October 21, 2022 | International, C4ISR
US must ensure mission partner data security for collaborative warfare
When building a coalition of partners, the Pentagon can't just connect allies directly to its classified networks.
May 2, 2019 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR
These are the five areas where the Air Force wants to see an explosion of technology
By: Valerie Insinna
WASHINGTON — The Air Force has a new science and technology strategy, and it's built around the idea that the service needs to generate leap-ahead capabilities like the 1950s-era Century Series that spawned six new fighter jets in five years.
To do that, the service wants to restructure about 20 percent of its S&T efforts into “vanguard programs” that will tie together different developmental efforts across the Air Force's research institutions and experiment with them to see whether it shows promise.
“If you're playing hockey, you shouldn't be shooting where the goalie is. You should be shooting where the goalie isn't,” Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said Wednesday. “So the idea with part of this strategy is to assess where our adversaries can't easily go and get there first and fastest. That's a winning strategy.”
Among the new strategy's biggest changes is the addition of a new position, the Air Force's chief technology officer, who will be charged with coordinating efforts across the S&T enterprise and making strategic decisions about the direction of the service's development efforts, to include the vanguard programs.
This yet-to-be-named official will work directly with the Air Force Warfighting Integration Capability team, which is defining future concepts of operation and helping the service understand what technologies it needs to meet advanced threats.
Wilson wasn't sure exactly when the CTO will be named, but she's already signed a memorandum that makes Will Roper, the service's acquisition executive, responsible for hiring a “design agent” that will figure out how to best structure the CTO office within the Air Force and help select the new official.
“One of the things that this design agent will do is start to look in at acquisition, how will we change both possibly the organizational reporting lines for research, but [also] how will we manage that and change that over time,” she said. “This is not something where we're going to flip a switch today, but it does mean over time we're going to change the way we manage our research dollars.”
Still unknown is whether the new strategy will impact the size or makeup of the S&T budget, which runs about $2.8 billion per year. The Air Force also hasn't identified any potential vanguard programs yet, officials said.
“For some things, if it's smaller, that could be really quick” and result in an experimentation program similar to the light attack program, said Lt Gen. Arnold Bunch, the service's top uniformed acquisition official. “Or it could be a big project that we align a lot of dollars to” so that it can transition quickly to a program of record.
The service also wants to use vanguard programs to fuse together emerging technologies in their early stages of development, which are usually developed in a more stovepiped manner, said Air Force Chief Scientist Richard Joseph.
“If it doesn't work well, then we know at a very early stage the kinds of things we have to work on and change,” he said. “This is probably a less expensive vanguard, but it's one that's really vital and important.”
Although no specific vanguard projects have been announced, the S&T strategy identifies five technology areas where it wants to see “transformational” growth:
Complexity, Unpredictability and Mass
The military has talked for years about the need for swarms of autonomous drones and space systems that can be purchased on the cheap, and the Air Force continues to see a need for such assets in the future to augment their legacy fleet of exquisite platforms.
“Progress will rely heavily on a wide range of robotics and autonomy technologies, along with sensors and wireless communications,” the strategy states. “The growing autonomous vehicle market provides an industrial and applied research base that the Air Force can leverage, but military research is needed well beyond what can be expected from the commercial sector.”
Speed and Reach of Disruption and Lethality
The Air Force needs a more diverse inventory of weapons that are faster and have longer endurance.
Although hypersonic weapons — and enabling technologies like scramjet propulsion and high-temperature materials — might be the most visible program for such investment, the S&T strategy notes several others such as low-cost cruise missiles and guided munitions.
Microwave and laser-directed energy weapons hold potential for decreasing the cost of shooting down a target. The service also sees promise in “advanced penetrating kinetic weapons combined with new effects from the electromagnetic spectrum and the space and cyberspace domains to create new offensive and defensive options.”
Global Persistent Awareness
The platforms the Air Force uses for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance — everything from the U-2 spyplane to its missile warning satellites to the cameras on an MQ-9 Reaper — have given the service unparalleled access to information.
But those assets are too expensive, can't stay long enough on station, and lack the survivability needed to stand up against more advanced threats. Further, it takes far too long to process the information from these legacy systems, and too much manpower is needed to turn that data into actionable intelligence.
