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ARMY Lockheed Martin Corp., Grand Prairie, Texas, was awarded a $1,142,750,791 modification (P00038) to contract W31P4Q-18-C-0049 for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2022. Fiscal 2018, 2019 and 2020 procurement appropriations, Army, and 2020 Foreign Military Sales (Romania and the Republic of Korea) funds in the combined amount of $1,142,750,790.62 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. CBRE, Cleveland, Ohio (W912DY-20-D-0055); EMCOR, Arlington, Virginia (W912DY-20-D-0024); Facilities Services Management Inc.,* Clarksville, Tennessee (W912DY-20-D-0056); Quality Services International LLC,* San Antonio, Texas (W912DY-20-D-0057); Hospital Housekeeping Systems LLC, Dripping Springs, Texas (W912DY-20-D-0058); Sodexo Management Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland (W912DY-20-D-0059); Valiant Government Services, Hopkinsville, Kentucky (W912DY-20-D-0060); J&J Worldwide Services, Austin, Texas (W912DY-20-D-0061); VW International,* Alexandria, Virginia (W912DY-20-D-0062); and Zero Waste Solutions, Concord, California (W912DY-20-D-0063), will compete for each order of the $396,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to provide specialized services to support Army, Air Force, Navy and Defense Health Agency medical facilities throughout the U.S. and outside the U.S. (Republic of Korea, Japan, Thailand, Germany, England, Portugal, Turkey and Italy). Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 26, 2025. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $92,000,000 cost-no-fee, firm-fixed-price, fixed-price-level-of-effort contract for the Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense Plug & Fight A-Kit, materials and support. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 29, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-20-F-0150). R. C. Construction Co. Inc., Greenwood, Alabama, was awarded a $30,127,950 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a 3,850 square foot pre-engineered building. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Hurlburt, Florida, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 14, 2023. Fiscal 2018 military construction, Army funds in the amount of $30,127,950 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W91278-20-C-0009). Accenture Federal Services, Arlington, Virginia, was awarded a $21,718,289 modification (P00032) to contract W52P1J-17-C-0022 to exercise option period two of the General Fund Enterprise Business System - Sensitive Activities. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation, Army and operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $21,718,289 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded an $18,026,834 modification (P00099) to contract W56HZV-17-C-0067 for Abrams systems technical support. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 26, 2021. Fiscal 2019 procurement of weapons and tracked combat vehicles, Army; 2020 operations and maintenance, Army; 2020 Foreign Military Sales (Kuwait); and 2020 Army working capital funds in the amount of $18,026,834 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity. NAVY Raytheon Missile Systems Inc., Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $90,421,317 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the Joint Multiple Effects Warhead System (JMEWS). The EMD effort includes the design, integration, test and evaluation of the JMEWS. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (79%); Cincinnati, Ohio (15%); Plymouth, Minnesota (3%); and Rocket Center, West Virginia (3%), and is expected to be completed by November 2023. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,162,342 and fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $6,374,456 will be obligated at time of award, $1,162,342 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-20-C-0004). DZSP 21 LLC, Marlton, New Jersey, is awarded a $60,187,207 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification to add and exercise a 6-month option period for base operating support (BOS) services at Joint Region Marianas. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $199,520,375. Work will be performed at various locations on the island of Guam, and is expected to be completed by August 2020. The work will provide facility and BOS for the following services: management and administration, port operations, ordnance, material management, facility management, sustainment, restoration and modernization, electrical, wastewater, steam, hot water and demineralized water, potable water, transportation and environmental. Fiscal 2020 working capital funds (Defense); fiscal 2020 transportation Air Force working capital funds; fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy, Air Force, Defense); fiscal 2020 family housing operations and maintenance (Navy); fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps, Army, Army National Guard and Air National Guard); fiscal 2020 health program funds (Defense); fiscal 2020 General Fund; and fiscal 2020 commissary agency (Defense) contract funds in the amount of $60,187,207, of which $56,278,824 will be obligated on this award, $3,908,383 will be incrementally funded, and all will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract modification was issued as a sole-source procurement under the authority of 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1, only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-19-C-1175). Cass Holdings LLC,* Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is awarded a $43,516,006 firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides for the refurbishment of AM2 Matting packages to include Landing Matting (F71/F72), Heavy Duty Matting (F73) and Spacer Matting (F78) in accordance with Naval Air Systems Command drawing package instructions and directives in support of the aircraft launch and recovery equipment's expeditionary airfield program. Work will be performed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and is expected to be completed in February 2025. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via Federal Business Opportunities; two offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N68335-20-D-0015). Raytheon Co., McKinney, Texas, is awarded a $23,287,384 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the naval surveillance application upgrade. This contract provides for improving radio frequency (RF) sensors on naval surveillance applications. The improvements will potentially provide increased SWPC (size, weight, power and cooling), modular open system architectures and resolution against small maritime/air targets, detection of moving targets in synthetic aperture radar imagery and the formulation and extraction of other detection and classification features. Further, these improvements may demonstrate multi-source autonomous surveillance capabilities in support of the RF detection, tracking and identification thrust area. Work will be performed in McKinney, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 2024. The total cumulative value of this contract is $23,287,384. The base period is $23,287,384 and no options were proposed. The action will be incrementally funded with an initial obligation of $2,931,730 utilizing fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under N00014-19-S-B001, "Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science & Technology." Since proposals are received throughout the year under the Long Range BAA, the number of proposals received in response to the solicitation are unknown. The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00014-20-C-1018). BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Inc., Nashua, New Hampshire, is awarded a $21,380,547 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost contract to provide hardware, technical engineering, management and logistics support associated with the fabrication, assembly, test and delivery of 235 T-1622/ALE-55(V) Fiber Optic Towed for the Navy and foreign military sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Nashua, New Hampshire (48%); Chelmsford, United Kingdom (12%); Mountain View, California (6%); Rochester, New York (4%); San Diego, California (4%); Landenberg, Pennsylvania (3%); Hamilton, New Jersey (2%); Commerce, California (2%); Los Osos, California (2%); Toledo, Ohio (1%); various locations within the continental U.S. (16%), and is expected to be completed by March 2022. Fiscal 2020 procurement of ammunition (Navy and Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $13,752,949 and FMS funds in the amount of $7,627,598 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-20-C-0042). Melwood Horticultural Training Center Inc., Upper Marlboro, Maryland, is awarded $19,007,322 for an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under the AbilityOne program for custodial, recycling and grounds maintenance support for all labor, management, supervision, tools, materials and equipment required to perform facility investment services for federal installations located within a 100-mile radius of the National Capitol Region (NCR). Work will be performed at various installations in and around the NCR. This contract covers the period from March 2020 to February 2021. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, (Navy) in the amount of $15,504,479.00 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the option year two period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N40080-18-D-0306). Forward-looking Infrared (FLIR) Surveillance Inc., Wilsonville, Oregon, is awarded a $16,108,026, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for repairs of sensor systems, procurement of spare parts, upgrades and engineering services that are in direct support of the Ground Based Operational Surveillance System program. Work will be performed in Wilsonville, Oregon (70%) and Taby, Sweden (30%), and is expected to be completed by February 2025. This action supports the Marine Corps System Command G-BOSS program's FLIR optical sensor systems: the Star SAFIRE III ™ (Gyro-Stabilized Long-Range Thermal Infrared Imaging Sensor System) and the THV-3000™ (Pan and Tilt Long-Range Thermal Imaging Sensor System). The integrated sensors detect, assess and help personnel at risk to counter or avoid improvised explosive devices and other insurgent activities in major combat operations, irregular warfare and military support of stability, homeland defense and civil support operations. This is a sole-source action in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1, only one responsible source. FLIR Surveillance Inc. is the original equipment manufacturer. No other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funding in the amount of $1,866,654 will be obligated at award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity. R.E. Staite Engineering Inc.,* San Diego, California, is awarded a $15,261,525 firm-fixed-price task order N62473-20-F-4350 under a multiple award construction contract for maintenance dredging at Naval Base San Diego. The task order also contains two unexercised options, which if exercised would increase cumulative task order value to $15,363,685. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by September 2022. The work will provide for the maintenance dredging to Pier 10 slip, mouth of Chollas Creek, approach corridor for Navy small craft vessels and tug-boats, north approach corridor from Pier One to north of Pier Eight, and south approach corridor from south of Pier Eight to south of Pier 13 to re-establish the design operational and berthing depth required for Navy ships and other vessels. The project also includes ocean disposal material turbidity curtain and additional dredging costs associated with a monitoring station identified in specification. The options, if exercised, provides for water quality monitoring and reporting identified in the specification and on-site qualified biologist identified in the specification. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $15,261,525 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-16-D-1806). Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News Shipbuilding Division, Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $14,999,841 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-18-C-4314 for continued advance planning and availability preparations for the fiscal 2020 USS Boise (SSN 764) engineered overhaul. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by May 2020. The contracted requirements include continued advance planning pre-availability preparations necessary to repair and maintain unrestricted operation of the submarine, as well as upgrades and modernization efforts required to ensure the submarine is operating at full technical capacity as defined in the availability work package during this Chief of Naval Operations-scheduled availability. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $14,999,841 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Moran Towing Corp., New Canaan, Connecticut, is awarded a $14,597,547 option in the contract (N32205-19-C-3503). The option is a firm-fixed-price contract with reimbursable elements to support Military Sealift Command's service support program for the time charter services of eight tugboats. The tugboats will be capable of ship handling, docking and undocking in the Norfolk, Virginia, harbor and surrounding waters. This is option one of the current contract and includes a one-year-firm period of the performance, three one-year options periods and one 11-month option period. The cumulative value of this contract, if all options are exercised, is $74,005,396. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and surrounding waters, and is expected to be completed if all options are exercised by January 2024. Working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $8,558,561 for option one are currently available for performance under this contract action. Funds in the amount of $6,038,985 for the remainder of option one are to be provided for fiscal 2021 and are subject to the availability of funds in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations 52.232-18 availability of funds. This procurement was released under full and open competition, with an unlimited number of companies solicited via the Beta.SAM.Gov website and with one offer received. The Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N32205-19-C-3503). Alion Science and Technology Corp., Burr Ridge, Illinois, is awarded a $14,361,357 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to exercise an option under a previously-awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N61331-18-D-0007. Work performance locations will be determined with each order and is expected to be completed by March 2023. Funds will be used for the development, integration, testing and evaluation of prototype systems into existing or emerging unmanned vehicles, unmanned weapons, unmanned weapons control systems related to mine warfare, amphibious warfare, surface warfare, diving and life support, coastal and underwater intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and other missions in the littoral and riverine environments. No funding will be obligated at time of award, but will be obligated at the time of delivery. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division, Panama City, Florida, is the contracting activity. Frontier Technologies Inc.,* Beavercreek, Ohio, is awarded a $12,808,653 cost-plus-fixed-fee indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract is a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract action for the procurement of airborne systems decision life cycle planning and analysis methods and tools. This contract includes options which, if exercised, may bring the cumulative value of this contract to $69,496,924. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (90%); Washington, District of Columbia (4%); Patuxent River, Maryland (3%); Norfolk, Virginia (2%); and Jacksonville, Florida (1%), and is expected to be completed by February 2021, and February 2025 if all options are exercised. The services under this contract support wide-ranging initiatives including information technology capabilities, communications, engineering, analysis, planning, assessment, design, hardware and software, operations and administration of network and communications systems for Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $400,000 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 15 U.S. Code 638 (r)(1), as it is a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research for additional work to be performed after the Phase II SBIR period. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona Division, Corona, California, is the contracting activity (N64267-20-D-0041). Serrano Construction and Development Corp.,* Dededo, Guam, is awarded a firm-fixed-price task order (N40192-20-F-4145) at $10,833,673 under an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award design-build construction contract. The work will provide renovation of enlisted personnel unaccompanied housing at buildings 25007, 25009, 25011, 25016 and 25017 on Andersen Air Force Base. Work will be performed in Yigo, Guam, and is expected to be completed by February 2024. The work provides the replacement of windows, door hardware, built-up roofing, roof ventilators and photocell devices, installation of covers for fire alarm pull stations and painting of areas affected by new work, and includes demolition and disposal of items affected by the renovation work. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $10,833,673 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Marianas, Guam, is the contracting activity (N40192-18-D-2804). Arnold Defense and Electronics, Arnold, Missouri, is awarded $10,487,500 firm-fixed price modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00174-19-D-0001 to exercise the option ordering period for the manufacturing of the 2.75-inch rocket launchers and subcomponents to support Navy, Army, Air Force and the governments of South Korea and Pakistan under the Foreign Military Sales program. This option exercise is for the manufacture of 2.75-inch rocket launchers and subcomponents to support the Army for the M260 and M261 Launchers; the Air Force for the LAU131 Series Launchers; the Navy for the LAU61 and LAU68 Series Launchers and the Intervalometers that will be utilized by all services. Work will be performed in Arnold, Missouri, and is expected to be completed by February 2021. No funding is being obligated at the time of award. