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Seapower Staff LOCKPORT, La.–Bollinger Shipyards LLC (“Bollinger”) will construct a state-of-the-art, floating dry dock for General Dynamics Electric Boat to support the construction and maintenance of the United States' new Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarines, the company said in a Sept. 16 release. “Bollinger Shipyards is pleased to expand our current relationship with Electric Boat and to play a critical role in increasing the number of U.S. built dry docks to meet the expanding need to modernize and refurbish our nation's aging fleet,” said Ben Bordelon, Bollinger president and chief executive officer. “We're honored to have been selected to build this dry dock, which will be a national asset, to meet the complex needs of our Navy's fleet modernization plans. To build 21st century American vessels, it requires 21st century American tools and equipment manufactured here in the United States. Bollinger is committed to continuing to be a leader in pushing our industry forward and ensuring that the U.S. industrial base is fully self-sufficient.” The detail design engineering will be performed at the Bollinger facility in Lockport, Louisiana. The concept and contract design for the 618-foot-by-140-foot dry dock was performed by the Bristol Harbor Group in Rhode Island. The dry dock is scheduled to be delivered to Electric Boat's Groton Connecticut shipyard in 2024. Electric Boat is the prime contractor on the design and build of the of the Columbia Class submarine, which will replace the aging Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines. This is Bollinger Shipyards' second contract awarded with General Dynamics Electric Boat. In late 2019, Bollinger Shipyards was selected to construct the 395ft x 100ft Ocean Transport Barge for Electric Boat, scheduled to be delivered in 2021. https://seapowermagazine.org/bollinger-awarded-contract-for-floating-dry-dock-for-columbia-ssbn/

The British Armed Forces are engaged in a technology race—as opposed to an arms race—as they look to gain the advantage in the government's upcoming Integrated Review. Ministers have promised that the... https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/budget-policy-operations/raf-targets-technology-review-shapes-uk-armed-forces

Sebastian Sprenger COLOGNE, Germany — The defense ministers of Germany and France have pushed for speedy progress in the Eurodrone program, urging member nations to initiate the aircraft's development phase before the end of the year. The high-level endorsement means a shot in the arm for a weapons program that has slipped under the radar since Airbus, Dassault and Leonardo unveiled a mock-up drone at the April 2018 Berlin Air Show. While French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said she hopes to see the next phase begin by year's end, her German counterpart, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, expressed hope any outstanding issues, which mostly involve cost, could be resolved “in the next few weeks.” The two leaders spoke at Manching, Germany, Airbus' hub for the Eurodrone project and a company site for another key European program, the Future Combat Air System. The unmanned aircraft's official name is “European MALE RPAS,” using acronyms for medium-altitude, long-endurance, remotely piloted aircraft system. The pan-European Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation manages it on behalf of Germany, France, Italy and Spain. The drone program sets out to field the first new unmanned aircraft certified to fully integrate into civilian airspace, though European authorities have not yet finalized the requisite regulatory framework. Company officials hope that key design features of the drone, such as a propulsion system of two engines — one as a fallback, if necessary — will be conducive to passing future safety checks. That means the technology could cut into the business strategy of American competitor General Atomics. The company aims to be the first to sell its drones, complete with automatic collision-avoidance kit, to Europeans. Officials at the German Defence Ministry did not immediately return a request for comment on how soon the government plans to present a financing and contract strategy to lawmakers — a prerequisite for letting the effort proceed. It remains to be seen if the weapons-capable Eurodrone, whose primary mission is intelligence gathering, will get wrapped up in Germany's debate on the ethical aspects of arming aerial and ground robots. Another program, the Israeli-made Heron TP drone, is still awaiting decision by Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, on whether the government can proceed with installing weapons on the aircraft. The German military is using the drones to watch over deployed forces under a leasing agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries. They are operationally managed by Airbus. It's possible that the Heron TP armament decision will be presented to the Bundestag first, thus capping what a Defence Ministry official told Defense News will likely be a lengthy public meditation on drones and war. But that sequence of approvals is not automatic, Airbus hopes. Either way, time is of the essence for the Defence Ministry, with election years looming in Germany and France starting in 2021. “It would be surprising if we had the Eurodrone first,” said Ulrike Franke, a London-based analyst with the European Council on Foreign Relations. “Because it would amount to a signal that the Heron TP decision had been needlessly stalled.” Questions surrounding the program include whether it can provide enough utility beyond offerings already on the market, including American-made hardware, Franke said. Its success also depends on countries purchasing the future drone in sufficient quantities to get the envisioned benefits of greater European interoperability, she added. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/09/18/german-french-defense-ministers-push-for-eurodrone-progress/

