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by Sandra Erwin In a few months the Air Force will start a series of experiments to try to connect fighter aircraft and other weapon systems into a single network so they can all share critical data and intelligence, much of which is collected by satellites in space. Will Roper, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, described the venture as the “first demonstration of what you could call ‘step 1' of ABMS.” ABMS is short for Advanced Battle Management System, and it is a hard concept to explain because it is not like a traditional piece of hardware or software. It can be best described as a network where data is piped in from sensors located in space, at sea, in the air or on the ground. That information would be instantly analyzed with artificial intelligence tools and shared across the network. This is the type of technology that will “allow us to be more collaborative,” Roper told reporters at the recent 2019 Air Space & Cyber symposium. Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein is “driving this idea across the Air Force,” said Roper. Goldfein has been a champion of ABMS and wants to make it a “large dollar item in our 2021 budget,” said Roper. The thinking is that the Air Force will spend less money on shiny new platforms and more on exploiting data and advanced networks. It would be like the “Internet of Things, but applied to military systems,” said Roper. Air Force leaders initially pitched the ABMS idea to Congress two years ago as a vision of the future where access to timely data is key to success in the battlefield. They suggested that the Air Force should invest in ABMS rather than spend billions on new command-and-control airplanes. Congress gave the plan a skeptical reception but the Air Force will continue to press its case. In a keynote speech at Air Force Association's Air Space & Cyber conference last week, Goldfein described the future as one of “multi-domain operations” where all weapons and military forces receive up-to-the-minute intelligence and are able to share that data, something that ABMS would make possible. “What I'm talking about is a fully networked force where Air Force paints a digital future where data from satellites play central role each platform's sensors and operators are connected,” said Goldfein. While the concept seems straightforward, putting it into practice is not. One of the challenges is how to handle the vast amounts of data available from satellites and the infrastructure required to bring this data to the ground, analyze the data and then transport it to where it's needed. Some of the crucial technologies that will enable ABMS or any similar efforts will come from the world of commercial space and cloud computing. The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center has recognized this as it pursues a project called CASINO, short for Commercially Augmented Space Inter Networked Operations. CASINO is a spinoff of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Blackjack program that is attempting to demonstrate the military utility of small satellites in low Earth orbit. SMC has made CASINO one of its signature efforts to show how commercial technology could be used to process and distribute data from large LEO constellations. The Pentagon's Silicon Valley-based Defense Innovation Unit on Sept. 10 awarded a contract of undisclosed value to Ball Aerospace and Microsoft to demonstrate cloud processing capabilities in support of the CASINO project. The companies will have to show how simultaneous, worldwide data streams from large, distributed constellations of small satellites can be processed quickly using Microsoft's Azure cloud and Ball Aerospace algorithms. This is about making satellite data more actionable more quickly, Azure Global vice president Tom Keane said. One of the questions this project seeks to answer is “what would it take to completely transform what a ground station looks like, and downlink that data directly to the cloud?” Keane said. Perhaps one option is to place electronically steered flat panel antennas on the roof of a data center to connect multiple LEO satellites. Ball Aerospace algorithms in this project will process data streams from up to 20 satellites. With the data in the cloud, customers can direct it to where it's needed. Clearly, there is a long way to go to achieve what Goldfein calls the “Air Force That We Need” — one where all U.S. and allied forces are connected and get relevant information quickly. But you have to start somewhere. https://spacenews.com/air-force-paints-a-digital-future-where-data-from-satellites-play-central-role/

By Murray Brewster · In order to know what most of the major parties think about the uncertain state of the world, and Canada's place in it, you have to dig — really dig — to find it. The ideas, solutions and proposals around security and defence from the Liberals, New Democrats and the Green Party are buried, in some cases, at the very back of their platform documents. The Conservatives issued a policy statement last spring but have yet to state their campaign platform. And that — along with the dearth of debate about the turbulence beyond the country's borders — has alarmed defence policy experts who say now is not the time for politics as usual. "This is the time we need the clearest, most strategic thinking since the end of the Second World War, in terms of how we do Canadian security," said Rob Huebert, a defence expert at the University of Calgary. "It is not an exaggeration to say we are on the cusp of the most dangerous geopolitical environment we've seen in our lifetime." The rise of authoritarianism throughout the globe, notably in China and Russia, and the undermining of Western democracies through a variety of circumstances has increased the likelihood of conflict in the eyes of many experts. The retreat of the United States from its traditional role in the globe has enormous consequences for Canadian domestic policy. Yet, Huebert said, there is "a total lack of meaningful discussion about the type of direction we need to be taking" by the Liberals and the other parties in the campaign. The conventional Canadian political calculus is that issues of security and defence policy are not vote-getters and previous elections, with one or two exceptions, have borne out that notion with ballot box issues being defined by either social or pocketbook considerations. Huebert, however, describes it as a "very disturbing calculation" at this moment in time. He is not alone in his concern. "There's a lot going on, but near radio silence," said Dave Perry, a senior analyst at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. "I'm surprised every political party in this country has been muted on these topics." The Liberal platform, released Sunday, recycles the title of their marquee defence policy, delivered in 2017 — Strong, Secure and Engaged. The new campaign document's foreign policy and defence section is titled: "Keeping Canada Strong, Secure and Engaged," and offers up as a pledge to "renew Canada's commitment to peacekeeping efforts," which harkens back to the Liberal election platform in 2015. "To ensure that Canada continues to make a positive contribution to international peace and security, we will move forward with new investments to support United Nations peacekeeping efforts — with more help to advance the women, peace, and security agenda; support conflict prevention and peacebuilding; and respond to grave human rights abuses," said the Liberal 2019 platform. The document does not explain what the new investment might look like, but the Liberals say they're committed to spending additional $50 million per year on UN peacekeeping commitments. Liberal commitment in 2019 echoes 2015 However, Walter Dorn, a professor of defence studies at the Canadian Forces College and one of the country's preeminent experts on peacekeeping, said he finds the overall language of the Liberal promise curious. "Those were the same words used by Liberals in 2015," he said. "So, are they renewing it because they haven't done it in the last four years?" Dorn said the Liberal government, for a variety of reasons, did not get substantially engaged in peacekeeping during its mandate. It made a number of splashy commitments at an international meeting in Vancouver in 2017, but only delivered a year-long deployment of helicopters to Mali and the more recent secondment of a C-130J Hercules transport for United Nations operations in Africa. "I hope they can learn from their first term," said Dorn. "Their performance is going to have to be much better if they're going to renew Canada's commitment to peacekeeping and secure a seat on the [UN] Security Council." He also noted the "average number" of uniform personnel deployed in UN peacekeeping missions under the Liberals was lower than during the former Conservative government era. There's a promise in the Liberal platform to focus international military training activities to include instruction for other countries on how to respond to "disasters due to climate change." NDP, Greens light on detail The NDP's platform, released weeks ago, also leans heavily on peacekeeping, but also promises to work toward nuclear disarmament. The Green Party makes a similar pledge, but also nods tentatively toward the instability beyond our borders. "Canada now needs a general purpose, combat-capable force that can provide realistic options to the government in domestic security emergencies, continental defence and international operations," said the Green's recently released platform. Last spring, the Conservatives released a detailed foreign and defence policy statement that promised to buy new submarines, join the U.S. ballistic missile defence program and expand the current military mission in Ukraine. But how much of that will make it into the party's campaign platform is unclear. It is expected to be unveiled soon. The Liberal platform pays specific attention to the Arctic, but within a foreign policy context promising to "strengthen continental defence" and in the North, moving "forward with better developed surveillance and rapid response capabilities." Huebert was left scratching his head. "That blurs together so many talking points, it creates a sense of nothingness," he said. There is no mention of NORAD modernization, including the planned replacement of the North Warning System chain of radar stations, a cost-shared endeavour with the United States that some experts have estimated could cost up to $11 billion (with Canadian taxpayers on the hook for 40 per cent or roughly $5 billion of that bill.) Huebert said, when the Liberals talk about "rapid response capabilities," they're referring to better search and rescue coverage in the North, something he said will become a necessity as more and more regions become ice-free in the summer. "Problem is: We just don't know what they're talking about," he said. A Liberal campaign spokeswoman said the party understands how crucial it is to support the Canadian military and pointed to the government's defence policy as well as all of the social improvements that have been made for serving members. "Our platform lays out our vision for moving our country forward and how we plan to build on the progress we have made over the past four years," said Eleanore Catenaro. Canada supported the UN with "real capabilities," she said, adding that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the uncertainty in the world in a foreign policy speech at the end of August. New framework for intelligence Interestingly, the platform specifically promises to create "a new framework governing how Canada gathers, manages and uses defence intelligence." That caught the attention of Perry who said the promise was likely red-circled by officials at the Department of National Defence. Few Canadians realize that the military is home to the largest intelligence organization in the federal government, in terms of sheer numbers. Precise figures are hard to establish, but the defence intelligence establishment is believed to be the country's second-best-funded intelligence organization The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, earlier this year, signalled it wanted to see the military's intelligence branch put on a tighter legislative leash, similar to legal constraints on civilian spy agencies. The committee recommended the Liberal government think seriously about drafting specific laws to govern how and under what circumstances military intelligence missions can take place. The Liberal platform promises to create a specific defence procurement agency, which is curious in the sense that a series of government ministers and senior officials have lauded how well military procurement has been going since the Liberals came to power. "There is a bit of a disconnect here," said Perry. "The message [with the platform promise] is that you're not happy with the way procurement has gone and you want it to go differently, better or make some substantive change." https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/fed-elxn-world-1.5303672

