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NAVY Ahtna-CDM JV,* Irvine, California (N62473-20-D-1005); Bristol Design Build Services LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska (N62473-20-D-1006); Corbara MGS JV,* National City, California (N62473-20-D-1007); Heffler Contracting Group,* El Cajon, California (N62473-20-D-1008); Macro Z Technology,* Santa Ana, California (N62473-20-D-1009); and Teehee Engineering Inc.,* Carlsbad, California (N62473-20-D-1010), are awarded a $99,999,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award construction contract for new construction, renovation and repair by design-build or design-bid-build of general construction projects located primarily within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Southwest area of operations in California and Arizona. The work to be performed provides for new construction, renovation and repair within the North American Industry Classification System Code 236220. The various types of construction projects may include, but are not limited to, administration buildings, academic and applied instruction training facilities, maintenance/repair facilities, military operations facilities, aircraft hangars, fire stations, office buildings, laboratories, dining facilities, related structures and other similar facilities located in California and Arizona. The maximum dollar value, including one two-year base period and one three-year option period, for all six contracts combined is $99,999,000. No task orders are being issued at this time. All work on these contracts will be performed at various government installations located in California (84%); and Arizona (16%). The terms of the contracts are not to exceed 60 months and work is expected to be completed by June 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) (O&M, N) contract funds in the amount of $30,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by military construction (Navy) (O&M, N) (O&M) and the Marine Corps. This contract was competitively procured as a small business set-aside via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website and 15 proposals were received. These six contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. The NAVFAC Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Elbit Systems of America, Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $31,964,182 modification to increase the ceiling amount on five-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of an additional 76 helmet display tracker systems, major assemblies, provision ordering item line items, engineering services and support equipment. This procurement will support the Navy PMA-299 Multi-Mission helicopter (MH-60S). Work will be performed in Haifa, Israel (99%); and Fort Worth, Texas (1%). In accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), this modification was not competitively procured. There is only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Future 76 helmet display tracker systems procurements are expected to support Naval Air Systems Command PMA-299 and Foreign Military Sales requirements, which have been deployed on MH-60S Knighthawk (Seahawk) multi-mission aircraft to facilitate and enable effective tracking for the pilot and co-pilot. Work is expected to be completed by June 2021. Fiscal 2020 Aircraft Procurement (Navy) funding of $15,876,977 will be obligated at the time of contract award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity (N00164-17-D-JQ63). Methuen Construction Co. Inc., Plaistow, New Hampshire, is awarded a $13,261,766 firm-fixed-price contract for the design-bid-build of Dry Dock 2 portal crane rail and tunnel repairs located at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Work will be performed at Kittery, Maine. The work to be performed provides crane rail repair upgrades, which will increase the capacity of the ground level portal crane rails at the north and east sides of Dry Dock 2. Major work elements include demolition of existing crane rails, baseplates, hardware, footings, beams and pile caps; installation of micro piles; installation of reinforced concrete pile caps, beams and footings; installation of crane rail, baseplates and hardware; and site grading, drainage improvements and pavement restoration within the project limits. Additionally, the tunnel repair upgrades will demolish and reconstruct the personnel access tunnel at the east side of Dry Dock 2, including integral and adjacent ground level portal crane rails and footings. Major work elements include temporary re-routing of electrical, communication and mechanical utilities; selective demolition of reinforced concrete personnel access tunnel and crane rail footings; rock excavation; installation of new cast-in-place reinforced concrete personnel access tunnel with integral crane rails and adjacent crane rail footings; reconstruction of drainage, electrical and mechanical utilities; and site grading and paving. Work is expected to be completed by May 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $13,261,766 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM website, and two proposals were received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-20-C-0033). CAPE Environmental Management Inc.,* Honolulu, Hawaii, is awarded a $7,274,125 cost-plus-award-fee modification to task order N62742-19-F-0129 under an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for implementation of