Andrew Eversden WASHINGTON — U.S. Central Command needs industry's help in designing a network infrastructure that provides improved secure information sharing with allies and partners, its top IT official said Sept. 17. Brig. Gen. Jeth Rey, director of command and control, communications, and computer systems at CENTCOM, said his team is working to establish a data-centric architecture that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to limit access to data based only on what a user needs. “What I have the team looking at is working in that transport agnostic, looking at a data-centric connection, and then how can we then use attributes to then release information to that person who is trying to access the data. And so that's where data centricity is at the end of the day trying to use machine learning and AI,” Rey said at the 2020 Intelligence and National Security Summit. “That's where we need help from industry.” Rey compared CENTCOM's need to the service provided by banks, where a person logs in with credentials, and then the bank reaches into its massive database, pulling out only the information specific to that person. CENTCOM, the largest combatant command, also has data and information sharing requirements with more than 50 nations, adding another degree of difficulty in developing a secure architecture where users can only access the necessary data. “We here at CENTCOM are going to work with partners, and we need to share our information with them,” Rey said. “We need that help in order to display from a single document with multiple security measures ... but release only that information on that document to that person by their credential.” The need Rey described is similar to an architecture developed by the U.S. intelligence community for its data access needs. That platform, known as IC GovCloud, enabled users to store data in one place and the community to implement security measures to limit personnel access to what they “need to know,” said Greg Smithberger, chief information officer at the National Security Agency and director of the agency's Capabilities Directorate. “We built the GovCloud from the ground up with this thought in mind so that with the data comes knowledge of where it came from and what the rules are in terms of how it needs to be handled and who has the need to know. And the systems are enforcing that need to know, so that if the humans make a mistake, there's a safety net there,” he said during the same webinar. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/it-networks/2020/09/18/centcom-looks-to-industry-for-data-centric-network/

Brig. Gen. Shachar Shohat (ret.) Recent events in the Middle East have led some to wonder how countries, including Israel, can protect their own strategic installations. Israel's adversaries, such as Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, have threatened to strike sensitive Israeli targets. Saudi Arabia absorbed a painful strike in September 2019 when an Iranian drone swarm combined with cruise missiles struck oil fields, causing heavy damage. The attack on Saudi Arabia is the latest tangible example of the evolving threat: precision-guided, sophisticated enemy air attacks. Each country designates its own strategic sites for special defense. They range from nuclear power plants to air force bases to Olympic stadiums. And the hardening of defenses around strategic sites was especially prominent until around three decades ago. At that time, attackers using close-range munitions had to approach a given site in order to attack it. Visual contact was often required, and simple air-to-ground munitions would suffice for an attack. Defense systems of that time were similarly simplistic. Air force bases might be protected by a 40mm anti-aircraft cannon, for example, in order to prevent a direct attack on a runway. That same concept would be applied to any sites deemed critical by a state. In addition to being limited in range, though, such defenses required many munitions and high numbers of personnel. The 1980s and 1990s witnessed a revolution in the world of weaponry. Precision, long-range (standoff) munitions entered the battle arenas, and close-range air defenses became largely obsolete. Once attackers no longer needed proximity to their targets, close-range defenses could neither hit the longer-range munitions nor their launchers. But over the past decade, we have seen the addition of GPS-guidance systems to those munitions. The advent of this technology, combined with the overall revolution of the '80s and '90s, has heightened the need for states to return to close-range air defenses — but in a new configuration. Additional systems are now in the pipeline. Small, affordable interceptor missiles and laser beam defenses are the answers to the new categories of close-range threats seen around the world, including gliding bombs, cruise missiles and drones. In 2019, the Iranians proved that if they have intelligence on their target and the ability to send munitions to the “blind spot” of radars, attacks can be successful. That attack should serve as a “wake-up call” for