By: Christina Mackenzie PARIS — Maj. Gen. Didier Tisseyre is France's new cyber defense force commander — the “conductor” of an orchestra made up of military officials and the domestic defense industry, as he puts it. Cyber Defence Command was created in 2017 and was expanded in January when Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly announced France will develop and deploy offensive cyber weapons. Tisseyre took on the lead role Sept. 1 from his predecessor and most recently served as the deputy to that former commander. He spoke to Defense News earlier this month in a meeting room at the Armed Forces Ministry. What is your role as the head of Cyber Defence Command? I am a conductor, and my orchestra is made up of the Army, Navy and Air Force chiefs of staff, ANSSI [France's National Agency for the Security of Information Systems], and defense industry leaders. We must protect our systems, be robust, be resilient because if France's vital interests are attacked, then the armed forces must be able to react. Our weapons systems, our command systems are all computer-controlled. This makes them powerful and effective but also vulnerable, so we must be able to protect them. And today this protection must be as global and end-to-end as possible. This means that everyone in the Ministry of the Armed Forces must work together, and there must be a conductor to coordinate the protection and the defense of our interconnected networks. That is my job I have a staff and a number of specialized units who contribute to this defense and coordinate it. But within each armed force — the Navy, the Army, the Air Force — there are cyberwarriors who liaise with us to defend their systems. We work very closely with ANSSI, exchanging information so that we can anticipate future attacks. We also work closely with our fellow NATO members, our bilateral partners and other international organizations. The idea is to be able to anticipate and not just to react. What does France consider a top cyberthreat? Cyberspace is a very positive place for bringing people together and is wonderful for the economy, for arts and so on. But precisely because it brings thousands of people into contact with each other, it is also used to get money fraudulently, to influence, to destabilize, to spread ideologies. And even if we must maintain freedom of expression, there are certain things in France which cannot be said publicly — [incitement to ethnic and racial hatred, for example]. Our principle is that everything that happens in real life is transposable into cyberspace, so for France and many other countries, the law is just as applicable in cyberspace as it is in real life. But because there is a general impression that no rules apply in cyberspace, then individuals and groups use it for criminal activities, spying, destabilizing electoral processes. And the question arises as to whether these individual or groups are being backed by states. As a member of the armed forces, my duty is to be paranoid and assume that the cyber enemy may have a strong, state-backed criminal intent to prepare conflicts, and so that is what we must be prepared for. How do you anticipate the ways imaginative hackers will act? By hiring imaginative youngsters ourselves. Our cyberwarriors have to be extremely motivated to protect the ministry's systems and France, obviously. They must have very specialist IT technical or social media know-how, or be brilliant intelligence gatherers. A lot of what is said on social networks allows us to learn about our enemy, to anticipate possible attacks, or even enables us to hinder their propaganda, particularly on our theaters of operation in Africa or the Levant, for example, where part of our mission is to stop jihadist groups from recruiting. Our cyberwarriors have to have a particular frame of mind because we are not asking them to configure the network or equipment, we are really in a combat situation in cyberspace. We work on operations to defend or to undertake offensive actions to protect our systems, our freedom to act, to guarantee the sovereignty of our systems. Is France confronting specific threats that are different from those faced by other countries? Fundamentally, no, because we are all cyberattacked by people trying to block our computers, and attackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their ways of hacking. How does France respond? We must be prepared to react. But France considers that attributing an attack — notably where advanced persistent threats, [or APT], are concerned — is a very political, highly sensitive thing to do. APT can be the work of individuals seeking ways to make money, or being paid by others and potentially linked to intelligence services of other nations. If an organization such as NATO is attacked, then France is, by principle, against collective attribution. Each member of the organization must agree that the attacking individual or group is taking its orders from a state because attribution of blame, as I said, is highly political: You're designating a state as being responsible for attacking another one, and that has a very strong impact. You have to be able to prove it, and the state that has been blamed might not appreciate having the finger pointed at it. In the physical world when an aircraft crosses into another nation's airspace or a vehicle crosses a border, there is concrete proof: radar, photographs and so on. The difficulty in cyberspace is that it's very easy to pass oneself off as somebody else and to hide one's tracks; [just] because an APT is perpetrated by attackers physically present in one country, that [doesn't mean] they were taking their orders from that country. Here's an example to illustrate my point: They could use a server in Germany to send the data to the U.K., which then rebounds in France and finally attacks the United States. So Washington would try and work back to see where the attack came from and would eventually discover that it came from Germany, but that doesn't mean the order to attack came from Germany. In cyberspace, leads very quickly get entangled. So we really have to be extremely careful about a hack-back before thorough due diligence has been undertaken. What France wants is that each member state validates the blame before the finger is pointed. We are against the idea that just because one member blames a state for attacking it, that NATO takes it as a given and invokes Article 5 of the NATO treaty, [which calls for collective action if a member state is attacked]. What would happen if France is attacked? It depends. If France thinks that the attack came from a state and wants a collective reaction from NATO, then there'd be a whole lot of discussions about the risk of escalation, Article 5, the right to self-defend and so on. These notions involve significant commitments for countries, and so we want things to be clearly defined where cyberspace is concerned: What is an attack? Who was targeted? What are the consequences of the attack? Did it touch the physical integrity of nationals of the country? Were the operating systems of a hospital or a power station impacted? We want to take into account the economic or human impact of the attack and the nature of the attacker: Was it an individual having fun? Was it a group, and what were its motivations? Was it a jihadist group with terrorist intent, or was it outright a state pre-positioning itself for future conflicts or trying to wield influence? France wants things to be clear. We want to establish how international laws apply to cyberspace, and as I mentioned earlier, we insist on due diligence. Could you explain what you mean by “due diligence”? If, for example, France sees that it has been attacked via a server in Germany, then “due diligence” means that instead of us simply hacking Germany back, we would ask the authorities in Berlin to act to stop that server being used. So even if, within NATO, a member state is attacked, then France holds that that state is not authorized to hack back without due diligence being undertaken first. It's a bit complex, but we've listed the types of attack, the principle of digital sovereignty, the references to the Tallinn Manual — [the independent academic research product authored by an international group of about 20 experts to guide how international law applies to cyber conflicts and cyberwarfare]. And we've positioned ourselves with regards to this, and in certain particular cases have said, “Be careful, our interpretation of X is slightly different for these reasons,” and we explain why. We also explain that we consider an attack on information systems in France is an attack on our national sovereignty. That gives us the right to riposte, not necessarily in a cyber way but it could be a diplomatic response or an economic one ― it depends on the nature of the attack and the impact it has and on the attacker himself, what his motivations were and in what framework the attack took place. How does the ministry work with industry? The ministry knows how to defend itself, and we have the right, within a very strict framework, to undertake offensive cyberattacks in foreign operations. The attacker knows that a direct attack on us is thus likely to fail. So he will ruse. He'll attack the weak link: the defense industry, notably the subcontractors that may only make a small component of a weapon or an IT system. He'll put a virus or malware in that subcontractor's system, and it will progressively make its way into the major contractor's system and then into the weapon system. And as all these are interconnected, then this is how we would be attacked. So we need to have confidence in the entire supply chain, and we are on the verge of signing a convention with industry aimed at raising general awareness of this risk at every level of industry. France has allocated €1.6 billion (U.S. $1.8 billion) to cyber defense in its 2019-2025 military program law. What are the main spending priorities? To ensure that the system is protected and defendable. Until recently, we concentrated on the functionality of the system: what it was designed to do and who for (the Air Force, the Navy, the Army, etc.). And making the systems secure was an additional layer to the basic functions, so if funds ran out, then sometimes the layer would be only half done or had holes in it. Today we are aware that there is such vulnerability in computer systems that security has to be built in by design. It's part and parcel of the functionality of the system. We're also spending money on the detection of attacks. Our network has sensors in it to detect whether anyone is using the network who shouldn't be. We're working on the characterization of attacks, which means we're collecting data on malware — a bit like a laboratory that might keep a sort of library of viruses and bacteria — to be able to quickly establish what type of attack is being undertaken and therefore what the best “medicine” is for it. And of course we'll be hiring another 1,000 cyberwarriors between now and 2025. https://www.fifthdomain.com/international/2019/09/30/frances-new-cyber-defense-conductor-talks-retaliation-protecting-industry/

By: Nathan Strout Space technology is developing so fast that by the time the tech makes it through the acquisitions process and into orbit, it's practically obsolete. “The technology is moving at such an accelerated pace and these technologies are on such a steep trajectory that the traditional acquisition system just frankly can't keep up,” explained Ken Peterman, president of government systems for Viasat. To combat this trend, the U.S. Air Force's space acquisition arm, the Space and Missile Systems Center, is focused on quickly building prototypes as a way to speed up development and bring nontraditional companies into the Pentagon's space. Using tools such as other transaction authorities, Section 804 — a rapid acquisition approach that aims to field capabilities within two to five years — the Space Enterprise Consortium and Air Force pitch days, SMC is encouraging an acquisitions model focused on prototyping over the slower, more cumbersome Pentagon procurement procedure. The missile warning example Under the Pentagon's normal acquisition process, it could take the better part of a decade — or longer — from contract award to launching a satellite into orbit. Consider the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared satellite system. OPIR is supposed to replace the Space-Based Infrared System as the nation's premier early warning missile detection and tracking satellite system, providing significantly more capacity than the current constellation. But under traditional acquisitions, OPIR wouldn't be available until nine years after contract award. That wasn't going to cut it. So service leaders took a new approach. Instead of going through the traditional acquisition process, the Air Force would adopt a rapid prototyping approach to accelerate development. And rather than develop large, exquisite satellites meant to last generations, new satellites would be smaller, less expensive and built for replacement in three- to four-year cycles. “We have existing programs of record ... that continue to take the four or five or six years or whatever that we originally contracted for. I think our goal going into the future is to get more on a three- to four-year cycle for our satellites, not just in production but also in terms of their amount of principal time on work,” said SMC Commander Lt. Gen. John Thompson. Lockheed Martin used this approach to build three OPIR satellites. Instead of subcontracting with one company to build the satellites' payloads, Lockheed Martin is having two teams compete to build the best OPIR payload. This not only mitigates the risk of failure by having two competing prototypes, but also moves to a fail-early model where a successful prototype is less likely to lead to issues later on. Applied to OPIR, rapid prototyping has cut the projected timeline for the project in half. “It is harder to move fast if you haven't done the underlying innovation, prototyping and technology development that allows those systems to