remedial alternatives for decision units (DU) N-2, N-3, N-4, SE-1 and E-2 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Work will be performed in Oahu, Hawaii. The work to be performed under this modification provides selected remedies to be implemented that include focused dredging, placement of a thin-layer of clean material for enhanced natural recovery, treatment of contaminated sediment with activated carbon amendment material at DU E-2 and placement of activated carbon amendment in open-water areas in DU SE-1. Work is expected to be completed by August 2022. Fiscal 2020 environmental restoration (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $7,274,125 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-16-D-1807). U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND SSA Atlantic LLC, Savannah, Georgia, has been awarded an $82,803,960 firm-fixed-price contract (HTC711-20-D-R035). The contract provides stevedoring and related terminal services at ports in the Mid-Atlantic region. Work will be performed at ports in Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Wilmington, North Carolina; and Morehead City, North Carolina. The contract period of performance is from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2025. Fiscal 2020 transportation working capital funds were obligated at award. U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE ASIRTek Federal Services LLC, San Antonio, Texas, has been awarded a $78,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for information security support services. This contract provides for proactive support of the foundational pillars of this requirement, which are cybersecurity improvement initiatives and cybersecurity support. Work will be performed at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Additional on-site support locations may include Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia; Robins Air Force Base, Georgia; Tyndall AFB, Florida; Randolph AFB, Texas; and Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. Work is expected to be completed June 28, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with 24 offers received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Combat Command Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA7037-20-D-0001). System Dynamics International, Huntsville, Alabama, has been awarded a $28,736,071 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for MQ-9 unmanned aerial system aircrew and support services. Work will be performed in Poway, California; China Lake Naval Air Station, California; Edwards Air Force Base, California; Palmdale, California; and Yuma, Arizona, and is expected to be completed June 30, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $403,814; fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $503,902; fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount $2,853,876; and Foreign Military Sales administration funds in the amount of $95,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-20-C-2001). ATI Engineering Services LLC, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $10,101,563 contract for Rwanda C-208 EX aircraft acquisition. This contract provides the procurement of two Textron C-208 EX aircraft, associated spare parts and ground support equipment, the necessary modifications for the Rwandan Air Force, flight training device, technical drawings and interim logistic support for both aircraft and the training device. Work will be performed in Johnstown, Pennsylvania; Rockford, Illinois; and Kigali Air Force Base, Rwanda, and is expected to be completed July 31, 2022. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales to Rwanda and is the result of a competitive acquisition with two offers received. Fiscal 2016 Peacekeeping Operations Overseas Contingency Operations funds in the amount of $9,030,923 is being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8625-20-C-0001). ARMY Geneva Rock Products Inc., Orem, Utah, was awarded a $75,039,988 firm-fixed-price contract to construct 18 earth-covered modular storage magazines. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 21, 2022. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Army) funds in the amount of $75,039,988 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento, California, is the contracting activity (W91238-20-C-0010). Ilsi-Arcadis JV,* New Orleans, Louisiana (W912DR-20-D-0013); Princetone Hydro LLC,* Ringoes, New Jersey (W912DR-20-D-0015); and W.F. Baird & Associates,* Madison, Wisconsin (D912DR-20-D-0016), will compete for each order of the $30,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for civil works architect engineering services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 13 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 23, 2025. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Mission Critical Solutions LLC,* Alum Bank, Pennsylvania, was awarded a $16,276,805 firm-fixed-price contract for procurement of inert warheads. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 24, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-20-D-0025). Honeywell International Inc., Clearwater, Florida, was awarded a $7,146,942 firm-fixed-price contract for procurement of 66 Tactical Advanced Land Inertial Navigator High Accuracy North Finding Systems. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2022. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-20-D-0027). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Crowley Government Services Inc., Jacksonville, Florida, has been awarded a maximum $59,700,000 firm-fixed-price contract for contractor-owned, contractor-operated fuel storage facilities and services for various types of fuel. This was a competitive acquisition with three offers received. This is a four-year contract with one five-year option period. Locations of performance are Florida and Alaska, with a June 23, 2024, performance completion date. Using military services are Air Force and Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia (SPE603-20-C-5009). Tiger Natural Gas Inc., Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been awarded a maximum $35,439,063 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, requirements contract under solicitation SPE604-20-R-0403 for pipeline quality direct supply natural gas. This was a competitive acquisition with four offers received. This is a three-year contract with a possible six-month carryover. Locations of performance are California, Nevada and Washington, with a Sept. 30, 2023, performance completion date. Using customers are Navy, Air Force and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2023 and customers are responsible to fund these contracts and vary in appropriation type and fiscal year. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia (SPE604-20-D-7502). Cobham Mission Systems Davenport LSS Inc., doing business as Cobham Mission Systems, Davenport, Iowa, has been awarded a maximum $17,492,050 firm‐fixed-price, indefinite-delivery requirements contract for a nitrogen inerting unit. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1) as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302‐1. This is a five‐year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Iowa, with a June 30, 2025, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (SPRRA1-20-D-0023). Hamilton Sundstrand Corp., doing business as UTC Aerospace, Windsor Locks, Connecticut, has been awarded a $15,144,635 firm‐fixed‐price, requirements contract for F-16 accessory drive gearboxes, hydraulic start motors and B-2 airframe mounted accessory drives. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302‐1. This is a five-year base contract with one five-year option period. Locations of performance are Iowa and Connecticut, with a June 30, 2025, performance completion date. Using customer is Defense Logistics Agency. Type of appropriations is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Ogden, Utah (SPE4AX‐20‐D‐9410). CORRECTION: The contract announced on June 11, 2020, for Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin (SPRDL1-20-D0065) for $10,836,726 was announced with an incorrect award date. The correct award date is June 23, 2020. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2231349/source/GovDelivery/

By: Ian Williams In 2017, I helped author the CSIS report “Missile Defense 2020,” a broad look at the history, status and future of the U.S. homeland missile defense system known as Ground-based Midcourse Defense. The report argued that the establishment of GMD had put the United States in an advantageous position relative to the North Korean missile threat, but this advantage would be short-lived if the United States failed to improve GMD through incremental milestones and regular testing. GMD has had some notable achievements with this strategy. The Pentagon, however, seems to be moving away from this proven approach to GMD, attempting great leaps rather than manageable steps. This riskier approach could make the United States less secure over the near and long term. Until recently, GMD had been following a well-defined road map, with good results. After a series of flight-test failures from 2010-2013, the Missile Defense Agency began a rigorous effort to root out anomalies within the system's Ground-Based Interceptors, or GBI. MDA carried out a successful intercept in 2014, followed by intercepting an intercontinental ballistic missile-class target for the first time in 2017. In 2019, GMD engaged an ICBM target with a salvo of two GBIs, marking another first for the system. MDA also expanded the fleet to 44 GBIs and is constructing a new Long Range Discrimination Radar in Alaska to provide the system much-needed sensor support. These achievements were supposed to be followed by an incremental modernization of the GBIs. The plan was to incorporate a new Redesigned Kill Vehicle around the year 2020. The RKV would be similar in concept to those currently deployed but incorporate new technologies and nearly 20 years of lessons learned. Another part of the plan was to give the GBIs a new booster, one that gave the war fighter the option of using either two or three stages, thereby providing the system more time and space to engage incoming missiles. MDA also set its sights on a set of longer-term objectives. These goals included a space-based sensor layer for tracking missile threats, and a GBI equipped with multiple kill vehicles that would greatly expand the capacity of the GBI fleet. While the volume kill concept had great appeal, MDA recognized the need for a developmental step between the current kill vehicles and a more advanced, unproven concept. Historically, U.S. missile defense has done best when pursuing steady, achievable goals. The highly successful Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense program, for example, has consistently adhered to the mantra: “Build a