoffmann Rheinmetall Platz 1 40476 Düsseldorf Germany Phone: +49 211 473-4748 Fax: +49 211 473-4157 View source version on Rheinmetall : https://www.rheinmetall-defence.com/en/rheinmetall_defence/public_relations/news/latest_news/index_23168.php