go forward. So even when you look at things like Next Gen OPIR, which is not a three- to four-year cycle, we're bringing that from what would have been 108 months down into the five-year timeline; that was the fuel,” said Col. Dennis Bythewood, program executive officer for space development at SMC. Hither the Space Enterprise Consortium OPIR is one example of the rapid prototyping approach the Air Force is taking with space procurement. But perhaps the best example of SMC's rapid prototyping approach is the Space Enterprise Consortium, or SpEC. Established in 2017 through an other transaction authority, or OTA, SpEC is an organization comprised of 325 members who can apply to build space-related prototypes. To date, the Air Force has issued more than 50 awards to the group to develop prototypes, ranging from a ground system for OPIR to a new space vehicle that could extend the Link 16 network to beyond line-of-sight communications. Often, the consortium awards multiple contracts for one project, allowing companies to compete to produce a viable technology. Although not every prototype succeeds, the approach allows for failure earlier in the development process than the traditional acquisition model. “[This strategy] allows individual components to fail, but us to continue to move forward. And that's a place where you can see competitive prototyping with multiple vendors going head-to-head. I don't know which one will be successful when we start, but there's a much higher likelihood that I'm going to end up with multiple success at the tail end,” Bythewood said. Because the consortium specializes in OTAs, it's able to open the door to nontraditional companies that don't have the time or resources to go through the regular acquisition process under the Department of Defense. “OTAs are good in the sense that they're a lot more flexible, they're not hard contracts — they're just agreements. And in that respect, they attract nontraditional suppliers, people who haven't been working with DoD and don't want to recall all their accounting systems, so that they can comply with all the cost-reporting requirements for DoD and everything like that. So for a lot of companies, they're attractive,” said Cristina Chaplain, director of the Government Accountability Office's contracting and national security acquisitions team. Small startups and venture capital-funded companies are a big part of commercial growth in space. But for a long time, these companies have been frustrated in their attempts to engage with the Pentagon on space, Chaplain said. OTAs, and the consortium in particular, knock down barriers between the DoD and small, commercial, space-focused companies. Of course, working with less traditional companies also opens the door to increased risk. These companies aren't necessarily familiar with the way the Pentagon does business. And even if OTAs offer flexibility, working with the government be a major challenge. That's why SpEC was designed with mentorship in mind. In the SpEC framework, there's room for these small companies to partner with larger, more established players. Kay Sears, Lockheed Martin's vice president and general manager for military space, explained that defense contractors can work with SpEC to find innovative startup companies that need help bringing their new technologies to bare for the Pentagon. The result is a symbiotic relationship, where prime contractors such as Lockheed can take smaller companies under their wing as they navigate the complex world of the DoD, while the startups can help Lockheed innovate. “We're not asking those companies to become defense companies, we're asking them to actually stay commercial and stay motivated to their original business plan, but to work with us and we can mentor them to help develop that technology,” Sears said. “So we have to find those nuggets of commercial capability and commercial innovation, and then bridge that into the mission understanding that we have and the mission systems that we can contract (for) and deliver.” ‘The darker side' While the Air Force is quick to tout the expected benefits of the SpEC approach, there are potential downsides. For one, transparency. “The darker side is that it's harder to have good management and oversight if you're not requiring all the same things from the contractors. You're not getting the same kind of reporting,” Chaplain said. The Government Accountability Office can help hold the Pentagon and contractors accountable over the long lifetime of a program contract, tracking spending increases, delays and failures. And the GAO is able to provide some oversight for OTAs, however it's more difficult than programs going through the regular acquisitions process, Chaplain explained. Another problem is funding. The rapid prototyping approach requires more money up front and a less risk-averse approach. Next Gen OPIR will be a test run for whether Congress can get on board with that approach for space. As the Air Force sped up OPIR's timeline with rapid prototyping, it created a significant increase in their near-term budget. For fiscal 2020, the Pentagon asked for $1.4 billion for the program. That's a $459 million increase over what was projected for FY20 during the last budget cycle. The House has balked at that amount, authorizing $1 billion of the requested funding. The Senate Appropriations Committee has taken the opposite approach. Not only did Senate appropriators vote to fully fund the request; they threw in an additional $536 million to fully fund the program. As the senators noted in their report on the bill, OPIR will serve as a test case for whether Congress will support SMC's rapid prototyping approach. “The Committee believes the program will be a[n] exemplar for rapid acquisition of space programs, whether the program succeeds or fails,” the report read. “Failure will have implications for Congress's willingness to fund future programs using the National Defense Authorization Act section 804 rapid prototyping and fielding authorities for similarly large, or even middle tier programs, for years to come. Alternatively, if the program is to have any chance of success, the [Defense] Department cannot continue to rely on reprogramming requests for its funding.” The once and future SpEC Even as the fight over OPIR funding continues in Congress, the Space Enterprise Consortium and its funding has grown by leaps and bounds. “It has been a vast success story for [SpEC]. We began that contract with a $100 million ceiling, which meant that we could execute many different actions within it up to about $100,000. We took that five times higher within the first year,” Bythewood said. And SMC seems keen to build on that approach. On Aug. 20, the Space and Missiles Systems Center issued a request for information expressing an interest in re-competing the SpEC OTA agreement. This new SpEC would have a $12 billion ceiling over 10 years. “We're not going to be awarding a $1 billion contract within SpEC OTA. We're looking at having smaller competitive prototyping efforts that get our products off on the right start in order to deliver capabilities sooner. So if there's a fear ... that we're going to be executing huge programs of record under the SpEC OTA vehicle, that's a kind of [unfounded] fear,” Thompson said. Another example of the rapid prototyping initiative is the Air Force's new pitch days concept, where on designated days, companies can present new technologies to the government and potentially win a Section 804 contract within minutes. The Air Force has been holding pitch days this year for a variety of platforms. The Air Force will be holding its first “Space Pitch Day” from Nov. 4-8 with a focus on launch systems, data mining, space visualization and space communications. Whether it's SpEC, pitch days or working closely with contractors, it's clear SMC sees rapid prototyping as the way forward for military space. “We recognize that when you try new things, some will work great, some will work moderately well and some you might fail fast on. But that's OK because clearly we need to do things differently,” said Peterman of Viasat. “We applaud the kinds of things these senior leaders are doing to try to drive change, get these cutting-edge capabilities into the war fighters' hands as quickly as possible.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2019/09/30/is-rapid-prototyping-the-key-to-space/

SNEHESH ALEX PHILIP New Delhi: As India looks to acquire 114 new medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) to shore up its depleting strength, Swedish defence major SAAB has pitched for a complete Transfer of Technology (TOT) and local production of its Gripen fighter jet at “half” the cost of French alternative Rafale. SAAB India's chairman and managing director (CMD) Ola Rignell made the cost claims in an interview to ThePrint, but added that he wouldn't be surprised if India went in for additional 36 Rafale fighters in the coming years, circumventing the ongoing process to acquire new jets in larger numbers. “India bought 36 Rafale fighter jets from France off the shelf. SAAB and Brazil also signed a contract in 2015 for the sale and local manufacturing of 36 Gripen. The cost was half of what the value of the Indian deal was,” said Rignell, referring to Brazil's $4.68 billion deal with SAAB to manufacture the Gripen locally. “We are setting up an entire aviation ecosystem in Brazil. And the experience and knowledge that Brazil is gaining from this manufacturing is being used by them to design their indigenous fighter aircraft,” the SAAB India CMD said. In 2012, EADS's Eurofighter and Dassault Aviation's Rafale had emerged as the winner of the 2007 MMRCA bid, with the latter being the lowest bidder. But the contract negotiations got stuck over prices. Three years later, the Modi government cancelled the protracted talks and decided to buy 36 Rafale fighters in fly-away condition in a €7.87 billion deal. Now, France is offering another 36 Rafale fighter jets in a government-to-government deal. But these numbers will not suffice in view of the Indian Air Force (IAF)'s MMRCA requirements. During the interview last week, Rignell spoke about what the company is offering to India, his expectations, and the issue surrounding its sales to Pakistan. ‘Gripen cheaper than Rafale' Speaking to ThePrint, Ola Rignell highlighted the efficiency of SAAB's single-engine multirole fighter aircraft vis-à-vis the Rafale, which is being called a game changer for the IAF in the region due to its weapons package. Gripen has the same weapons package as Rafale including the Meteor air-to-air missile, said Rignell. “All NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) missiles are integrated with the Gripen. The only one which is missing is SCALP because it is a French missile. But if India wants, we can integrate the SCALP also though Gripen already has a substitute,” said Rignell. He pointed out that European missile manufacturer MBDA, which makes both Meteor and SCALP, actually found Gripen as the most mature jet to test their missiles on. “MBDA ‘test beded' the Meteor on a Gripen. They found the Gripen to be the most mature. Eighty per cent of Meteor firing tests took place from a Gripen,” he said. Rignell added that Gripen will always be cheaper in comparison to Rafale in life cycle costs as well because of its single-engine build. ‘Would not be surprised' SAAB's India chief said the defence major is offering the best deal to the country, but he won't be surprised if India opted to buy another 36 Rafale jet from France. “I would not be surprised,” said Ola Rignell. But he noted that the additional 36 jets will not fulfill the IAF's requirement. “The original 36 Rafale was bought when the IAF needed 126 MMRCA. Now there is an RFI (Request for Information) for 114 aircraft. Additional 36 Rafale would still not fulfill what the IAF actually not just wants but needs,” he said. India and France have already spoken about the latter's proposal for 36 additional Rafale jets, but New Delhi hasn't disclosed any information about such a move. No fresh deal with Pakistan While Saab is offering the Gripen fighters to India, it is also providing the early warning aircraft system to Pakistan — an issue that has upset the IAF. Pakistan used the SAAB-manufactured early warning aircraft system to coordinate its attack on an Indian military installation in Jammu and Kashmir a day after the Balakot strike earlier in February. During his visit to Sweden in June this year, Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa had expressed his displeasure with the defence major for supplying Pakistan with early warning systems and also offering Gripen fighters to India. New Delhi is of the view that it will be difficult to do business with a country that also arms the enemy. In a bid to pacify the IAF, Ola Rignell persisted that SAAB is not selling any new products to Pakistan. He also pointed out that every contender has dealt with Pakistan, and other assets were also used in the post-Balakot action. Pakistan had used French fighters Mirage as well American F-16s. However, Rignell remained non-committal on future sales to Pakistan, saying the Swedish government decides on such matters and not the company. “As far as I know, we are not selling any new products to that country (Pakistan). There is an old order and we are fulfilling our contract obligation,” Rignell said. The Pakistan Air Force had ordered three new SAAB 2000 early warning aircraft in 2017 to supplement the ones that were destroyed in a terror attack on Minhas air base five years before that. Rignell added that he was part of the meeting in Sweden when Dhanoa raised the issue and this is exactly what he had told him as well. “We are trying to sell the latest AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) — Golden Eye — to India. We have sold them to UAE. (But) India is already working on its indigenous systems,” he said. India operates the IL76 ‘Phalcon' AWACS as well as the Embraer ‘Netra' early warning aircraft. https://theprint.in/defence/saab-wants-offer-gripen-half-rafale-cost-full-tech-transfer-local-production/298778/