little, test a little, learn a lot.” The RKV program, however, ran into delays. Yet, rather than continue trying to fix the program, the Pentagon opted to abandon it and skip directly to a more advanced, multi-kill vehicle approach called the Next Generation Interceptor. NGI is an ambitious, 10-plus year endeavor that carries significant risk. In the near term, it means that the president's goal to add 20 more GBIs to the fleet will go unmet, as those GBIs were supposed to be capped with RKVs. Any expansion to the GBI fleet before 2030 will require the design and construction of a modernized unitary kill vehicle of some kind. Absent any effort to expand or modernize the GBI fleet, homeland missile defense will likely fall behind the North Korean missile threat while NGI matures over the next 10 years. The decline will increase U.S. vulnerability to coercion by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a time when the U.S. military is scrambling to address Chinese and Russian aggression. Furthermore, a major delay of NGI a decade from now (or worse, a failure for NGI to materialize at all) would leave the United States with a fleet of GBIs falling rapidly into obsolescence, squandering decades of resources and effort. To be clear, the United States should continue developing NGI. Missile threats to the U.S. homeland continue to grow at an alarming pace, in quantity and complexity. But the Pentagon and Congress should support these longer-term efforts while still investing in nearer-term options that keep U.S. homeland defenses current to North Korean missile capabilities, hedge against NGI failure and preserve U.S. investments in the GMD system. A potential path forward may lie in the Senate's version of the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, which contains draft language that would require the deployment of 20 additional GBIs equipped with an interim, unitary kill vehicle by 2026. Three years ago, we titled our study of GMD “Missile Defense 2020” because we believed that this year would be the start of a new chapter in U.S. homeland missile defense. Obviously, much has changed with the cancellation of RKV. Yet, despite all its challenges, this year may still provide the opportunity to make the kind of decisions that will strengthen our national security in the near and long term. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/06/24/countering-missile-threats-means-addressing-the-present-while-planning-for-the-future/

Nathan Strout The Senate's annual defense policy bill would authorize an additional $120 million toward a space-based sensor layer capable of tracking hypersonic weapons, despite the fact the Department of Defense did not seek more funding for the project in its fiscal 2021 budget requests. The Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor is DoD's answer to the growing threat posed by hypersonic weapons being developed by China and Russia. Hypersonic weapons present a significant challenge to the United States' current missile warning architecture. Not only can these weapons maneuver around ground based sensors, they're too dim to be picked up and tracked by space-based sensors in higher orbits. HBTSS theoretically solves this problem via a proliferated constellation of Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) sensors operating in low earth orbit. At that lower orbit, the sensors will be able to pick up and track the otherwise dim objects. But because the satellites are closer to the earth and have a limited field of view, the system will need to pass off custody responsibility from sensor to sensor as the weapons traverse the globe. Hence the need for a proliferated constellation. HBTSS will plug into the Space Development Agency's National Defense Space Architecture, a new system of satellites operating in low earth orbit. The Missile Defense Agency awarded $20 million contracts to four companies in October to develop HBTSS prototypes: Northrop Grumman, Leidos, Harris Corporation and Raytheon. The Senate's version of the National Defense Authorization Act would authorize the Missile Defense Agency $120 million in research, development, testing and engineering funds for HBTSS. If passed, this would be the second consecutive year the department did not include money for HBTSS in its annual budget request, but Congress allocated money for the project anyway. In 2019, MDA put the program at the top of its unfunded priority list, seeking $108 million for that effort. Congress fully funded that request in the legislation that passed in December. The decision to give the HBTSS funding to the Missile Defense Agency in fiscal year 2021 continues a 2019 battle between the administration and Congress over which agency should lead the program's development effort. While lawmakers wanted to place MDA firmly in charge of the effort, the White House argued that it was too soon to put one agency in charge. Ultimately, Congress included a provision putting primary responsibility for the development and deployment of the system in MDA's hands. Just three months after that legislation passed, lawmakers expressed frustration and confusion over MDA's FY2021 budget request, which sought to transfer HBTSS funding responsibility to SDA. While MDA Director Vice Adm. Jon Hill tried to assure legislators at the March hearing that his agency was fully in charge of developing the sensor for HBTSS, skepticism has continued. According to Hill, funding for the