June 22, 2020 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR

U.S. Hypersonic Defense Plan Emerges, But Not Cash

A U.S. hypersonic defense system has evolved from wide-open concept studies two years ago into a densely layered architecture populated by requirements for a new generation of space-based sensors and ground-based interceptors.

Over the next two years, the first elements of the Defense Department's newly defined hypersonic defense architecture could advance into operational reality if all the pieces can overcome various challenges, including the Pentagon's so far ambiguous commitment to long-term funding.

Space-based hypersonic tracking is possible in 2023
New sea-based interceptor will possibly be ready by mid-2020s
Pentagon seeks Congressional add-ons to finance plan

The Space Development Agency (SDA), with assistance from the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), next year will start launching satellites into orbit with new forms of tracking technology optimized to perform the challenging task of remotely targeting hypersonic missiles as they maneuver in the atmosphere hundreds of miles below.

At the same time, the MDA and DARPA will soon begin demonstrating a new class of kinetic and nonkinetic interceptor technologies. In addition to solving the guidance and thermal challenges posed by hypersonic flight, this new class of missile defense weapons must be guidable by satellites potentially perched far over the horizon, not by sensors integrally linked on the ground to their launching systems.

Pentagon officials began conceiving a hypersonic defense architecture a year after launching multiple offensive weapons programs in 2017, seeking to close gaps in the ballistic defense system that missiles now fielded by adversaries are designed to exploit.

With the ability to maneuver hundreds of miles off a ballistic trajectory, hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) and cruise missiles are designed to evade the MDA's network of stationary ground-based and slow-moving sea-based radars dotted around the globe. By gliding or powering through the atmosphere against the warm background of Earth, the same missiles appear 10-15 times less luminous during the midcourse phase than the boost-phase, exoatmospheric objects that the MDA designed the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellites to detect, according to Michael Griffin, the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering.

Closing those gaps will require serious investment. Despite plans to infuse more than $10 billion to field at least three different rocket-boosted HGVs by 2025 as offensive weapons, the Pentagon's financial commitment to field a defensive capability is not as clear.

The MDA, for example, submitted a fiscal 2020 budget request in February 2019 that included around $157 million in hypersonic defense. A month later, the agency submitted an unfunded-priorities list to Congress, asking for another $720 million for hypersonic interceptors and tracking sensors. Congress met the MDA more than halfway, adding $400 million to the final appropriations bill.

A similar shortfall then appeared in the MDA's fiscal 2021 budget request. The agency included $207 million for hypersonic defense but asked Congress to chip in another $224 million on top of the budgeted amount, according to a March report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies' (CSIS) Missile Defense Project.

Moreover, the Defense Department's long-range forecast for hypersonic defense spending shows an ambiguous commitment at best. The MDA plans to launch a competition to select a Regional Glide-Phase Weapon System (RGPWS) in fiscal 2021 but only if Congress approves the additional $224 million identified in the unfunded priorities list. At the same time, the new SDA plans to start demonstrating MDA's Hypersonic Ballistic Tracking and Surveillance System (HBTSS) alongside the SDA's own tracking layer in orbit.

But the unclassified version of the Future Years Defense Program, which details the Defense Department's five-year spending forecast, shows declining support for hypersonic defense after next year. If Congress approves the extra $224 million for MDA, hypersonic defense spending would peak at around $450 million next year, then average about $112 million annually from fiscal 2022 to 2025, according to the CSIS data. The implication seems clear: Despite the MDA's public commitment to a hypersonic defense system, the agency prefers to finance the development mainly by annual congressional add-ons.

Although the MDA's long-term funding plan for hypersonic defense is limited, the potential threats are no longer speculative. In December, the Russian government announced it had achieved operational status for the Avangard, a nuclear-tipped HGV launched by a modernized SS-19 intercontinental ballistic missile.

Two months earlier, Gen. Paul Selva, then-vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, explained the implications of an adversary with a nuclear-armed HGV: Imagine if NATO attempted to blunt a move by Moscow to occupy a Baltic state, and Russian strategic forces responded by threatening to launch an Avangard missile. The now-retired general warned that a single Avangard could arc over the Arctic Ocean, and as it reached the northern tip of Hudson Bay, Canada, could change course. It could then veer to target the U.S. East Coast or strike the West Coast, Selva says. U.S. forces currently have no ability to deter or defend against such a capability.

