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December 27, 2018 | International, Naval

The US Navy’s surface fleet: Here’s what’s ahead in 2019

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. surface fleet has a big year in store for 2019, and we're going to start getting more details very soon on what the future has in store for surface warriors.

But surface leadership has been dropping clues on where things are going. Here's a handy reference guide for heading into January's Surface Navy Association annual symposium and for what the fleet has up its sleeve for the coming months.

Robot wars

The Chief of Naval Operations' Surface Navy Director Rear Adm. Ron Boxall forecast what was on his mind at a recent training and simulation conference in Orlando.

The focus for Boxall and the N96 shop will be to get more sensors and weapons into the battlespace, distributed and networked, so that a smaller number of larger warships can act as command and control for smaller units.

“If you think about what we are trying to do with the surface force, we have large and small surface combatants that will [ultimately make up part of the 355-ship Navy] but we have no requirement for unmanned surface vessels right now, which I see as an absolutely critical part of distributed lethality, distributed maritime operations environment that we are moving into,” Boxall said. “Ultimately I need more nodes out there.”

N96 is looking closely at what might be needed for a large unmanned surface vessel, much like the Sea Hunter drone developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

“I think these are what you need to go in the water and carry large things and be more places at less cost,” Boxall said. “So, in that nodal structure, we are looking at them becoming large sensors or large shooters, but we are still working out the requirement.”

Developing unmanned vessels for military use was a key component of a recent agreement with NATO forged during the July summit.

Future frigate

Next year is the crucial year for FFG(X), the year when the Navy finalizes its requirements and puts the first hull out to bid for a 2020 detailed design and construction award.

Look for news to creep out on this ship throughout the year but Boxall had some remarks on how it will fit into the fleet now in development. Boxall hinted that the planned 20 hulls may be a low-ball figure, and that he's looking to maybe keep the program going beyond that.

“It will be a very capable ship, but it won't have a lot of capacity,” he said. “But it will be able to both sense and shoot and do command and control at a smaller level. It will be a much less expensive platform and I can have more of them.”

Training

Training is a major focus of Surface Navy boss Vice Adm. Richard Brown, and some ongoing efforts will start to bear fruit in 2019.

Earlier in 2018, the Navy reprogrammed $24 million to build a Maritime Skills Training Program, which will be heavily reliant on simulators to bring together officer and enlisted watchstanders from both the bridge and the combat information center to train on equipment and work as a unit.

“We've secured the funding for the maritime skills training centers, which is going to do two things: individual officer training through the [officer of the deck training],” Brown said earlier this year. “So that, in conjunction with building out the navigation, seamanship and ship-handling trainers in the fleet concentration areas, will give us integrated bridge and [combat information center] training at the high end. That's my No. 1 priority.”

Those facilities will be ready for use by the waterfront in the 2021 time frame, Brown said. Upgrades to existing simulators are being rolled out this month.

DDG-1000

Look for news on the future of DDG-1000.

The first of the class, the Zumwalt, is wrapping up its combat systems installation in San Diego and will start the process of integrating the three-ship class into the fleet. We're going to find out more about its new mission – surface strike – and how the Navy plans to employ its behemoth new surface combatant.

The Navy has pivoted away from its long odyssey to find a use for its advanced gun system, with requirements boss Vice Adm. William Merz saying in testimony in April that the Sisyphean task of getting a working gun on Zumwalt was holding the ship back.

“Even at the high cost, we still weren't really getting what we had asked for,” he said. “So what we've elected to do is to separate the gun effort from the ship effort because we really got to the point where now we're holding up the ship.”

Instead, efforts are going to focus on getting Zumwalt into the fleet and on the hunt for ships to kill.

Large surface combatant

Last up, the Large Surface Combatant should start getting some meat on its bones in 2019.

Boxall and company are aiming to put the fleet on a course to buy its cruiser and destroyer replacement in 2023 or 2024, which means a request for information from industry could be in the near future.