countries around the world. If states want to protect strategic sites, radars that look in every direction, 360 degrees, 24 hours a day, are needed. Effective new defense systems must now be multidirectional in their detection of incoming threats, a response to the enemy's ability to turn, steer and evade radar coverage and detection. That coverage must be combined with multiple layers of defense, including defense mechanisms very close to the asset being defended. Examples of what is now needed for strategic sites' defenses are already evident in the realm of military vehicles. The Israel Defense Forces installed the Trophy defense system on a growing number of tanks and armored personnel carriers as a result of a series of incidents in Lebanon and Gaza. Airframes also need such systems, as the downing of an Israeli transport helicopter by Hezbollah in the Second Lebanon War demonstrated, as do ships — and so too do strategic assets. The age-old military axiom asserts that lines of defense will always be breached. As such, we must develop the maximum number of opportunities for interception possible. Longer-range air defense systems, such as the Patriot, David's Sling or the S-400 can intercept threats at tens or hundreds of kilometers away. But today, because state enemies can bypass long-range defenses, countries must always have the ability to directly intercept the actual munitions. Without close-defense capabilities forming part of a country's multilayer defense systems, strategic sites are simply not adequately protected. In the context of multilayer defense development and deployment around strategic sites and sensitive targets, Israel has taken on the role of global leader. In 2020, short-range air defenses are making a comeback, and this time they are set to remain as a permanent fixture. Retired Brig. Gen. Shachar Shohat served as a chief commander of the Israel Air Defense Forces and a publishing expert at The MirYam Institute. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/09/18/short-range-air-defense-is-making-a-comeback/

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY EFS Ebrex Sarl, Genève, Switzerland, has been awarded a maximum $250,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPE300-17-R-0016 for full-line food distribution. This was a competitive acquisition with four responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are throughout the U.S., Europe and North Africa, with a Sept. 15, 2025, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE300-20-D-4064). (Awarded Sept. 16, 2020) Theodor Wille Intertrade GbmH, Zug, Switzerland, has been awarded a maximum $220,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPE300-17-R-0016 for full-line food distribution. This was a competitive acquisition with four responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are throughout the U.S. and Europe, with a Sept. 10, 2025, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE300-20-D-4065). (Awarded Sept. 11, 2020) Federal Prison Industries, Inc.,** Washington, D.C., has been awarded a $39,270,400 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract for Molle 4000 rucksack carriers. This is a three-year contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Washington, D.C., North Carolina and South Carolina, with a Dec. 17, 2023, ordering period end date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-20-D-F065). Zimmer, Warsaw, Indiana, has been awarded a maximum $36,322,721 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for numerous pharmaceutical products. This was a competitive acquisition with 17 responses received. This is a nine-month base contract with eight one-year option periods and one 15-month option period. Location of performance is Indiana, with a June 26, 2021, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 Warstopper funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D0-20-D-0017). EFS Ebrex Sarl, Genève, Switzerland, has been awarded a maximum $22,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPE300-17-R-0016 for full-line food distribution. This was a competitive acquisition with four responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are throughout the U.S., Europe and West Africa, with a Sept. 15, 2025, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE300-20-D-4067). (Awarded Sept. 16, 2020). L3Harris Technologies Inc., North Amityville, New York, has been awarded a maximum $21,685,177 firm-fixed-price contract for P-8 aircraft sonobouy rotary launchers. 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, six-month contract with no option periods. Location of performance is New York, with a March 18, 2024, performance completion date. Using customers are Navy, Australia, South Korea, Norway, New Zealand and United Kingdom. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2024 Navy working capital funds; and Foreign Military Sales funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPRPA1-20-C-V024). Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio, (SPE7LX-20-D-0215, $20,937,847); and Michelin North America Inc., Greenville, South Carolina, (SPE7LX-20-D-0214, $9,811,994), have each been awarded a firm-fixed-price requirements contract under solicitation SPE7LX-20-R-0159 for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle tires. These were competitive acquisitions with two responses received. These are four-year contracts with no option periods. Locations of performance are Ohio and South Carolina, with a Sept. 17, 2024, performance completion date. Using military services are Army and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Columbus, Ohio. OJH Services Inc., San Antonio, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $16,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for medical and surgical supplies. This was a competitive acquisition with 63 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Texas, with a Sept. 16, 2025, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DE-20-D-0022). Transhield Inc., Elkhart, Indiana, has been awarded a maximum $7,705,846 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract for tarpaulins and fitted vehicular covers. 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 two one-year option periods. Location of performance is Indiana, with a Sept. 18, 2023, performance completion date. Using military services are Army and Navy. 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-0218). CORRECTION: The contract announced on Aug. 28, 2020, for Breton Industries Inc.,* Amsterdam, New York (SPE7LX-20-D-0166), was incorrectly announced. The awardee withdrew its offer and the contract was not awarded. NAVY Harper Construction Co. Inc., San Diego, California, was awarded a $96,492,383 firm-fixed-price task order (N62473-20-F-5462) under a multiple award construction contract for the design and construction of Michelson Mission Systems Integration Laboratory at Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake, California. The work to be performed provides for the design and construction of the Michelson Mission System Integration Laboratory project, which includes the construction of a new building and adjacent vehicle parking lot. The facility will consolidate functions performed in several existing buildings that were damaged by the July 2019 earthquakes. The building will be a consolidated mission system integration laboratory for research, development, testing and evaluation. The options, if exercised, provide for extended contractor warranty, electronic security system requirements and physical security equipment. The planned modifications, if issued, provide for furniture, fixtures and equipment. The task order also contains five unexercised options and two planned modifications, which if exercised, would increase the cumulative task order value to $99,206,940. Work will be performed in Ridgecrest, California, and is expected to be completed by November 2022. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $96,492,383 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 (N62473-18-D-5853). (Awarded Sept. 17, 2020) Hiller Measurements Inc.,* Austin, Texas (N64267-20-D-0039); Logisys Technical Services Inc.,* Huntsville, Alabama (N64267-20-D-0042); and Artisan Electronics Inc.,* Odon, Indiana (N64267-20-D-0043), are awarded a $66,300,000 combined firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award contract with a minimum of award of $1000 each for the Marine Corps Automatic Test Systems program. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Foreign Military Sales (Saudi Arabia) funding in the amount of $3,000 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Work is expected to be completed at each awardees facility (Hiller Measurements, Dripping Springs, Texas; Artisan Electronics, Odon, Indiana; and Logisys Technical Services Inc., Huntsville, Alabama) according to each individual delivery order and is expected be completed by September 2025. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.sam.gov website, with 10 offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona Division, Norco, California, is the contracting activity. Goodrich Corp., Jacksonville, Florida, is awarded a $64,183,265 combination firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the manufacture of surface ship sonar domes to support ship classes DDG-51, CG-47, and FFG-7 antisubmarine warfare requirements. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (82%); and the governments of Taiwan (11%); Egypt (3%); Japan (3%); and Spain (1%) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida, and is expected to be completed by September, 2025. If all options are exercised, work will continue through September 2027. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) (49%); FMS (27%); and fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) (24%) funding in the amount of $6,195,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively awarded in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulations 6.302-1; only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity (N00164-20-D-GP57). Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $60,484,968 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-5431 to exercise options for design agent and engineering support services for the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) MK-31 Guided Missile Weapon System improvement program. The MK-31 RAM Guided Missile Weapon System is a cooperative development and production program conducted jointly by the U.S. and the Federal Republic of Germany under memoranda of understanding. The support procured under contract N00024-18-C-5431 is required to maintain current weapon system capability as well as resolve issues through design, systems, software maintenance, reliability, maintainability, quality assurance and logistics engineering services. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (99%); and Louisville, Kentucky (1%), and is expected to be completed by December 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) (47%); non-Foreign Military Sales, German (17%); fiscal 2017 (12%) and 2018 (9%) shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) (8%); fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) (5%); fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) (1%); and fiscal 2015 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) (1%) funding in the amount of $4,260,151 will be obligated at time of award, of which funds in the amount of $2,046,931 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured under the exception 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(4), International Agreement. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Orbis Sibro Inc., Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (N39040-18-D-0003); Q.E.D. Systems Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (N39040-18-D-0004); Delphinus Engineering, Eddystone, Pennsylvania (N39040-18-D-0005); and Oceaneering International, Chesapeake, Virginia (N39040-18-D-0006), are awarded a combined cumulative $54,535,105 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award modification to exercise Option Period Two to provide non-nuclear production support for Naval submarine projects/repairs. The services under these contracts cover marine electrician, industrial fire watch/laborer, marine pipefitter, outside marine machinist, marine painter, weight handler, marine ship fitter, shipwright, welder, sheet metal, marine insulator, abrasive blaster, deck tile setter, and sound tile setter for upcoming submarine availabilities. Work will be performed in Kittery, Maine, and is expected to be completed by October 2021. No funding is being obligated at time of award. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, is the contracting activity. BAE Systems Technology Solutions and Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland, was awarded a $52,157,824 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification (P00046) to previously awarded and announced contract N00030-17-C-0001 to provide services for the U.S. and United Kingdom Trident II D5 strategic weapon system programs, U.S. Guided Missile Submarine (SSGN) attack weapon systems, nuclear weapon surety, and future concepts. Work will be performed at Rockville, Maryland (60.4%); Washington, D.C. (18%); St. Mary's, Georgia (5%); Silverdale, Washington (3%); Rochester, United Kingdom (1.3%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (1.3%); Portsmouth, Virginia (1.3%); Bremerton, Washington (1.3%); Tucson, Arizona (0.7%); Mechanicsburg, PA (0.7%); Wexford, Pennsylvania (0.7%); Groton, Connecticut (0.3%); Miami, Florida (0.3%); Ocala, Florida (0.3%); Rockledge, Florida (0.3%); Clarksburg, Maryland (0.3%); Columbia, Maryland (0.3%); Frederick, Maryland (0.3%); Gaithersburg, Maryland (0.3%); Ijamsville, Maryland (0.3%); Middletown, Maryland (0.3%); North Potomac, Maryland (0.3%); Olney, Maryland (0.3%); Jenison, Michigan (0.3%); Winston Salem, North Carolina (0.3%); Hudson, New Hampshire (0.3%); Buffalo, New York (0.3%); Valatie, New York (0.3%); Plain City, Ohio (0.3%); Downingtown, Pennsylvania (0.3%); Franklin, Tennessee (0.3%); and Plano, Texas (0.3%), with an expected completion date of Sept. 30, 2021. Subject to the availability of funding, fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $40,214,390; and United Kingdom funds in the amount of $11,943,434 will be obligated. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole-source acquisition in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) and (4). Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00030-17-C-0001). (Awarded Sept. 14, 2020). Ocean Ships Inc., Houston, Texas (N32205-17-C-3100) is awarded a $48,441,377 modification for the fixed-price portion of a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract to exercise a one-year option period for the operation and maintenance of six oceanographic survey ships (T-AGS 60) and the navigation test support ship USNS Waters (T-AGS 45) in support of the Navy. This contract includes a one-year base period, four one-year option periods, and one six-month option period. Work for this option period will be performed at sea world-wide, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2021 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $48,441,377 are obligated and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was issued on an other than full and open competition basis. The Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N32205-17-C-3100). Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Florida, is awarded a $20,019,391 delivery order N00383-20-F-0QW0 under previously awarded basic ordering agreement N00019-19-G-0029 for the procurement of five infrared receivers and four control processors in support of the F/A-18 Infrared Search and Track System. All work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and work will be completed by December 2023. Aircraft procurement funds (Navy) in the full amount of $20,019,391 will be obligated at the time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One company was solicited for this non-competitive requirement under authority 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. Rockwell Collins Simulation and Training Solutions, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is awarded a $10,729,836 contract modification (P00027) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N61340-17-C-0014. This modification procures initial spare parts, aircraft common equipment and aerial refueling equipment in support of the E-2D Hawkeye Integrated Training System suite of flight and maintenance trainer devices. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (95%); and Point Mugu, California (5%), and is expected to be completed in May 2022. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,198,491; and fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,531,345 will be obligated at time of award, $1,198,491 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity. Colonna's Shipyard Inc., Norfolk, Virginia, is awarded an $8,555,702 firm-fixed-price contract (N32205-20-C-4048) for a 90-calendar day shipyard availability for the mid-term availability of the cable laying, repair ship USNS Zeus (T-ARC 7). The $8,555,702 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 include the furnishing of general services, structural repairs, ships service diesel generator repair and maintenance, switchboard cleaning, ship's whistle repair, repair vent and drain piping, port cable drum and shoe brakes replacement, shower stall replacement, repair fiber and Ethernet cable runs, galley crew and office laundry duct cleaning and rebalancing. The contract includes eight options which, if exercised, would bring the total contract value to $9,456,252. Fiscal 2021 capital working funds (Navy) in the amount of $8,555,702 will be obligated at the time of the award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 13, 2021. This contract was competitively procured, with proposals solicited via the beta.sam.gov website and five offers were received. The Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N32205-20-C-4084). I.E.-Pacific Inc.,* Escondido, California, is being awarded an $8,261,000 firm-fixed-price task order (N62473-20-F-5233) under a multiple award construction contract for boiler plant repairs onboard Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake, California. The work to be performed provides for the repair and seismic improvement of Steam Plant 4 Boiler Building 14530. The scope of work includes repair and seismic upgrade of the building structure, as well as repair by replacement of various facility systems due to the severity of the interior and exterior damage. Work will be performed in Ridgecrest, California, and is expected to be completed by October 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $8,261,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Two proposals were received for this task order. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-17-D-4637). ARMY New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, was awarded a $92,870,000 cost-no-fee contract to support the information operations, vulnerability/survivability assessment and analysis. 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. 17, 2030. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911QX-20-D-0001). BAE, Kingsport, Tennessee, was awarded a $91,919,386 modification (P00004) to contract W52P1J-19-D-0074 for the production and delivery of explosives. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2023. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Illinois, is the contracting activity. ACC Construction Co. Inc., Augusta, Georgia, was awarded a $24,885,638 firm-fixed-price contract to construct training, shower and locker space. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 21, 2022. Fiscal 2020 military construction (defense-wide) funds in the amount of $24,885,638 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington, North Carolina, is the contracting activity (W912PM-20-C-0031). ITES Venture LLC,* Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a $21,698,218 firm-fixed-price contract to provide support services for the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence. Bids were solicited via the internet with 26 received. Work will be performed at Fort Rucker, Alabama; Fort Eustis, Virginia; and Fort Huachuca, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 18, 2020. Fiscal 2020 through 2024 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $21,698,218 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Field Directorate Office, Fort Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity (W911S7-20-F-0425). Lynxnett LLC, Suffolk, Virginia, was awarded a $19,131,298 hybrid (firm-fixed-price, time-and-materials) contract for support of the operations and maintenance of the command and control and infrastructure operations for U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. V Work will be performed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 18, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $18,091,660 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W50NH9-20-C-0016). Lewis Machine and Tool, Eldridge, Iowa, was awarded a $17,031,520.00 firm-fixed-price contract to order M203/M203A2 grenade launchers and spare parts. 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 Sept. 18, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-D-0107). General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $14,305,952 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for receipt, inspection, diagnosis, repair, testing, storage, issue and unique identification marking to parts for the M1A1/M1A2 Abrams tank, M2A3/M3A3 Bradley fighting vehicle and the M104 Wolverine platforms. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Fort Hood, Texas; Anniston, Alabama; Sterling Heights, Michigan; and Tallahassee, Florida, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2023. Fiscal 2020 Army working capital funds in the amount of $14,305,952 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity W56HZV-20-C-0216). D. Wheatley Enterprises Inc.,* Belcamp, Maryland, was awarded an $11,500,000 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price) contract to procure modular-powered air-purifying respirator systems and spare components. 