Poised for accession, Sweden joins NATO drills in reshaped north

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  November 6, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 05, 2020

  NAVY General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is awarded a $9,473,511,245 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-2117. The contract modification exercises an option for construction and test of the lead and second ships of the Columbia class SSBN 826 and SSBN 827, as well as associated design and engineering support. This modification to the integrated product and process development (IPPD) contract supports the fiscal 2021 construction start of the lead ship (SSBN 826) and advance procurement, advance construction, coordinated material buys and full construction of the follow hull (SSBN 827) in fiscal 2024. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut (36%); Newport News, Virginia (25%); Quonset Point, Rhode Island (17%); with other efforts performed at various sites throughout the U.S. (each less than 1%) (22%), and is expected to be completed by April 2030. Efforts within the ship include the Common Missile Compartment which is a joint U.S./United Kingdom effort. Fiscal 2021 National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund (NSBDF) funding in the amount of $545,186,307 (96%); and fiscal 2020 NSBDF funding in the amount of $19,936,251 (4%) will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This action leverages the acquisition authorities contained in 10 U.S. Code §2218a, NSBDF. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Raytheon Co., Tewksbury, Massachusetts, was awarded a $94,039,953 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-5145 to exercise options and realign funding for DDG 1000 ship class integrated logistics support and engineering services. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Rhode Island (41%); Tewksbury, Massachusetts (36%); Los Angeles, California (8%); San Diego, California (5%); Ft. Wayne, Indiana (4%); Marlboro, Massachusetts (4%); Bath, Maine (1%); and Nashua, New Hampshire (1%), and is expected to be completed by October 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $10,980,000 was obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Awarded Nov. 2, 2020) The Boeing Co., Seattle, Washington, is awarded a $14,181,537 modification (P00009) to firm-fixed-price order (2017) against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-16-G-0001. This modification exercises options for production, delivery and installation of 24 P-8A Poseidon Increment III Block I retrofit kits for the Navy. Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington (98.7%); and Mesa, Arizona (1.3%), and is expected to be completed in November 2022. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds for $14,181,537 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. Progeny Systems Corp., Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $9,428,513 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-reimbursable modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-6267 to exercise options for engineering services. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia, and is expected to be completed in December 2021. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) (88%); and fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) (12%) funding in the amount of $3,900,000 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, D.C., is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $53,190,386 hybrid cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price modification (P00067) to contract FA8615-12-C-6016 for miscellaneous support for 50 retrofit aircraft to the Taiwan F-16 Peace Phoenix Rising program. This modification provides for contractor over and above support and acquisition of legacy aircraft hardware and equipment. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas; and Taiwan, and is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2023. Foreign Military Sales funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. CORRECTION: The contract awarded on Oct. 30, 2020, to BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland, for $13,365,920, listed the incorrect contract number. The correct contract number is FA8720-21-F-0042. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Outdoor Venture Corp.,** Stearns, Kentucky, has been awarded a maximum $37,464,448 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Modular General Purpose Tent System and components. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses received. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. Location of performance is Kentucky, with a Nov. 4, 2021, ordering period end date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-21-D-1404). *Small business **Small business in historically underutilized business zones https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2406922/source/GovDelivery/

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  October 19, 2020 | International, Naval

  2019 was a landmark year for Connecticut’s defense industry

  Julia Bergman Military contractors in Connecticut had their most lucrative year in more than a decade in 2019, receiving $37.1 billion in defense contracts last year. That's according to the State of Connecticut Office of Military Affairs, which has tracked contracts received by the state's defense industry since 2007 and releases an annual report on the outlook for the industry. In reality, the value of defense contracts awarded in 2019 to Connecticut companies or companies doing business in the state was likely higher than $37.1 billion, as the report only relies on prime contracts worth $7 million or more. The previous high was in 2014, when the report recorded $27.1 billion in contracts. The growth in 2019 was spurred by the $22.2 billion contract the U.S. Navy awarded to Electric Boat last December for the construction of nine Virginia-class attack submarines — the largest shipbuilding contract ever awarded by the Navy. The contract includes the option to purchase a 10th submarine, which would increase its value to $24.1 billion. In addition to the record-breaking contract, Congress passed a defense budget that resulted in $30 billion for Connecticut-based defense programs this fiscal year, including the purchase of helicopters, jet engines and submarines all manufactured in the state. Defense contractors, deemed essential businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, have continued to fare well, similar to what happend during the 2008-09 recession, said Bob Ross, executive director of the Office of Military Affairs. At the time, Connecticut firms with both defense and commercial arms saw their commercial business lag but were kept busy by their military contracts. "We're seeing some of that again," Ross said. "For example, commercial aviation has been struck by the (coronavirus) pandemic, but the military aviation side has kept going." In the past three years, the growth in defense contracts has mainly been related to submarine construction at EB and jet engine manufacturing at Pratt & Whitney. "Suppliers have been busier than ever, particularly for submarines," the report says. "Such high level of defense production will likely be the case for many years to come, as Connecticut continues to produce and maintain the world's most sophisticated nuclear submarines, state of-the-art military jet engines, and a variety of military rotary wingaircraft used worldwide." https://www.theday.com/military-news/20201016/2019-was-landmark-year-for-connecticuts-defense-industry

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  March 18, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  F-35 Factories In Italy, Japan Are Reopening After Closing for Coronavirus

  Both of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter assembly plants outside the United States are expected to be up and running by Wednesday after brief coronavirus-related shutdowns. Leonardo's final-assembly-and-checkout plant in Cameri, Italy, closed Monday and Tuesday for “deep cleaning and sanitization,” a person familiar with the F-35 program said Tuesday. That assembly plant is expected to reopen on Wednesday. And Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' F-35 plant in Japan reopened this week after being closed last week, the person said. Meanwhile the Lockheed Martin factory in Fort Worth, Texas, which builds F-35s for the U.S. military and most overseas customers, has not been affected by COVID-19, which has shuttered businesses and prompted firms across the United States to allow some employees to work from home. “There's been no significant impact to production or supply chain at this time,” the person familiar with the program said on the condition of anonymity. In an emailed statement, Lockheed Martin, the lead F-35 contractor said: “As we monitor global developments we continue to use best practices to mitigate risks related to Coronavirus (COVID-19), while supporting the critical missions of our customers.” Lockheed Martin has been urging employees potentially exposed to COVID-19 to work remotely and self-quarantine. https://www.defenseone.com/business/2020/03/italys-f-35-line-shuts-down-japans-reopens/163862