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division, Indian Head, Maryland, is the contracting activity. General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, is awarded a $7,713,504 cost-plus-award-fee modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-19-C-2322 to exercise options for the accomplishment of planning yard efforts such as engineering, technical, planning, ship configuration, data and logistics efforts for DDG 1000-class destroyers post-delivery and in-service life-cycle support. Work will be performed in Bath, Maine (95%), and San Diego, California (5%), and is expected to be completed by December 2020. This option exercise is for planning yard efforts which will provide Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG) 1000-class technical, engineering and support services, including emergent technical problem investigation and resolution, maintenance and modernization planning, integrated logistics support, configuration data management, maintenance, repair and/or overhaul availability planning and scheduling, modernization planning and scheduling, industrial yard/facility planning and scheduling and material orders, and fabrication and kitting. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $7,226,568 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. AIR FORCE Canadian Commercial Corp., Ottawa, Canada, has been awarded a $39,262,254 firm-fixed and cost-type contract with 100% subcontracting to Coulson Aircrane Ltd., Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. The contract award provides a 27 month period of performance. The location of performance is Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada, and work is expected to be completed by Feb. 2022. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 procurement funds are being obligated at the time of award. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $39,262,254. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8504-20-C-0004). FlightSafety Services Corp., Centennial, Colorado, has been awarded a $33,151,551 not-to-exceed modification (P00038) to previously awarded FA8621-13-C-6247 for the exercise of the KC-46 Aircrew Training System production year 5 options. The contract modification is for the exercise of option contract line item numbers for two additional weapon system trainers, two boom operator trainers, fuselage trainer, fuselage trainer sprinkler system and installation, two pilot part task trainers, boom operator part task trainer, additional learning management workstations, fuselage trainer support equipment, McGuire and Altus Site Activations, systems engineering and program management, Visual Database Airfield Models and new refresher training scenarios. Work will be performed in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and is expected to be complete by Feb. 2022. Fiscal 2018 purchasing and procurement funds are being obligated at the time of award. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $280,871,734. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. LMR Technical Group LLC, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, has been awarded a $7,053,303 contract for the Optimizing the Human Weapon System Services. The contractor provides services to increase the physical capacity of fighter aircrew, decreasing the rate of injuries and accelerating return to duty. Contractor personnel will work with active duty, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Component fighter aircrew to optimize physical performance targeting neck and back pain prevention while monitoring, analyzing and resolving physical readiness concerns. Work will be performed at multiple bases across the Air Combat Command, Pacific Air Forces, and United States Air Force Europe. The award provides services for the base year with a completion date of March 22, 2021. This contract is issued as a result of a competitive acquisition with ten offers received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds are being obligated at the time of the award. Headquarters Air Combat Command, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA4890-20-C-0005). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Travis Association for the Blind,** doing business as The Lighthouse for the Blind, Austin, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $20,727,424 modification (P00022) exercising the second one-year option period of a two-year base contract (SPE1C1-17-C-B003) with three one-year option periods for warehousing, storage, logistics and distribution functions. This is a firm-fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract. Location of performance is Austin, Texas, with a Feb. 28, 2021, performance completion date. Using customers are Air Force, Marine Corps and Defense Logistics Agency. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Marathon Medical Corp., Aurora, Colorado, has been awarded a maximum $12,600,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for hospital equipment and accessories for the Defense Logistics Agency electronic catalog. This was a competitive acquisition with 110 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Colorado, with a Feb. 26, 2025, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DH-20-D-0031). Southern Counties Oil Co., doing business as SC Fuels, Orange, California, has been awarded a minimum $7,065,718 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract for various types of fuel. This was a competitive acquisition with 39 responses received. This is a 54-month contract with one six-month option period. Location of performance is California, with a Sept. 30, 2024, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia (SPE605-20-D-4521). *Small business **Mandatory source https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2096872/source/GovDelivery/

Steve Trimble The U.S. Air Force has adopted a three-phase strategy to select small, innovative companies outside the traditional defense industry to perform advanced development work and to tap Silicon Valley-style venture capital firms to help taxpayers finance the new technology. A new process could help rationalize the one-year-old Air Force effort to attract high-tech startups with dozens of Air Force Pitch Day events. These conferences have led to hundreds of small contract awards but no obvious path to guide the aspiring defense contractors further into the byzantine military acquisition process. U.S. Air Force plans to make 50 large “bets” on technology New acquisition training to be based on Fighter Weapons School For the private startups and venture capitalists involved, the Air Force Ventures initiative is designed to offer a new route to the commercial market for potentially game-changing technologies that could benefit from a risk-tolerant government customer providing funding and early support. “We don't really think of ourselves as a [stand-alone] market, but we purchase things in quantities that [are] meaningful enough that we can bridge companies until they reach a level for commercial success,” says Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics. “That's one reason that [venture capitalists] are interested in this.” The Air Force Ventures process starts with the Pitch Day events, during which the Air Force can place initial “bets” worth up to about $50,000 each in Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants on promising, potentially game-changing ideas, says Roper, speaking to about 1,000 Air Force acquisition officials during a Feb. 14 webinar. As the companies transition toward Phase II SBIR awards, the Air Force plans to grant about 300 contracts worth up to $1 million each—with a program office agreeing to fund about one-third of the costs. The funding match is meant to link the SBIR award to a program office, creating a path for the technology to potentially transition beyond the laboratory stage and into a program of record. The third and final step in the Air Force Ventures concept whittles the pool of awards to about 50 recipients. The amount of the award is potentially “unlimited,” Roper says, but is generally regarded as at least $10 million. The first of the “big bets” in Phase III are now under evaluation, Roper says. The contract awards could be announced at South by Southwest, a week-long technology conference and entertainment festival scheduled for March 13-22 in Austin, Texas. The initiative explicitly seeks to help the Air Force break from traditional defense contractors. As the Air Force attempts to field leap-ahead capabilities within the next decade for the Advanced Battle Management System and Next-Generation Air Dominance, leveraging the innovative ideas and technology flowing into the commercial market is seen as critical. “[R&D] in this country is 80% commercial,” Roper explains. “So in the 21st century, the [defense] industrial base should be dual-use. And so we've got to crack the code on how to have public and private funding work seamlessly inside an Air Force program.” But there are significant challenges as the Air Force tries to leverage commercial-sector technology investments: Small companies often need to find a market quickly to generate revenue and cash flow, whereas government program offices tend to make decisions slowly—and inconsistently. “In many cases, their commercialization [strategy] is devalued [by investors] if they have government funds,” Roper adds. The Air Force's program managers also face a learning curve. “If we're making 1,000 small bets a year, the reason we're making 1,000 is that we know most of them aren't going to pan out. So we can't manage the companies the way we would a traditional program,” Roper says. “But we can manage them as a portfolio—the same way that a private investor or a venture capitalist would.” To prepare, the Air Force is sending acquisition officials back to school. Next year, a cadre of program managers will be enrolled in a six-month course at Stanford University, which will teach the Air Force to manage technology investments like a venture capitalist, Roper says. The next step is to expand educational opportunities within the Air Force. A new acquisition curriculum, modeled on operational training centers such as the Fighter Weapons School, will be created, Roper says. https://aviationweek.com/shows-events/air-warfare-symposium/new-air-force-ventures-set-transform-technology-strategy