To solve that problem, a new space-based tracking system is needed. The Pentagon's existing satellites are either looking for a more luminous signal than that of an HGV or a hypersonic cruise missile or are using a very narrow field-of-view sensor to minimize background clutter, says SDA Director Derek Tournear, who spoke with Aviation Week during a June 4 webinar.

The first attempt to solve that problem is scheduled for launch in fiscal 2024. Forty satellites in SDA's Tranche 1 constellation in low Earth orbit carry sensor payloads for tracking hypersonic missiles. Unlike the SBIRS or other space-based capabilities, the sensors will neither have a narrow field of view nor be optimized for tracking only during the boost or exoatmospheric phases of a missile's trajectory. Instead, the spacecraft in Tranche 1 will carry a wide-field-of-view infrared sensor.

“However, the jury is still out on whether [the sensors] will be able to form a track that is high enough quality to actually give you that fire control solution so that you can fire [interceptors] on [a] remote [track],” Tournear says.

The backup to the SDA sensor will be demonstrated under MDA's HBTSS program. The MDA is developing what Tournear calls a medium-field-of-view system, which falls between the narrow-field-of-view format of existing satellites and the SDA's wide-field-of-view design for Tranche 1. Ideally, the SDA's wide-field-of-view sensors will detect an HGV or a cruise missile and pass the data in orbit to the HBTSS sensors, which will then develop a target-quality track. That data will be passed down to interceptor batteries on the ground.

Modified interceptors, such as Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, will augment new kinetic and non-kinetic options to shoot down hypersonic missiles. Credit: Missile Defense Agency

Within a few years, the SDA will find out how the concept works. By the end of 2022, eight Tranche 0 satellites equipped with the SDA's wide-field-of-view sensors should be in low Earth orbit. A year later, the MDA plans to launch two satellites into low Earth orbit with medium-field-of-view sensors. The Tranche 0 constellation—aided by 20 communications-relay and data-processing “transport” satellites—will provide a limited operational capability and validate that the sensors work as designed.

The next step comes in 2024, when the SDA plans to launch the 40 satellites in the Tranche 1 constellation. “We would have, in essence, regional persistence of [infrared satellites] over any area of the globe that we choose,” Tournear says. There is a catch, however. The launch of the Tranche 1 satellites in 2024 fall within the five-year spending plan but so far remain unfunded.

Shortly after the scheduled Tranche 1 layer is activated, the MDA plans to field RGPWS, the new interceptor optimized for HGVs. If Congress adds the funding, RGPWS could be fielded as early as the “mid-2020s” with the Navy's Mk. 41 vertical launch systems on ships and submarines, followed later by air- and land-launched versions. The design requirements for RGPWS are classified, but it's possible the interceptor may benefit from an ongoing DARPA program. Glide Breaker, which includes Aerojet Rocketdyne as a supplier, seeks to demonstrate a “critical enabling technology” for a hypersonic defense missile. The MDA also plans to demonstrate an “extreme power” microwave weapon against “very long-range” missile threats within two years.

At the same time, the MDA is adapting existing point defenses against atmospheric threats. Lockheed Martin is studying improved versions of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, called “Dart,” and of the Patriot, called “Valkyrie.” In addition to the extreme power microwave, Raytheon also is studying a new variant of the SM-3 called Hawk.

Editor's note: The article has been updated to correctly identify the names of the hypersonic defense concepts under study for THAAD and Patriot.

https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/missile-defense-weapons/us-hypersonic-defense-plan-emerges-not-cash