effort would be allocated to SDA, who would in turn provide the funding to MDA. As currently drafted, the legislation de facto rejects DoD's request to transfer funding responsibility to SDA. Furthermore, it specifically assigns principal responsibility for the development and deployment of HBTSS through the end of FY2022, after which it may be transferred over to the U.S. Space Force. It's not the only legislative proposal emphasizing Congress' desire for MDA to be in charge of the system. The House version of the FY2021 defense bill made public in June asks for the Secretary of Defense to certify that MDA is indeed in charge of HBTSS. According to a defense official, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael Griffin sent a letter signed May 29 certifying that MDA was in charge of payload development. Griffin has since resigned, stating that he has received an opportunity to work in the private sector. The Senate version requires on orbit testing of HBTSS to begin by December 31, 2022, with full operational deployment as soon as technically feasible. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/06/24/senate-bill-adds-120m-for-hypersonic-tracking-satellites/

By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — The most widely used variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is currently unable to fly in thunderstorms after the discovery of damage to one of the systems it uses to protect itself from lightning, its prime contractor Lockheed Martin said Wednesday. To safely fly in conditions where lightning is present, the F-35 relies on its Onboard Inert Gas Generation System, or OBIGGS, which pumps nitrogen-enriched air into the fuel tanks to inert them. Without this system, a jet could explode if struck by lightning. However, damage to one of the tubes that distributes inert gas into the fuel tank was discovered during routine depot maintenance of an F-35A at Hill Air Force Base's Ogden Logistics Complex in Utah, Lockheed said in a statement. Lockheed temporarily paused F-35 deliveries June 2-23 as the company validated whether it was properly installing OBIGGS systems. However, “it appears this anomaly is occurring in the field after aircraft delivery,” Lockheed said in a statement. Lockheed has since delivered two F-35s, company spokesman Brett Ashworth said. Because it cannot be confirmed that the OBIGGS system would function properly if the jet was hit by lightning, the F-35 Joint Program Office has opted to institute flight restrictions. “As a safety precaution, the JPO recommended to unit commanders that they implement a lightning flight restriction for the F-35A, which restricts flying within 25 miles of lightning or thunderstorms,” Lockheed said. “We are working with the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) on a root cause corrective action investigation to determine next steps.” The issue only seems to affect the F-35A conventional-takeoff-and-landing variant, which is used by the U.S. Air Force and the majority of international customers. The OBIGGS design is slightly different on the F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing variant due to the aircraft's lift fan, and the problem has not been observed on F-35C carrier-takeoff-and-landing aircraft, Ashworth said. Bloomberg, which obtained a JPO memo dated June 5, reported that flawed tubes were found in 14 of the 24 “A” models inspected. The JPO did not respond immediately to a request for comment. For a plane nicknamed “Lightning II,” the F-35′s lightning protection systems have, ironically, become an embarrassing problem issue for the jet at times throughout its development. The F-35 was prohibited from flying within 25 miles of lightning in the early 2010s after the Pentagon's weapons tester discovered deficiencies with the original OBIGGs system in getting enough inert gas into the fuel tanks. Those restrictions were rescinded after the OBIGGS was redesigned in 2014. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2020/06/24/the-f-35-lightning-ii-cant-fly-in-lightning-once-again/

Nathan Strout Peraton will provide commercial satellite communications services for U.S. Central Command after receiving a new $56 million contract, the company announced June 18. Under the contract, which was awarded by the Space Force's Future Commercial SATCOM Acquisition program, Peraton will provide mission support for mobile platforms It will also provide bandwidth for mission operations, survivability, and diversification within the area of responsibility. “Peraton has served as a trusted solution partner to U.S. Central Command for over 10 years and is proud to continue providing satellite-based services tailored to their specific mission requirements,” said David Myers, president, Peraton Communications sector. “As a neutral technology agnostic mission capability integrator, Peraton takes great pride in developing solutions that leverage the best available spacecraft and network platforms from across the commercial satellite industry.” The $56 million contract for Central Command SATCOM services follows a $219 million contract awarded to Peraton earlier this year. Announced March 3, that five-year contract required the company to secure commercial satellite services for U.S. Africa Command and its mission partners in the region. That task order was the first of its kind to be awarded under the Future Commercial SATCOM Acquisition program. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/06/23/peraton-to-acquire-satcom-for-us-central-command/