The strategy posits a move toward distributed, low-cost sensors where information can be fused together to “provide resilience through numbers and redundancy and complement more exquisite sensors on standoff platforms.”
Small satellites and low cost launch can help enable this architecture, as can “edge computing” that “autonomously analyzes sensor data at the source” and reduces the burden on legacy communications nodes.
The strategy also recommends investment in new sensing technologies — such as laser and multistatic radar, hyperspectral sensing and quantum field sensing—as well as the microelectronics, photonics and other materials that are used to build sensors.
Resilient Information Sharing
The Air Force relies on its battle networks in order for fighter jets to get accurate targeting information, to share intelligence across platforms, and to conduct close air support of troops on the ground.
But despite huge advances in commercial communications technologies, the Air Force “cannot rely” on the private sector for information sharing capabilities that are able to resist electronic attacks, cyberattacks and GPS jamming.
“The military's demands on these capabilities exceed the limits of current wireless network technology, even under favorable circumstances,” the S&T strategy reads. “In future conflicts, the challenge will be far beyond any of those encountered in the commercial sector.”
As such, the Air Force will need to field more flexible and survivable battle networks that can autonomously reconfigure itself when threatened. The service sees promise in areas such as software-defined systems, more resilient satellites, encryption and alternate position, navigation and timing systems.
Rapid, Effective Decision Making
Air Force Chef of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein has spoken at length about the need for the Air Force to move the right information to users more quickly. To do that, the serviced will need to continue investments in areas such as artificial intelligence, predictive data analytics, data fusion and visualization, and autonomous electronic warfare and cyber.
“Automation is especially important in electronic and cyberwarfare where contests occur at far-beyond-human speeds,” the strategy states. “Where possible, automation can assist electronic warfare, cybersystems, and other means to hinder the adversary's decision-making by introducing uncertainty.”
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February 14, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence
Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - February 13, 2019
NAVY British Aerospace Engineering Systems Technology Solutions & Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland (N00421-D-0035); Coherent Technical Services Inc.,* Lexington Park, Maryland (N00421-D-0036); Engility Corp., Andover, Maine (N00421-D-0037); J.F. Taylor Inc., Lexington Park, Maryland (N00421-D-0038); KBRwyle Technology Solutions LLC, Columbia, Maryland (N00421-D-0039); Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia (N00421-D-0040); and Valkyrie Enterprises Inc.,* Virginia Beach, Virginia (N00421-D-0041), are each awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts. The estimated aggregate ceiling for all contracts is $235,005,530, with the companies having an opportunity to compete for individual orders. These contracts provide for Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems Operations Onboard Ship and Shore support services for the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) - Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems Division (NAWCAD 4.11.7). Services to be provided include operational, technical, logistical and system engineering support for system certification; technical assistance; systems analysis and engineering; test and evaluation; installation and maintenance; hardware design, development, technical logistics support; configuration management; training support; equipment manufacturing; quality control; and project management of Mobile Air Battle management systems and communication-electronic systems. Work will be performed in St. Inigoes, Maryland (20 percent); and at various contractor locations within the continental U.S. (80 percent), and is expected to be completed in February 2024. No funds are being obligated at time of award, funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. These contracts were competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals, with seven offers received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Diversified Maintenance Systems,* Sandy, Utah, is awarded a maximum amount $49,000,000 indefinite-delivery indefinite quantity contract for commercial and institutional building construction alterations, renovations, and repair projects at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. Projects will be primarily design-bid-build (fully designed) task orders or task order with minimal design effort (e.g. shop drawings). Projects may include, but are not limited to, alterations, repairs, and construction of administration buildings, maintenance/repair facilities, aircraft control towers, hangars, fire stations, office buildings, laboratories, dining facilities and related structures. Work will be performed in Ridgecrest, California. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months with an expected completion date of January 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $5,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operations and maintenance (Navy). This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with eight proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-19-D-2612). The Boeing Co., Huntington Beach, California, is awarded a $43,000,000 fixed-priced-incentive modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-6307 for the fabrication, test, and delivery of four Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (XLUUVs) and associated support elements. The Orca XLUUV will be an open architecture, reconfigurable Unmanned Undersea Vehicle. The Orca XLUUV will be modular in construction with the core vehicle providing guidance and control, navigation, autonomy, situational awareness, core communications, power distribution, energy and power, propulsion and maneuvering, and mission sensors. The Orca XLUUV will have well-defined interfaces for the potential of implementing cost-effective upgrades in future increments to leverage advances in technology and respond to threat changes. The Orca XLUUV will have a modular payload bay, with defined interfaces to support current and future payloads for employment from the vehicle. The competition for XLUUV requirements is still in source-selection, and therefore the specific contract award amount is considered source-selection sensitive information (see 41 U.S. Code 2101, et seq., Federal Acquisition Regulation 2.101 and 3.104) and will not be made public at this time. Work will be performed in Huntington Beach, California (29 percent); Virginia Beach, Virginia (27 percent); Waukesha, Wisconsin (8 percent); East Aurora, New York (7 percent); Concord, Massachusetts (7 percent); Camden, New Jersey (5 percent); Smithfield, Pennsylvania (4 percent); Attleboro, Massachusetts (3 percent); City of Industry, California (3 percent); El Cajon, California (3 percent); Fairfield, New Jersey (2 percent); Ontario, California (1 percent); and Farmingdale, New York (1 percent), and is expected to be complete by June 2022. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $43,000,000 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. Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded $14,498,758 for modification P00009 to a previously awarded fixed-price incentive firm contract (N0001918C1048) to provide for initial lay-in of repair material for seven F-35 Lightning II systems at various depots in support of the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participants, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida (34 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (27 percent); Jackson, Mississippi (16 percent); Windsor Locks, Connecticut (16 percent); St. Louis, Missouri (4 percent); and East Aurora, New York (3 percent), and is expected to be completed in July 2024. Fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement (Marine Corps, and Navy); fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Air Force); non-U.S. DoD participant; and FMS funds in the amount of $14,498,758 are being obligated at time of award, $4,582,113 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force ($6,332,003; 43.68 percent); Marine Corps ($3,128,745; 21.58 percent); Navy ($1,453,368; 10.02 percent); non-U.S. DoD Participants ($2,470,964; 17.04 percent), and FMS customers ($1,113,678; 7.68 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. EPS Corp., Tinton Falls, New Jersey, is awarded a $10,980,406 modification to a previously awarded hybrid cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed price, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract (N00174-17-D-0026) to exercise an option for technical expertise in the development and testing of underwater weapons and underwater weapons systems components. This requirement is to develop an underwater weapons system acquisition/procurement program that provides underwater weapons systems (including authentic foreign mines) for research, development, test and evaluation of underwater weapons systems and mine countermeasures systems. Work will be performed in Tinton Falls, New Jersey (95 percent); Montenegro (2 percent); Bulgaria (2 percent); and Italy (1 percent), and is expected to be complete by February 2020. No additional funds are being obligated at the time of this action. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division, Indian Head, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Detyens Shipyards Inc., North Charleston, South Carolina, is awarded a $10,517,749 firm-fixed-price contract for a 50-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul and dry docking of USNS William McLean (T-AKE 12). Work will include clean and gas-free tanks, voids, cofferdams and spaces, main engine and electric motor maintenance, 10-year crane maintenance and recertification, dry-docking and undocking, propeller shaft and stern tube inspect, freshwater (closed loop) stern tube lubrication, underwater hull cleaning and painting, 2.5-year bow thruster maintenance and tunnel grating modification, renew flight deck nonskid, and auxiliary pre-stage area refrigeration installation. The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the total contract value to $10,583,543. Work will be performed in North Charleston, South Carolina, and is expected to be completed by July 16, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,517,749 are obligated at the time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. The U. S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N3220519C6002). AIR FORCE Nimbis Services Inc.,* Oro Valley, Arizona, has been awarded a ceiling increase of $49,500,000 to their indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract with cost-plus-fixed-fee task orders for research and development. The Trusted Silicon Stratus contract's objective is to achieve an initial operational capability of a novel microelectronics life-cycle verification ecosystem implemented to enhance microelectronics supply chain risk management. Work will be performed in Columbus, Ohio. There are two orders currently on this IDIQ. The first task order (FA8650-18-F-1605) is expected to be complete by July 30, 2021, and the second task order (FA8650-18-F-1656) is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds will be obligated on future task orders. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Tau Technologies LLC, Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been awarded a cost reimbursement type contract with a base period contract price of $8,913,357 for directed energy modeling for cross-domain analysis. This contract seeks to advance directed energy technologies and weapon systems in engagement and mission-level analysis to enable data-driven wargaming, military utility assessments, and weaponeering. Work will be performed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is expected to be completed May 31, 2023. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $300,000 will be obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is the contracting activity (FA9451-19-C-0002). ARMY Phylway Construction LLC,* Thibodaux, Louisiana, was awarded a $48,654,095 firm-fixed-price contract for Mississippi River levee construction. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in New Orleans, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 21, 2021. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance Army funds in the amount of $48,654,095 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, is the contracting activity (W912P8-19-C-0015). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Lions Services, Charlotte, North Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $11,403,650 modification (P00020) exercising the second one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-17-D-B008) with two one-year option periods for advanced combat helmet chinstraps and hardware. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Locations of performance are North Carolina and Texas, with a Feb. 16, 2020, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019, through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES CompQsoft Inc., Leesburg, Virginia, has been awarded a $7,710,468 a hybrid contract which includes firm-fixed-price labor hour and time and materials contract line item numbers. The contract is to provide audio-visual/video conference support services, by Joint Service Provider to supported agencies in the most efficient manner possible. Work performance will take place primarily in the National Capital Region, including the Pentagon, Mark Center and Crystal City, Virginia. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $7,710,468 are being obligated on this award. The expected completion date is Sept. 29, 2023. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HQ0034-18-C-0118). DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY Solers Inc., Arlington, Virginia, was awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract for Systems Engineering, Technology, and Innovation. This was a competitive solicitation for a multiple-award ID/IQ contract, with an unrestricted pool and a pool set-aside for small businesses. The original awards for the unrestricted pool were initially made in June 2018. Four post-award protests were submitted to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Following the GAO decisions, issued in October 2018, the agency took corrective action that resulted in the decision to award a contract to Solers Inc. The face value of this action is a ceiling amount of $7,500,000,000. The awardee will each receive a minimum guarantee of $500 applicable to the base ordering period only. All other funding will be obligated at the task order level. The primary performance will be at Defense Information Systems Agency Headquarters, Fort Meade, Maryland, as well as contractor facilities and DoD locations worldwide to be determined at the task order level. The period of performance is a five-year base period with one five-year option period. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, National Capital Region, is the contracting activity (HC1047-19-D-2015). *Small Business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1757113/source/GovDelivery/
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July 13, 2020 | International, Aerospace
GKN Aerospace continues to support the Gripen’s RM12 engine
GKN Aerospace has signed a follow-on performance based logistics (PBL) contract with the Swedish Armed Forces for the provision of comprehensive support for the GKN Aerospace RM12 engine. The RM12 engine powers the JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighter. This contract follows a series of multi-year RM12 PBL agreements and is expected to be worth approximately USD440M. Under the agreement, GKN Aerospace will continue its support for the day-to-day operations of JAS 39 Gripen C/D users. The company will ensure engine availability for every Swedish Air Force mission as well as for Gripen C/D export customers: the Czech Republic, Hungary and Thailand. This will include the provisioning of technical product support as well as comprehensive maintenance, repair and overhaul including repair development and spare parts supply. Joakim Andersson, president GKN Aerospace Engines said: “We are totally committed to ensuring RM12 engine availability and its secure and safe performance in all operations. At the same time GKN Aerospace closely monitors every aspect of product life cycle cost effectiveness. “With the recognition and award from the customer GKN Aerospace will continue to do its best in keeping this engine's excellent track record, ensuring it is one of the best single engine installations in the world. The company understands the importance of keeping the engine system in active service for many years to come.” The GKN Aerospace RM12 engine has powered the JAS 39 Gripen throughout the approximately 310,000 flight hours this aircraft has already achieved. It is based on the General Electric F404 engine from which it has been developed to include single engine safety criteria, higher performance and greater durability. The primary focus of the development programme for the RM12 engine was to deliver the highest possible operational effectiveness with the most favourable life-cycle cost. GKN Aerospace holds the military type certificate (MTC) for the RM12 engine. www.gknaerospace.com https://www.aero-mag.com/gkn-aerospace-gripen-rm12-08072020/