On the same subject

June 1, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - May 29, 2020
ARMY General Dynamics-OTS, Williston, Vermont, was awarded a $3,420,531,156 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price) contract for production and engineering services for Hydra-70 rocket systems. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2026. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q20F0282). Canadian Commercial Corp., Ottawa, Canada, was awarded a $380,117,626 hybrid (firm-fixed-price, fixed-price-level-of-effort) contract for MX sensor systems product and system support. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 28, 2028. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W56KGY-20-D-0008). CR Nationwide LLC-Trumble Construction Inc. JV1,* Texarkana, Texas, was awarded a $49,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for general roof construction. 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 May 26, 2025. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Georgia, is the contracting activity (W912HN-20-D-4005). General Dynamics Mission Systems Inc., Taunton, Massachusetts, was awarded a $37,012,955 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for post-deployment software support services for Product Manager Tactical Network-Mission Network, Tactical Network-Transport On-The-Move systems and equipment. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Taunton, Massachusetts, with an estimated completion date of June 1, 2021. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $23,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland is the contracting activity (W15P7T-20-F-0114). Leidos Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland, was awarded a $33,302,166 modification (P00032) to contract W58RGZ-17-C-0058 for continued contactor logistics support services in Afghanistan. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2020 Afghanistan Security Forces (Army) funds in the amount of $33,302,166 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. GFP Group LLC,* Corpus Christi, Texas (W911SA-20-D-2014); MDJ Contracting Inc.,* Dallas, Texas (W911SA-20-D-2015); Sames Inc.,* McAllen, Texas (W911SA-20-D-2016); Arevalos Trade Co. LLC,* San Antonio, Texas (W911SA-20-D-2017); and Miami Technology Solutions LLC,* Reston, Virginia (W911SA-20-D-2018), will compete for each order of the $25,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to provide construction services for a broad range of renovation and construction projects. Bids were solicited via the internet with 14 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2025. The 419th Contracting Support Brigade, Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, is the contracting activity. AECOM Technical Services, Los Angeles, California, was awarded a $24,335,524 firm-fixed-price contract to design the renovation of Sijan Hall, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with an estimated completion date of April 20, 2024. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Air Force) funds in the amount of $24,335,524 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity (W9128F-20-C-0005). Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC, Plymouth, Minnesota, was awarded a $22,158,960 modification (P00026) to contract W52P1J-17-C-0025 to procure 120mm M1002 new production cartridges for 120mm tank training ammunition. Work will be performed in Plymouth, Minnesota, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 28, 2021. Fiscal 2020 procurement of ammunition (Army) funds in the amount of $22,158,960 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Digiflight, Columbia, Maryland, was awarded an $18,193,257 modification (000456) to contract W31P4Q-09-A-0012 for programmatic support services for the Apache attack helicopter project office. Work will be performed in Columbia, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Army) funds and 2020 Foreign Military Sales (Egypt, India, Indonesia, Israel, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, Morocco, UAE and UK) funds in the amount of $18,193,257 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Carahsoft Technology Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $16,056,758 modification (BA0137) to contract N00104-08-AZF43 to provide SAP software licenses, third-party software licenses co-developed with SAP, and associated maintenance in support of the Army's financial and logistics enterprise resource planning programs. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army) funds; and Army working capital and research, development, test and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $16,056,757 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Lockheed Martin Javelin JV, Tucson, Arizona, was awarded a $13,842,939 modification (P00047) to contract W31P4Q-19-C-0038 for engineering services for Spiral 3 system qualification of the Javelin missile. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 missile procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $13,842,939 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Sauer Inc., Jacksonville, Florida, was awarded a $10,480,000 firm-fixed-price contract for renovation of existing food preparation areas, serving areas and administrative areas. Bids were solicited via the internet with eight received. Work will be performed on Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 4, 2021. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Army) funds in the amount of $10,480,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington, Delaware, is the contracting activity (W912PM-20-C-0014). Security Signals Inc.,* Cordova, Tennessee, was awarded a $10,201,843 firm-fixed-price contract for soldier hand-held signal devices. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-20-F-0328). Elbit Systems of America, Roanoke, Virginia, was awarded an $8,977,727 modification (P00008) to contract W56JSR-17-D-0017 to ensure continued support for the Army Communications Electronics Command Integrated Logistics Support Center. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 25, 2022. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. WFEL Ltd., Stockport, Cheshire, United Kingdom, was awarded an $8,034,740 firm-fixed-price contract for retrofit kits for the Dry Support Bridge system. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Fort Hood, Texas; and Cheshire, UK, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2022. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $8,034,740 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-F-0222). General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $7,746,408 modification (P00018) to contract W56HZV-17-C-0026 to provide logistics support and training services to the Iraqi Army. Work will be performed in Taji, Iraq, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2010 Iraq train and equip (Army) funds in the amount of $7,746,408 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, California, was awarded a modification (P00016) to contract W31P4Q-15-D-0003 to increase the period of performance of contract from 61 to 66 months. No funds were obligated at the time of the award. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Poway, California, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 28, 2020. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. CORRECTION: The contract award announced on April 30, 2020, to Lockheed Martin Corp., Grand Prairie, Texas (W31P4Q-20-C-0023), for incidental services, hardware, facilities, equipment and all technical, planning, management, manufacturing and testing efforts to produce Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target Advanced Capability-3 missiles, missile segment enhancement configuration and associated ground support equipment and spares, included the incorrect funding source and amount of obligated funds. The announcement should have said Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $3,161,854,602 were obligated at the time of the award. All other information in the original announcement is correct. AIR FORCE Alion Science and Technology, McLean, Virginia (FA8612-20-D-0001); Apogee Research, Arlington, Virginia (FA8612-20-D-0002); World Wide Technology, St. Louis, Missouri (FA8612-20-D-0003); BAE Systems, San Diego, California (FA8612-20-D-0004); Boeing Defense Systems, St. Louis, Missouri (FA8612-20-D-0005); Borsetta, Denver, Colorado (FA8612-20-D-0006); CACI, Chantilly, Virginia (FA8612-20-D-0007); Chooch Intelligence Technologies, San Mateo, California (FA8612-20-D-0008); Collins Aerospace Co., Cedar Rapids, Iowa (FA8612-20-D-0009); Dell Technologies, Round Rock, Texas (FA8612-20-D-0010); Fregata Systems, St Louis, Missouri (FA8612-20-D-0011); General Dynamics, Bloomington, Minnesota (FA8612-20-D-0012); Hellebore Consulting Group, Troy, Ohio (FA8612-20-D-0013); Honeywell Aerospace, Phoenix, Arizona (FA8612-20-D-0014); Immersive Wisdom, Boca Raton, Florida (FA8612-20-D-0015); L3 Harris, Greenville, Texas (FA8612-20-D-0016); Lockheed Martin, Fort Worth, Texas (FA8612-20-D-0017); Northrop Grumman, Melbourne, Florida (FA8612-20-D-0018); Palantir, Palo Alto, California (FA8612-20-D-0019); Parsons Government Services, Colorado Springs, Colorado (FA8612-20-D-0020); Persistent Systems, New York, New York (FA8612-20-D-0021); Raytheon, McKinney, Texas (FA8612-20-D-0022); Securboration, Melbourne, Florida (FA8612-20-D-0023); Silvus Technologies, Los Angeles, California (FA8612-20-D-0024); Simple Sense, Brooklyn, New York (FA8612-20-D-0025); Solid State Scientific, Hollis, New Hampshire (FA8612-20-D-0026); Viasat, Carlsbad, California (FA8612-20-D-0027); and Wind Talker Innovations, Fife, Washington (FA8612-20-D-0028), have been awarded $950,000,000 ceiling, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts for the maturation, demonstration and proliferation of capability across platforms and domains, leveraging open systems design, modern software and algorithm development in order to enable Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2). These contracts provide for the development and operation of systems as a unified force across all domains (air, land, sea, space, cyber and electromagnetic spectrum) in an open architecture family of systems that enables capabilities via multiple integrated platforms. The locations of performance are to be determined at the contract direct order level and are expected to be completed by May 28, 2025. These awards are the result of fair and open competition with 28 offers received. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds will be used on this contract but no funds will be obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Northrup Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, has been awarded a $12,641,680 firm-fixed-price modification (P00047) to contract FA8620-15-C-3001 for initial aircraft spares to assist in sustainment purposes of the Global Hawk in the Republic of Korea. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed May 30, 2022. This contract is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Foreign Military Sales in the full amount will fund this contract. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. ABBA Construction Inc.,* Jacksonville, Florida, has been awarded a $10,481,178 firm-fixed-price contract for the multi-phase renovation of Hangar 68 Joint-Preflight Integration of Munitions and Electronic Systems (J-PRIMES) test facility. Work will be performed on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and includes updated fire suppression systems, administrative and lab spaces, HVAC, furniture, vestibule, and bathrooms. These projects are estimated to be completed by May 2021. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the full amount will be obligated at time of award. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and four offers were received. Air Force Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA2823-20-R-0001). ACTA LLC, Torrance, California, has been awarded an $8,821,909 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Safety Hazard Analysis and Risk Processing (SHARP) II System. This contract provides for performance-based services with a combination of severable (flight analysis) and non-severable (risk analysis) services. SHARP II is the designation for the hardware, software and procedures used to perform flight analysis and risk analysis by the 45th Space Wing Launch Safety analysts in support of space launch missions at the Eastern Range, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Work will be performed in Torrance, California; and at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, and is expected to be completed Nov. 30, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and one offer was received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $38,188 are being obligated under the first task order. The 45th Contracting Squadron, Patrick AFB, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA2521-20-D-0002). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Penn Power Group LLC, York Haven, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a maximum $91,621,582 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract for two-cycle diesel engine spares. 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 base contract with four one-year option periods. Location of performance is Pennsylvania, with a May 28, 2023, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Columbus, Ohio (SPE7LX-20-D-0136). Fxc Corp., Costa Mesa, California, has been awarded a maximum $7,472,938 firm-fixed-price, definite-quantity contract for drogue parachute assemblies. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. This is a three-year, five-month contract with no option periods. Location of performance is California, with an Oct. 14, 2023, performance completion date. Using military services are Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Richmond, Virginia (SPE4A7-20-C-0128). NAVY Rolls Royce Marine North America (RRMNA), Walpole, Massachusetts (N64498-20-R-4011); and Wartsila Defense Inc. (Wartsila), Chesapeake, Virginia (N64498-20-R-4012), are awarded $67,000,000 for indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity, firm-fixed-price contracts with firm-fixed-price task order provisions for the repair and refurbishment of controllable pitch propellers blades and fixed pitch propellers on behalf of the Naval Sea Systems Command S05Z 2SCOG Program. The contracts awarded to RRMNA and Wartsila are not to exceed a combined total of $67,000,000. Work under the RRMNA contract will be completed in Walpole, Massachusetts, and under the Wartsila contract, work will be performed in Chesapeake, Virginia. This requirement involves providing the repair of the U.S. Ship Arleigh Burke DDG 51, U.S. Ship Ticonderoga CG 47, U.S. Ship San Antonio LPD 17, U.S. Ship Widbey Island LSD 41, U.S. Ship Avenger MCM 1, U.S. Ship Peleliu LHA 6 Class Propulsion Controllable Pitch Propeller assemblies, U.S. Ship Wasp LHD 1 and U.S. Ship Zumwalt DDG 1000 Class Propulsion Monobloc Propellers. These propellers and blades will be provided to the contractors as government furnished materials. In addition, the contractors are responsible for the performance of all inspection requirements as specified in the statement of work. Work is expected to be complete by May 2026. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the total amount of $1,000 ($500 minimum guarantee per contract) will be obligated at time of award via individual task orders and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. These contracts were competitively procured using full and open competition via the Beta.SAM.gov website and three offers were received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. InCadence Strategic Solutions Corp., Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $16,048,337 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (M67854-20-D-2017) for the purchase of Identity Dominance System-Marine Corps Increment 2 (IDS-MC Inc. 2) systems and technical services. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia. The proposed contract will provide for procurement of full rate production (FRP) IDS-MC Inc. 2 systems and procurement of certain incidental support efforts associated with FRP and software maintenance such as ancillary software development services, basic software maintenance services and sparing to keep pace with technical advances and cybersecurity vulnerability abatement. Work is expected to be complete by May 2025. Fiscal 2019 procurement (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $410,736; fiscal 2020 procurement (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $3,426,145; and fiscal 2020 research, development, testing and evaluation (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $342,170 will be obligated on the first delivery order immediately following contract award. Funds will not expire at the end of current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The contract was prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 and 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $15,392,275 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-6258 to exercise options for production and component work. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (66%); Chantilly, Virginia (18%); and Marion, Massachusetts (16%), and is expected to be complete by June 2023. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $15,392,275 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 Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Alpha Marine Services LLC, Galliano, Louisiana, is awarded a $12,585,814 modification under previously awarded firm fixed-price contract N32205-18-C-3520 to fund the second one-year option period for a U.S.-flagged maritime support vessel (M/V Kellie Chouest) in support of U.S. Southern Command. Work is to be performed at sea, starting June 1, 2018, and is expected to be complete, if all options are exercised, by April 2023. This contract includes a 12-month base period, three 12-month option periods and one 11-month option period, which, if exercised, will bring the cumulative value of this contract to $57,464,816. The option will be funded by fiscal 2020 and 2021operations and maintenance (Navy) funds. This contract was competitively procured via Federal Business Opportunities and three offers were received. The Naval Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Bristol Design Build Services LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska, is being awarded a $9,011,390 firm-fixed-price task order (N62473-20-F-4683) under a multiple award construction contract for construction of Provost Marshall's Office facility replacement at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California. Work will be performed in San Diego, California. The work to be performed provides for construction of a replacement facility for the base Provost Marshall's Office. This project will also provide construction of a mechanical yard and trash enclosure and resurfacing and restriping of the existing parking lot. Work is expected to be complete by February 2022. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Marine Corps) contract funds in the amount of $9,011,390 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-17-D-4627). Rockwell Collins Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is awarded a $7,804,005 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N00019-20-F0009) against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-19-G-0031 that procures labor, equipment and material to produce, install, integrate and test KGR-72 very low frequency receiver A and B-kits into 14 E-6B aircraft and associated training systems. Work will be performed in Richardson, Texas, and is expected to be complete by September 2022. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,804,005 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. MISSLE DEFENSE AGENCY Huntsville Rehabilitation Foundation,* Huntsville, Alabama, is being awarded a $20,312,262 non-competitive commercial, firm-fixed-price contract with a one-year base value of $3,907,503 for custodial services support with four one-year option periods. This contract shall provide all labor, management, supervision, equipment, tools and supplies required to operate Missile Defense Agency custodial services in multiple locations to maintain facilities which present a clean, neat and professional appearance. The work will be performed in the National Capital Region; Dahlgren, Virginia; Huntsville, Alabama; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; and Vandenberg AFB, California, through May 31, 2025. This contract was procured via required source, Source America. Fiscal 2020-2021 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $112,671; and research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,582,371 are being obligated at time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (HQ0858-20-C-0007). *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2202498/source/GovDelivery/
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October 2, 2019 | International, Aerospace

