December 9, 2024 | International, Naval
Marines hindered by Navy’s amphibious warfare ship maintenance delays
Nearly half of the amphibious warfare ships Marines need to deploy are often unavailable, according to a government watchdog.
August 12, 2020 | International, C4ISR, Security
Pentagon requests 30-day extension for re-awarding JEDI
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Defense has requested 30 extra days to review vendor proposals as it prepares to make another award decision for its massive enterprise cloud contract, according to a Monday night court filing.
The DoD is currently reviewing new revised proposals for its Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract, which it awarded to Microsoft over Amazon Web Services in October last year. In the filing, the DoD said that it “recently identified the need to reopen limited discussions related to certain aspects of the offerors' pricing proposals.”
The request, made in the Court of Federal Claims, is yet another delay for the controversial JEDI cloud. The department was supposed to re-award the contract by Aug. 17 after receiving a 120-day stay to take corrective action on the contract. It's now asking to delay that decision to Sept. 16.
“During the remand, DoD has identified areas of concern with respect to the revised proposals received from both offerors, resulting in multiple solicitation amendments, rounds of proposal revisions, and exchanges with the offerors,” the court filing said.
AWS, which filed the protest late last year in the Court of Federal Claims after losing the contract, argues that the department made several technical errors while evaluating its proposal and also accuses President Donald Trump of political interference in the contract.
AWS does not oppose the Pentagon's new motion, the court document said.
In late July, DoD CIO Dana Deasy told reporters that the DoD would “probably sometimes towards the very end of August, barring any last minute, unforeseen additional issues that are raised.” The court filing says that the department “anticipates” that the re-evaluation process will wrap up in early September.
The JEDI cloud has been delayed continuously throughout the entirety of the procurement process. Last year, the initial award decision was delayed for months due to a pre-award protest by Oracle. Earlier this year work on JEDI was further delayed when the court placed a temporary restraining order on any work on the JEDI cloud, finding that AWS was “likely to succeed” in proving DoD erred in the evaluation process.
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October 21, 2018 | International, Aerospace
Maxar Technologies' MDA Announces New LaunchPad Program to Benefit Technology and Innovation in Canada
Ottawa, ON - MDA, a Maxar Technologies company (NYSE: MAXR) (TSX: MAXR), today announced announced the company's LaunchPad program, which will serve as an entry point for innovative small and medium-sized Canadian companies and academic research groups seeking to collaborate with MDA on technology or innovation projects. MDA LaunchPad will create partnerships that build and grow Canadian businesses in the fast-paced space and defence industries. Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and academic research groups can contact the MDA LaunchPad team to: Explore potential collaboration regarding the development of world-class technology Bring new products or business opportunities together Jointly enter a new market Collaborate on research and development ideas that are of mutual interest Collaboration on other types of projects "A crucial aspect of creating growth is widening the arc of the very market you serve—creating a larger, more collaborative economic sector with an array of industrial participants that enable one another," said Mike Greenley, group president of MDA. "As a market leader, MDA has the unique opportunity to provide a powerful engine to fuel economic growth. Partnering with other companies, particularly, highly innovative SMEs, as well as academia, MDA provides essentially a "business incubator" to support the global environment of rapid technological advances that require flexible and innovative responses to emerging market opportunities. Allowing greater financial self-sufficiency, structure and services for SMEs within the new space economy and the associated technology spin offs helps build a better world." "I am also delighted to announce MDA's LaunchPad during Small Business Week. The Government of Canada and Small Business and Export Promotion Minister Mary Ng are committed to making it as easy as possible for Canadian small businesses to succeed, and we at MDA are proud to add our expertise and voice to that goal," added Greenley. The Government of Canada expects MDA, as the country's anchor space company and one of the leading defence companies, to lead—which means reaching out across the Canadian industrial base to enable all of Canada's industrial sector to both shape and enable each other. MDA plans to leverage the powerful combination of the four industry-leading companies that comprise Maxar Technologies to provide a platform of convergence and access to expanded networks to support MDA LaunchPad. Learn more at www.mdacorporation.com/launchpad. About MDA MDA is an internationally recognized leader in space robotics, space sensors, satellite payloads, antennas and subsystems, surveillance and intelligence systems, defense and maritime systems, and geospatial radar imagery. MDA's extensive space expertise and heritage translates into mission-critical defence and commercial applications that include multi-platform command, control and surveillance systems, aeronautical information systems, land administration systems and terrestrial robotics. MDA is also a leading supplier of actionable mission-critical information and insights derived from multiple data sources. Founded in 1969, MDA is recognized as one of Canada's most successful technology ventures with locations in Richmond, Ottawa, Brampton, Montreal, Halifax and the United Kingdom. MDA is a Maxar Technologies company (TSX: MAXR) (NYSE: MAXR). For more information visit www.mdacorporation.com. About Maxar Technologies As a global leader of advanced space technology solutions, Maxar Technologies (formerly MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates) is at the nexus of the new space economy, developing and sustaining the infrastructure and delivering the information, services, systems that unlock the promise of space for commercial and government markets. As a trusted partner, Maxar Technologies provides vertically integrated capabilities and expertise including satellites, Earth imagery, robotics, geospatial data and analytics to help customers anticipate and address their most complex mission-critical challenges with confidence. With more than 6,500 employees in over 30 global locations, the Maxar Technologies portfolio of commercial space brands includes MDA, SSL, DigitalGlobe and Radiant Solutions. Every day, billions of people rely on Maxar to communicate, share information and data, and deliver insights that Build a Better World. Maxar trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange as MAXR. For more information, visit www.maxar.com. https://mdacorporation.com/news/pr/pr2018101901.html
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January 7, 2020 | International, Aerospace
L3 Technologies to upgrade Greek F-16s in $28M contract
ByEd Adamczyk Jan. 6 (UPI) -- L3 Technologies will upgrade the F-16 fighter plane training system of Greek Air Force F-16 in a $28 million contract announced by the U.S. Defense Department. The Texas-based company will improve Aircrew Training Devices for conversion of Hellenic Air Force F-16s to the new F-16V configuration. The new variant includes add-ons which include electronically scanned array radar, a new mission computer and electronic warfare suite, automated ground collision avoidance system, and various cockpit improvements. The package can be retrofitted to most F-16s. The aircraft, in service since 1978 and known as the Fighting Falcon, has been built by General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin. Over 4,600 F-16s, in use by 25 countries, have been built. The "V" suffix indicates the "Viper" package of improvements. The Hellenic Air Force has 154 F-16s in three variants, with the upgrades planned for 84 of the planes. Work will be performed at L3's Arlington, Texas, facility, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2027, the Defense Department said Friday in a statement. The award completely involves Foreign Military Sales to Greece. The statement by the Pentagon comes two weeks after Greek Ministry of Defense announced that seven-year maintenance contracts with French companies Dassault Aviation, Safran Military Engines and Thales were signed to similarly upgrade the Mirage 2000-5 combat aircraft by the Hellenic Air Force. Those contracts were valued at $290.8 million. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/01/06/L3-Technologies-to-upgrade-Greek-F-16s-in-28M-contract/5451578328820