What we know is that, like the small surface combatant, the Navy wants commonality with other nodes in the network. That means a similar radar as on FFG(X), the same combat system and as much overlapping equipment as the fleet can manage to tamp down on compatibility issues and on how much specialized training sailors need to be on one platform or another.

https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2018/12/26/the-us-navys-surface-fleet-heres-whats-ahead-in-2019/

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  • US Air Force issues third production order for advanced electronic warfare pods

    July 30, 2019 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR

    US Air Force issues third production order for advanced electronic warfare pods

    HERNDON, Va. – July 30, 2019 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has received a $44 million contract award for the Electronic Attack Pod Upgrade Program (EAPUP) from the U.S. Air Force. Placed under an existing contract, this third production order will significantly increase the number of EAPUP systems for the Air Force. Operating in the modern air warfare environment with advanced, rapidly proliferating electronic warfare systems and radar-guided weapons requires an equally sophisticated level of protection and proven technology. The EAPUP — an upgraded, digital AN/ALQ-131 pod — will replace the Air Force’s current electronic attack pods. The AN/ALQ-131A is currently available to international partners. “The new technology in EAPUP will protect U.S. Air Force pilots and coalition partner aircraft from modern and future threats,” said Michelle Scarpella, vice president and general manager, global logistics and modernization, Northrop Grumman. Northrop Grumman received the order following a series of rigorous tests designed to verify the system’s capabilities and readiness for operations. The tests were representative of modern combat scenarios and involved multiple, simultaneous threats. The pod demonstrated the ability to identify, locate and counter sophisticated threats and keep aircrews safe during missions in contested airspace. “The advanced electronic warfare capability integrated in EAPUP is mature, scalable and in production today. Available globally, it is ready to give aircrews the protection they need in dense electromagnetic spectrum environments,” said Brent Toland, vice president, land and avionics C4ISR, Northrop Grumman. EAPUP will bring the Air Force’s electronic attack pod inventory into the digital age, delivering fifth-generation capability to fourth-generation aircraft and making it among the most capable electronic warfare pod in the Department of Defense inventory. At the core of EAPUP is Northrop Grumman’s advanced electronic warfare technology, built upon the expertise gained from the company’s broad portfolio of programs for multiple services. Northrop Grumman has more than 60 years of experience delivering electronic warfare systems for a wide variety of fighter, bomber and transport aircraft. Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, space, strike, and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide. Please visit news.northropgrumman.com and follow us on Twitter, @NGCNews, for more information. https://www.intelligent-aerospace.com/military/article/14037164/usaf-electronic-warfare-pods

  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - December 27, 2018

    December 31, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - December 27, 2018