Having rebooted the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program, the Army is now is asking industry input on how to achieve nine goals, from survivability to mobility to streamlined logistics. By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR.on February 26, 2020 at 4:01 AM Two months ago, the Army cancelled its original solicitation to replace the M2 Bradley troop carrier after no company could meet the strict requirements. This afternoon, the Army officially asked for industry input on how to achieve nine broadly-defined “characteristics” for the future Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle. “Feedback may be submitted in any form (concepts, information papers, technical papers, sketches, etc.),” says the announcement on SAM.gov. “The Army would like to obtain this initial feedback prior to 06 March 2020.” This call for suggestions on how to move forward comes just weeks after the Army issued a surprisingly apologetic survey asking industry what they did wrong the first time around. It's part of a newly humble approach in which the Army doesn't prescribe formal requirements up-front but instead lays out broad objectives and asks industry how best to achieve them. The chief of Army Futures Command, Gen. Mike Murray, gave reporters a preview of the nine characteristics three weeks ago, but the list announced today is much more detailed – though still leaving plenty of room for companies to brainstorm solutions. Our annotated highlights from the announcement – the emphasis is in the original: Background: The OMFV, as part of an Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT), will replace the Bradley to provide the capabilities required to defeat a future near-peer competitor's force. The Army is seeking a transformational increase in warfighting capability, not simply another incremental improvement over the current Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Concept of employment: As part of an ABCT, the OMFV will not fight alone, but rather as part of a section, platoon, and company of mechanized infantry.... “Near-peer competitor” is Pentagon jargon for “China or Russia” – chiefly Russia in this case, since the plains of Eastern Europe are a far more likely arena for armored warfare than Pacific islands. That the Army wants “transformational” improvements, not “incremental” ones, shows there's still some real ambition in the vision for this vehicle. At the same time, the OMFV will still fight “as part of an ABCT,” meaning the existing Armored Brigade Combat Team organization — not as part of some all-new organization with all-new equipment, as was once envisioned for the cancelled Future Combat Systems. Survivability. The OMFV must protect the crew and Soldiers from emerging threats and CBRN environments. The OMFV should reduce likelihood of detection by minimizing thermal, visual, and acoustic signatures. In other words, the vehicle needs to give the crew a chance of survival against cutting-edge anti-tank missiles, precision-guided artillery, attack drones and other such “emerging threats,” as chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear contamination (CBRN). That does not mean the vehicle itself has to survive intact. The way this is worded, if a hit totals the OMFV but the soldiers inside can walk away, the Army will count that as a win. (The JLTV 4×4 truck takes this same approach to roadside bombs). So the OMFV doesn't necessarily have to have heavy armor protecting the entire vehicle. It could have a heavily armored crew compartment, light armor elsewhere, and an Active Protection System to intercept incoming threats. (The Russian T-14 Armata uses this combination). It also should avoid being spotted in the first place by eye, ear, or thermal sensor, which might favor designs with hybrid-electric motors that can switch from hot, noisy diesels to a battery-driven stealth mode. Mobility. The OMFV must have mobility that can keep pace with the Abrams in a combined arms fight through rural and urban terrain. That's the M1 Abrams main battle tank, which the existing M2 Bradley and M109 Paladin howitzer were also designed to keep up with. This is another aspect of that “concept of employment” that calls for the OMFV to slot into existing formations and work closely with existing vehicles. Note also the reference to “rural and urban terrain,” which will come up again: Traditionally the Army has avoided city fighting, but as urban sprawl covers ever more of the planet, technology and tactics have to adapt to brutal close-quarters combat. Growth. The OMFV must possess the growth margins and open architecture required for rapid upgrades and insertion of future technologies such as mission command systems, protection systems, and sensors. This characteristic is really where you get the potential for “transformational” improvements. The M2 Bradley was originally introduced in 1980 and, after 40 years of upgrades, it has very little margin left to handle additional weight or – even more important nowadays – power-hungry electronics. The Bradley's lack of room to grow has driven the Army to try replacing it three times already: the original OMFV requirements cancelled this year; the Ground Combat Vehicle cancelled in 2014; and the Future Combat Systems cancelled in 2009. Hopefully, fourth time's the charm. Lethality. The OMFV-equipped platoons must defeat future near-peer soldiers, infantry fighting vehicles, helicopters, small unmanned aerial systems, and tanks as part of a Combined Arms Team in rural and urban terrain. This is a more ambitious hit list than the Bradley, which sports machineguns for killing infantry, a 25 mm autocannon to destroy light armored vehicles, and the obsolescent TOW missile for taking on heavy tanks. The Pentagon is increasingly worried about small drones, which ISIS terrorists have used as flying IEDs and Russian artillery has used as spotters for barrages. With Russia and China developing increasingly sophisticated anti-aircraft systems, there's also a concern that US fighters may not be able to keep enemy attack helicopters at bay, forcing ground forces to handle that threat themselves. These aerial targets require more sophisticated tracking systems, and drones may be best dealt with by electronic jamming or lasers rather than bullets. Weight. The OMFV must traverse 80% of Main Supply Routes (MSRs), national highways, and bridges in pacing threat countries, and reduce the cost of logistics and maintenance. Designs must allow for future growth in components and component weights without overall growth of vehicle weight through modularity and innovation. Weight is the issue that has bedeviled Bradley replacements for two decades. The FCS vehicles, optimized for air transport, were too light to carry adequate armor; GCV was too heavy; and the original OMFV couldn't meet its air transport requirements and its protection requirements at the same time. With most bridges in Eastern Europe unable to safely take weights over 50 tons, too much heavy armor can cripple your mobility. Logistics. The OMFV must reduce the logistical burden on ABCTs and must be equipped with advanced diagnostic and prognostic capabilities. Advanced manufacturing and other innovative techniques should be included in the design that reduce the time and cost of vehicle repairs. There are two big factors that make a vehicle hard to keep supplied and in working order. One is weight – heavier vehicles burn more fuel – and the other is complexity. High-tech is usually high-maintenance. The US military is hopeful that AI-driven predictive maintenance can detect and head off impending breakdowns, and that 3D printing can produce at least some spare parts on demand without a long supply line. Transportability. The OMFV must be worldwide deployable by standard inter- and intra-theater sea, waterway, air, rail, and road modes of transportation. The original OMFV requirement very specifically called for two of the vehicles to fit on a single Air Force C-17 jet transport, which proved undoable with the