Nathan Strout The Space and Missile Systems Center will award ride-share contracts to six small launch providers under the Defense Production Act, providing support to a market the Pentagon has repeatedly said is vulnerable to coronavirus-related financial restraints. The six companies approved by the Industrial Base Council are Aevum, Astra, X-BOW, Rocket Lab USA, Space Vector and VOX Space. Each company will be awarded sole-source contracts for two ride-share missions to be conducted over the next 24 months. The value of the contracts was not included in the announcement originally posted on SAM.gov on June 16. Funding for the 12 ride-share missions will come from the Defense Production Act Title III funding effort, which is backed by the recently passed coronavirus relief act. The Pentagon has singled out the small launch market as being particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last few months. On April 20, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord warned that the small launch market was one of three sectors she was most worried about. In a later statement to C4ISRNET, the Space and Missile Systems Center elaborated on her remarks. “There is concern that the current financial and market constraints resulting from the COVID-19 have reduced funding sources necessary to continue development and operations for the nascent small launch industry,” said Col. Rob Bongiovi, director of SMC's launch enterprise directorate. “Much of the industry have limited flight capability or are in the critical transition from development to flight and this funding restriction may prevent or delay these systems. The Space and Missile Systems Center is evaluating the impacts to the small launch industrial base to consider actions to enable a robust U.S. launch industrial base.” In response, the Space Force Acquisition Council held an emergency meeting with representatives from the U.S. Space Force, the National Reconnaissance Office, the Space Development Agency and others. A survey was sent out to members of the Space Enterprise Consortium to see how the Defense Department could help. SMC Commander Lt. Gen. John “JT” Thompson hinted earlier in the week that Defense Production Act awards would be forthcoming for the small launch market. “In the small launch environment, Secretary Lord and [U.S. Space Force Service Acquisition Executive Will] Roper have both commented about how important small launch is to our enterprise, and I can't give you the details right now but I would anticipate here very shortly some very critical Defense Production Act awards to our small launch providers to keep that industry going,” Thompson said. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/06/19/space-force-invokes-defense-production-act-to-prop-up-small-launch-market/

The two leading candidates to provide the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) with a new remotely piloted aerial system (RPAS) are offering American and Israeli aircraft, but the federal government will be leveraging the project to grow Canadian capabilities and capacity in the unmanned aerial system (UAS) sector. “The scope and scale of this procurement gives us a unique opportunity to strategically position Canada's UAS sector for future success,” John MacInnis, director of the project at Innovation, Science and Economic Development, told a webinar hosted by Unmanned Systems Canada on June 22. Canada's modest UAS sector amounts to about five to eight per cent of the global market, generating between $400 million and $700 million in revenue in 2018, he noted. But it is projected to grow substantially as opportunities open up in adjacent sectors, including law enforcement and public safety. At present there are over 100 companies employing between 2,000 and 2,500 people in skilled jobs, but 90 per cent are small firms of under 250 employees. “We see this procurement as an opportunity to build upon and develop new and lasting local supply chain relationships in the sector,” said MacInnis. Previously known as the Joint Unmanned Surveillance Target Acquisition System (JUSTAS) project, RPAS has been a work in progress since 2005. That's when the RCAF formally stood up a project office in the Directorate of Air Requirements and assigned the task of assessing unmanned capability to a lieutenant-colonel and CC-130 Hercules pilot, who mused that he was probably being a heretic for developing the requirements for an aircraft without a pilot in the cockpit. Over the ensuing years, the Air Force has gathered the lessons of allies and acquired some of its own – from 2008 to 2011, the RCAF leased an Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron, the CU-170, to support operations in Afghanistan, flying around 550 hours every month – to craft a statement of requirements. Given the range of missions the government wants answered by a single aircraft, and the complexity of operating in the Arctic, the slow pace of the procurement might have spared the Air Force a poor investment. Successive RCAF commanders have noted that any platform acquired in the years after the project office was initially established would now be obsolete due to the rapid pace of UAS technology changes. As a former project director observed in 2013: “Canada is trying to do a lot of things with this UAV ... Where the United States would have a couple of different families of UAVs, we're