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Lee Hudson The head of the U.S. Air Force's mobility fleet needs more data from Boeing on the KC-46 Remote Vision System (RVS) upgrade plan to determine if an interim fix is worth taking the maintenance downtime. Boeing is upgrading the RVS to version 1.5, which is now renamed the enhanced RVS that the company promises will deliver sharper imaging, Air Mobility Command chief Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost told reporters Sept. 14. “But the proof is in the pudding when it comes to whether or not it actually would provide additional operational capability or additional safety,” she said. Van Ovost and the head of the Pentagon's operational test and evaluation office met with Boeing on Sept. 4 for KC-46 briefings. Toward the end of September, Van Ovost expects a briefing on why the Pentagon should implement enhanced RVS at no cost to the Air Force. Air Force Research Laboratory personnel will participate in the discussion on whether the service should pursue enhanced RVS or wait until 2.0 comes online, she said. Boeing began flight testing the enhanced RVS in June, which includes numerous software changes and a few hardware updates. If the government opts not to deploy the upgrade, the fixes identified for RVS 1.5 will flow into the 2.0 version that is slated for fielding in the second half of 2023. “If the Air Force decides to deploy initial RVS enhancements we could provide aircraft with those during the second half of 2021 (calendar year),” Mike Hafer, KC-46 global sales and marketing at Boeing, said in a Sept. 15 statement. “The full suite of state-of-the-art enhancements, commonly known as RVS 2.0, should be installed in tankers we deliver starting in late 2023 or early in 2024.” https://aviationweek.com/shows-events/afa-air-space-cyber-conference/usaf-inches-closer-kc-46-vision-system-decision

ARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Donald Trump today for 12 Boeing V-22s, another squadron of F-35s to bring the total to 75, and the very early delivery of two Boeing KC-46As at the White House today. The request was made during a day of extraordinary meetings as President Trump, the Prime Minister of Israel and the Foreign Ministers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates were to sign what are being called the Abraham Accords, meant to normalize relations between the Arab states and Israel. The new weapons are meant to keep Israel's qualitative edge after the U.S agreed to sell the F-35 to the UAE and Teheran rattles its homemade swords, furious about the new era between Israel and some Gulf states. Hours before hosting the signing of historic peace agreements between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain, President Trump doubled down on the idea of selling F-35s to the UAE. “I personally would have no problem with it,” the president told Fox and Friends this morning, “I would have no problem in selling them the F-35.” The Israelis, who understand the US political system well, are likely to press Trump to put the new sales in motion before the November elections to minimize the chances they might fall victim to a change in power in Washington. “The Israeli request will be based on an accelerated process aimed at getting all the approvals before the November presidential elections” one Israeli source told BD. The request is also likely to include a replacement for Israeli Apache AH-64A combat helicopters that are planned to go out of service in 2025. Israel, one source says, will also ask for “increased numbers” of bunker buster bombs, usually thought to be designed to strike Iranian nuclear sites. On top of all that, the Israelis may seek an advanced communication satellite, a source told Breaking D. The request for a new weapons package would be in addition to the existing Foreign Military Financing agreement with the US. The current agreement, signed in 2016, increased US assistance from $ 34 billion in the decade to $38 billion between 2019 and 2028. Why is Israeli seeking so much new gear? It's not, Israeli sources explain, because of the prospective sale of F-35s to the UAE, but because they believe this deal will open a new arms race in the region and they want to stay head of it. Israel is also concerned about the possibility of leadership changes in some Gulf countries The assessments for what's needed were drawn up when the IDF formed a special team headed by Maj. General Tomer Bar, the IDF's head of its planning and force building department. This team is reviewing the operational demands of some of the IDF ground forces units. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/09/israel-seeks-8b-arms-deal-at-white-house-f-35s-v-22s-kc-46s/

