Ukraine’s air defense woes can’t be fixed by American aid

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  December 26, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  The Air Force will need terminals that work with more than GPS

  By: Nathan Strout Congress wants the Air Force to develop a prototype receiver capable of using navigation signals provided by other countries, which could increase the resilience of the military's position, navigation and timing equipment. The primary source of the military's PNT data is the Global Positioning System, a satellite system operated by the Air Force. But with adversaries developing GPS jamming technology and anti-satellite weapons that could potentially knock out one or more of those satellites, Congress wants a receiver capable of utilizing other global navigation satellite systems. The annual defense policy bill, which was passed by both chambers of the legislature this week, calls on the Air Force to develop a prototype receiver capable of utilizing multiple global navigation satellite systems in addition to GPS, such as the European Union's Galileo and Japan's QZSS satellites. The belief is that if the GPS signal is degraded or denied, war fighters could switch to one of those other systems to get the PNT data they need. According to Brian Weeden, director of program planning at the Secure World Foundation, the provision represents an evolution from the Department of Defense's stance on foreign GNSS signals from 15 years ago. “When Galileo was first announced, there was a big debate within the Pentagon about whether to cooperate with the Europeans or try and kill it,” Weeden wrote to C4ISRNET in a Dec. 18 email. “The big driver there was that the Europeans were going to park their protected signal on top of M-code and then sell their service as being unjammable by the Americans (assuming that the US couldn't jam the protected Galileo signal without also interfering with M-Code).” Efforts to kill Galileo ultimately died, Weeden noted, although the EU did move their protected GNSS signal off of M-Code, a more secure military version of the GPS signal that is in development. That concession and the subsequent development of GPS jamming capabilities by Russia and China has changed the thinking on Galileo and other GNSS signals. “It seems the Pentagon has decided that leveraging Galileo will make their PNT capabilities more robust as Russia or China would need to jam both of the separate military signals,” said Weeden. “There's some engineering and technical wizardry still to be worked out to create a good multi-GNSS receiver but it's doable.” Congress wants the Air Force to report on the benefits and risks of each potential GNSS signal, and it fences 90 percent of the funding for the Military GPS User Equipment Program until lawmakers receive that report. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2019/12/19/the-air-force-will-need-terminals-that-work-with-more-than-gps

