October 30, 2020 | International, Aerospace
By: Joe Gould , Aaron Mehta , and Valerie Insinna
WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department is backing the sale of as many as 50 F-35 joint strike fighters to the United Arab Emirates in an arms deal worth an estimated $10.4 billion, according to multiple reports.
The news came as the Trump administration informally briefed Congress on its plan to sell the advanced F-35 fighter to the United Arab Emirates Thursday. It follows weeks of speculation and behind-the-scenes debates about how to structure an F-35 deal with the UAE without cutting into Israel's qualitative military edge.
If the sale is permitted by Congress and the UAE opts to buy the full number of F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variants covered by the deal, it would have parity with Israel, which has 50 F-35 “Adir” jets under contract, although the country is considering buying 25 more. (The quantities and values of such deals often change from initial estimates.)
Amid reports the Trump administration is fast-tracking the F-35 sales, key Democratic lawmakers are continuing to urge a deliberate approach, citing concerns for Israel's security and the security of the warplane's sensitive technology.
“This technology would significantly change the military balance in the Gulf and affect Israel's military edge," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said in a statement. "The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is a game-changing stealth platform boasting advanced strike capability and unique sensor technology. The export of this aircraft requires very careful consideration and Congress must analyze all the ramifications. Rushing these sales is not in anyone's interest.”
The consultations came days after Israel said last week it will not oppose the U.S. sale of “certain weapon systems,” widely considered to mean the F-35. That followed an agreement between Israel and the United States to upgrade its capabilities to preserve its edge.
Engel said he plans to weigh the U.S. legal obligation to maintain Israel's military superiority in the region, as well the question of whether the sale would drive demands from other Middle Eastern nations to buy the F-35 in exchange for normalized ties with Israel. (The Trump administration recently brokered such a pact between Israel and the UAE.)
“Israel currently has exclusive access in the region to the F-35, which has guaranteed its military edge over the last several years. As Congress reviews this sale, it must be clear that changes to the status quo will not put Israel's military advantage at risk,” Engel said.
“This technology also must be safeguarded from our greatest global adversaries. With Russia and China active in the region, the American people will require unimpeachable assurances that our most advanced military capabilities will be protected.”
For decades, the State Department has informally consulted with the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees before formally notifying Congress of sales, which affords lawmakers a chance to block them. Though lawmakers typically consider such deliberations sensitive and rarely speak publicly about them, Engel broke the news Congress had been informally notified.
Assistant Secretary Bureau of Political-Military Affairs R. Clarke Cooper told reporters Wednesday the department plans to honor that process.
Though Reuters has reported there is a goal to have a letter of agreement between the U.S. and the UAE by Dec. 2, Cooper said “there are no dates associated with the work that's being done.” He declined to provide specifics of a potential deal and the State Department declined to comment on Thursday.
F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin referred questions to the State Department.
Israeli opposition would be fatal to the deal in Congress, where Israel enjoys strong support. Two key Democrats introduced legislation earlier this month that would place restrictions on F-35 sales to Middle Eastern nations to address their concerns about both the Israel's security and the security of F-35 technology.
On Thursday, Engel invited colleagues to join him in legislation, “to ensure that the sale of these types of weapons adhere to our most important national security goals.”