KELSEY ATHERTON Leaving the browser and its history in a virtual environment spread across any number of servers makes it harder for adversaries to target the military's actual computers or tablets. ALBUQUERQUE: The Defense Information Systems Agency awarded $198.9 million for a Cloud Based Internet Isolation contract to Menlo Security and By Light, the agency announced today. DISA hopes Menlo Security's tech can, by keeping downloads in the cloud, reduce harmful downloads across the entire Pentagon workforce. By keeping browsing inside the cloud, the program will save on bandwidth, and protect against the department's 3.5 million users accidentally downloading malware. It is a kind of “air-gapping,” the style of computer security that keeps networks safe by making sure that computers are not physically connected at all times. Leaving the browser, and all its contained history, in a virtual environment in any of a number of servers makes it harder for adversaries, be they criminals, nonstate actors, or nations, to target the actual computers or tablets used by the military. Internet browsing is mostly downloading files directly to the end-user's computer or mobile device. What the Cloud Based Internet Isolation (CBII) does is make sure that all that downloading happens, not on the end user's computer, but instead in a remotely secured server. “The remote worker will perform the task of going to their net or an Internet based application, that fetch and execute,” Menlo Security VP Mike Fraga says. What is different is that, instead of downloading directly onto the user's device, “getting the information and actually queuing is done in a disposable container in Menlo cloud. And so then we replicate what's happening on the application or the internet down on a remote workers device.” In essence, CBII promises to do all this while making the user experience virtually indistinguishable from having the browser directly running on the computer. Users are functionally interacting with an image of a browser window, instead of the browser itself, but that illusion should be imperceptible. “That's going to significantly reduce the risk in the attack surface,” said By Light VP Jason Cole, “alleviating all the congestion at those Internet access points.” For security purposes, this means that instead of monitoring all traffic for harm on every device, the Pentagon can instead look at the connection between computers and clouds. If a piece of malware was downloaded, it becomes a much smaller haystack of files for the forensics team to go through, since downloading to a computer becomes an active choice, instead of the passive function of browsing. Many of the normal conveniences of browser-based functionality are continued within Menlo's cloud-based environment. Instead of users having to log in anew to every site they visit every time they load the remote cloud, the software “maintains an encrypted cookie-jar in our cloud for each user that largely mirrors how the user's native browser handles cookies,” said Kowsik Guruswamy, Menlo Security CTO. “When a user navigates to a site, Menlo injects the user's site-specific cookies into the isolated browser so they can stay logged in,” Guruswamy continued. “The encryption key for each user's cookie jar is stored in their own browser, such that only they can unlock the contents.” Beyond the security of the environment, the move to cloud-based browsing also promises an overall savings in data use. “We're estimating about a 20% bandwidth reduction for any general web browsing, but then a 50 to 70% bandwidth reduction for streaming media,” said Cole. That savings is valuable everywhere, and is especially valuable in areas where bandwidth is already constrained, like on ships underway or at remote bases with low connectivity. Even in more domestic settings, the pandemic-induced shift to remote work often means users have to send data back through company-owned network infrastructure for security reasons, which eats up time in the process, and comes with risks. “I think companies overall are struggling with not only the latency so that their end users can have a good experience to accomplish their job, but gaps in security based on all that backhauling, and there's some blind spots there,” said Fraga. The servers are, like much of the cloud infrastructure available today, provided through Amazon Web Services. Menlo's approach is already in use with banks like JPMorgan Chase, HSBC, and AmEx. “Isolation overall is an innovative technology,” said Fraga. Isolation, in the fashion promised by cloud-based browsing, is a preventative technology. It reduces the number of paths into computers, making it easier for other detection solutions to find the fewer threats that might slip through. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/09/fewer-threats-more-bandwidth-disa-awards-199m-for-cloud-browsing/

Gareth Jennings Boeing Australia has powered up the engine of the first ‘loyal wingman' unmanned aerial vehicle it is developing in partnership with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) ahead of upcoming flight trials. The milestone, announced on 15 September, follows the completion earlier this year of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is serving as the foundation for the global Boeing Airpower Teaming System (ATS). “This engine run gets us closer toward flying the first aircraft later this year,” Dr Shane Arnott, programme director of the Boeing ATS was quoted as saying. “We've been able to select a very light, off-the-shelf jet engine for the unmanned system as a result of the advanced manufacturing technologies applied to the aircraft.” Boeing has not yet disclosed which engine it has chosen for the ATS. When it was unveiled at the Avalon Air Show in 2019, the ATS concept was named Boeing ATS (BATS). The Australian Department of Defense (DoD) said it would invest AUD40 million (USD29 million at the time) in the development. Boeing said the system represents the company's largest investment in a UAV programme outside the United States but did not disclose the amount involved. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/boeing-fires-up-loyal-wingman-engine-ahead-of-flight-trials