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

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

  AIR FORCE HHI Corp., Ogden, Utah (FA2517-20-D-0011); Pro-Mark Services, Inc., West Fargo, North Dakota (FA2517-20-D-0010); Native American Services Corp., Kellogg, Idaho (FA2517-20-D-0009); and Creative Times Dayschool LLC, Ogden, Utah (FA2517-20-D-0007), have collectively been awarded contracts valued at $422,222,224 in support of an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award construction contract. This contract provides for a broad range of design-bid-build/design-build services up to 100% and maintenance, repair and minor construction work on real property along the Front Range of Colorado and Wyoming. Work will be primarily performed at Fort Carson Army Base, Colorado, to include Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, and Pueblo Chemical Depot; Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Colorado; Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado; Schriever AFB, Colorado; United States Air Force Academy, Colorado, to include Farish Memorial Recreation and Bulls Eye Auxiliary Airfield; Buckley AFB, Colorado; and F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming. Work is expected to be completed Feb. 2, 2028. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 32 offers were received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $5,000 will be awarded to each contractor at the time of award. The 21st Contracting Squadron Peterson AFB, Colorado, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Chico Produce Inc.,* doing business as ProPacific Fresh, Durham, California (SPE300-20-D-P351, $135,000,000), and Coast Citrus Distributors,* doing business as Coast Tropical, Union City, California (SPE300-20-D-S742, $15,000,000) have each been awarded a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPE300-19-R-0006 for fresh fruit and vegetable support for the Northern California and Northwestern Nevada zones. These were competitive acquisitions with two responses received. They are five-year contracts with no option periods. Locations of performance are California and Nevada, with an Aug. 5, 2025, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Department of Agriculture schools and tribal reservations. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NAVY General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. – Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia, is awarded a $106,923,080, firm-fixed-price contract for the execution of the USS Bataan (LHD 5) fiscal 2020 selected restricted availability. This availability will include a combination of maintenance, modernization and repair of the USS Bataan (LHD 5). This contract includes options which, if exercised, will bring the cumulative value of this contract to $130,861,394. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia. This is a “long-term” non-docking availability and was solicited on a coast-wide (east and Gulf coasts) basis without limiting the place of performance to the vessel's homeport. General Dynamics NASSCO – Norfolk will provide the facilities and human resources capable of completing, coordinating and integrating multiple areas of ship maintenance, repair and modernization for USS Bataan (LHD 5). Work is expected to be completed by December 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy); and 2020 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $106,923,080 will be obligated upon contract award and funds in the amount of $1,816,383 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured using full and open competition via the Federal Business Opportunities website and one offer was received in response to Solicitation No. N00024-19-R-4467. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-20-C-4467). Kellogg Brown and Root Services Inc., Houston, Texas, is awarded a $75,000,000 maximum amount, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity job order contract for construction projects at Camp Lemonnier and Chabelley Air Field, Djibouti. No task orders are being issued at this time. Work will be performed in Djibouti, Africa. The work to be performed provides for various renovations, repairs, maintenance, replacements, alterations, demolition and construction projects for Camp Lemonnier and Chabelley Air Field, Djibouti. The construction may include minor alteration, repair of real property (industrial and commercial) and utilities. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months and work is expected to be completed by September 2025. Fiscal 2020 military operations and maintenance (Navy) (O&M, N) contract funds in the amount of $5,000 are obligated on this award for the guaranteed minimum and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by O&M, N and military construction (Navy). This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website and six proposals were received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Europe Africa Central, is the contracting activity (N33191-20-D-0811). General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. San Diego, San Diego, California, was awarded a $37,195,489, firm-fixed-price contract for the execution of the USS Lake Erie (CG 70) fiscal 2021 Selected Restricted Availability. This availability will include a combination of maintenance, modernization and repair of the USS Lake Erie. This contract includes a base period and options which, if exercised, will bring the cumulative value of this contract to $62,991,030. Work will be performed in San Diego, California. This is a “long-term” availability and was solicited on a coast-wide (west coast) basis without limiting the place of performance to the vessel's homeport. National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. will provide the facilities and human resources capable of completing, coordinating and integrating multiple areas of ship maintenance, repair and modernization for USS Lake Erie. Work is expected to be completed by January 2022. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy); and 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $37,195,489 will be obligated at time of award and funds in the amount of $3,633,807 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured using full and open competition via the Federal Business Opportunities website and three offers were received in response to Solicitation No. N00024-20-R-4401. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Awarded July 31, 2020) ARMY Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded an $11,916,585 modification (P00001) to contract W58RGZ-20-C-0024 to support the continued system operations and sustainment services and test and training services in support of the Saturn Arch Aerial Intelligence Systems Quick Reaction Capability Program. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia; Bridgewater, Virginia; and Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of March 16, 2024. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $11,916,585 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. DR Reed and Associates Inc.,* Nederland, Colorado, was awarded a $9,800,000 firm-fixed-price contract for architecture and engineering services for civil works projects at various locations in the Los Angeles District. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 4, 2025. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles, California, is the contracting activity (W912PL-20-D-0032). CORRECTION: It was previously-announced that contract W911QY-20-C-0086 had been awarded on Aug. 3, 2020. The actual award date was Aug. 4, 2020. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2302143/source/GovDelivery/

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  February 2, 2023 | International, Naval

  Shipbuilding industry looks to 3D printing to accelerate pace

  Additive manufacturing could build certain metal pieces more reliably, faster and in higher volume than traditional methods, Navy and industry leaders say.