October 21, 2024 | International, Aerospace
August 17, 2020 | International, Aerospace
New Tool Developed to Improve Pilot Visibility
8/14/2020
By Connie Lee
Special Operations Command and the Army are adopting new technology to improve visibility during flight operations in degraded conditions.
Sierra Nevada Corp. was selected for the third phase of the degraded visual environment pilotage system competition following a 2015 airborne test. The company's most recent contract modification includes full-rate production, according to a company news release.
Paul Bontrager, Sierra Nevada's vice president for government relations, said the system will help pilots operate in areas with limited visibility such as fog and dust.
“We've always had a hard time flying in snow and flying in dirt,” he said. “In Army aviation we've been waiting for this technology to mature, and it has.”
To enable pilots to maintain their situational awareness, the product has multiple features such as cameras and radars, he said. The system also has light detection and ranging. By combining sensors, a pilot is able to see a more accurate picture of the surrounding environment. Additionally, there are different versions of the system with varying amounts of sensors, he noted.
Sierra Nevada can take data from multiple sensors and fuse the imagery onto a screen, he said.
“A camera can do so much,” he said. “But then a lidar can actually paint the landing area and give a lot of detail about the surface.”
The military has often had to fly in challenging operating environments, he noted. In the Middle East, pilots would often experience “brown out,” which occurs when visibility is impacted by dust and sand which has resulted in crashes, he said.
“When we got embroiled in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it was a significant thing,” he said. “We actually had more losses in the more recent years when it wasn't direct combat operations. We have more losses annually due to flying into planet Earth unintentionally than we do from enemy fire.”
The degraded visual environment pilotage system is likely to be used in Army Chinooks and Black Hawks, and any aircraft with lifting capacity, he noted.
“These are aircraft that have to land and take-off ... in all environments,” he said. “This is where it's most likely to be used initially ... and hopefully all aircraft will be outfitted with this technology eventually.”
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September 13, 2018 | International, Aerospace
Air Force not considering new F-15 or hybrid F-22/F-35, top civilian says
By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — The two biggest manufacturers of military aircraft have been busy marketing new versions of their fighter jets to the U.S. Air Force, but the service's top official told Defense News in an exclusive interview that it's not actually interested in purchasing either of them at the current moment. This summer, Defense One broke two major stories about sales pitches from Boeing, which is proposing an advanced version of the F-15 to the Air Force, and Lockheed Martin, which has been pushing a hybrid version of the F-22 Raptor and F-35 joint strike fighter similar to what it is reportedly offering Japan. But just because those companies are offering new jets, doesn't mean that the Air Force wants them. In an exclusive Sept. 5 interview, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said she believes the service needs to expend its precious financial resources on stealthy, fifth-generation platforms — specifically the F-35 — and thus buying even an advanced fourth generation fighter like the so-called F-15X is not in the cards. "We are currently 80 percent fourth-gen aircraft and 20 percent fifth generation aircraft,” she said. "In any of the fights that we have been asked to plan for, more fifth gen aircraft make a huge difference, and we think that getting to 50-50 means not buying new fourth gen aircraft, it means continuing to increase the fifth generation.” What about a new fifth generation plane that would combine the F-35 and F-22? Wilson shut down that idea as well, saying that proposal "is not something we're currently considering.” In a statement, a Lockheed spokesman said that the company was focused on the F-35 program but also looking into generational leaps in capability “to ensure our technology, including existing aircraft, remains a step ahead of advancing threats.” Boeing declined to comment on this story. The Air Force secretary's proclamations seem to pour cold water on both Lockheed and Boeing's sales pitches, but it is always possible that others inside the service are in favor of buying the F-15X and F-22/F-35 hybrid — and that they could continue making the case to Air Force leadership, potentially winning them over. Sources that spoke to The War Zone said Boeing was in “very serious” talks with the Air Force over the F-15X, but that the service had shied away from making its interest public so as to not to derail it's number-one procurement priority, the F-35. Defense News has also heard from multiple sources that the Air Force has been in talks with Boeing over the F-15X for over a year, though it's unknown at what levels those conversations currently reside. Experts who spoke with Defense News said it's very likely that the Air Force intends to keep its focus on ramping up F-35 production for the time being, but that alternative platforms could very