Seapower Staff MELBOURNE, Fla.—The U.S. Navy has awarded L3Harris Technologies a $104 million follow-on contract to supply the next production lot of the electronic warfare (EW) system that protects F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet aircraft against electronic threats. The announcement was made on Sept. 10 in conjunction with vHook'20 being held virtually, September 10-12. L3Harris will manufacture and deliver Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (IDECM) jammer systems for the F/A-18C/D/E/F variants, with deliveries under the new contract expected to be completed by May 2024. The L3Harris ALQ-214A(V)4/5 is the key Onboard Jammer for the IDECM program, protecting the aircraft from electronic threats, including sophisticated integrated air defense systems. The company has received more than $2 billion in awards to date from the Naval Air Systems Command for AN/ALQ-214 development and production. “Our commitment to continually modernize F/A-18 EW systems has helped to keep naval aviators ahead of emerging threats and out of harm's way for more than two decades,” said Ed Zoiss, President, L3Harris Space and Airborne Systems. “This longterm collaboration with the Navy and continued development of advanced EW technology uniquely positions L3Harris to provide the jammer solution for the F/A-18 throughout the service-life of the aircraft.” L3Harris has delivered EW solutions for a wide variety of airborne platforms for more than 60 years, including strategic bombers, tactical fighters and rotary aircraft. L3Harris' Space and Airborne Systems segment provides space payloads, sensors and full-mission solutions; classified intelligence and cyber defense; avionics; and electronic warfare solutions. https://seapowermagazine.org/navy-awards-l3harris-104-million-contract-for-f-a-18-ew-system/

Megan Eckstein Austal USA is expanding the capacity and capability of its Alabama shipyard, doubling down on investing in its future in a way reminiscent of 2009, just before it won the block buy of Littoral Combat Ships that secured the yard a spot in the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base. The Mobile yard this month closed on the purchase of a ship repair facility formerly owned by World Marine of Alabama, an indirect subsidiary of Modern American Recycling and Repair Services of Alabama. It includes a 20,000-ton Panamax-class floating dry dock, 100,000 square feet of covered repair facilities and 15 acres of waterfront property along the Mobile River and Gulf of Mexico, according to a company statement. Shipyard President Craig Perciavalle told USNI News this week that the expansion fits in with its desires to continue building aluminum ships and to expand into building steel ships – manned or unmanned – as well as a desire to take on more repair work for the Navy and other customers. “We feel we're putting ourselves, and we've put ourselves, in a very good place to continue to provide very capable but lower-cost ships to the Navy,” he said of the yard that today builds Independence-variant LCSs and Expeditionary Fast Transit (EPF) ships. “I have had some discussions with [Defense Secretary Mark] Esper, we are encouraged by the plan for, the need and the requirement for 355 ships or more maybe. And I think there's plenty of opportunities for us to help the Navy grow the fleet, and we're putting ourselves in a very good position to help the Navy do that long-term.” The yard expansion gives Austal ownership of a dry dock it was leasing to launch its ships into the Mobile River, eliminating any schedule problems the yard had to worry about in the past if its desired timeline didn't match up with the dry dock's availability to be leased. “We'll just have complete control over it, and then we can have the priority for the dry dock be supporting our business, first and foremost,” Perciavalle said. He added that the rest of the facility, on the other side of the river and just south of Austal's property, could be refurbished or upgraded in the future to support ship construction or repair activities as needed, giving Austal some flexibility as its future workload becomes clearer. Many in the Navy and industry have expressed concern about Austal's future, with the company's LCS construction coming to an end in a couple years – four ships are in construction at Austal and four more are in pre-construction – and its future with the EPF program still uncertain, as the Navy and Congress haven't made any firm decisions about continuing the hot production line to build an ambulance ship variant of the hull. Austal competed to build the Navy's FFG(X) frigate program and lost, leaving many wondering what would happen to the yard, its workforce and its suppliers. Perciavalle said he's not worried about the yard's future. “It's no secret that we're focused on the unmanned side of the business, we think there's obviously plenty of opportunities there and we're going to, hopefully – our plan is to be a major player in that side of the market,” he said. Austal is one of six companies selected to conduct industry studies on the Navy's Large Unmanned Surface Vessel, and Austal also participated in the LUSV precursor by converting a vessel to an unmanned ship through the Pentagon's Overlord USV prototype effort. “We are encouraged by discussions around additional EPFs going forward. EPF-15 has been in and out of the budget, and the latest discussions show that there might be some opportunities for that to get back in. I think it's no secret that we've been looking at expeditionary medical ships that have been discussed, and we feel we're in