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  September 29, 2020 | International, C4ISR

  Microsoft Positions Itself To Win Space Data Market With Azure Orbital

  KELSEY ATHERTON Offering Ground-Stations-as-a-Service means customers are only obliged to pay for the amount of time they actually need to use on the station. ALBUQUERQUE: Azure Orbital, the space-connections wing of Microsoft's cloud service Azure, launched last week. By offering Ground-Stations-as-a-Service, Microsoft wants to position itself as the bridge between the Pentagon and commercial satellites. Ground stations are vital infrastructure for satellite communication, the physical node that makes all the images and information they collect useful. With the advent of lower-cost satellites, and the expansion of small satellite constellations in low earth orbit, the space industry is moving away from a locked-in model, where specific vendors only grant access to their satellites through their ground stations. “Space is just so critical to everything we do here on earth,” says Frank Rose, a former assistant secretary of state for arms control who is now at Brookings. “Deploying additional capabilities, especially small satellites, in low earth orbit will definitely improve the resiliency of our national security space architecture.” Earlier this year, Microsoft Azure won the $10 billion JEDI contract for Pentagon cloud services. Offering Ground-Stations-as-a-Service means that the customers are only obliged to pay for the amount of time they actually need on the station. Cloud service providers already have a great deal of experience in flexible demand management and in processing the data received in their servers. That makes ground stations a natural outgrowth of existing cloud competences, the company argues. In June 2020, the Space Development Agency said that rentable ground stations make it easier for the military to piggy-back on existing commercial infrastructure. When it comes to constellations of small satellites, what companies are “trying to do is to optimize their processing architecture, trying to minimize how much compute you need to do on board because of the [Size, Weight and Power] constraints, which inevitably leads them to do more on the ground,” says Mikhail Grinberg, principle at Renaissance Strategic Advisors. Yet that principal doesn't apply evenly across all applications. “For some military applications, given resiliency requirements,” says Grinberg, “they're trying to do more networking processing on board, as opposed to having an open pipe that can be tapped into.” While Azure Orbital appears aimed at the space sector broadly, it is specifically cultivating ties to the Pentagon and the defense contracting community. Partners signed up at launch include Amergint, Kongsberg Satellite Services, Viasat, and US Electrodynamics, all of whom have long histories of working with the Pentagon. Of particular note is Azure Orbital's partnership with Kratos, a company already actively working to make low-earth-orbit satellite space viable for military applications. “Right now, the current national security space architecture is very vulnerable to other countries' Anti-Satellite capabilities, primarily China's and Russia's,” says Rose. “If we can proliferate this constellation of small satellites, we can improve the resiliency of America's national security space architecture.” The military is planning for low earth orbit satellites in the battle management layer, ones that will primarily be processing data on board, having access to commercial infrastructure through Ground-Stations-as-a-Service increases the likelihood that they can be used when needed. “For satellites in low earth orbit it might be days, three to four days before it's overhead again. That's the core problem,” says Brian Weeden of the Secure World Foundation. “One way you can solve that is by building a lot of ground stations.” “The more you have commercial guys doing infrastructure on the ground,” says Grinberg, “if you can partition the data right, you can provide more resiliency.” As part of its bid to build strong ties between Azure and the Department of Defense, Microsoft has specifically hired career professionals of the military and intelligence communities. In late, Azure hired Chirag Parikh from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Parikh had previously served as the Director of Space Policy for the White House. William Chappell, CTO of Azure Global, announced Sept. 22nd that Azure Space had hired Stephen Kitay, former deputy assistant secretary of Defense for space policy, to head Azure's space industry division. It is, actively, a project to embed Microsoft in the infrastructure of orbit. By positioning itself as an intermediary between the space sector and its end users, Microsoft can become another almost-invisible piece of that same infrastructure. Azure Orbital would also offer Microsoft a greater role in other Pentagon satellite-based projects, like cloudONE and the Advanced Battle Management System. Being able to surge connections with sensors in orbits, on demand, makes space far more flexible for human commanders. “In the last 5 years, there's been a push from the military to move towards more common ground systems,” says Weeden. What remains to be seen is if the military will be comfortable with commercial companies operating those common ground systems, or if security concerns will instead preclude military traffic riding commercial channels. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/09/microsoft-positions-itself-to-win-space-data-market-with-azure-orbital/

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  March 5, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - March 1, 2019