well be considered in future years. However, it is the F-22/F-35 hybrid, not the F-15X, that they believe stands a better chance of being adopted by the Air Force. Defense One, which broke the story about Lockheed's hybrid offer, wrote that the proposed jet would involve taking the F-22 airframe and outfitting it with some of the F-35's more advanced mission systems, though some structural changes could also be involved. “Every F-22 hybrid or derivative I've seen has been great,” said Rebecca Grant, a defense analyst with IRIS independent Research. The Air Force is in great need of such a stealthy air superiority aircraft because it only procured 183 F-22s, she said. Its other plane that specializes in the air-to-air fight, the F-15C/D, was originally fielded in the 1970s. Grant said she interprets Wilson's dismissal of the F-22/F-35 hybrid as a reflection of near-term requirements and priorities, noting that “job one is acquiring the F-35.” But in the future, that jet could be what the service decides it needs to contend with current and future threats. David Deptula, the dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Power Studies and a retired Air Force lieutenant general, agreed that the service should continue buying F-35s for the time being. However, the F-22/F-35 hybrid might be a good option for the service in the future, when it begins looking for a next-generation air superiority jet, which the Air Force has variously called Penetrating Counter Air and Next Generation Air Dominance. Full article: https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/air-force-association/2018/09/12/air-force-not-considering-new-f-15-or-hybrid-f-22f-35-top-civilian-says/
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July 2, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence
Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - July 1, 2019
ARMY Cardno GS Inc., Charlottesville, Virginia (W91278-19-D-0027); AECOM Technical Services Inc., Los Angeles, California (W91278-19-D-0025); Atkins North America Inc., Dallas, Texas (W91278-19-D-0026); HDR Environmental, Operations and Construction Inc., Englewood, Colorado (W91278-19-D-0028); Tetra Tech Inc., Fairfax, Virginia (W91278-19-D-0031); Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., Dallas, Texas (W91278-19-D-0029) and Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia (W91278-19-D-0030) will compete for each order of the $49,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for architect and engineering 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 June 30, 2022. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Hughes Network Systems LLC, Germantown, Maryland, was awarded an $11,823,659 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the research and development effort to research solutions, prototype products and demonstrate solutions that include machine learning to improve transport and network performance availability and reliability. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Germantown, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, 2023. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,863,123 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W56KGU-19-C-0016). Techwerks LLC,* Arlington Heights, Illinois, was awarded an $8,920,153 modification (P00018) to contract W911QY-17-C-0101 for labor, other direct costs and travel in support of Walter Reid Army Institute of Research Behavioral Health Readiness and Suicide Risk Reduction Review. Work will be performed in Arlington Heights, Illinois, with an estimated completion date of July 1, 2020. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $4,863,077 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military, Bethesda, Maryland, was awarded an $8,168,074 modification (P00005) to contract W81XWH-18-C-0337 to provide diagnostic and clinical research support. Work will be performed in Silver Spring, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2023. Fiscal 2019 Defense Health Program funds in the amount of $6,834,794 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity. NAVY The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $42,875,328 fixed-price-incentive delivery order (N00019-19-F-2412) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0001). This order provides for the procurement of 48 trailing edge flaps for F/A-18 aircraft. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri (72%); Lucerne Switzerland (20%); Paramount, California (5%); Hot Springs, Arkansas (3%), and is expected to be completed in June 2021. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $42,875,328 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $7,120,812 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and firm-fixed-price contract for Combat System Ship Integration and Test on Guided Missile Frigate (FFG(X)) new-construction ships. The work executed under this contract includes combat system (CS) ship integration engineering support and test planning, conducting a waterfront CS ship integration and test program, post-delivery engineering support to government test teams, engineering services for CS ship integration and test and developing test program documents for FFG(X) ships. This contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $124,980,289. Work will be performed at the FFG(X) ship builder location (70 percent) and Moorestown, New Jersey (30 percent), and is expected to be complete in