    NAVY Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded $712,482,210 for cost-plus-incentive fee, firm-fixed-price delivery order N0001919F2474 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0020) for the development of advanced hardware in support of the F-35 Lightning II Technology Refresh 3 (TR3) System. Efforts include the design of the TR3 System through full flightworthy certification, production readiness review, and fleet release to support low-rate initial production Lot 15 aircraft. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in March 2023. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy and Marine Corps); and non-U.S. Department of Defense participant (non-U.S. DoD) funding in the amount of $207,144,167 will be obligated at time of award, $13,000,000 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This delivery order combines purchases for the Marine Corps ($27,046,506; 32 percent); Navy ($24,500,000; 29 percent); and non-U.S. DoD participants ($32,506,142; 39 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News Shipbuilding Inc., Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $228,818,298 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-2116 for the purchase of additional long lead time material in support of Enterprise (CVN 80). The purpose of this action is to definitize efforts previously announced as an undefinitized contract action and increase the scope of the contract for additional long lead time material. Work is being performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to be complete by January 2023. Fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and construction (Navy) funding in the amount of $132,980,000 will be obligated at the time of award and not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Dayton T. Brown Inc.,* Bohemia, New York, is awarded an $82,595,099 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides for supplies and services in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division's Special Missions Integrated Test Facility (AIR-5.4). Supplies and services being procured are in support of the continued development of the Mobile Mission System (MMS) family of system capabilities, MMS variants, procurement of additional MMS units, prototyping and modification for rapid mission specific system reconfiguration, test and operational deployment, maintenance, repair, refurbishment, logistics support and associated material procurements in support of the complete system of systems capabilities between the MMS, the airborne component, the ground component and the required laboratory component. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (91 percent); and Bohemia, New York (9 percent), and work is expected to be completed December 2025. No funds are being obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Nova Group Inc., Napa, California, was awarded a $38,300,000 firm-fixed-price contract for construction to update the standby power plant and the electrical distribution system at Pacific Missile Range Facility, Makaha Ridge, Kauai, Hawaii. Work will be performed in Kauai, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by July 2021. Fiscal 2017 military construction (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $38,300,000 are obligated on this award, of which $16,360,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-19-C-1320). (Awarded Dec. 26, 2018) C.E.R Inc.,* Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded $15,668,500 for firm-fixed-price task order N4008019F4101 under a previously awarded design-bid-build, small business, multiple award construction contract (N40080-18-D-0016) for the renovation of Building 2007 at Marine Corps Base, Quantico. Building renovations includes selective demolition and repairs of existing building systems and spaces. In addition, this project will convert existing classrooms and bachelor enlisted quarters living spaces into administrative spaces. The project will also provide new electrical, Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, hot and cold water plumbing, fire suppression, floor, roof systems, new non-classified internet protocol router and secret internet protocol router network lines and ports, as well as, demolish existing walls, floors, and ceilings; then construct administrative spaces for Marine Corps Combat Development Command headquarters. In addition to renovations, interior hazmat abatement will be performed; one elevator and new restrooms will be provided in order to meet current Americans with Disabilities Act regulation. Work will be performed in Quantico, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by October 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $15,668,500 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Six proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Washington Navy Yard, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Bell Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is awarded a $13,340,913 fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides for the acquisition of 218 operational test program sets for the Navy (188); Japan (15); and various foreign military sales customers (15), including non-recurring engineering to address potential obsolescence issues. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania (90 percent); and St. Louis, Missouri (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2024. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. 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 (N6833519D0017). Insitu Inc., Bingen, Washington, is awarded $12,167,690 for firm-fixed-price delivery order N0001919F2638 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-15-G-0014). This delivery order provides for the procurement of spare and sustainment parts that are required to maintain the RQ-21A Blackjack unmanned aircraft system in support of the Naval Supply Systems Command. Work will be performed in Bingen, Washington, and is expected to be completed in June 2019. Working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $12,167,690 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Nova Group Inc.-Underground Construction Co. Inc., JV, Napa, California, is awarded an $11,350,806 firm-fixed-price modification under a previously awarded contract (N40192-14-C-1300) for equitable adjustments associated with additional munitions and explosives of concern investigations for the new pipeline and pipeline repairs at various locations off base within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Marianas area of responsibility. After award of this modification, the total cumulative contract value will be $78,285,823. Work will be performed in Piti, Guam, and is expected to be completed by March 2018. Fiscal 2013 military construction (Navy); and fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds in the amount of $11,350,806 are obligated on this award. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Marianas, Guam, is the contracting activity. Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News, Virginia, is awarded an $11,000,000 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-2106 for the advance planning of the refueling complex overhaul of USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). This contract modification provides supplemental material identified as required subsequent to contract award. Work is being performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to complete by July 2019. Fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $11,000,000 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, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Makai Ocean Engineering Inc.,* Waimanalo, Hawaii, is awarded $9,897,213 for cost-plus-fixed-fee task order N3943019F4018 under a previously awarded multiple award contract (N39430-18-D-2047) for design, procurement, fabrication, testing and integration of components for a lightweight seafloor cable system for use in a technology demonstration at Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme. The work to be performed provides for design and procurement of a wet-plant system and deployment system, as well as in-person training for government personnel and operation and maintenance manuals. Tasking includes conducting verification testing of components, sub-systems, and delivery of the complete integrated system. Work will be performed at Waimanalo, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by March 2020. Fiscal 2019 research and development (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $9,897,213 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center, Port Hueneme, California, is the contracting activity. ARMY Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $64,381,000 modification (P00025) to contract W58RGZ-16-C-0008 for performance based logistics. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2019. Fiscal 2019 Army working capital funds in the amount of $64,381,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Georgia Power Co., Atlanta, Georgia, was awarded a $25,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract for electrical distribution services. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2023. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $25,500,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Fort Stewart, Georgia, is the contracting activity (W9124M-19-F-0019). Longbow LLC, Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $13,028,575 modification (P00009) to contract W58RGZ-17-C-0027 for life cycle support to the fire control radar and unmanned aerial system tactical common data link assembly. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2019. Fiscal 2019 Army working capital funds in the amount of $13,028,575 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a $12,187,345 modification (P00005) to contract W81K04-18-C-0001 for specialty medical training, equipment, maintenance and administration support services. Work will be performed in Camp Parks, California; Fort Gordon, Georgia; and Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2019. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $12,187,345 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Health Contracting Activity, San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity. Dubuque Barge and Fleeting Service Co.,* Dubuque, Iowa, was awarded a $9,959,690 firm-fixed-price contract for Mississippi River basin. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Clinton, Iowa, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 27, 2020. Fiscal 2017 and 2018 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $9,959,690 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W912EK-19-C-0006). BGI LLC,* Akron, Ohio, was awarded a $7,761,863 modification (P00002) to contract W9133L-18-C-0002 for weapons system simulator training and support. Work will be performed in San Antonio, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 2, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $7,761,863 were obligated at the time of the award. National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE BAE Systems Information and Electronics Systems Integration, Nashua, New Hampshire (FA8604-19-D-4021); The Boeing Co., Defense, Space & Security, St. Louis, Missouri (FA8604-19-D-4022); General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. GS-ASI, Poway, California (FA8604-19-D-4020); Goodrich Corp., UTC Aerospace Systems, ISR Systems, Westford, Massachusetts (FA8604-19-D-4023); Harris Corp., Electronic Systems, Integrated Electronic Warfare Systems, Clifton, New Jersey (FA8604-19-D-4027); Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas (FA8604-19-D-4026); Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, Melbourne, Florida (FA8604-19-D-4024); and Raytheon Co., Raytheon, El Segundo, California (FA8604-19-D-40250), have been awarded $22,500,000 ceiling indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts for the formation of a collaborative working group of various industry partners to work as a single extended entity to develop, evolve, and update via pre-planned product improvement initiatives, as well as manage and provide configuration control of the Open Mission Systems and Universal Command and Control Interface standards, collectively referred to as the Open Architecture standards. These contracts provide for the development, updating and management of the above standards with the following business goals: promote adaptability, flexibility, and expandability; support a variety of missions and domains; simplify integration; reduce technical risk and overall cost of ownership of weapon system programs; enable affordable technology refresh and capability evolution; enable reuse; enable independent development and deployment of system elements; and accommodate a range of cybersecurity approaches. Work will be primarily performed in Nashua, New Hampshire; St. Louis, Missouri; Poway, California; Westford, Massachusetts; Clifton, New Hampshire; Fort Worth, Texas; and Melbourne, Florida, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2022. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Air Force Life Cycle Management, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. (Contracts awarded Dec. 14-18, 2018). Sonalysts Inc., Waterford, Connecticut, has been awarded an $11,328,749 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for standard Space Trainer sustainment and mission-specific vendor plug-in (MSVP). This modification provides for the continued sustainment for the Space Training Acquisition Office and future development of MSVPs. Work will be performed in Waterford, Connecticut, and is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2023. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $678,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity. DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $9,741,897 modification (P00093) to previously awarded contract FA7014-11-C-0018 for the Very Important Person Special Air Mission contract. This contract provides for aircraft maintenance and base supply and fuels in support of aircraft assigned to the 11th Wing and 89th Wing at Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Facility Washington, and brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to an estimated $466,547,627. Work will be performed at Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Facility Washington, and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $9,741,897 are being obligated at the time of award. The 11th Contracting Squadron, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1721774/source/GovDelivery/

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    April 6, 2021 | International, C4ISR

    AWS’ Teresa Carlson to join Splunk

    Teresa Carlson, the VP of worldwide public sector at Amazon Web Services, is leaving for Splunk.

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