probably going to have one or two. So, we're looking for a general-purpose system that can accomplish everything in one project.” The RPAS project will acquire a medium altitude, long endurance (MALE) intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and precision strike system with ground control stations, munitions, long-term sustainment and infrastructure to deliver up to three concurrent lines of operation at home or abroad, explained Mike Barret, project manager for the Department of National Defence. The high-level mandatory requirements so far include the ability to operate in all weather, day or night; identify, track and prosecute targets over land or sea; reach the edge of Canada's domestic area of operations from a main base or established forward operating locations; and have the endurance to monitor or prosecute targets of interest such as a ship at that extreme edge for a minimum of six hours before handing off to a manned or unmanned aircraft. The platform, which is expected to serve for 25 years, must also have the ability to operate in low to medium threat environments and in appropriate class civil airspace under adverse weather conditions; integrate new payloads as technology evolves; accept and share data with and from Canadian platforms such as the CP-140 Aurora, CF-188 Hornet or Halifax-class frigate and its CH-148 Cyclone helicopter and with allies; and conduct air strikes with precision-guided munitions. Since 2012, the government has conducted multiple information gathering exercises with industry and in May 2019 issued a formal invitation to qualify as a supplier. That process confirmed two teams able to offer a NATO Class III RPAS capable of beyond-line-of-sight flight above 18,000 feet, at least 28 hours endurance in zero wind conditions, and able to employ a minimum of two precision-guided munitions. Team Artemis is led by Quebec's L3 Harris MAS while Team SkyGuardian is led by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, supported by the U.S. government. The procurement process is now in a “review and refinement phase” as the government obtains feedback from suppliers on the preliminary requirements, explained Sandra Labbe, senior director for the RPAS project at Public Services and Procurement Canada. The department expects to issue a draft request for proposals (RFP) in October 2020, followed by the formal RFP in March 2021. The project, which has an estimated cost of between $1 billion and $5 billion, would include the aircraft and associated equipment, munitions, training, materials support and a period of in-service support. Infrastructure such as hangars at a main operating base or forward locations would be acquired under a separate process. As with all procurements valued at over $100 million, RPAS will be subject to the government's Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) policy. Both bid teams will have to submit a value proposition demonstrating their economic investment in Canadian industry, which will be weighted and rated along with cost and technical merit. MacInnis said one of the aims of the project will be to strengthen and expand the global profile of the Canadian sector “beyond the completion of the program.” He highlighted core areas where companies could contribute, such as payloads, data management and onboard processing, command, control and communications, and sustainment services, and encouraged collaborative R&D between the prime and suppliers to spur innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), cyber resilience and systems integration. Value proposition commitments should also help build advanced skills and capacity in the sector through training programs, scholarships, technology transfer and other initiatives, and increase the “participation of women and other underrepresented groups in the Canadian workforce,” he said. Team SkyGuardian, which includes CAE, MDA, and L3Harris, is proposing the MQ-9B SkyGuardian, a variant of the MQ-9 Reaper, a fleet that has accumulated over three million flight hours with U.S. and allied partners. Significantly for future suppliers, it is a fleet with global growth, both for military operations and for border security, humanitarian operations, disaster assistance and others, said Benjamin Brookshire of General Atomics. He welcomed the application of the ITB policy and said previous experience with national offsets policies has taught the company that a strong local supply base can be crucial to meeting unique customer needs. “We have our own vested interest in making sure that Canadian industry is involved in this program,” he said. Areas of opportunity for Canadian companies are sensor technology, integrated training, communications, avionics, composite manufacturing, AI and propulsion systems. Recalling General Atomics' start as a small company of seven guys in a garage, he encouraged proposals from companies of all sizes if they can fit the business case. “If you are like General Atomics and you've got a hairbrained idea like flying an airplane with nobody in it, we're definitely excited to hear about it.” For Team Artemis, L3 MAS has partnered with Israel Aerospace Industries to offer the IAI Heron TP, a mature platform “with tens of thousands of flight hours” over the past decade, noted Neil Tabbenor, director of business development for special missions and ISR. IAI will supply green, certified aircraft and ground control stations while L3 MAS will provide the systems integration and fleet management expertise. The Heron already has some confirmed Canadian content – the engine will be a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop – but he opened the door to “any R&D effort” and “any capability” that will fit the program, though composites, tooling, wire harnesses and other manufacturing components were at the top of his list. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/rpas-pursuing-unmanned-success/