Boeing Awarded $2.6 Billion for Fifth KC-46A Tanker Production Lot
EVERETT, Wash., October 1, 2019 – The U.S. Air Force today awarded Boeing [NYSE: BA] a $2.6 billion contract for 15 KC-46A tanker aircraft, spares, support equipment, spare engines and wing air refueling pod kits. With this fifth production lot, Boeing now is on contract for 67 KC-46 tankers. Boeing received its first two production lots, for 7 and 12 aircraft, in August 2016. The third lot, for 15 aircraft, was awarded in January 2017; the fourth lot for 18 aircraft in September 2018. “We're honored to build the Air Force's next-generation tanker and appreciate the importance of this program for our nation,” said Jamie Burgess, Boeing KC-46A tanker vice president and program manager. “This has been a milestone year for KC-46 and a big reason for that is our great partnership with the Air Force. We expect to accomplish great things together in the years to come.” Boeing plans to build 179 of the 767-based refueling aircraft for the Air Force to replace its legacy tanker fleet. The company delivered the first tankers to the Air Force in January 2019. Boeing received its initial contract in 2011 to design and develop the Air Force's newest tanker aircraft. The KC-46A is a multirole tanker that can refuel allied and coalition military aircraft compatible with international aerial refueling procedures and can carry passengers, cargo and patients. Boeing is assembling KC-46 aircraft at its Everett, Wash., facility and recently started production of the first KC-46 for Japan. For more information on Defense, Space & Security, visit www.boeing.com. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense and @BoeingSpace. Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this release may be "forward-looking" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "believes," "estimates," "anticipates," and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements relating to our future plans, business prospects, financial condition and operating results, as well as any other statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions, which may not prove to be accurate. These statements are not guarantees and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements. As a result, these statements speak only as of the date they are made and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, except as required by federal securities laws. Specific factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the effect of economic conditions in the United States and globally, general industry conditions as they may impact us or our customers, and our reliance on our commercial customers, our U.S. government customers, our suppliers and the worldwide market, as well as the other important factors disclosed previously and from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. # # # Contact: Kym Vandlac Defense, Space & Security Office: +1 425-266-5365 Mobile: +1 425-210-7851 kymberly.y.vandlac@boeing.com https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2019-10-01-Boeing-Awarded-2-6-Billion-for-Fifth-KC-46A-Tanker-Production-Lot

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