  AIR FORCE Millennium Engineering and Integration Co., Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded a $340,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for research and development. This contract provides research, engineering, and technical management for performing space technology concept development, analysis, development, integration, experimentation, demonstration, and evaluation in support of the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate. Work will be performed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2026. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 research and development funds in the amount of $5,000,000 are being obligated on initial task orders at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is the contracting activity (FA9453-19-D-0002). Rowe Contracting Service Inc., Mandeville, Louisiana, has been awarded a $25,000,000 ceiling indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for academic and athletic custodial services. This contract provides for custodial services for the academic and athletic facilities at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Work will be performed at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado, and is expected to be complete by Feb. 29, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 27 offers received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,667,389 are being obligated at the time of award. The 10th Contracting Squadron, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado, is the contracting activity (FA7000-19-D-A002). Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze Sp. z. o.o., Mielec, Poland, has been awarded an $18,982,157 firm-fixed-price contract for M28 Block 05 aircraft. This contract provides for two new, commercially produced, M28 Block 05 aircraft, associated initial aircraft and maintenance training, technical publications, and ferry flight service for the M28 Block 05 aircraft from Mielec, Poland, to Kathmandu, Nepal. Work will be performed in Mielec, Poland, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 20, 2019. This contract involves foreign military financing to Nepal. This award is the result of a country-directed sole-source acquisition. Foreign military financing funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8625-18-C-1201). Phoenix Management Inc., Austin, Texas, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $7,886,394 firm-fixed-price, cost-reimbursable contract for base operating support services. This contract provides for base operating support services in support of supply management, vehicle operations and maintenance, traffic management operations, real property maintenance, fuels management, and airfield management functions. Work will be performed at Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts, and is expected to be complete by Nov. 30, 2019. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 and operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,943,197 are being obligated at the time of award. The 439th Contracting Flight, Westover ARB, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (FA6606-19-C-A003). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY City Light & Power (CLP), Greenwood Village, Colorado, has been awarded an estimated $126,616,791 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract for the ownership, operation and maintenance of the electric distribution system at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. This was a competitive acquisition with four responses received. This is a 50-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Mississippi, with an Aug. 31, 2069, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. The type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2069 Air Force operations and maintenance funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia (SP0600-19-C-8320). Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, Portsmouth, Rhode Island, has been awarded a maximum $26,490,520 firm-fixed-priced contract for receiver transmitters. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a three-year, two-month contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Rhode Island, with a June 28, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2022 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPRPA1-19-F-LY00). Travis Association for the Blind,** doing business as The Lighthouse for the Blind, Austin, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $19,958,826 modification (P00014) exercising the first one-year option period of a two-year base contract (SPE1C1-17-C-B003) with three, one-year option periods for warehousing, storage, logistics and distribution functions. This is a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract. Location of performance is Texas, with a Feb. 29, 2020, performance completion date. Using customers are Air Force, Marine Corps, and Defense Logistics Agency. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND International Auto Logistics LLC, Brunswick, Georgia, has been awarded a task order modification (P00022) on contract HTC711-14-D-R025. This modification provides continued support of transportation and storage of Department of Defense-sponsored shipments of privately-owned vehicles belonging to military service members, and transportation of DoD-sponsored shipments of privately-owned vehicles belonging to DoD civilian employees. Work will be performed at multiple locations within the U.S. and outside the U.S. The option period of performance is March 1, 2019, to Aug. 31, 2019. Fiscal 2019 Transportation Working Capital Funds in the amount of $89,700,672 (estimated) were obligated at award. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $927,409,026 from $837,708,354. U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. NAVY HDT Expeditionary Systems Inc. (HDT), Solon, Ohio (N00178-19-D-4503); and Design West Technologies (DWT),* Tustin, California (N00178-19-D-4504), are each awarded multiple award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with firm-fixed-pricing arrangements for the procurement of M98 gas particulate filter sets. The maximum ceiling dollar value for both contracts combined is a possible $78,565,403. The two contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contracts. Work will be performed in Solon, Ohio, for the filters manufactured by HDT and Tustin, California, for the filters manufactured by DWT, and is expected to be complete by March 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,605 for HDT and 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) $1300 for DWT will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. In accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304, these contracts were competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00178-18-R-5005). Rockwell Collins, ESA Vision Systems, Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $22,137,097 firm-fixed-price contract for the production and delivery of 132 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), Night Vision Cueing and Display Systems (NVCD); 56 in support of Navy, 55 in support of the government of Australia and 21 in support of the government of Switzerland. In addition, this contract provides technical data, non-recurring engineering and all other supplies and services necessary to perform installation and testing of the JHMCS/NVCD systems. Work will