weight of armor desired. This time, the Army isn't specifying any particular aircraft. In practice, armored vehicles are almost always shipped by sea and, where possible, stockpiled on allied soil well before a crisis erupts. On land, since tracked vehicles aren't designed to drive hundreds of miles by road, they're usually deployed to the battle zone by train or tractor-trailer, both of which have their own weight limits. Manning. The OMFV should operate with the minimal number of crew members required to fight and win. The OMFV should allow commanders to choose between manned or remote operation based on the tactical situation. This is the objective that gave the OMFV its name: Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle. Now, since it's a Bradley replacement, the OMFV is supposed to be a troop carrier – specifically, the heavily armed and armored kind known as an Infantry Fighting Vehicle – so by definition it needs to carry people. But the Army is intensely interested in having the option to run it by remote control, or maybe even autonomously, to (for example) scout out especially dangerous areas or carry casualties back to an aid post without pulling healthy soldiers out of the fighting line. Training. The OMFV should contain embedded training capabilities that are compatible with the Synthetic Training Environment (STE). STE is the Army's total overhaul of its training simulators, drawing on commercial gaming technology to develop an array of virtual and augmented reality systems using a common database of real-world terrain. Instead of having to use a simulator in a warehouse somewhere, the Army wants troops to be able to run virtual scenarios on the same vehicles they'll actually fight with. All these characteristics are intertwined – and after its past troubles, the Army is acutely aware that maximizing one, such as protection, may compromise another, such as transportability. That's another thing the service wants feedback on, the announcement says: “The Army is interested in industry partners' ability to meet the desired characteristics and what trades” – that is, trade-offs – “may be necessary.” https://breakingdefense.com/2020/02/omfv-army-seeks-industry-advice-on-bradley-replacement

Par Stéphanie Gallo Triouleyre Créée par Pierre Angénieux en 1932, autour des zooms pour le cinéma et la télévision, puis rachetée en 1994 par le groupe Thales, l'entreprise de Saint-Héand dans la Loire réalise aujourd'hui 4/5e de sa production dans le secteur de la Défense. Elle vient justement de démarrer les livraisons de ses nouvelles jumelles de vision nocturne O-NYX à l'armée de Terre. Elle investit par ailleurs lourdement pour développer l'ensemble de ses activités. La Direction Générale des Armées avait notifié à Thales le marché des jumelles O-nyx fin 2017, la première livraison est intervenue il y a quelques semaines. Ces jumelles de vision nocturnes sont destinées à remplacer progressivement les jumelles Lucie qui équipaient jusqu'ici l'Armée de terre et qui étaient déjà fabriquées par Thales Saint-Héand (ex Thales Angénieux avant la réorganisation des sites Thales) dans la Loire. "Nous sommes partis d'un équipement dont nous disposions pour codévelopper avec la DGA et les utilisateurs. Nous sommes parvenus à des jumelles plus ergonomiques, plus légères (340 grammes NDLR) et plus performantes que celles qui équipent déjà les Forces Françaises", signale Delphine Cabaton, responsable commerciale du projet O-nyx. Plus de 3.500 paires ont d'ores et déjà été commandées. 15 000 unités sur 7 ans Le marché court sur 7 ans et devrait s'accompagner de 1 000 à 2 000 commandes par an, soit au total entre 10 000 et 15 000 équipements O-nyx fabriqués par le site ligérien du groupe Thales. Secret défense oblige, impossible de connaitre le montant du marché. En revanche, Bertrand Boismoreau, directeur d'établissement, souligne l'importance de cet accord : "Nous avons coutume de dire que lorsque l'Armée française investit un euro chez nous, la France gagne deux euros à l'export. L'Armée française a une réputation d'exigence absolue. Si elle commande chez nous, c'est un signal fort pour les armées du monde entier". Pour renforcer ses positions auprès de ce client de premier ordre, Thales Saint-Héand travaille d'ailleurs actuellement sur un appel d'offres de la DGA concernant de nouveaux équipements binoculaires. Elle avait déjà fourni depuis deux ans, 1 000 autres jumelles de vision nocturne aux forces spéciales et avait contribué depuis 10 ans au marché Félin (12.000 équipements de jumelles connectées). Des marchés conséquents à chaque fois et qui ont un impact sur le tissu économique régional puisque le site sous-traite 80% de la valeur de ses équipements. "La jumelle O-Nyx nécessite une douzaine de techniques de fabrication comme la plasturgie ou l'usinage mécanique. Nous nous basons pour cela sur l'expertise des PME locales", explique Benjamin Fournel, responsable d'industrialisation. Il cite par exemple Sagne, Modertech, HEF etc. A l'occasion du marché O-nyx, l'usine de Saint-Héand a décidé par ailleurs d'entrer plus fermement dans l'ère de l'industrie 4.0. Elle a ainsi développé des bancs de test, permettant notamment de caractériser la qualité optique de la jumelle. "Jusqu'ici, les opérateurs devaient vérifier la qualité de nos jumelles à l'oeil. C'est un travail fatigant et sujet à des variations de performance. Ces bancs de test automatisés permettent de simplifier le travail de nos collaborateurs et de fiabiliser la qualité de nos produits", se réjouit Benjamin Fournel. Le montant de l'investissement n'est pas communiqué. Croissance Thales ne communique pas non plus précisément sur les volumes d'activité de chacun de ses sites, mais Saint-Héand générerait un chiffre d'affaires de l'ordre de 100 millions d'euros, avec 350 salariés. C'est 20% et 50 personnes de plus qu'il y a deux ans. Le marché O-nyx contribue évidemment à cette progression mais Thales Angénieux se déploie par ailleurs sur d'autres sujets. Notamment sur les optiques cinéma, production historique pour laquelle elle est mondialement connue. Celle-ci représente aujourd'hui 20 à 25% de son activité. Plusieurs millions d'euros sont en train d'être investis par l'entreprise pour développer une nouvelle gamme d'optiques à focale fixe, marché sur lequel elle n'était pas, ou peu, présente jusqu'ici, privilégiant les zooms. "Les tournages de film nécessitent souvent des zooms et des focales fixes. D'autres acteurs étaient bien positionnés sur les focales fixes mais les nouveaux formats nous remettent sur la même ligne de départ. L'idée est de proposer aux cinéastes de pouvoir tourner l'intégralité de leurs films avec des produits Angénieux, avec en plus des fonctionnalités très différenciantes : nos appareils sont plus compacts, plus légers, avec des possibilités de personnalisation de filtres", expose le directeur d'établissement, Bertrand Boismoreau. Une gamme de 12 focales est en cours de préparation, sachant que "plusieurs millions d'euros d'investissement" sont nécessaires au développement de chacune des focales. Un investissement colossal donc mais qui devrait permettre à Thales Angénieux, sous 10 ans, de viser un marché complémentaire de 100 millions d'euros. Nouvelle ligne de production Enfin, le site ligérien va être encore renforcé dans les prochains mois. Le groupe Thales lui confie en effet la production de nouvelles caméras infrarouge pour le secteur de la Défense. Elles ont été codéveloppées avec un site parisien du groupe. Une nouvelle ligne de production est en cours d'installation. Elle sera inaugurée début avril. "Les investissements sont très lourds", signale Bertrand Boismoreau, sans pouvoir, là-encore, donner d'indication trop précise. A terme, "plusieurs dizaines de personnes" pourraient être recrutées pour assurer la production de ces nouvelles caméras, "en fonction de leur succès commercial". https://acteursdeleconomie.latribune.fr/strategie/2020-02-26/industrie-lourds-investissements-chez-thales-a-saint-heand-840652.html