ByEd Adamczyk Sept. 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing Co. a $2.6 billion contract to build 15 KC-46 tanker aircraft, as well as spares and support documents. The deal, announced Friday by the Department of Defense, calls for exercise of a contract option to build the additional aircraft, as well as supply two spare engines, five wing refueling pod kits, spare parts and support equipment. Work on the contract will be performed in Seattle, Wash., and is expected to be completed by March 2023. The Air Force plans to purchase 179 such aircraft, known as the Pegasus, by 2027, and Japan's air defense force has purchased four. The plane is a military aerial refueling and strategic military transport aircraft with origins in the Boeing 767 passenger plane, capable of midflight refueling of fighter planes and other aircraft. Designed to replace the Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers, the Air Force acquired its first KC-46 in January 2019. The plane's development has a troubled history. Boeing received a $55.5 million contract in August to redesign the plane's boom telescope actuator, which controls the device that swings out from beneath the plane to refuel other planes. The tankers were grounded in March for one week after the Air Force said it found loose tools and other foreign object debris inside the completed airplanes. The issues came just weeks after the company delivered the first two aircraft to the Air Force, and Boeing called the problem "a big deal" in an internal memo in February. These and other issues caused the plane's development program, and delivery of the first 18 planes, to be three years behind schedule. Pease Air National Guard Base, N.H., became the first guard base to receive a KC-46 plane in August. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2019/09/30/Boeing-nets-26B-for-next-15-KC-46-Pegasus-tankers/9411569856689

By: Andrew Chuter OSLO, Norway — Are you a navy looking to spend less when buying and operating warships? Norwegian defense company Kongsberg reckons it may have the answer. Kongsberg has taken the wraps off a new multirole warship design that the company says extensively uses commercial systems and can be built in commercial yards for substantially less money and in less time than traditional warships. With warship procurement becoming eye-wateringly expensive, Kongsberg's defense and aerospace arm is pitching its Vanguard design as a way to save money via a 50 percent life-cycle cost reduction. Vanguard will have what is effectively a plug-and-play capability, enabling the multipurpose vessel to pack containers — that meet this International Organization for Standardization's guidelines — with equipment to swap missions as diverse as hydrographic survey to anti-submarine, area-denial and other roles in a matter of hours. Kongsberg doesn't traditionally build or design warships. The Norweigian company is better known in the defense sector for pioneering the use of remote weapons for land vehicles and development of the surface-to-surface Joint Strike Missile for use on the F-35 fighter jet. Design work on the platform was led by Norwegian maritime consultancy Salt Ship Design. It's the company's first major military program, having previously focused on complex commercial ship design work in the offshore energy sector, among other markets. Kongsberg and Salt have been collaborating on the project for more than two years. Salt executives said conceptual work was more or less finished, and they are now engaged in initial design work. Vanguard has been fitted out with Kongsberg equipment like a commercial bridge system overlaid with military specifications. But company officials said the flexibility to install other systems to meet customer requirements is a key element of the program. Baseline ship equipment is predominantly supplied by Kongsberg Defence Systems. Its sister operation, Kongsberg Maritime, is a major player in the commercial maritime sector and earlier this year acquired Britain's Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine. Frank Tveiten , Kongsberg's vice president of naval integrated defense systems, said Vanguard has sparked the interest of potential customers and shipyards. “We have tested it in the market with very positive reactions. The baseline warship fitted with Kongsberg systems and sensors is substantially cheaper than other warships. It's going to rock the market a little bit,“ he said. Tveiten said the economies stretched beyond procurement with manning levels as low as 16-20 people, and a speed requirement that results in very low fuel consumption. Build time for a Vanguard in a commercial yard could be as little as two years, according to the Salt executives. Kongsberg executives said Vanguard would suit emerging navies as well as interest some larger navies looking to increase offshore patrol, corvette and frigate numbers without breaking the bank. Senior Norwegian naval officers at a Kongsberg briefing in Oslo on Sept. 26 said they are interested in the concept but were guarded about whether Vanguard could be a contender to replace the Navy's Helge Ingstad frigate, which was written off after a collision with an oil tanker last year. Chief of the Navy Rear Adm. Nils-Andreas Stensones said there is a gradual move to the use of commercial systems onboard warships, and that Norway's experience with Coast Guard vessels and other ships using similar systems had been positive. “We have had a very good experience when it comes to the Coast Guard over the last 30 years. Also, our new supply ship is built to civilian standards with some military adaptions, and the experience so far is good,” Stensones said. “We see that in many areas we can use civilian technology to great benefit. We see [the use of] commercial equipment sliding gradually to the more high-end applications, but how far [one[ can go with that we don't know yet." “The cost of building military-specified platforms today is becoming prohibitively expensive. If you can reduce the cost of the platform, you can invest more in weapons and sensors. It's finding the best balance,” he added. “Whether we will end up with this concept [Vanguard], I don't know. The hardest part is the training. If you have a mission module onboard, you also need a trained crew — that may be the biggest challenge.” https://www.defensenews.com/industry/techwatch/2019/09/30/kongsberg-unveils-vanguard-warship-design-that-could-rock-the-market

NAVY United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Connecticut, is awarded a $2,195,644,813 modification (P00011) to a previously awarded advanced acquisition contract (N00019-18-C-1021). This modification definitizes the production and delivery of 112 F135-PW-100 propulsion systems for the Air Force, 46 F135-PW-600 propulsion systems for the Marine Corps, and 25 F135-PW-100 propulsion systems for the Navy. In addition, this modification definitizes award of long lead components, parts and materials associated with 129 F135-PW-100 and 19 F135-PW-600 propulsion systems for non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participants and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Connecticut (67%); Indianapolis, Indiana (26.5%); and Bristol, United Kingdom (6.5%), and is expected to be completed in February 2023. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy); non-U.S. DoD participant; and FMS funds in the amount of $3,561,262,259 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($878,133,063; 40%); the Marine Corps ($619,150,637; 28%); the Navy ($178,828,697; 8%); non-U.S. DoD Participants ($420,087,247; 19%); and FMS customers ($99,445,169; 5%). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Sprint Communications Co. L.P., doing business as Sprint, Reston, Virginia (N00244-19-D-0013); and Manhattan Telecommunications Corp., doing business as MetTel, New York, New York (N00244-19-D-0014), are awarded an estimated $993,500,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract for wireless services and devices in support of the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, other Department of Defense agencies, and federal agencies. The contract will include a base period, Sept. 30-Nov. 7, 2019, due to an on-ramp to the existing Spiral 3 Wireless Services multi-agency contracts with three one-year option periods which if exercised, the total value of this contract will be $993,500,000. The program ceiling amount is $993,500,000. The contract line item numbers (CLIN) amounts are not firm individual ceilings, but are rather representative of the program amount for administrative purposes. Therefore, if the amounts stated on a given CLIN are not utilized in a given year, they shall be available for subsequent option periods if exercised. The whole unobligated program ceiling amount remains available throughout the life of the contract until such time as the amount becomes obligated. Work is expected to be completed by November 2019; if all options are exercised, work will be completed by November 2022. Work will be performed at various locations throughout the U.S. and percentage of work cannot be determined at this time. Annual fiscal year operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,000 will be obligated ($5,000 on each of the two contracts to fund the contracts' minimum amounts), and funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract resulted from a full and open competitive solicitation, with two offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center San Diego, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Space, Titusville, Florida, was awarded a $494,875,260 fixed-price-incentive, cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (PZ0001) to a previously awarded and announced un-priced letter contract (N0003019C0100) for TRIDENT II (D5) missile production and deployed systems support. Work will be performed in Cape Canaveral, Florida (23%); Kings Bay, Georgia (19.5%); Bangor, Washington (19.4%); Sunnyvale, California (16.7%); Denver, Colorado (8%); Titusville, Florida (4.8%); Magna, Utah (2.7%); Orlando, Florida (1.3%); and other various locations (less than 1% each, 4.6% total). Work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2024. The maximum dollar value of the modification, including the base and all option items, if exercised, is $1,226,750,858. Fiscal 2019 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $38,341,216; and United Kingdom funds in the amount of $4,165,366 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is being awarded to the contractor on a sole source basis under 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) and was previously synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities website. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded an $84,577,989 firm-fixed-price contract for design and construction of the basic training command for Naval Special Warfare Command at Naval Base Coronado. The contract also contains two unexercised options and six planned modifications, which, if exercised, would increase cumulative contract value to $106,789,165. The work to be performed provides for the design and construction of a new basic training command schoolhouse and includes a combat training tank complex. An addition to the existing operational storage and distribution facility is also included, along with renovations to two buildings and demolition of 19 buildings. The options, if exercised, provide for a boat support facility and a medical facility renovation and addition. The planned modifications, if issued, provide for furniture, fixtures, audiovisual equipment, and physical security equipment. Work will be performed in Coronado, California, and is expected to be completed by August 2022. Fiscal 2018 military construction, (defense-wide) contract funds in the amount of $84,577,989 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with 11 proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-19-C-1238). The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory (CSDL), Cambridge, Massachusetts, is awarded an $83,424,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00030-20-C-0004 to provide research into the applications of technologies to meet guidance requirements for the U.S. Trident II (D5) Strategic Weapon System, and provide specialized technical knowledge for the guidance, navigation and control applications that will support Navy programs. Work will be performed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with an expected completion date of Sept. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $40,239,000 will be obligated on this award. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole source acquisition pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). CSDL has been the design agent for Navy Strategic Missile Guidance Systems since the Fleet Ballistic Missile Program inception in the late 1950's. CSDL possesses the unique knowledge of the total Trident Guidance system including its design and use on the Trident II weapon system. The purpose of a MK6 life extension effort also procured under this contract is to provide credible deterrence throughout the TRIDENT II weapon system's extended service life. The unique expertise and experience at CSDL makes them uniquely qualified to perform this life extension effort. No source other than CSDL has the technical capacity, facilities, and critical expertise, including comprehensive knowledge and understanding of design, to provide the engineering, program management, and repair and refurbishment support of deployed TRIDENT II MK6 missile guidance systems or the development of the MK6LE guidance systems. No other known source possesses similar capability, and no other institution possesses the combined, unique system test facilities, receives knowledge and overall experience to understand and resolve the issues associated with the Navy's TRIDENT II guidance and reentry mission. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. RQ Construction LLC, Carlsbad, California, is awarded a $70,864,328 firm-fixed-price contract for design and construction of P5825 Joint Task Force Barracks at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. The work to be performed provides for the construction of austere standard design barracks. Primary facilities include living and sleeping quarters, information systems, fire protection and alarm systems, and energy monitoring and control system connection. Work will be performed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and is expected to be completed by March 2022. Fiscal 2018 military construction, (Army) contract funds in the amount of $70,864,328 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with two proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-19-C-1324). The Boeing Co., Jacksonville, Florida, is awarded a $70,825,736 modification (P00002) to a previously awarded, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-19-D-0003). This modification exercises an option to provide F/A-18 E/F and EA-18G aircraft inspections, modifications and repairs as well as F/A-18 E/F and EA-18G inner wing panel (IWP) modifications and repairs. The remanufacturing efforts for the F/A-18 E/F and EA-18G will restore aircraft and IWP service life projections to the new design specifications. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida (77%); St. Louis, Missouri (13%); and Lemoore, California (10%), and is expected to be completed in September 2020. No funds are being obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. EMCube Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded a $67,371,583 mixed contract type containing both cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price line items to provide services for the U.S. and United Kingdom Trident II D5 Strategic Weapon System programs and the United Kingdom Dreadnought programs. Specifically, this procurement will provide systems engineering and training support; orientation and culture awareness training; security engineering; independent system safety and surety support; Trident training to the United Kingdom Royal Navy; leadership training for Strategic Systems Programs and Field Activities; Ship Submersible Guided Nuclear support and life extension II (LE2) system support. Work will be performed at Alexandria, Virginia (60%); Washington, District of Columbia (20%); Kings Bay, Georgia (5%); Silverdale, Washington (5%); United Kingdom (4%); Pittsfield, Massachusetts (1%); and Baltimore, Maryland (5%), with an expected completion date of Sept. 30, 2024. Subject to the availability of funding, fiscal year 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $7,554,770 will be obligated and United Kingdom funds in the amount of $462,785 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, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00030-20-C-0009). Delphinus Engineering Inc.,* Eddystone, Pennsylvania (N64498-19-D-4038); NDI Engineering Co.,* Thorofare, New Jersey (N64498-19-D-4039); Q.E.D. Systems Inc.,* Virginia Beach, Virginia (N64498-19-D-4040); LPI Technical Services Inc.,* Chesapeake, Virginia (N64498-19-D-4041); Continental Tide Defense Systems Inc.,* Reading, Pennsylvania (N64498-19-D-4042); Tecnico Corp.,* Virginia Beach, Virginia (N64498-19-D-4043); and Epsilon Systems Solutions Inc.,* Portsmouth, Virginia (N64498-19-D-4044), were each awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed-priced ordering provisions for engineering and technical services to support Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division's (NSWCPD), Hull, Mechanical and Electrical (HM&E) modernization programs. Delphinus Engineering Inc. was awarded a $62,366,080 contract. NDI Engineering Co. was awarded a $55,325,516 contract. Q.E.D. Systems Inc. was awarded a $50,780,791 contract. LPI Technical Services Inc. was awarded a $58,966,325 contract. Continental Tide Defense Systems Inc. was awarded a $62,697,337 contract. Tecnico Corp. was awarded a $56,143,802 contract. Epsilon Systems Solutions Inc. was awarded a $59,386,372 contract. The mission of the NSWCPD HM&E Division is to transition HM&E machinery technology to the Navy active/reserve fleet and to support various sponsors for Navy modernization programs. This requires development and execution of various ship changes (SC), specialty trade industrial and prototype engineering support, and ship alterations to upgrade and maintain in a more cost-effective and timely manner the system/equipment readiness of various Navy HM&E and electronic systems. The Navy modernization program provides a full spectrum of industrial specialty trades and technical support encompassing all phases of the alteration/SC installation process. These services are accomplished in whole or in phases that minimize interruption in ship operating schedules while maximizing the capacity of type commander and Naval Sea Systems Command agencies to upgrade and modernize HM&E and electronic systems. Work will be performed at various Navy bases, shipyards, repair facilities and contractor facilities in the continental U.S. and overseas. Work performed under this multiple-award contract will contain a five-year ordering period and is expected to be complete by September 2024. Fiscal 2019 operation and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $483,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year (10 U.S. Code 2410(a) authority will be invoked at time of award for the fiscal 2019 operation and maintenance (Navy) funding.) The total value of all task orders issued under these multiple-award contracts, when combined, shall not exceed the value of the highest proposal received. The guaranteed minimum for each contract awarded is $10,000. These contracts were competitively procured via Federal Business Opportunities website as a total small business set-aside, with seven offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Sept. 27, 2019) Korte Construction Co., St. Louis, Missouri, was awarded a $55,962,617 firm-fixed-price contract for P-471 design and construction of a new Navy Gateway Inn and Suites (NGIS) and demolition of older lodging facilities at Naval Air Station (NAS) Key West. The contract also contains three unexercised options, which, if exercised, would increase the cumulative contract value to $76,356,204. The work to be performed provides for the design and construction of an NGIS with at least 244 rooms on no more than four floors and demolition of four buildings (A-648, A-649, A-650, and A-727) located on Boca Chica Key, near the main NAS Key West airfield. The new facility, located at Trumbo Point, NAS Key West, will accommodate transient personnel associated with year-round training operations, and will serve as a satellite facility for the adjacent NGIS “Fly Navy” lodging facility. The contractor shall provide all labor, supervision, engineering, materials, equipment, tools, parts, supplies and transportation to perform all work described in the request for proposal. The options, if exercised, will add an additional 134 rooms and provide for furniture, fixtures, and equipment. Work will be performed in Key West, Florida, and is expected to be completed by January 2022. Fiscal 2018 military construction, (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $55,962,617 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website with six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-19-C-0903). (Awarded Sept. 27, 2019) L3 Harris Technologies Inc., Anaheim, California, is awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee $48,747,332 contract modification (P00020) to exercise an option to a previously awarded and announced contract (N00030-18-C-0001), and award two new procurement contract line item numbers (CLIN) to provide support in the acquisition and engineering of both on-board and off-board FTI systems. Work will be performed in Anaheim, California (56%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (27%); Washington, District of Columbia (4%); Bremerton, Washington (3%); Kings Bay, Georgia (3%); Norfolk, Virginia (2%); Laurel, Maryland (2%); Silverdale, Washington (2%); Barrow-In-Furness, England (1%), with an expected completion date of Sept. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2019 other procurement funds in the amount of $1,625,928; fiscal 2019 weapons procurement funds in the amount of $30,109,163; fiscal 2019 United Kingdom funds in the amount of $12,119; and fiscal 2020 United Kingdom funds in the amount of $2,039,000 are being obligated on this award. Strategic Systems Programs, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $43,889,245 firm-fixed-price delivery order N0002419F5637 under previously awarded contract N00024-15-D-5217 for 281 Technical Insertion Sixteen (TI-16) Common Display System (CDS) Variant A water-cooled and air-cooled production consoles. CDS is a set of watch station consoles designed to support the implementation of Open Architecture in Navy combat systems. The TI-16 CDS is the next evolution in the CDS family and consists of a three-eyed horizontal display console. This delivery order combines purchases for the Navy (64%); Coast Guard (2%); and the governments of South Korea (28%); and Japan (6%). Work will be performed in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be complete by March 2020. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy); fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) (Navy); fiscal 2019 weapons procurement (Navy); fiscal 2018 other procurement, Navy (OPN); fiscal 2018 weapons procurement (Navy); fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2017 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2016 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and governments of South Korea and Japan funding in the amount of $43,356,682, will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Funding: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) (South Korea) $12,650,960 (29%); fiscal 2019 OPN $8,283,690 (19%); fiscal 2017 shipbuilding and conversion, Navy (SCN) $7,752,076 (18%); fiscal 2018 SCN $4,222,532 (10%); fiscal 2016 SCN $2,956,338 (7%); FMS (Japan) $2,612,224 (6%); fiscal 2019 RDT&E $2,057,016 (5%); fiscal 2018 OPN $1,997,434 (5%); fiscal 2019 weapons procurement, Navy (WPN) $561,332 (1%); fiscal 2018 WPN $263,080 (less than 1%). The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Mississippi, is awarded a $40,277,158 modification (P00039) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost reimbursable, labor hour indefinite-delivery, requirements contract (N00019-14-D-0011). This modification opens up the ordering period to provide organizational, intermediate, and depot-level maintenance, logistics, and engineering support. The effort involves providing services in support of the T-45 Pilot Production Recovery effort, equipment, tools, direct material, and indirect material required to support and maintain all Navy T-45 aircraft, aircraft systems, and related support equipment to support flight and test and evaluation operations. Work will be performed in Kingsville, Texas (53.6%); Meridian, Mississippi (39.6%) and Pensacola, Florida (6.8%), and is expected to be completed in March 2022. No funds are being obligated at time of award, funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems Corp., Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded a $33,594,304 for cost-plus-fixed-fee job order N6339419F0043 under previously awarded blanket order agreement N6339416G0006 for providing in-service engineering; design; integration; test and evaluation; software development, logistics product development and distribution; configuration management and training support of the Littoral Combat Ship, Freedom variant combat system initiatives for Naval Sea Systems Command. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (52%); Baltimore, Maryland (20%); Arlington, Virginia (12%); Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania (7%); Jacksonville, Florida (6%); Orlando, Florida (1%); Berlin, New Jersey (1%); Clearwater, Florida, and Charlottesville, Virginia (combined 1%), and is expected to be complete by September 2022. Fiscal 2019 and 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); and 2019 and 2018 other procurement (Navy), funding of $3,006,539 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, (Navy) funding of $928,008 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This job order was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c) (1), this contract was non-competitively procured (only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements). The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division, Port Hueneme, California, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $30,468,348 modification (P00005) to a previously awarded, cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-19-C-0004). This modification exercises the option to continue lab infrastructure activities in support of F-35 system integration labs. In addition, this modification provides administration, maintenance and preparation of F-35 labs to test updated or corrected software and hardware configurations across the F-35 platform. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (70%); and Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (30%), and is expected to be completed in March 2020. Non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participant funds in the amount of $5,424,586 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. DeMaria Building Co., Novi, Michigan, is awarded a $28,729,993 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of the ambulatory care center at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River. The work to be performed provides for construction of an ambulatory care clinic to incorporate the Marine centered medical home concept for Marine active duty personnel at MCAS New River. Supporting facilities include utilities, site improvements, facility special foundations, parking, anti-terrorism force protection measures, demolition, and environmental protection measures. Existing building AS100 will be demolished. Work will be performed in New River, North Carolina, and is expected to be completed by October 2021. Fiscal 2019 military construction (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $28,729,993 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with five proposals received. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-19-C-9124). Asturian-Consigli JV LLC,* Virginia Beach, Virginia, is awarded firm-fixed-price task order N4008519F7139 at $25,737,473 under a small business, design build/design bid build general construction multiple award construction contract for the envelope repair of Building 261 and 1539 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. The work to be performed provides for envelope repairs to the facility to provide a long-term solution for effective water penetration resistance. The project also includes fire protection upgrades to the facility to comply with applicable criteria and the removal of the existing 165-ton stiff leg derrick, associated support machinery, and associated utilities. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by August 2022. Fiscal 2019 operation and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $25,737,473 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Two proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-18-D-1124). Chugach Consolidated Solutions LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska (N62473-19-D-4427); TerraNul, LLC,* Pembroke Pines, Florida (N62473-19-D-4428); King and George LLC,* Fort Worth, Texas (N62473-19-D-4429); and Miramar International Group Inc.,* Riverside, Illinois (N62473-19-D-4430), are each awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award service contract for facility support and maintenance services at various reserve centers located in California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The maximum dollar value including the base and four option periods (60 months) for all four contracts combined is $25,000,000. Chugach Consolidated Solutions LLC is awarded the initial task order (seed project) at $3,049,161 for facility support and maintenance services at various Marine Corps Reserve training centers (Pasadena, Concord, San Bruno, and Pico Rivera) in California. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by September 2024. The work to be performed provides for maintenance, repair, and alteration services for systems and facilities, including minor construction (incidental to services) associated with various support service functions including family housing, bachelor quarters, facility management, facility management (relocatable facility) and facility investment. All work on this contract will be performed primarily within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest area of responsibility, which includes California (91%); Arizona (5%); Colorado (1%); Nevada (1%); New Mexico (1%); and Utah (1%). The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months with an expected completion date of September 2024. Fiscal 2020 operation and maintenance (O&M), (Marine Corps Reserve) contract funds in the amount of $231,399 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the fiscal 2020. Future task orders will be primarily funded by O&M, (Navy Reserve) and O&M (Marine Corps Reserve). This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website with five proposals received. These four contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Rockwell Collins Inc., a Collins Aerospace Co., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is awarded a $24,708,215 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide for the engineering and manufacturing development of the Enhanced Visual Acuity (EVA) system. EVA will increase flight safety and mission effectiveness by allowing Department of the Navy rotary-wing and tiltrotor (RW/TR) aircrews to maintain required visual situational awareness down to Very-Low-Light-Level (VLLL) flight operations. In addition, the EVA system will provide a heads up display for pilot and co-pilot viewing of mission specific video imagery generated by the host aircraft. Work will be performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (40%); Santa Clara, California (30 %); Westborough, Massachusetts (15%); and Los Gatos, California (15%), and is expected to be completed in March 2023. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,000,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; two offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-19-C-0038). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $17,603,904 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N0001919F4078) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0001). This order procures non-recurring engineering support to design, develop, validate and verify the Cabin Pressure and On-Board Oxygen Generation System Monitoring System (CPOMS) kit. In addition, this order provides validation installs and the production and delivery of 112 CPOMS kits for the Navy. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri (90%); and San Antonio, Texas (10%), and is expected to be completed in December 2022. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement and research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $16,300,077 will be obligated at time of award, $6,540,661 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Greenbelt, Maryland, is awarded a $16,460,896 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of reserve training center complex at Joint Expeditionary Base, Little Creek, Virginia Beach, Virginia. The work to be performed will provide low-rise reinforced concrete and a steel framed building will be of permanent construction with masonry exterior walls and gypsum board interior walls, concrete floors, and pile foundation. The joint reserve center areas include an assembly hall, classrooms, medical exam rooms, conference room, storage, crews lounge, administrative areas, recruiting office, toilets/locker room/showers, janitorial space, and mechanical equipment spaces. The Marine Corps exclusive use areas include active duty administrative offices, unit conference space, administrative space, supply/storage areas, recruiting space, armory, shops for communications equipment maintenance, multi-media/local area network control center, NEXGEN secure and equipment room, firearm training simulator, training aids storage, exercise and double locker room area. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by September 2021. Fiscal 2019 military construction (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $16,460,896 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with three proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-19-C-9061). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $15,537,941 modification (P00003) to a cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order (N0001917F173) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0001). This modification provides for the design and development of the Environmental Control System (ECS), test article, and associated unique instrumentation and equipment for the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G aircraft. The ECS is a critical capability that will assist in eradicating physiological episodes and improving aircrew safety. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri (60%); and El Segundo, California (40%), and is expected to be completed in December 2020. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,305,907 will be obligated at time of award, $9,864,158 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. The National Marine Mammal Foundation Inc., San Diego, California, is awarded a $13,317,292 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-reimbursement-type contract to provide veterinary care, research support, animal care, and training of marine mammals in the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program. This one-year contract includes four one-year option periods which, if exercised, would bring the overall potential value of this contract to an estimated $70,662,266. Work will be performed at government facilities in San Diego, California (92%); at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia (5%); and at Naval Base Kitsap in Bangor, Washington (3%). The period of performance of the base award is from Sept. 30, 2019, through Sept. 29, 2020. If all options are exercised, the period of performance would extend through Sept. 29, 2024. Fiscal 2019 funds will be obligated using Navy working capital funds. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is awarded using other than full and open competition in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 6.302-1 and 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), only one responsible source. The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-20-C-0023). Diversified Service Contracting Inc.,* Dunn, North Carolina, is awarded a $13,186,727 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) modification to extend the period of performance under an IDIQ contract for small base operations support at Patuxent River. After award of this modification, the total cumulative contract value will be $97,003,688. The work to be performed provides for all labor, management, supervision, tools, materials and equipment required to perform pest services, grounds services, janitorial services, and transportation services. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland. This extension covers the period from October 2019 to September 2020. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2020 operation and maintenance (Navy) in the amount of $13,186,727 for recurring and non-recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the period of the contract extension. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N40080-11-D-3020). Veterans Northwest Construction LLC,* Seattle, Washington, is awarded a firm-fixed-price task order (N4425519F4418) from the basic contract (N44255-17-D-4015) at $11,226,000 under a multiple award construction contract for the Building 983 controlled industrial facility (CIF) design-bid-build ventilation repair project, Naval Base Kitsap, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and intermediate maintenance facility (PSNS and IMF), Bremerton, Washington. This project will repair the antiquated structural, mechanical and electrical systems of Building 983, CIF at PSNS and IMF, Bremerton Washington. Architectural work includes demolition, replacement and repairs to insulation, roof penetrations, walkways, flashing, vents, and necessary components that have deteriorated to the point of failure. Mechanical and electrical work includes disconnecting, relocating, reinstalling and testing of heat vent and air conditioning and their associated control systems. Site preparation includes laydown, storage, necessary tools, materials and equipment, and safety features. The work will be completed in Bremerton, Washington, and is expected to be completed by August 2020. Fiscal 2019 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $11,226,000 are obligated on this award and will expire in five years. Five solicitation emails were sent and four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Northwest, Silverdale, Washington, is the contracting activity for the basic contract (N44255-17-D-4015) and the NAVFAC Bremerton Field Engineering Acquisition Department, Bremerton, Washington, is the contracting activity for the task order. Harris Corp., Palm Bay, Florida, is awarded a $10,113,048 modification (P00014) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00421-17-C-0024). This modification is for the procurement of 114 Fibre Channel Network Switches for the Navy and government of Kuwait EA-18G, F/A-18E/F, E-2D aircraft, including two units for the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division's Manned Flight Simulator Laboratory. Work will be performed in Malabar, Florida, and is expected to be completed in December 2021. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy); working capital (Defense); and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funds in the amount of $10,113,048 are being obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Harris Corp., Palm Bay, Florida, is awarded a $9,959,544 firm-fixed-price contract to procure 23 digital map computers (DMC); and 72 digital video map computers (DVMC) for Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP); 28 DMCs and 24 DVMCs for the Navy; and 13 DMCs for the government of Bahrain. These capabilities will be integrated on the F/A-18E/F, AH-1Z and H-1 aircraft. Work will be performed in Malabar, Florida, and is expected to be completed in August 2021. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy); fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); working capital fund (Navy); and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funds in the amount of $9,959,544 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for NAVSUP ($6,238,989; 63%); the Navy ($3,088,404; 31%); and the government of Bahrain via the FMS program ($632,151; 6%). This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-19-C-0039). Gomez Research Associates Inc.,* Huntsville, Alabama, is awarded a $9,442,774 Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase III, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for counter improvised explosive devices and unmanned aerial system technology. This contract includes options, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $47,463,250. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama (60%); Sofia, Bulgaria (20%); Belgrade, Serbia (15%); and Kiev, Ukraine (5%); and is expected to be complete in September 2024. Fiscal 2019 operation and maintenance (Army) funding in the amount of $5,000,000 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website and is a sole source award in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-5 Authorized or Required by Statute – 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c) (5).The Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division, Indian Head, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00174-19-C-0021). T&E Technologies LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska, is awarded an $8,945,065 for cost-plus-fixed-fee contract berthing and messing barge organizational level maintenance support services in support of Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. The contract will include a one-year base period and four one-year option periods which if exercised, the total value of this contract will be $44,624,743. Work is expected to be completed by November 2020. If all options on the contract are exercised, work will be completed by November 2024. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (33%); Bremerton, Washington (26%); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (18%); Yokosuka, Japan (9%); Apra Harbor, Guam (8%); and Sasebo, Japan (6%). Fiscal 2020 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,945,065 will be obligated at time of award and funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The solicitation for this requirement was issued under authority 10 U.S. Code 2304 (b)(2), with three offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center San Diego, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N00244-19-C-0008). Raytheon Co., Tewksbury, Massachusetts, is awarded an $8,804,039 firm-fixed-price, and cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-5145 to procure, build, install, and test onboard trainer hardware for DDG 1000 ship class combat systems. The DDG 1000 ship class is a multi-mission surface combatant designed to fulfill volume firepower and precision strike requirements. DDG 1000 combat systems provide offensive, distributed, and precision firepower and long ranges in support of forces ashore, while incorporating signature reduction, active, and passive self-defense system and enhanced survivability features. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Rhode Island (50%); and Tewksbury, Massachusetts (50%), and is expected to be complete by January 2021. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $8,804,039 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, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Valiant Government Services LLC, Hopkinsville, Kentucky, is awarded an $8,765,195 (firm-fixed-price $7,358,383 and indefinite quantity $1,406,812) indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification for the exercise of Option Number Two under an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operations support services in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia (EURAFSWA) area of responsibility. The work to be performed provides for all management and administration, facilities management and investment, janitorial, pest control, integrated solid waste, pavement clearance, and environmental services to provide base operations support services. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $25,570,646 (firm-fixed-price $21,350,211 and indefinite quantity $4,220,435). Work will be performed at Capodichino, Gaeta and Gricignano, Italy. This option period is from October 2019 to September 2020. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2020 operation and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $7,358,383 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the second option period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, EURAFSWA, Naples, Italy, is the contracting activity (N62470-17-D-4011). Coastal Enterprises of Jacksonville Inc., Jacksonville, North Carolina, is awarded an $8,170,504 firm-fixed-price modification under an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the exercise of Option One for naval hospital custodial services at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. The total contract amount after exercise of this option will be $16,179,944. No task orders are being issued at this time. The work to be performed provides for various custodial services including, but not limited to, emptying trash cans, sweeping, dusting, mopping, cleaning toilets, and medical waste disposal for the naval hospital, medical clinics, dental clinics, and wounded warriors' barracks. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and this option period is from October 2019 to September 2020. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. Task orders will be primarily funded by fiscal 2020 operation and maintenance (Navy), Defense Federal Health Program. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-18-D-6161). Souza Construction Inc.,* Farmersville, California, is awarded a firm-fixed-price task order (N6247319F4901) for $8,100,307 under a multiple award construction contract for design and construction of repair Sky Top substation and circuit five repair at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. The work to be performed is to provide material, equipment and labor to repair Sky Top substation and replace existing power poles and cross arms, insulators and disconnects. Work will be performed in China Lake, California, and is expected to be completed by October 2020. Fiscal 2019 Navy working capital fund contract funds in the amount of $8,100,307 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One proposal was received for this task order. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-19-D-2429). Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded an $8,004,622 modification (P00006) to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-19-C-0004). This modification provides additional contractor support to increase the development flight test aircraft capacity for F-35 test. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (80%); and Edwards Air Force Base, Florida (20%), and is expected to be completed in March 2020. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Marine Corps); and non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participant funds in the amount of $8,004,622 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Marine Corps ($6,579,479; 82%); and non-U.S. DoD participants ($1,425,143; 18%). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Metson Marine Services Inc.,* Ventura, California, is awarded $7,618,818 for modification P00009 to the previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N68836-19-C-0002) to exercise Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.217-9 for Option Period One for port operations support services that include maintenance and repairs of government furnished boats, service craft, and waterfront equipment; oil spill response; industrial marine services; docking regular overhauls; ship movement and fleet liaison support services; berth day support; facility response team services; counter-terrorism support; barrier and gate services; and exclusion buoy inventory in support of Commander, Navy Region Southeast. The contract will include a nine-month base period and four one-year option periods which if exercised, the total value of this contract will be $35,545,878. Work is expected to be completed by September 2020. If all options on the contract are exercised, work will be completed by September 2023. Work will be performed in Kings Bay, Georgia (30%); Kingsland, Georgia (28%); Mayport, Florida (18%); Pensacola, Florida (15%); Key West, Florida (4%); Port Canaveral, Florida (3%); Panama City, Florida (1%); and Jacksonville, Florida (1%). Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds (98%); and fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (U.S. Coast Guard) funds (2%) in the amount of $3,398,123 will be obligated at time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with the solicitation as a 100% total small business set-aside requirement with five offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity. Insitu Inc., Bingen, Washington, is awarded a $7,497,412 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract procures product and hardware support required to provide rapid response to fielded unmanned aerial systems, unmanned air vehicles and operational personnel. Work will be performed in Bingen, Washington (90%); and China Lake, California (10 %), and is expected to be completed in September 2024. 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 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity (N68936-19-D-0026). AIR FORCE United Launch Services (ULS), Centennial, Colorado, has been awarded a $1,175,842,965 firm-fixed-price modification (P00001) to previously awarded contract FA8811-19-C-0002 for National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Delta IV Heavy launch services. This contract modification is for Launch Operations Support (LOPS) services for five NSSL National Reconnaissance Office missions, all of which require ULS's Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle. Work will be performed at Centennial, Colorado; Pueblo, Colorado; Decatur, Alabama; and Harlingen, Texas, with launch facilities at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida; and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 29, 2024. The total contract value is increased from $467,537,345 to $1,643,380,310 to include five annual options. Fiscal 2019 procurement funds are being obligated at the time of award. The Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity. The MITRE Corp., Bedford, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $451,345,707 cost reimbursement option contract for services. This contract provides for support to the Air Force from MITRE as the administrator of the National Security Engineering Center Federally-Funded Research and Development Center. Work will be performed in Bedford, Massachusetts; McLean, Virginia, and various locations throughout the continental U.S. and outside the continental U.S., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2020. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $327,003 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, has been awarded a $200,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Small Diameter Bomb II Life Cycle Support Contract III. This contract provides lifecycle support includes, but is not limited to, all efforts related to the SDB II and variants in various support efforts for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development integration, production, sustainment, testing, obsolescence analysis and management, logistics support, testing, training, upgrades, and software updates. Additionally, studies and analysis related to current and future expansion of system performance, simulations, modeling, test hardware, technical support, aircraft integration activities, and procurement of all associated test hardware to support the activities and repair of non-warranted assets will be procured using this contract vehicle. Technical support for the SDB II system provides for engineering, management fielding and logistical tasks required to ensure technical baselines remain current and effective and that future growth requirements remain feasible. Work will be performed at Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2024. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 Air Force and Navy ammunition procurement; and research and development funds will be used, and no funds are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8672-19-D-0001). L-3 Technologies Inc., San Diego, California, contract has been awarded a $92,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price/time and material contract for Telemetry and RF Production and Sustainment Services. This contract provides for miniature cryptographic unit 110B/C and KI-700 hardware and technical support of these products. Work will be performed at San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by April 30, 2024. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 space procurement; and fiscal 2019 research and development funds in the amount of $6,195,846 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA8307-19-D-0001). M1 Support Services, Denton, Texas, has been awarded a $71,449,848 modification (A00051) to previously awarded contract FA3002-16-C-0006 for aircraft maintenance services. This modification exercises the fourth option period of a seven-year, firm-fixed-price contract for T-6, T-38 undergraduate pilot training and T-38 Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals aircraft maintenance services. Work will be performed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2020. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $204,286,163. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds will be used and no funds will be obligated at the time of the award. The 82d Contracting Squadron, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, is contracting activity. The Boeing Corp., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $70,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators. Will be performed at St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2022. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2018 ammunition procurement funds in the amount of $26,285,280 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8681-19-D-0008). Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio, has been awarded a $42,156,000 bilateral, shared ceiling increase modification (P00003) to previously awarded FA8650-15-D-1953 for research and development. The Microelectronics and Embedded Systems Assurance (MESA) contract modification will provide for basic, applied, and advanced research and development to develop, evaluate, and facilitate the transition of technologies to improve the security and reliability of microelectronics and embedded systems. Work will be performed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 21, 2022. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $90,877,000. No funds are being obligated at the time of the award. The Air Force Research Lab, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Riverside Research Institute, New York, New York, has been awarded a $42,156,000 bilateral, shared ceiling increase modification (P00003) to previously awarded contract FA8650-15-D-1847 for research and development. The Microelectronics and Embedded Systems Assurance (MESA) contract modification will provide for basic, applied, and advanced research and development to develop, evaluate, and facilitate the transition of technologies to improve the security and reliability of microelectronics and embedded systems. Work will be performed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 21, 2022. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $90,877,000. No funds are being obligated at the time of the award. The Air Force Research Lab, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Cubic Defense Applications, San Diego, California, has been awarded a contract valued at $41,100,000 for P5 Air Combat Training System (P5CTS) equipment delivery. This contract provides for the procurement of Air Force and Qatar P5CTS equipment. Work is performed at San Diego, California, and is expected to be complete by October 2021. This contract involves foreign military sales to Qatar. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $31,249,695 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8210-19-C-0002). AT&T Government Solutions, Vienna, Virginia, has been awarded a $23,615,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Tyndall Air Force Base Supplement Communications Recovery Effort (TSCR). This effort is for relief in rebuilding Tyndall AFB, a disaster area due to Hurricane Michael. The TSCR is to complete the holistic communication infrastructure and IT services restoration effort by delivering a modernized Wide Area Network and Base Area Network delivery solution. Work will be performed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 25, 2020. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $23,615,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (FA8726-19-F-0153). L3 Technologies Inc., Arlington, Texas, has been awarded a $17,374,120 firm-fixed-price contract for an F-16 A/B Block 15 simulator. This contract provides for one F-16 A/B Block 15 simulator. Work will be performed at Arlington, Texas, and is expected to be complete by Nov. 30, 2023. This contract involves 100% foreign military sales to Thailand. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $17,374,120 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8621-19-C-0009). PKL Services Inc., Poway, California, has been awarded $13,143,186 for a modification and a request for equitable adjustment to previously awarded FA4897-18-C-2002 for flight operations and maintenance. The contract modification provides for the exercise of Option Year Two and an increase due to a request for equitable adjustment under 52.222-43(f) pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement. This modification involves foreign military sales to Singapore. Work will be performed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2020. The total cumulative value of the contract is $24,972,317. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $13,143,186 are being obligated at the time of the award. The 366 Financial Acquisition Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum Heights, Maryland, has been awarded a $12,496,295 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Mercury Program, a top secret/special compartmented information special access program. The overall objective of the program is to research electronic warfare. Work will be performed at Linthicum Heights, Maryland, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 28, 2021. This award is being awarded to the subject contractor under limited competition and six offers were received. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $5,700,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-19-C-7926). Umyuaq Technology LLC, San Antonio, Texas, has been awarded a $12,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for fiber optic cabling and infrastructure support services for the 88th Communications Squadron. This contract provides for communications cable installation support services to defense activities at all areas of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Work will be performed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2025. This award is the result of a directed 8(a) Alaskan Native Corporation (ANC) acquisition. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $44,238 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management, Information Technology Contracting, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8604-19-D-3501). Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Marietta, Georgia, has been awarded an estimated $10,515,989 delivery order to provide software maintenance updates and engineering support on the C-5M Galaxy weapons system. Work will be performed in Toronto, Canada; and Torrance, California, and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2021. This award is a result of a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 transportation working capital funding in the amount of $10,515,989 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8525-19-F-0034). Valley Tech Systems Inc.,* Folsom, California, has been awarded a $9,924,238 cost-per-fixed-fee contract for the development and testing of open system signal intelligence framework. This contract will further enhance the body of knowledge in the cyber domain through the research and development of innovative concepts and advancement in the software defined radio state-of-the-art to support signal intelligence related capabilities including real-time collection, geolocation and signal exploitation. Work will be performed at Folsom, California, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2022. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and two offers were received. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-19-C-1531). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., doing business as Northrop Grumman Technical Services, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has been awarded a $9,374,145 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the B-2 Crystal Oscillator Replacement Engineering Services. This contract provides engineering labor services for B-2 Crystal Oscillator replacement. Work will be performed at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Heath, Ohio; Redondo Beach, California; Mitchel Field, New York; and Placentia, California, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 29, 2022. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 working capital funds in the amount of $9,374,145 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Sustainment Center, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (FA8117-19-C-0007). Thales Defense and Security Inc., Clarksburg, Maryland, has been awarded an $8,500,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for F-16 Helmet Mounted Integrated Targeting System interim contractor support. This contract provides for repairs of the F-16 Helmet Mounted Integrated Targeting System and assistance in starting up the organic depot repair program. Work will be performed at Clarksburg, Maryland, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2024. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2017 and 2018 Air National Guard procurement funds in the amount of $1,067,222 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8232-19-D-0019). Multibeam Corp., Santa Clara, California, has been awarded an $8,164,910 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for research and development. The MEBL-Embedded Chip ID to Assure Traceability and Provenance of All Integrated Circuits contract's objective is to develop technology to address design assurance to ensure that the Department of Defense maintains access to advance and legacy integrated circuit technology nodes through the implementation of assurance technologies embedded within an integrated circuit. Work will be performed at Santa Clara, California, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2021. This award is the result of a non-competitive acquisition. Fiscal 2019 research and development funds in the amount of $8,164,910 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Research Lab, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-19-C-1938). Classic Site Solutions Inc., Framingham, Massachusetts, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $7,795,409 firm-fixed-price contract for the Repair East Ramp and Taxiway Golf project. This contract provides for the maintenance and repair on primary pavements critical to the mission and operations at Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts. This project will prolong the life of the existing pavements by replacing old joint sealants on Taxiway G, as well as repairing spalls, cracks and selective slab replacements on the East Ramp Parking Apron which is the primary parking apron for the C-5 aircra

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Sept. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has been awarded a $281 million contract by the United States Army to develop the Sentinel A4 radar system. Sentinel A4 is a high-performance modification of the Sentinel A3 (AN/MPQ-64A3) air and missile defense radar that will provide updates to improve the existing Sentinel capability against cruise missiles, unmanned aerial systems, rotary wing and fixed wing threats. The new Sentinel A4 radar will provide improved surveillance, detection, and classification capabilities against current and emerging aerial threats in order to protect Army maneuver formations and high value static assets to include: command and control nodes, tactical assembly areas and geo-political centers. This needed capability will help protect our warfighters for the next 40 years. "By leveraging our open scalable radar architecture and production efforts, we believe we provide the lowest risk and best value solution for the U.S. Army that will help protect our warfighters for years to come," said Dr. Rob Smith, vice president and general manager for Lockheed Martin's Radar and Sensor Systems. "We have fielded numerous tactical Gallium Nitride (GaN) based radars beginning with the delivery of the TPS-77 Multi Role Radar to Latvia in 2018 and we are under contract with the Army to insert GaN into the Q-53 system." Proven Radar Experience With broad and deep experience developing and delivering ground-based radar solutions to our customers, our high-performing, high-reliability, solid state radar (SSR) systems specialize in counter target acquisition, early warning, situational awareness, and integrated air and missile defense. Our radars are designed with the highest degree of commonality and fully integrated SSR systems. They can operate in all environments, are available in highly mobile configurations and are deployed worldwide. It's why Lockheed Martin's ground-based radars are the choice of more than 45 nations on six continents. About Lockheed Martin Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 105,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. SOURCE Lockheed Martin https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2019-09-27-U-S-Army-Awards-Lockheed-Martin-Contract-to-Develop-Sentinel-A4-Radar