be performed in Merrimack, New Hampshire (79 percent); Wilsonville, Oregon (15 percent); Atlanta, Georgia (4 percent); and Fort Worth, Texas (2 percent), and is expected to be completed in February 2021. Fiscal 2017, 2018 and 2019 other procurement (Navy); and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funds in the amount of $22,137,097 will be obligated at time of award, $292,060 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Navy ($9,312,361; 42 percent), the government of Australia ($9,108,738; 41 percent); and the government of Switzerland ($3,715,998; 17 percent). This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-19-C-0008). Austal USA, Mobile, Alabama, is awarded a $13,586,012 fixed-priced-incentive undefinitized contract modification to previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-2217 for the incorporation of a structural bow section engineering change proposal to the 11th and 12th Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) ships (formerly Joint High Speed Vessel – JHSV). The EPF provides high-speed, shallow-draft transportation capability to support the intra-theater maneuver of personnel, supplies and equipment for the Navy, Marine Corps and Army. This modification is an undefinitized contract action for implementation of change to the bow structure on EPF 11 and EPF 12 on the DD&C Contract Line Item (CLIN) for each respective ship. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama (56 percent); Pascagoula, Mississippi (35 percent); Franklin, Massachusetts (7 percent); and Wilmer, Alabama (2 percent), and is expected to completed by July 2019. Fiscal 2015 and 2016 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $8,151,608 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. General Atomics, San Diego, California, is awarded an $11,739,438 for ceiling-priced delivery order N00383-19-F-NA09 under previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00383-18-G-NA01) for the manufacture of 181 various line items for initial spares acquisition in support of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System used on aircraft carriers. Work will be performed in Tupelo, Mississippi, and work will be completed by January 2022. Fiscal 2019 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $5,752,324 will be obligated at the time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One firm was solicited for this non-competitive, sole-source requirement in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1, and one offer was received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. Chemring Ordnance Inc., Perry, Florida, is awarded a $10,406,730 single year firm-fixed-price (FFP) contract, in response to solicitation number N00174-18-R-0031, for the manufacture, assembly, test, and delivery of 57mm High Explosive – Point Detonating cartridges. The 57mm HE-PD Cartridge is a 57mm/70, electrically-primed cartridge designed to function in the 57mm MK 110 Gun Mount (GM). The MK 110 GM is employed on the Navy Littoral Combat Ship class and the Coast Guard Legend-class National Security Cutters. This requirement is to develop and produce 57mm HE-PD cartridges intended for combating surface and ground targets. The cartridge consists of a high explosive projectile with the ability to point detonate, a brass cartridge case loaded with propellant charge, and an electric primer. Government First Article Testing will be required. Work will be performed in Perry, Florida, and is expected to be complete by February 2021. Fiscal 2019, 2018, 10`7 Procurement of Ammunition, Navy and Marine Corps funds in the amount of $10,406,730 will be obligated at award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with three offers received via the Federal Business Opportunities website. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division, Indian Head, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00174-19-C-0006). L-3 KEO, Northampton, Massachusetts, is awarded an $8,665,266 fixed-price-incentive modification to previously awarded contract N00024-15-C-6250 to exercise options for the production of Low Profile Photonics Mast. The low profile photonics mast provides visual and other capabilities for Navy submarines. Work will be performed in Northampton, Massachusetts, and is expected to be complete by March 2021. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) in the amount of $8,655,266 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. Kollsman Inc., Merrimack, New Hampshire, was awarded a $7,251,573 modification (P00001) to delivery order M67854-19-F-1523 on previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract M67854-15-D-6001 for the purchase of Contractor Logistics Support, 10 Common Laser Range Finder – Integrated Capability (CLRF-IC) systems, 10 Objective Lens Covers, and Retrofit of 396 CLRF-IC systems. Work will be performed at Merrimack, New Hampshire, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2019 procurement (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $7,251,573 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The base contract was competitively awarded via Federal Business Opportunities website with three offers received. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-15-D-6001). (Awarded Feb. 28, 2019) ARMY Tetra Tech Inc., Pasadena, California (W912GB-19-D-0003); AMEC Foster Wheeler E & I GMBH, Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany (W912GB-19-D-0004); and AECOM International Inc., Neu-Isenburg, Hessen, Germany (W912GB-19-D-0005), will compete for each order of the $41,100,000 firm-fixed-price contract for environmental remediation services. Bids were solicited via the internet with nine received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 29, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wiesbaden, Germany, is the contracting activity. American Engineers Inc.,* Glasgow, Kentucky (W91237-19-D-0006); Stantec Consulting Services Inc., Lexington, Kentucky (W91237-19-D-0007); and Terracon Consultants Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio (W91237-19-D-0008) will compete for each order of the $20,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for Dam Safety Modification Mandatory Center of Expertise National Inland Floating Plant and land drilling services. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 29, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington, West Virginia, is the contracting activity. Manson Construction Co., Seattle, Washington, was awarded a $15,476,150 firm-fixed-price contract for Thimble Shoal Channel maintenance dredging project. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 28, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance Army funds in the amount of $15,476,150 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (W91236-19-C-0007). DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY Lintech Global Inc., Farmington Hills, Michigan, was awarded a $12,849,369 firm-fixed-price, non-personal services contract to provide data processing, data validation operations and maintenance of the TRICARE Encounter Data/Purchased Care Data Warehouse and Military Health System Data Repository programs, as well as the development, update, enhancement, repair, and testing of specific information technology applications that are managed by the Defense Health Agency, Health Information Technology (HIT) Directorate, Solutions Delivery Division Program Executive Office. The contractor's place of performance is Falls Church, Virginia. This contract has a base period of nine months with one option, if exercised, for a total of 29 months. This contract is an acquisition under GSA's IT Schedule 70 with fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $12,849,369 obligated at time of award. The Defense Health Agency, Contract Operations - Health Information Technology (CO-HIT), San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (HT0015-19-F-0032). DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY SES Government Solutions Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a firm-fixed-price contract modification (P00007) to exercise Option Period Four on task order GS-35F-0328V / HC101315F0008 for commercial satellite communications service. The face value of this action is $8,356,608 funded by fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds. The total cumulative face value of the task order is $45,264,960. Performance directly supports the U.S. Central Command Southwest Asia Area of Responsibility. Quotations were solicited via the General Services Administration's Federal Supply Schedule, Information Technology Schedule 70, and five quotations were received from 22 offerors solicited. The period of performance for Option Period Four is March 6, 2019, through March 5, 2020, and there no remaining unexercised option periods for this task order. The Defense Information Technology Organization, Scott AFB, Illinois, is the contracting activity. * Small Business ** Mandatory source https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1772993/

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  December 18, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  Against Army’s wishes, Congress primes pump to buy newest CH-47 variant for active force

  By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — Congressional appropriators and authorizers have increased advance procurement funds for the newest variant of the CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopter as preparation to supply the aircraft to the Army's active force, even though the service asked to only buy a small number of the helos in fiscal 2020 for special operations. The service's decision to cut the aircraft from the active force was based on the need to free up future cash to cover the cost of an ambitious plan to buy two new future vertical lift aircraft for long-range assault and attack reconnaissance missions. But Congress has gone against the Army's wishes to divert funding away from procurement for the active force, instead adding $28 million in FY20 funding — in both the recently released spending and policy bill conference reports — for advance procurement to begin to prime the pump to restore CH-47F Block II deliveries to the conventional Army. The cut the service made would only buy 69 special operations variants — or "G" models. The original plan was to procure 473 "F"-model Block II helicopters for the active force. The Army approved the Block II effort to move into the engineering and manufacturing development phase in April 2017, and the program officially began in July 2017. In October 2018, the first two EMD Block II Chinooks were already on the assembly line with plans to fly in mid-2019. Boeing, which manufactures the aircraft, expects a production decision in July 2021. While $28 million won't get the service much, based on the original plan the Army would start building five CH-47F Block IIs in 2021 meant for the active force. The advance procurement in FY20 would support buying longer-lead items from suppliers, but is still a stretch to claim that the additional funding restores the program. Those five aircraft would be delivered in 2023 based on Boeing's typical three-year lead time to build an airframe. It remains to be seen whether the congressional plus-up will prompt the Army to restore funding for the five CH-47F Block IIs in its FY21 budget request due out early next year. It's also unclear how many of those long-lead parts procured in FY20 could be used in G-model aircraft or are exclusive to F-models. Therefore, it's also murky how much of the $28 million in parts might be wasted if the Army sticks to its plan to only procure G-model aircraft. The Army has indicated it might reconsider the CH-47F Block II cut; the FY21 budget request, when it is released, will likely reveal the Army's decision. Shortly after the service's plan to cut the CH-47F Block II was revealed in its FY20 budget request, then-Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville, who is now chief, told reporters the Army was comfortable with its decision, but tempered that, adding: “I think in two to three years, we will have a better idea about where we are, as far as developing the helicopters we talked about, and that will drive the decision.” McConville was referring to the Army's plan to buy two future vertical lift aircraft. The same day, then-Army Secretary Mark Esper, who is now defense secretary, told another group of reporters that the service would not be rethinking its plans to build CH-47 Block IIs for the conventional force. The Army has also claimed it is pursuing foreign military sales of its CH-47F Chinooks to soften the blow from cuts made to its intended buy of the Block II variant, but none of the possible sales — to the United Kingdom or to the United Arab Emirates — were newly in the works at the time. And neither country has plans to buy Block II variants. Moreover, the number of helicopters the two countries plan to procure amount to less than 30 aircraft. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2019/12/17/against-armys-wishes-congress-primes-pump-to-buy-newest-ch-47-variant-for-active-force