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. 17, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911SR-20-D-0006). Weeks Marine Inc., Covington, Louisiana, was awarded an $11,143,240 firm-fixed-price contract for beach nourishment. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Bethany Beach, Delaware, with an estimated completion date of March 18, 2021. Fiscal 2020 civil construction funds in the amount of $11,143,240 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (W912BU-20-C-0045). Koontz Electric Co., Morrilton, Arkansas, was awarded a $7,828,828 firm-fixed-price contract for the installation of transformers at Fort Peck Dam, Montana. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Fort Peck, Montana, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 4, 2022. Fiscal 2020 Western Area Power Administration funds in the amount of $7,828,828 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity (W9128F-20-C-0045). SSI Technology,* Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $7,181,000 firm-fixed-price contract to provide auxiliary power units for sustainment of the M88 Tank Recovery Vehicle fleet. 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 Sept. 30, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-D-0106). AIR FORCE One Network Enterprises Inc., Dallas, Texas, has been awarded a $61,861,916 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the item master logistics capability initiative. This contract provides for commercial off-the-shelf software licenses and related technical support services. Work will be performed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expected to be completed September 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2,833,576 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8770-20-D-0004). Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Mississippi, has been awarded an estimated $56,808,158 modification (P00056) to exercise the option on contract FA3002-14-C-0013 for support of T-1, T-6, and T-38 undergraduate pilot training. Work will be performed at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2021. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Installation Contracting Center, Joint Base San Antonio- Randolph, Texas, is the contracting activity. Industries for the Blind and Visually Impaired Inc., West Allis, Wisconsin, has been awarded a $12,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for a contractor-operated civil engineering supply store at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Work is expected to be completed Oct. 30, 2025. Fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,400,000 will be obligated during the first base year. The 30th Contracting Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, California, is the contracting activity (FA4610-20-P0070). University of Dayton Research Institute, Dayton, Ohio, has been awarded an $11,499,335, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00037) to contract FA8650-18-C-2808 for Air-Launched Small Unmanned Air Systems (SUAS) services development, including pre-launch, launch and post-launch command and control, system integration, capability development and flight testing to provide additional warfighter capability through air-launched off-board operations. This modification is for within-scope effort for development and integrating autonomy, cooperative control and pointing, navigation and tracking activities, system integration and expansion of SUAS capability development and field testing. Work will be performed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expected to be completed March 1, 2023. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $10,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $26,499,215. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services, Madison, Mississippi, has been awarded a $7,800,476 modification (P00021) to exercise an option on contract FA3010-18-C-0007 for full food services. Work will be performed at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance funds in the full amount will be obligated when they become available. The 81st Contracting Squadron, Keesler AFB, Mississippi, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY SPN Solutions Inc., Tyson Corner, Virginia, was awarded a $48,831,385 firm-fixed-price contract (HT0014-20-C-0012), for an information management and information technology (IM/IT) initiative that will provide both existing and ongoing comprehensive support to nine task areas: application and web development support services, data center operations support services, IT help desk end user device support services, information assurance support services, network operations support services, telecommunications support services, interagency support, clinical informatics support services and information business operations. The contractor will perform IM/IT related services to support the IT department at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Maryland. This contract was a competitive acquisition with 43 proposals received. The base period of performance is Sept. 30, 2020, through April 30, 2021, and two 12 month options. The base year will be funded by fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds. The Defense Health Agency, Contract Operations Division, Falls Church, Virginia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Sept. 11, 2020) *Small business **Mandatory source https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2353697/source/GovDelivery/

SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR Industry and Congress were deeply skeptical of the Army's suggestion to enter a government design team in the OMFV competition. Now the Army has backed off. WASHINGTON: The defense industry, Congress, and thinktanks breathed a unanimous sigh of relief at the Army's latest announcement on the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program. In an email to reporters Thursday afternoon, the Army said it would no longer seek to enter its own design team in the OMFV competition, a controversial plan it had suggested in a draft Request For Proposals in July. “The whole purpose of publishing a Draft RFP was to elicit feedback from our industry partners. We take their feedback seriously,” the Army's armored vehicle modernization director, Brig. Gen. Richard Ross Coffman, told me. “We won't always agree — and must act in the best interest of our soldiers — but we will always listen.” Thursday's announcement is the latest twist in the decades-long struggle to replace the Reagan-era M2 Bradley, a heavily armed and armored troop carrier. It also suggests the notoriously bureaucratic and inward-looking Army acquisition system is finally starting to take defense contractors seriously when they say something is a bad idea. “The only surprising thing here is that the Army may have actually taken into account and listened to the over 500 industry comments received,” said Bill Greenwalt of thinktank AEI, a former Hill staffer who spent years reforming military procurement. “I expect they got an earful.” While the Army's announcement Thursday said it was still “carefully reviewing and analyzing industry comments (over 500 in total) [for] the next few weeks,” the message from industry on the government team seems to have been so strong the service didn't want to wait any longer to take action. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/09/omfv-army-team-wont-compete-with-industry-for-bradley-replacement/

Ed Adamczyk Sept. 18 (UPI) -- A $7.4 billion contract between the U.S. Air Force and General Atomics, announced this week, will field MQ-9 Reaper drones faster, the Air Force said. The five-year Agile Reaper Enterprise Solution contract for the unmanned surveillance, intelligence, reconnaissance and strike-capability aircraft was awarded on Thursday. It calls for delivery of up to 36 aircraft per year from the San Diego-based company. With a $7.4 billion ceiling, it is expected to reduce the time to deliver operational MQ-9s to operational units by 35%. The Air Force regards it as one of its most in-demand weapons, an Air Force Life Cycle Management Center statement said on Thursday. The ARES contract has a pre-negotiated $3.3 billion price-quantity-curve, allowing the Air Force and foreign military sales partners to order between from four to 36 aircraft in a single year. Foreign Military Sales partners will be allowed to purchase the Dash 21 variant, which is the NATO-exportable version of the MQ-9A. "ARES is a big deal because it answers the 'mail' as far as how do we deal with hard-to-predict demand signals from our international partners and enable increased responsiveness to U.S. budget dynamics," said Alicia Morales, aircraft production manager with the Medium Altitude Unmanned Aerial System Program Office. "So, the team came together and figured out the best and most innovative approach to deal with unplanned requirements, so no matter what comes, we are prepared and able to handle it," said Morales, who mapped out much of ARES . The MQ-9, whose predecessors have been in use since 2001, is the first unmanned aerial vehicle designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance. The Air Force has deployed the UAVs around the world, which were in use in August during a joint Army-Navy training exercise over the Black Sea. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2020/09/18/General-Atomics-nets-74B-MQ-9-Reaper-contract-with-US-Air-Force/7611600455794/

Gareth Jennings Germany is establishing a new multinational unit to operate the Airbus A400M transport aircraft, with Hungary committed as its first partner. The Bundeswehr announced on 17 September that the Multinational Air Transport Unit (MNAU) was being established at Wunstorf Air Base in northern Germany, home to the Luftwaffe's A400M force. This new international unit will relocate to Lechfeld Air Base in the far south of the country with 10 of the Luftwaffe's 53 contracted A400Ms, as well as additional A400Ms that might be provided by partner nations. Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, inspector of the German Air Force, was quoted as saying, “The establishment of the implementation team of the Multinational Air Transport Unit is another milestone in multinational, military air transport. With the integration of the first technical officer of the Hungarian Air Force [HuAF], the cooperation with our Hungarian partners begins.” As noted by the Bundeswehr, the genesis of the MNAU dates back to 2017, when the Federal Ministry of Defence enabled the Luftwaffe to set up a new air transport association with multinational participation. With the Luftwaffe planning to field 40 A400Ms, this new multinational unit would operate all or some of the remaining 13 contracted to Germany. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/germany-to-form-a400m-multinational-air-transport-unit-with-hungary