a pretty good place to support those needs to the Navy,” he continued, with the Congress this current fiscal year appropriating money to give EPF-14 a greater medical capability. “And then from a steel shipbuilding perspective, there's certainly opportunities from that medium-sized type vessel: [Light Amphibious Warship] is one that we've been participating in. We have participated in some of the industry studies on [the Coast Guard's Offshore Patrol Cutter]. And without getting into much more detail beyond that, there's opportunities that exist across the board that we're going to continue to look at and to pursue. “ Asked by USNI News if the range of work – from unmanned vessels to amphibious ships to Military Sealift Command support ships to Coast Guard cutters – spurred Austal to take a leap of faith and expand the shipyard now, Perciavalle said, “this is something that Austal's done in the past, so been there done that. We leaned into the facility that we have today, committing much of those funds before (LCS) block buys were even awarded back in the ‘09 and 2010 time period. We have seen where the Navy looks like they're going, and we're leaning into those requirements going forward. There seems to be opportunities both on the steel ship side of things as well as aluminum, and we're going to leverage our strength and what we've been able to do from an aluminum perspective, and take those same strengths and transition adding the steel capabilities.” “So yeah, it's pretty interesting times, it's pretty exciting. We've proven in the past that we're pretty darn good at building lots of ships in a relatively short period of time. I think we've delivered 23 surface ships to the Navy over the last just over seven and a half years,” he continued. “We believe there's value in that for the Navy and trying to expand to 355 in a reasonable timeframe, and I think leveraging the industrial base that we have here in Mobile is going to be important to the Navy's ability to do that.” In addition to the physical expansion of the yard through the recent acquisition, Austal and the Defense Department are spending $100 million to bring a steel shipbuilding capability to the yard that today only builds aluminum ships. DoD offered its half under the Defense Production Act Title III (DPA) Agreement “to maintain, protect, and expand critical domestic shipbuilding and maintenance capacity,” according to a DoD announcement. The money, appropriated as part of the coronavirus pandemic relief bill passed by Congress in the spring, will not only help the Navy industrial base but will “accelerat[e] pandemic recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast region” by supporting the economy. Perciavalle said the yard decided to match the contract with its own $50 million investment in the steel shipbuilding capability. Perciavalle said another growth area for Austal is likely to be ship repair, though the Navy has not made its intentions public yet. Austal is somewhat challenged in that every single LCS it has built is stationed in San Diego, which is a Panama Canal transit away. The San Diego ship repair industrial base is under pressure to keep up with the Navy's growing surface ship maintenance and modernization needs, and although Austal has a support office in San Diego and can contribute to pier-side work at the naval base, it cannot take on maintenance availabilities on its own yet. “The Navy's aware of our interest in expanding our service business, and I think given the fact that they're looking for increased capacity in that regard, I think it's welcome,” he said. “And then we'll just see how things go both here in Mobile, obviously continuing to support efforts on the West Coast, and then in Singapore,” where Austal has an office to support forward-deployed LCSs operating in the Indo-Pacific region. USNI News previously reported that Austal was trying to conduct some LCS work in Mobile after sea trials and ship delivery, but before the ships headed through the canal and onto San Diego. Perciavalle said that has continued, but that the ships are coming out of the yard with very little work waiting to be done during the post-shakedown availability. He said he hopes the Navy and the yard can find a way to bring more repair work to Mobile, to ease the strain in San Diego and to fully leverage the dry dock the yard now owns. Additionally, while his focus is maintaining the ships that Austal built, Perciavalle said “the sky is the limit” in terms of the yard taking on repair and modernization work for Military Sealift Command ships, Coast Guard ships or commercial vessels. “The facility has been in the past supporting various markets and will continue to do that going forward,” he said of the newly purchased property that also includes deep-water berthing space for in-water repairs in addition to the dry dock for out-of-water repairs. He noted that the team operating out of Singapore had contributed to the success of overlapping USS Montgomery (LCS-8) and USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) deployments there and that Austal planned to maintain or grow its presence in Singapore. “Our game plan is there will be at least two ships there going forward, we are fully prepared to support having two ships in Singapore or more,” as well as sending flyaway teams or setting up offices anywhere else the Navy chooses to hub the LCSs or EPFs around the globe. https://news.usni.org/2020/09/15/austal-expanding-yard-in-alabama-as-it-eyes-new-unmanned-amphibious-shipbuilding-programs