https://www.defensenews.com/2020/10/29/uae-could-get-up-to-50-f-35s-in-10b-sale/
May 13, 2024 | International, Security
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June 16, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
ARMY Shimmick Construction Co. Inc., Oakland, California, was awarded a $78,801,484 modification (P00012) to contract W912P5-17-C-0007 for Chickamauga Lock chamber replacement. Work will be performed in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with an estimated completion date of June 23, 2023. Fiscal 2020 civil construction funds in the amount of $78,801,484 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville, Tennessee, is the contracting activity. Heil Trailer International LLC, Gatesville, Texas, was awarded a $37,063,855 firm-fixed-price contract for mobile tactical retail refueling systems, authorized stockage list kits, production qualification testing (PQT) assets, log assets, support for PQT testing, refurbishment of PQT assets, refurbishment of integrated product support systems and contract data requirements lists. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 14, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-D-0047). Cashman/Dutra JV, Quincy, Massachusetts, was awarded an $18,027,778 modification (P00009) to contract W912WJ-18-C-0010 for improvement dredging. Work will be performed in Boston, Massachusetts, with an estimated completion date of June 16, 2021. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 civil construction funds and 2020 non-federal funds in the amount of $18,027,778 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Concord, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity. Versar Inc., Springfield, Virginia, was awarded a $10,200,664 firm-fixed-price contract to provide technical services including, but not limited to, inspections, assessments, repairs, testing, reports, training for facilities and operations-related projects within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 14, 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $10,200,664 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-20-F-0262). Kleinfelder Inc., Rancho Cordova, California, was awarded a $9,476,096 firm-fixed-price contract for civil and geotechnical engineering related design and construction services. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Sacramento, California, with an estimated completion date of April 22, 2023. Fiscal 2018 civil construction funds in the amount of $9,476,096 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento, California, is the contracting activity (W91238-20-F-0080). Moog Inc., Blacksburg, Virginia, was awarded a $9,360,000 firm-fixed-price contract for 180 slip rings. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Blacksburg, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of June 16, 2021. Fiscal 2020 procurement, defense-wide funds in the amount of $4,212,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-C-0121). AIR FORCE AECOM International Inc., Neu-Isenburg, Germany (FA5613-20-D-0008); Buchard-Horn GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (FA5613-20-D-0009); Dorsch Gruppe International GmbH, Weisbaden, Germany (FA5613-20-D-0010); igr AG, Rockenhausen, Germany (FA5613-20-D-0011); Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., Arlington, Virginia (FA5613-20-D-0012); and Peschla + Rochmes GmbH, Kaiserslautern, Germany (FA5613-20-D-0013), have been awarded a $49,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for architecture-engineer (A-E) services. This contract provides multi-disciplined A-E services for design of various U.S. military buildings, structures and facilities in Europe. Work will be performed primarily at Headquarters U.S. Air Force in Europe (USAFE); Ramstein Air Base, Germany; and USAFE geographically separated units in Germany. Work is expected to be completed June 14, 2027. This contract is the result of a competitive acquisition and seven offers were received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $582 are being obligated for each awardee at the time of the award. The 700th Contracting Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, is the contracting activity. HDT Global, Salon, Ohio, has been awarded a $17,581,114 fixed-price, incentive-firm modification (P00055) to contract FA8204-13-C-0010 for Transporter Erector Replacement Program (TERP) production. This modification exercises Lot Three, Option Three and provides the government five TERP units. Work will be performed at Cincinnati, Ohio; and Florence, Kentucky, and is expected to be completed Jan. 20, 2022. The total cumulative face value is $83,751,189. Fiscal 2020 missile procurement funds in the amount of $17,581,114 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $13,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the research and development for adaptive and robust control for hypersonic engagement research effort. The five-year contract will support research and development to comprehend and address impacts of complex flight environments on advanced weapon systems. Work will be performed in St. Louis, and is expected to be completed March 2025 for the initial task order. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and one offer was received. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $760,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8651-20-D-0036). Lockheed Martin Corp., King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $7,329,960 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) Operational Realtime Combat Analysis (ORCA) Increment Two. This contract provides for enhancements to the software package known as the JASSM ORCA Increment Two. Work will be performed in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be complete by June 14, 2021. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,299,806 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin, Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8682-20-C-0007). NAVY Vigor Marine LLC, Portland, Oregon, is awarded a $30,269,098 firm-fixed-price contract (N32205-20-C-4037) for a 120-calendar day shipyard availability for the post shakedown availability of the expeditionary sea base U.S. Ship Miguel Keith (T-ESB 5). The $30,269,098 consists of the amounts listed in the following areas: Category “A” work item costs, additional government requirement, other direct costs, and the general and administrative costs. Work will be performed in Portland, Oregon. Work will include the furnishing of general services, shipboard access, clean and gas free tank voids and cofferdams, machinery room to pump room watertight door, machinery space deck utilization plan, hull perimeter lighting, machinery space closed circuit television monitoring system and bow camera, install of the third air condition plant in forward house, aft house grey water system isolation, segregate grey and black water transfer line, forward main fire loop installation, aft house habitability mods and engineering control room No. 1 deck head install. Work is expected to be complete by December 2020. The contract includes options which, if exercised, will bring the total contract value to $30,985,070. Funds will be obligated on June 15, 2020. Contract completion will be December 2020. Contract funds in the amount of $30,269,098, excluding options, are obligated for fiscal 2021 using operations and maintenance (Navy) funds. This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the beta.sam.gov website and one offer was received. The Navy's Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N32205-20-C-4037). Summer Consultants Inc.,* McLean, Virginia, is awarded a $30,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect-engineering contract with a maximum amount of $30,000,000 for multi-discipline architect-engineer services for mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire-protection within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Washington area of operations (AO). All work on this contract will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other facilities within the NAVFAC Washington AO including, but not limited to, Maryland (40%); Virginia (40%); and Washington, D.C. (20%). The work primarily includes design and engineering services for new construction, major repairs, renovations and alterations. Design services may include, design and engineering concepts, contract documents, construction cost estimates, surveys, shop drawing reviews, construction consultation and inspection and the preparation of construction record drawings. Engineering services may include technical reports and studies, site investigations and programming concepts. Work is expected to be complete by June 2025. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months. No task orders are being issued at this time and no funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operations and maintenance. This contract was competitively procured via Navy Electronic Commerce Online website and 10 proposals were received. NAVFAC Washington, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N40080-20-D-0017). BAE Systems Jacksonville Ship Repair, Jacksonville, Florida, is awarded a $20,447,455 cost-plus-award-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-2317 to exercise options for the U.S. Ship Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) post shakedown availability (PSA). Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida. The work to be performed will include correction of government-responsible trial card deficiencies, new work identified between custody transfers at the time of PSA. The incorporation of approved engineering changes will be included that were not incorporated during the construction period, which are not otherwise the building yard's responsibility under the ship construction contract. The PSA is accomplished within a period of approximately 16 weeks between the time of ship custody transfer to the Navy and the shipbuilding and conversion (Navy), obligation work limiting date. The PSA encompasses all of the manpower, support services, material, non-standard equipment and associated technical data and documentation required to prepare for and accomplish the PSA. Work is expected to be complete by July 2021. Fiscal 2014 and fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $12,902,625 will be obligated at time of award. Funding will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. The University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, is awarded a $16,542,048 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the development of state-of-the-art improvements to unmanned systems and in situ ocean sampling. Work will be performed at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California. The lines of effort will improve and implement new oceanographic sampling techniques and methods. Experimentation events will enable data collections to support the next generation of federated oceanographic data tasking, processing and dissemination for future warfighting and oceanographic applications. Work is expected to be completed by June 2025. The total cumulative value of this contract is $16,542,048. The base period is $16,542,048 and there are no proposed option periods. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,100,000 are obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under N00014-20-S-B001, “Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science & Technology.” Since proposals are received throughout the year under the long range BAA, the number of proposals received in response to the solicitation is unknown. The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00014-20-C-2039). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Honeywell International, doing business as Honeywell Aerospace-Tucson, Tucson, Arizona, has been awarded a maximum $27,243,370 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for aircraft generator auxiliary power units in support of the Blackhawk helicopter platform. This was a limited acquisition as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 (a)(2). This is a five-year base contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Arizona, with a June 15, 2025, ordering period end date. Using military service is the Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 (Army) working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (SPRRA1-20-D-0054). Dixie Chemical Co. Inc., Pasadena, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $12,619,380 firm-fixed-price, requirements-type contract for high-density synthetic hydrocarbon jet propellant and priming fluid. This was a competitive acquisition with three responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Michigan, Alabama, Virginia, California, Arizona, Louisiana, Connecticut, Florida, Tennessee and Colorado, with a June 15, 2025, performance completion date. Using military services are Air Force and Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy – Aerospace Energy, San Antonio, Texas (SPE601-20-D-1510). U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND UPDATE: Two additional companies, Eastern Airlines LLC., Wayne, Pennsylvania (HTC711-20-D-CC03); and USA Jet Airlines Inc., Belleville, Michigan (HTC711-20-D-CC04), have been awarded firm-fixed-price contracts under the Domestic Airlift Charter Services, Federal Aviation Administration Part 121, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, fixed price Contract at an estimated overall program value of $697,000,000. These funds were obligated on individual task orders issued among sixteen contracts. The program initially began in October 2018. The contracts provide domestic air cargo and passenger charter services. Services shall be provided for the Department of Defense and other federal government agencies. Work will be performed within the continental U.S., all U.S. territories, Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean Islands. Performance is from June 15, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2023. Ordering is decentralized and will be determined at the task order level. U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2220903/source/GovDelivery/
September 20, 2018 | International, Aerospace
Air Force Busts Out Credit Cards To Buy High Tech Gear The Air Force can be an “angel investor” for some startups, said Will Roper, the service's top acquisition official. By PAUL MCLEARY WASHINGTON The Pentagon has been trying for years to replicate the speed of Silicon Valley-style startup culture, with only sporadic — and limited — success. But the Air Force says it's doubling down on the effort, and is looking to start using government credit cards to buy small amounts of gear from tech firms that don't have much interest in forming long-term relationships with the government. The Air Force can be an “angel investor” for some startups, said Will Roper, the service's top acquisition official (and former head of the Pentagon's Strategic Capabilities Office). “The benefit is huge because it finally pulls startups into orbits around our program offices,” Roper told reporters at the Air Force Association conference on Tuesday. “Even if round one of their product isn't ready, they're aware of us as an angel investor. We're not trying to have them work for the government. We just want their products to make sense for us.” Roper is eyeing a series of startup days that will be held across the Air Force, beginning with an initiative between the Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX to knock out fifty contracts in fifty hours by the end of October. In 2015, then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter established the DIUx office in Silicon Valley, in the hope that a presence in the midst of tech startup boom country would convince small companies that working with the government would pay off. So far, the results have been modest, with most firms declining to sign up to be a part of the painfully slow and cumbersome government contracting process. What worries the Pentagon is that rivals like China don't suffer the same competition with the private sector for top talent. The government in Beijing compels technology firms to work with the government, which has led to a series of rapid-fire advances in artificial intelligence and surveillance technologies developed by large tech firms being sucked up by the government. In the United States, many tech firms are far more wary. Over 3,000 Google engineers recently signed a petition to refuse to work with the Pentagon on Project Maven, a program that collects and sorts data from drones to assist in targeting. The engineers objected to working on a program that could be used in bombing campaigns. Google will withdraw from the program. At the same time, Google leadership is working with the Chinese government on developing a Chinese-specific search engine that censors information Beijing wants to keep from its citizens. Roper knows the hurdles he faces. He's not looking to lock these companies into long-term contracts or relationships: “We're looking to buy into their ideas...I would love for them to sell us their product on their way to being bought up by Amazon.” In order to get there, the plan is for the Air Force to review the companies who want to partner with them and send out invitations to do a live pitch. At the end of a day of pitches, the idea is for 60 to 80 percent of the companies to walk out with a deal the same day. That's where the credit cards come in. Roper said he wants his people to use theirs to literally buy tech on the spot with a swipe. “The authorities that govern government purchase cards are broad and so we had both our government contracting professionals and legal professionals come back and they determined that we can do small business awards using a [government card],” he said. The new authority helps both sides: The companies get the cash, and the government doesn't drive away a potential partner by throwing months of lag time at them before a deal can be done. Even other transaction authority agreements, which are used when the Pentagon needs to move fast, “take three to four months — and that's in a good case — [but] that's too long for a startup.” https://breakingdefense.com/2018/09/air-force-busts-out-credit-cards-to-buy-high-tech-gear/