June 2025. If all options are exercised, work will continue through July 2029. Fiscal 2019 research development test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,000,000 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with three offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-5602). AIR FORCE CACI Technologies Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, has been awarded a $34,837,804 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for software agility and resiliency software/hardware. This contract provides for the development of technology and methods to test and evaluate the effectiveness of virtual infrastructure with regard to malware analysis and mission assurance and web-based mission management functionality integration with current operational systems. Work will be performed in Rome, New York, and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and two offers were received. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,150,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-19-C-0014). The Design Knowledge Co.,* Fairborn, Ohio, has been awarded a $15,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Advanced Visualization, Automation and Novel Computing Enterprise (ADVANCE). This contract provides for the Small Business Innovation Research Phase III effort that extends the previous Phase I and Phase III efforts by adding in other relevant algorithms, automation, cloud based integrations, full-spectrum workflows, advanced visualization, models and simulation to increase the technology readiness levels by testing and validating the ADVANCE system within a relevant environment of live set networks. Work will be performed at Fairborn, Ohio; and Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and is expected to be completed by September 2025. This award is derived from, extends or completes efforts made under prior SBIR funding agreements and is authorized under 10 U.S. Code 2034(b)(2) or 41 U.S. Code 3303(b). Fiscal 2019 research development test and evaluation funds in the amount of $592,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles directorate, Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the contracting activity (FA9453-19-C-0038). LinQuest Corp., Los Angeles, California, has been awarded a $12,824,336 cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price modification (P00098) to previously awarded contract FA8808-13-C-0009 for systems integration and engineering services. The contract modification provides for the extension of the period of performance of the current contract for a period of two months of services. This two month extension is to ensure continuity of services and provide the required 60-day transition period as a result of the delay in the award of the competitive follow-on contract. Work will be performed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2019. Fiscal 2017 procurement; 2018 research and development; and 2019 procurement; operations and maintenance; and research and development funds in the amount of $6,259,555 are being obligated at the time of award. Los Angeles Air Force Base Space and Missile Systems Center Missile Systems Center, Military Satellite Communications Systems Directorate, Los Angeles, California, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Co., Dulles, Virginia, has been awarded $8,045,715 modification (P00004) to previously awarded firm-fixed price contract FA4890-17-C-0014 for persistent surveillance and dissemination system of systems and mission video distribution system services. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract from $15,626,799 to $23,672,514. Work will be performed at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina; and Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, and is expected to be completed by July 31, 2022. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $4,022,857 are being obligated at time of award. Headquarters ACC, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity. AECOM Management Services Inc., Germantown, Maryland, has been awarded a $7,497,087 firm-fixed-price, task order (FA8131-19-F-0002) to previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract FA8131-18-D-0001 for contractor logistics support of the Air National Guard's C-26 Fleet. This task order is to provide sustainment and engineering support for the current fleet of 11 aircraft. Work will be performed at Fresno, California; Clarksburg, West Virginia; Kirtland, New Mexico; Meridian, Mississippi; Ellington Field, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; Fairchild, Washington; Tucson, Arizona; Madison, Wisconsin and Montgomery, Alabama, and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2020. Fiscal 2019 Air National Guard operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $7,497,087 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Exelan Pharmaceuticals Inc., Boca Raton, Florida, has been awarded a maximum $8,080,106 firm-fixed-price requirements contract for Budesonide Inhalation Suspension. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses received. Locations of performance are Florida and India, with a June 30, 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 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency, Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D2-19-D-0075). *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1893327/source/GovDelivery/