Collins Aerospace Systems a annoncé mardi avoir été sélectionné pour livrer des systèmes d'hélices NP2000 pour 30 Lockheed Martin C-130H supplémentaires de l'US Air National Guard (ANG) et de l'Air Force Reserve (AFR). La conception et la production des hélices seront assurées par Ratier-Figeac, filiale de Collins Aerospace. «Collins Aerospace est honoré de supporter l'US Air Force» a déclaré Jean-François Chanut, directeur général Propeller Systems chez Collins Aerospace, et président de Ratier Figeac. «Notre système innovant NP2000 intègre des technologies de pointe plus intelligentes, conçues pour améliorer les performances et la disponibilité des appareils tout en augmentant le confort et la sécurité de l'équipage. Nous continuons de travailler au côté de l'Air Force pour assurer les meilleures performances et taux de disponibilité de leur flotte C-130», ajoute-t-il. Air & Cosmos, le Journal de l'Aviation et L'Usine Nouvelle du 16 septembre

Eric Trappier, président du GIFAS et PDG de Dassault Aviation, s'exprimait ce matin sur RTL. Le dirigeant a notamment évoqué la commande de 18 Rafale par la Grèce, annoncée samedi 12 septembre. Les Rafale commandés par la Grèce seront livrés «dans l'année à venir, soit en 2021», indique M. Trappier. La commande comprendra 12 avions d' «occasion», actuellement opérationnels au sein de l'armée de l'Air française, une mesure décidée afin de répondre à l'urgence du besoin exprimé par la Grèce. Ces prélèvements d'appareils au sein de l'armée de l'Air française seront « compensés par la fabrication d'avions neufs », insiste M. Trappier. La fabrication de 18 Rafale garantit « un an de travail pour les chaînes de production de Dassault Aviation et de ses sous-traitants », souligne-t-il. M. Trappier rappelle également qu'une discussion avec le gouvernement français est en cours concernant l'achat d'une «cinquième tranche de 30 avions». Le Rafale est «un avion qui n'arrête pas d'évoluer, par standards successifs», souligne le dirigeant : «on est en train de développer le quatrième standard». Interrogé sur la crise que traverse actuellement le secteur de l'aéronautique, M. Trappier souligne que l'Etat est «très mobilisé» ; mais il met en garde contre le «changement d'hypothèse» qui surviendrait si «les frontières restent fermées et si le trafic aérien ne reprend pas». Il rappelle que le secteur de l'aéronautique travaille, depuis plusieurs années, à la mise au point d'un «avion décarboné», dont le développement s'est récemment accéléré avec le soutien du gouvernement. RTL Matin du 16 septembre

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Espey Manufacturing and Electronics Corp.,* Saratoga Springs, New York (SPRWA1-20-D-0021); Communications & Power Industries LLC, Beverly, Massachusetts (SPRWA1-20-D-0022); Crane Electronics Inc., Fort Walton Beach, Florida (SPRWA1-20-D-0023); SC Electronics Inc.,* Azle, Texas (SPRWA1-20-D-0024); and Dave's Engineering LLC, doing business as DE Design Works,* Chesterfield, Missouri (SPRWA1-20-D-0025), are sharing an estimated $400,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPRWA1-19-R-0007 for design and production of low voltage to high voltage power supplies. This was a competitive acquisition with five responses received. These are five-year base contracts with one five-year option period. Locations of performance are New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Texas and Missouri, with a Sept. 14, 2025, ordering period end date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Warner Robins, Georgia. L3Harris Technologies, Amityville, New York, has been awarded a maximum $52,977,415 fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Band 4-8 countermeasure receivers for B-1B aircraft. 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 four-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is New York, with a Sept. 14, 2024, ordering period end date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Warner Robins, Georgia (SPRWA1-20-D-0011). ZOLL Medical Corp., Chelmsford, Massachusetts, has been awarded a maximum $38,555,900 modification (P00002) exercising the first one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE2D1-19-D-0035) with four one-year option periods for dual-aeromedical certified defibrillators and accessories. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is Massachusetts, with a Sept. 19, 2021, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Department of Health Affairs. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 Warstopper funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a maximum $19,999,999 firm-fixed-price, undefinitized, definite-delivery/definite-quantity delivery order (SPRPA1-20-F-0012) against five-year basic ordering agreement SPE4A1-15-G-0001 for F-15 wing support. 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 30-month contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Missouri, with a May 21, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ARMY Accura Engineering and Consulting Services,* Atlanta, Georgia (W912PL-20-D-0047); CES Consulting LLC,* Dulles, Virginia (W912PL-20-D-0048); APSI Construction Management,* Irvine, California (W912PL-20-D-0049); and HFS Co.,* San Antonio, Texas (W912PL-20-D-0050), will compete for each order of the $180,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for construction phase services to support the southern border of the U.S. Bids were solicited via the internet with 11 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 14, 2025. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles, California, is the contracting activity. General Electric Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded a $37,070,079 firm-fixed-price contract for field service representatives in support of the T700 Series Engine program. 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 Dec. 31, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-20-D-0069). Manson Construction Co., Seattle, Washington, was awarded a $13,200,000 modification (P00004) to contract W912PL-18-C-0042 for dredging. Work will be performed in Ventura, California, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 13, 2021. Fiscal 2020 civil construction funds in the amount of $13,200,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles, California, is the contracting activity. System Studies & Simulation Inc., Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $9,185,564 modification (000436) to contract W31P4Q-09-A-0019 for precision fires rocket and missile systems project office general engineering and technical support. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2021. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 other procurement (Army); 2019 and 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Army); and 2020 and operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $9,185,564 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. RDZM LLC., Arlington, Virginia, was awarded an $8,802,640 modification (P00007) to contract W15QKN-19-C-0032 for engineering and manufacturing development, low rate initial production, and full rate production of the 40mm HV HEDP-AB XM1176 cartridge. Work will be performed in Middletown, Iowa; and Stafford, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 14, 2025. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $8,802,640 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Newark, New Jersey, is the contracting activity. Shearwater Mission Support LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska, was awarded a $7,324,556 modification (P00016) to contract W911S8-18-D-0018 for installation support services at Yuma Proving Ground. Work will be performed at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2023. U.S. Army 418th Contracting Support Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas, is the contracting activity. CORRECTION: The contract announced on Sept. 11, 2020, for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. LLC, Oak Brook, Illinois (W912HY-20-C-0034), for $15,494,310, was announced with an incorrect award date. The correct award date is Sept. 15, 2020. NAVY Marvin Engineering Co. Inc., Inglewood, California, is awarded a $132,481,869 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides for the production and delivery of a maximum quantity of 1,339 BRU-32B/A ejector unit rack assemblies and a maximum quantity of 1,056 LAU-127E/A guided missile launchers in support of the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G series aircraft. Work will be performed in Inglewood, California, and is expected to be completed in September 2027. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-20-D-0011). Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin Co., Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded a $54,477,181 firm-fixed-price order (N00019-20-F-0256) against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-19-G-0029. This order procures 3,754 interim spare parts and provides support for the repair and maintenance of the CH-53K low rate initial production aircraft configuration. Work will be performed in Quebec, Canada (7.08%); Jupiter, Florida (6.4%); Rome, New York (4.56%); Bridgeport, West Virginia (4.26%); Jackson, Mississippi (4.19%); Windsor Locks, Connecticut (3.9%); Erie, Pennsylvania (3.72%); Vergennes, Vermont (3.22%); Blacksburg, Virginia (3.17%); Springfield, New Jersey (2.97%); Hialeah, Florida (2.85%); Tucson, Arizona (2.62%); Magnolia, Arkansas (2.53%); Atlanta, Georgia (2.38%); Cedar Rapids, Iowa (2.3%); Irvine, California (2.27%); Vancouver, Washington (1.88%); Costa Mesa, California (1.84%); Huntsville, Alabama (1.75%); New Port Richey, Florida (1.75%); Salt Lake City, Utah (1.75%); Santa Clarita, California (1.65%); Naples, Florida (1.62%); St. Louis, Missouri (1.57%); Fort Walton Beach, Florida (1.57%); Minden, Nebraska (1.52%); Ronkonkoma, New York (1.44%); Boylston, Massachusetts (1.23%); Newington, Connecticut (1.14%); Shelton, Connecticut (1.14%); Chalfont, Pennsylvania (1%); Sylmar, California (1%); Berlin, Connecticut (1.03%); various locations within the continental U.S. (15.96%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (0.74%), and is expected to be completed in April 2023. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $54,477,181 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. RQ Construction, Carlsbad, California, is being awarded a $38,218,250 firm-fixed-price task order (N40085-20-F-6501) under a multiple award construction contract for the construction of Hurricane Florence recovery projects located at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. This task order provides replacements for facilities damaged during Hurricane Florence and entails two projects. The Marine Corps Special Operations Command Individual Training Course Team Facility replacement project constructs an academic instruction facility containing single-story steel frame buildings with brick veneer over metal studs and standing seam metal roofs. The Weapons Training Battalion (WTBN) Headquarters replacement project constructs a low-rise steel frame headquarters facility for WTBN with reinforced concrete masonry unit with reinforced masonry walls, brick veneer, reinforced concrete floors, and standing seam metal roof. Work will be performed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and is expected to be completed by June 2024. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Marine Corps) contract funds in the amount of $38,218,250 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website with five proposals received. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-20-D-0034). L-3 Communications Cincinnati Electronics Corp., Mason, Ohio, is awarded a $37,063,645 firm-fixed-priced, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the purchase of up to 163 M36E-T1 Thermal Sight Systems, spares, special tools and test equipment, new equipment training and manuals, M36E-3 conversions, associated non-recurring engineering and assault amphibious vehicle filter windows. Work will be performed in Mason, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by September 2026. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) revolving funds in the amount of $6,001,603, under Taipei Economic Cultural Representative Office FMS case TW-P-SEQ, will be obligated on the first delivery order immediately following contract award; the funds do not have an expiration date. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 and 10 U.S. Code § 2304(c) (1). Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-20-D-0005). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, is awarded a $33,912,603 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-6327 to exercise options for engineering support services, depot support services and other direct costs for Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare Increment One Block One Systems. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by September 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) (63%); and fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) (37%) funding in the amount of $4,471,479 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, D.C., is the contracting activity. Prism Maritime LLC,* Chesapeake, Virginia, is awarded a not to exceed $18,543,455 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee task order provisions for hardware items and engineering services in support of Combat Systems Interface and Steering Control Systems currently installed on the following ship classes: aircraft carrier, nuclear powered; landing ship, dock; amphibious transport dock; and multi-purpose amphibious assault ship. The supplies under this contract will support an integral part of Combat Systems Interface and Steering Control Systems installed on numerous ship platforms in the Navy. This requirement is for specialized supplies that only Prism Maritime LLC can support. Prism Maritime LLC, as the original equipment manufacturer, is the sole designer and fabricator of this equipment, and as such, possesses the proprietary technical data necessary to manufacture and provide maintenance for this specialized equipment. Work will be performed in Chesapeake, Virginia (85%); Bremerton, Washington (5%); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (5%); San Diego, California (3%); and Norfolk, Virginia (2%), and is expected to be completed by September 2025. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,269,436 ($500 minimum guarantee) will be obligated at time of award via an individual task order and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. In accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c) (1), this contract was not competitively procured; only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N64498-20-D-4038). GE Aviation Systems LLC, Sterling, Virginia, is being awarded a not-to-exceed $9,927,624 contract action for the evaluation and repair and/or modification of marine propellers used on Landing Craft Air Cushion vehicles. This contract includes a 27-month base period with an additional 180-day option, which if exercised, will bring the contract value to $19,240,816. Work will be performed in Sterling, Virginia (80%); and the United Kingdom (20%). Work is expected to be completed by November 2022. If all options are exercised, work will be completed by May 2023. Annual working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,481,906 will be obligated at time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One source was solicited for this non-competitive requirement pursuant to the authority set forth in 10 U.S. Code 2304(C)(1), with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00104-20-C-CA04). Progeny Systems Corp.,* Manassas, Virginia, is awarded an $8,607,236 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-20-C-5213 to exercise an option for engineering services and hardware systems in support of the Undersea Warfare Decision Support Systems Command and Control program. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (79%); Norfolk, Virginia (11%); Keyport, Washington (8%); Charleroi, Pennsylvania (1%); and San Diego, California (1%), and is expected to be completed by May 2021. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) (48%); fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) (40%); fiscal 2018 other procurement (Navy) (9%); and fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) (3%) funding in the amount of $690,636 will be obligated at time of award, of which, $668,225 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured under the exception 15 U.S. Code 638 (r) (4), Small Business Innovation Research Phase III. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, New York, is awarded an $8,079,018 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-6311 to exercise an option for the production of Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Surface-to-Surface Missile Module (SSMM). The modification authorizes the production of one SSMM unit. The SSMM is a Longbow Hellfire missile that will be added to the surface warfare mission module aboard the LCS. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama (80%); Bethpage, New York (18%); and Hollywood, Maryland (2%), and is expected to be completed by June 2022. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $8,079,018 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, D.C., is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Seed Innovations LLC, Monument, Colorado, has been awarded an $18,509,050 firm-fixed-price task order for the Chief Data Office's platform services. This award was made from the LevelUP Development Security Operations basic ordering agreement FA8307-20-G-0049. The work to be conducted includes subject matter expert support of the enterprise Data-as-a-Service platform. Work will be performed in the Washington, D.C., area, and is expected to be completed Sept. 23, 2023. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $4,598,093 are being obligated at time of award. Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity (FA7014-20-F-0205). Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp., San Diego, California, has been awarded a $15,576,708 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00007) to contract FA870-18-C-0058 for protected forward communications preliminary design review, hardware and software. The contract modification provides for additional design, development, and testing of a communications waveform prototype suitable for a rotary platform to support ground-to-helicopter, helicopter-to-airborne platform, and helicopter-to-long range relay communication which expands upon the existing research and development under the contract. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed Sept. 15, 2022. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $10,225,617 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $26,751,332. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity. PAR Government Systems Corp., Rome, New York, has been awarded a $9,876,944 cost-plus-fixed-fee completion contract for directional airborne networks for contested environments, hardware and software. This contract provides for development of an interference emulation suite (IES). The IES will provide the ability for links and networks to be stressed by a variety of interference types, from simple narrow band sources to protocol-aware interferers. Work will be performed in Rome, New York, and is expected to be completed September 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and two offers were received. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $89,052 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-20-C-1021). CYMSTAR LLC, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, has been awarded a $9,449,995 firm-fixed-price undefinitized contract action delivery order for an E-4B configured training system. This effort supports the urgent need for a full motion Federal Aviation Administration certified level C or better weapon system trainer and necessary support activities. Work will be performed in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and is expected to be completed by April 1, 2022. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $4,514,596 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8621-20-F-6264). (Awarded Sept. 14, 2020) U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Indigo Ridge Farms LLC, Quicksburg, Virginia, was awarded a $10,465,942 maximum indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (H92239-20-D-0004) for caprines and fermented alafalfa haylage (feed) to support medical training at the Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and other subordinate units. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $62,192 are being obligated at the time of award. The period of performance is a base ordering period of 12 months with four additional 12-month ordering periods. The five-year ordering period ends in September 2025. The contract was awarded competitively with two proposals received. U.S. Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY The University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, California, was awarded an $8,388,215 cost reimbursement contract for a research project under the Open Programmable Secure 5G (OPS-5G) program. The OPS-5G program creates open source software and systems enabling secure 5G and subsequent mobile networks such as 6G. Work will be performed in Marina del Rey, California; Monroe, Louisiana; and Newark, New Jersey, with an expected completion date of September 2024. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $962,297 is being obligated at time of award. This contract was a competitive acquisition under an open broad agency announcement and 40 offers were received. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR0011-20-C-0157). * Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2348694/source/GovDelivery/