ARMY Palantir USG Inc., Palo Alto, California (W56KGY-20-D-0005); and BAE Systems Information and Electronic SYS INT INC, San Diego, California (W56KGY-20-D-0006), will compete for each order of the $823,263,105 firm-fixed-price contract to upgrade/replace components found in the Distributed Common Ground System-Army. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 24, 2027. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $42,088,702 hybrid (cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, firm-fixed-price, fixed-price-incentive) modification (P00054) to contract (W58RGZ-17-C-0014) for contractor logistics support services for government-owned fixed-wing fleet performing Special Electronic Mission Aircraft missions. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Herndon, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $42,088,721 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $19,653,151 modification (P00023) to contract W52P1J-18-C-0002 to provide Class V munitions supply support for all ammunition stocks accounted for by 1st Sustainment Command (Theater) to U.S. military/government components, Department of Defense agencies, and, as required, coalition forces in the Central Command Area of Responsibility. Work will be performed in Kuwait City, Kuwait, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $19,653,151 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Unisys Corp. Federal Systems, Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $14,029,965 cost-no-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for an 18-month bridge to continue support for the Army Enterprise Service Desk. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Augusta, Georgia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 25, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $14,029,965 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-20-C-0010). A. WBE-CCI JV One LLC,* Itasca, Illinois, was awarded an $11,877,000 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a pre-engineered metal hangar with conventional construction for adjacent support shop, administrative and non-destructive inspection testing spaces. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Klamath Falls, Oregon, with an estimated completion date of March 9, 2021. Fiscal 2018 military construction, Army National Guard funds in the amount of $11,877,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Property and Fiscal Office, Salem, Oregon, is the contracting activity (W50S8Z-20-C-0001). PAS MRO Inc.,* Irvine, California, was awarded a $9,787,000 firm-fixed-price contract to overhaul UH-60 tip caps. Bids were solicited via the internet with eight received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 25, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-20-D-0026). NAVY Deloitte Consulting LLP, Arlington, Virginia; Boston Consulting Group Federal Corp., Bethesda, Maryland; Whitney, Bradley & Brown Inc., Reston, Virginia; Mid-Atlantic Technical and Executive Consulting LLC,* Arlington, Virginia; and CACI Inc., Federal, Chantilly, Virginia, are awarded a cumulative not-to-exceed $249,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts for the Navy's System-Level Cost Analysis with Total Ownership Cost Analysis initiative. The competitive ordering period for both firm-fixed-price or cost-plus-fixed-fee type orders shall not exceed five years. Work will be performed at contractor and vendor facilities as determined on individual orders and is expected to be completed by February 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $15,000 will be obligated at time of award to fulfill the minimum guarantees of the IDIQs and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with seven offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-20-D-2425, N00024-20-D-2431, N00024-20-D-2432, N00024-20-D-2433, and N00024-20-D-2434). BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., Sterling Heights, Michigan, is awarded a $113,548,696 modification to exercise options for the fixed-price-incentive (firm target) contract line item numbers 4001 and 4005 portions of a previously awarded contract (M67854-16-C-0006). This modification is for the purchase of 26 amphibious combat vehicles and other associated production costs. Work will be performed in York, Pennsylvania (60%), Aiken, South Carolina (15%), San Jose, California (15%), Sterling Heights, Michigan (5%), and Stafford, Virginia (5%), and is expected to be completed in April 2022. Fiscal 2020 procurement (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $113,548,696 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was based on full and open competition with the solicitation publicized on the Federal Business Opportunities website with five offers received. The option contract line item numbers were included within that contract and are being exercised in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.217-7 option for increased quantity-separately priced line item. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-16-C-0006). Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Mississippi, is awarded a $23,925,125 modification (P00005) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost contract (N00421-19-D-0031). This modification exercises the option to provide contractor owned and operated aircraft to Navy fleet customers, foreign military sales customers, and contractors as well as Department of Defense and other government agencies in support of the Contracted Air Services (CAS) program. The CAS program provides airborne threat simulation capabilities to train shipboard and aircraft squadron weapon systems operators and aircrew on how to counter potential enemy electronic warfare and electronic attack operations in today's electronic combat environment. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia (50%); Coronado, California (40%); and Kauai, Hawaii (10%), and is expected to be completed in February 2021. No funds are being obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. L3Harris Technologies Inc., Palm Bay, Florida, is being awarded a $14,693,123 modification to exercise priced options to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract issued by the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command. This modification increases the value of the basic contract by $14,693,123; the new total value is $61,180,747. This modification provides for the exercise of firm-fixed-price options for Commercial Broadband Satellite Program Unit Level Variant (ULV) hardware production units. ULV provides terminal-to-shore, space and terrestrial connectivity to significantly increase throughput for commercial satellite communication and provides redundancy for military satellite communications. Work will be performed in Palm Bay, Florida, and is expected to be completed by August 2020. Fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy), and fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,693,123 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N00039-14-C-0041). DCS Corp., Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded a $10,649,613 modification (P00027) to a previously awarded cost reimbursable, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-17-C-0043). This modification provides for the planning and execution of test efforts for aircraft and weapons components through a Milestone C decision to include developmental and operational test and evaluation efforts associated with modifications to existing commercial-off-the-shelf and non-developmental items, which require engineering, design, integration, test and evaluation. This modification also provides contractor services support in administration, engineering and management functions in support of the Naval Test Wing Atlantic, Naval Air Systems Command and the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in February 2021. Working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,062,000 and fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $812,739 will be obligated at time of award, $812,739 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. Progeny Systems Corp.,* Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $9,913,382 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order (N68335-20-F-0068) against basic ordering agreement (N68335-18-G-0039). This delivery order provides for continued maturation of the Expeditionary Mission Planning System. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (65%) and Middletown, Virginia (35%), and is expected to be completed in February 2022. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,100,000 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity. Vigor Marine LLC, Portland, Oregon, is awarded a $9,329,088 firm-fixed-price contract for the maintenance, repair and preservation of Caisson Six. Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington, and is expected to be completed by December 2020. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $9,329,088 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) (only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements). The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility code 400, Bremerton, Washington, is the contracting activity (N4523A-20-C-1053). Raytheon Co., Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, was awarded a $7,992,944 cost plus fixed fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-17-C-5405) for design agent engineering and technical support services for the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System, SeaRAM, and Land-based Phalanx Weapon System. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by January 2022. Fiscal 2020 weapon procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $7,992,944 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. In accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), this contract was not competitively procured; only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Phalanx Close-In Weapon System is a fast-reaction terminal defense against low and high-flying, high-speed maneuvering anti-ship missile threats that have penetrated all other defenses. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Awarded Feb. 24, 2020. The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $7,373,400 firm-fixed-price delivery order (N00019-20-F-0573) against basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0001). This delivery order procures 30 A1 G-Model kits and 66 A3 E-Model kits in support of F/A-18E/F and EA-18G modifications. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California (86%); St. Louis, Missouri (6%); San Antonio, Texas (6%); and Mesa, Arizona (2%), and is expected to be completed in October 2023. Fiscal 2019 ($3,701,400) and fiscal 2020 ($3,672,000) aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,373,400 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. AIR FORCE Tapestry Solutions Inc., San Diego, California, has been awarded a $28,390,620 for F-15 mission planning software development and maintenance. This contract provides for the F-15 software development of the v6.1 Mission Planning Environment and supports the F-15 Organizational Flight Program Suite 9.1 through sustainment of the previously-fielded v5.0 Mission Planning Environment for the Air Force and foreign country specific releases for the foreign military sales (FMS) client nations as well as the in-test v6.0 Mission Planning Environment. The foreign military sales effort allows continued support to incorporate requirements to provide country specific versions of Air Force Mission Planning Environment updates in accordance with each country specific FMS Letters of Acceptance between the U.S. government and the foreign government. The Mission Planning Environment updates will be fielded outside the continental U.S. to the foreign military sales costumers with current Letters of Acceptance in place with the U.S. government. Work will be performed in Maryland Heights, Missouri, and is expected to be complete by July 31, 2023. This contract involves foreign military sales to Canada, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Korea and Qatar. Plans to include Japan and other countries are to be anticipated. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 and include operations and maintenance and research and development funds in the amount of $387,876 are being obligated at the time of award. Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (FA8730-20-C-0001). L3Harris Technologies Inc., Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $22,990,454 cost reimbursement and cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for Transition-On and Ground Based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance Upgrade Technical Maturation and Risk Reduction on the Maintenance of Space Situational Awareness Integrated Capabilities (MOSSAIC) acquisition. MOSSAIC will provide sustainment services for current and future ground-based Space Situational Awareness (SSA) sensors, SSA Command and Control systems, and Space Battle Management Command and Control capabilities in the Space and Missile System Center Space Domain Awareness Division Special Programs - Ground portfolio. Additionally, MOSSAIC provides for sustainment of and modernization of associated test and integration infrastructure capabilities supporting the Space Domain Awareness Division Special Programs - Ground portfolio. The MOSSAIC contract scope will also include modifications and upgrades for all MOSSAIC systems, it sustains or will sustain, to maintain operational performance and evolve system capabilities to meet new mission needs, as necessary. The location of performance is Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Dahlgren, Virginia. This awarded work is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2020. This award is a result of a competitive acquisition solicited on BetaSam and two offers were received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,804,531 and fiscal 2020 research and development funds in the amount of $6,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Space and Missile System Center Directorate of Contracting, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the contracting activity (FA8823-20-C-0004). Call Henry Inc., Titusville Florida, has been awarded a $10,096,797 predominantly fixed-price incentive modification (P00075) to previously awarded contract FA4610-18-C-0005, to exercise option year three. This modification provides management and support, maintenance and repair, operations, other services and minor alteration related to launch operations support. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $60,535,156. Work will be performed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,200,000 will be obligated at the time of award. The 30th Contracting Squadron, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2094196/source/GovDelivery/

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. — With a major arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia set to expire next February, members of the nonproliferation community have been watching for signs that negotiations may begin in earnest. For those observers, some welcome news: Movement on the Trump administration's arms control plan is “imminent,” according to a senior defense official familiar with internal administration discussions. However, what that looks like appears to be up in the air: a short-term extension of the New START agreement with Russia; something that involves nuclear-armed China; a combination of those two; or all parties walking away entirely. “All the options are literally on the interagency table,” the official told Defense News on condition of anonymity. The New START agreement, signed in 2010, is an arms control pact between Russia and the U.S. that restricts each country to a total of 1,550 warheads deployed on bombers, submarines and in underground silos. Following the dissolution of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, New START is the only major nuclear arms control agreement left between the two nuclear powers. China has traditionally refused to sign onto arms control agreements. But Beijing has become a focus for those in Washington convinced that any new arms control agreement must include the Asian nation. China is estimated by the Federation of American Scientists to have 290 nuclear warheads, compared to more than 6,000 for Russia and the U.S. each, and the country is investing in nuclear modernization efforts. Though top Chinese officials made clear that Beijing will not participate in trilateral talks, U.S. President Donald Trump in December expressed optimism that a deal could happen, saying Chinese officials “were extremely excited about getting involved. ... So some very good things can happen with respect to that.” While traveling last week to tour the intercontinental ballistic missile fields at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, Defense Secretary Mark Esper declined to speculate on the state of negotiations and what he would recommend Trump do. But he did indicate there would be a meeting at his level “soon” on the issue. “If we proceed forward [with New START], we have to include Russia's new strategic weapons. They have to be included in the treaty. Number two, we should include Russia's nonstrategic nuclear weapons. They have nearly 2,000 of them,” Esper said. “Then I think we should put on the table: Can we bring China into the fold? We're trying to create strategic stability. It's hard to do that if you have a country of China's capacity and capability outside of that treaty.” Speaking at Minot later, Esper added: “If we want to preserve strategic stability using arms control as a counterpart of that, as a tool in that toolkit, then China should be in as well.” State of discussion While some have theorized that the Trump administration is trying to run out the clock on negotiations, the official ascribed the slow public movement to myriad “distractions” around Washington that has sucked attention from Trump, Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The official added that the outbreak of the coronavirus known as COVID-19, which originated in China, has made discussions with Chinese counterparts difficult. There have been ongoing meetings on the issue at the assistant secretary level across the Defense Department, the National Security Council, the State Department and the National Nuclear Security Administration. “Ultimate decisions haven't been taken yet, but [a proposal] should be imminent,” the official said. The first challenge, timewise, is the Feb. 5, 2021, expiration date for New START. Getting something done before then may be a challenge, especially if the goal is an expanded arms control agreement that loops in China, but “physically, you could do it because it doesn't require senate ratification, just a couple of notes signed by just getting everyone — the three sides — to agree to something,” the official said. The question of New START's fate is complicated by the desire to loop in China on a new agreement. Administration officials have been working to develop a compelling case for how to convince Beijing to join a trilateral nuclear deal. The argument largely comes in two forms. First, that if China does not sign onto a nuclear arrangement of some sort, it could lead Russia or the U.S. to consider growing their own arsenals — ensuring China's nuclear inferiority at a time when the Pacific power is racing to grow its stockpile. The second argument is that great powers work on nuclear agreements together — and so joining one as equals with Washington and Moscow should appeal to Beijing's desire for recognition on the global stage. Meia Nouwens, an expert on Chinese military