Lynn, MA, June 22, 2020 – GE Aviation has been awarded a five-year, $180 million contract by the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) to repair and overhaul T700 rotorcraft engines in support of the U.S. Navy's MH-60 Seahawk, and the U.S. Marine Corps' AH-1Z Viper and Bell UH-1Y Venom/Huey helicopters. “GE is grateful for the opportunity to provide T700 overhaul and repair support to the US Navy and Marine Corps fleets for another five years,” said Harry Nahatis, vice president and general manager of GE Aviation's Rotorcraft & Turboprop Engines. “This contract will allow GE to work closely with the Navy to improve fleet readiness while reducing cost.” Upon service entry in 1978 in the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, the T700 quickly proved its mettle in helicopter service, and its operational benefits also made it an ideal derivative as a turboprop powerplant. Today, the T700/CT7 family of turboshaft and turboprop engines power 15 types of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft with more than 130 customers in more than 50 countries. The T700/CT7 family has surpassed 20,000 units delivered and more than 100 million total flight hours. The T700/CT7 engine line has become increasingly more powerful and reliable during its history. Many technological advances have been incorporated into the subsequent growth versions. Current models in the 2,000-3,000 shaft-horsepower range retain all the proven features and operating characteristics of earlier versions while delivering enhanced performance. The highly reliable T700/CT7 design has proven itself in the harshest environments, logging more than five million flight hours in hot-harsh combat zones like Iraq and Afghanistan. T700/CT7 helicopter engines power a variety of civil aviation and military applications including transport, utility and attack, medical evacuation, air rescue, firefighting, special operations and marine patrol. They serve five branches of the U.S. military, numerous international customers and civil aviation operators. Prime turboshaft applications include the Sikorsky Black Hawk, Seahawk, Jayhawk, Pave Hawk, S-70, S/H-92, CH-148, HH60-W CRH, and VIP transport helicopters; the Boeing AH-64 Apache, Bell UH-1Y Huey, AW-1Z Super Cobra,214ST Super Transport and 525 Relentless, Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite, NHIndustries NH90, Leonardo AW101 and AW189 and KAI Surion. About GE Aviation GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, components and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. For more information, visit us at www.ge.com/aviation. Follow GE Aviation on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GEAviation and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/GEAviation # # # For further information, contact: Nick Hurm 513.484.4450 nick.hurm@ge.com View source version on GE Aviation: https://www.geaviation.com/press-release/military-engines/ge-awarded-180-million-contract-support-t700-engines

Canberra, Australia – June 19, 2020 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announces the Australian government's decision to provide funding for an additional three of their planned six MQ-4C Tritons and associated ground mission control stations. The MQ-4C Triton is a cooperative development program between the Royal Australian Air Force and the U.S. Navy, and provides a round-the-clock maritime wide-area intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability. Operating at altitudes exceeding 50,000 feet, Triton can cover more than 2 million square miles of ocean and littorals in a single flight, bringing unprecedented awareness to operational commanders' common operating pictures. “As a strategic partner in the cooperative development program, Australia is a critical part of Triton's development and production,” said Doug Shaffer, vice president, Triton programs, Northrop Grumman. “This game-changing system will boost Australia's ISR capability and enable them to meet their surveillance needs to manage the world's third largest exclusive economic zone.” In addition to the aircraft, Australia has also committed funds for the main operating base at RAAF Edinburgh in South Australia and a forward operating base at RAAF Tindal in the Northern Territory. The main operating base allows for a permanent control station while the forward operating base enables deployment of the Triton system to support Australian national security requirements. The U.S. Navy – with a program of record for 68 aircraft – is planning five operational Triton orbits around the globe. Australia, as one of the United States' key allies and a strategic partner in the Pacific, would be able to provide a sixth. Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees define possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services. View source version on Northrop Grumman: https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/australia-commits-to-one-additional-triton