affairs with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, says those two arguments are the most sensible ones to put forth to Beijing, particularly the appeal to China as a great power. She also speculated that if China's economy takes a downturn, it may find cooperating with the rules-based international system to be a “greater priority” than a China-first agenda. But, Nouwens predicts, “it will require the U.S. and Russia to make the first steps though before China decides to agree to reducing what it views as an already significantly smaller Chinese nuclear arsenal. The trust isn't there.” Rose Gottemoeller, who served as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security at the U.S. State Department during the Obama administration, before becoming deputy secretary general of NATO from 2016-2019, believes a careful calibration of what, exactly, is being negotiated will be key to any negotiation involving the Chinese. “I think you can make a case for the Chinese to come to the table early on intermediate-range constraints of ground-launched missiles because they are staring at the possibility of a deployment of very capable U.S. missiles of this kind,” she said at a January event hosted by the Defense Writers Group. “But I am concerned, they have so few warheads that if you put an emphasis on controlling their warheads, the incentive is for them to run the other direction rather than come to the table,” she added. Gottemoeller also indicated that the question of extending New START is a separate one from trying to bring China into the arms control fold. “The way the expansion program of New START is written, it's written so that it remains in place four to five years, so from '21 to '26, or until superseded by a new treaty. So it's not as if the administration is stuck with New START for another five years,” she said. “Go for it. Work on the new treaty. Get it done. And then New START would be superseded by the new treaty entering into force,” if ratified. “Let's just get on with what we need to do in negotiating new treaties. I am concerned that there will be a lot of gamesmanship going on, and as I said, the Russians are excellent in that kind of game as well,” she added. “Let us not play around with leverage in this case, but simply extend the thing for five years and then get done what we need to get done, which is to negotiate these new treaties." https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2020/02/26/arms-control-decisions-by-trump-administration-could-be-imminent-will-china-be-involved/

By: Seth J. Frantzman JERUSALEM — Bluebird Aero Systems has sold more than 150 vertical-takeoff-and-landing drones to an unnamed European country in a deal worth “tens of millions of euros,” the Israeli company announced Tuesday. The company, which makes WanderB and ThunderB tactical VTOL drones, said the customer will incorporate the two UAV types into infantry, armored, artillery and special forces units. The commander of the ground forces of the unnamed country provided a statement via Bluebird that said the government was impressed with the VTOL solution, as it will enable “high operational flexibility and provide invaluable real-time intelligence and situational awareness.” The VTOL design has been tested in harsh environments and proved reliable. The recently sold drones are expected to be deployed to enhance the capabilities of units adjusting to modern fighting methods, providing “advanced and reliable intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities to address the modern battlefield's challenges,” the commander said. The head of the country's special forces brigade command agreed with the ground forces commander that the long range and endurance of the man-packable and tactical UAVs will aid in rapid deployment with small units. The special forces leader added that the UAV is a fit for day and night use. Bluebird's unmanned aircraft systems have been operational with the Israel Defense Forces since 2002 and in other countries since 2006, where they have logged a total of 52,000 sorties. According to the recent edition of the Drone Databook at Bard College's Center for the Study of the Drone, Bluebird UAVs are also used by India, Chile and Ethiopia. These countries use the 9.5-kilogram SpyLite, which has a range of 50 kilometers. In contrast the ThunderB, which was sold in this contract, weighs 32 kilograms and has a range of 150 kilometers. It can also carry a small cargo under each wing, which Bluebird says can be used to drop “essential material” with an accurate ballistic trajectory. The WanderB is man-packable at 13 kilograms and a 50-kilometer range. It can be used to relay real-time surveillance using electro-optical/infrared payloads. Bluebird says the ThunderB is ideal for long, covert intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance missions. The Greek police have reportedly used SpyLite and ThunderB since 2014. And the WanderB has previously been offered to Spain. Bluebird is confident the latest deal will lead to additional European contracts. This deal adds to an overall trend of growth for Israeli companies in Europe as well as the expansion of the small and mini-UAV market. Israel's Elbit Systems sold more than 1,000 mini-drones in a $153 million deal last year to a southeast Asian country. More countries are seeking these smaller UAS solutions for tactical or special forces units in the field, including pairing drones with armored vehicles. This is especially the case as technology advances and units seek to modernize and network together fleets of drones. https://www.defensenews.com/unmanned/2020/02/26/israeli-firm-sells-over-150-drones-to-european-country/

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's protracted effort to buy 88 new fighter jets hit a new delay on Tuesday when the government granted potential bidders another three months to submit their proposals. Governments of various stripes have been trying for well over a decade to replace a fleet of ageing Boeing Co CF-18 jets, some of which are more than 40 years old. Last July, Ottawa launched the competition for a contract worth between C$15 billion ($11.30 billion) and C$19 billion. The deadline for submitting preliminary proposals had been end-March. But the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that at the industry's request, the deadline had been pushed back to June 30 to give bidders more time to address security questions. In 2017, Canada announced it would buy a fleet of older Australian F-18 jets to help keep the air force operational until the new planes start arriving in 2025. “Here we go again with more Liberal dithering and delaying because of Trudeau's weak leadership. Meanwhile our air force is stuck with old rusted out fighters from Australia!” tweeted legislator James Bezan of the official opposition Conservatives. The main contenders are Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing, while Sweden's Saab AB is also participating. Last August Airbus SE withdrew, citing onerous security requirements. The office of Procurement Minister Anita Anand said the government had outlined what security steps contenders needed to take to ensure their planes could operate with allies. European jets must meet stringent standards required by the United States, which with Canada operates the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Canada has experienced many military procurement problems since the early 1990s, variously featuring search and rescue helicopters, trucks, close combat vehicles and submarines. David Perry, a defense analyst at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute think tank, said Ottawa routinely extended time lines to ensure useful feedback from potential suppliers. “This is a project where they have been progressively adding time for well over a decade,” he said by phone. “The net result is that they keep pushing back (the time) when they will actually get new aircraft.” Airbus and other contenders had complained Ottawa appeared to be tilting the race in favor of Lockheed Martin's F-35 plane, which the Royal Canadian Air Force wants. Canada is part of the consortium that developed the plane. None of the three contenders was immediately available for comment. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-fighterjets/canadas-protracted-fighter-jet-procurement-race-hits-new-delay-idUSKBN20J23V

By: The Associated Press NEW DELHI — U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that India has signed a deal to purchase more than $3 billion of advanced military equipment, including helicopters. The announcement comes as the president visits with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Asian nation. Trump also said the two leaders made progress on what he describes as a “comprehensive trade deal" after bilateral talks. Modi, meanwhile, said the two had a productive exchange on issues including defense cooperation, energy and technology, adding that talks will continue. He also said that he and Trump have now met five times over the past eight months, noting that ties between the two nations is the “most important partnership of the 21st century." https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2020/02/25/trump-announces-3b-defense-deal-with-india