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By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — A next-generation air superiority jet for the U.S. Air Force, known by the service as Penetrating Counter Air, could cost about $300 million in 2018 dollars per plane, the Congressional Budget Office states in a new study. At that price, PCA would be more than three times that of the average F-35A jet, which is set at about $94 million to capture both the expense of early production lots and the decline in cost as the production rate increases, according the report, which predicts the cost of replacing the Air Force's aircraft inventory from now until 2050. This sum, while not an official cost estimate from the Pentagon, represents the first time a government entity has weighed in on the potential price tag for PCA. The CBO estimates the Air Force will need 414 PCA aircraft to replace existing F-15C/Ds and F-22s, the Air Force's current fighters geared toward air-to-air combat. It also surmises that the first aircraft will enter service in 2030, based on the service's stated desire to begin fielding PCA around that time frame. The reason for the whopping price tag? Part of it comes down to the cost of new technology. “The PCA aircraft would probably have a greater range and payload, as well as improved stealth and sensor capabilities, than today's F-22; those characteristics would help it operate in the presence of the high-end air defenses that DoD believes China, Russia, and other potential adversaries may have in the future,” the CBO states. The other reason comes down to history. The Air Force doesn't have a great track record when it comes to producing stealth aircraft at the low costs initially envisioned by leadership. Both the B-2 and F-22 programs were truncated in part due to the high price per plane — which in turn contributed to the production rate never accelerating to the point where unit costs begin to decrease. The early years of the F-35 program were also marred by a series of cost overruns that eventually prompted the Pentagon to restructure it. “Containing costs for the PCA aircraft may be similarly difficult,” the report states. The Air Force has said little about PCA since the release of the Air Superiority 2030 flight plan in 2016, which stated a need for a new fighter jet that would be networked into a family of systems of other air, space, cyber and electronic warfare technologies. “The replacement may not be a single platform,” Gen. Dave Goldfein, the Air Force's chief of staff, told Defense News earlier this year. “It may be two or three different kinds of capabilities and systems. And so as we look at air superiority in the future, ensuring that we're advancing to stay ahead of the adversary, we're looking at all those options.” Although Air Force leadership won't say exactly what it's doing to develop PCA or when a new jet may be coming online, it's clearly making investments. In the fiscal 2019 budget, the service requested $504 million for “next-generation air dominance,” its portfolio of future fighter technologies and weapons. The Air Force expects to ramp up funding to $1.4 billion in FY20, hitting a high in FY22 with a projected $3.1 billion in spending. According to the CBO's analysis, Air Force procurement of new aircraft could peak at about $26 billion in 2033, as the service buys both the F-35 and PCA. Those two fighters, together with the B-21 bomber, are set to be the largest drivers of cost as procurement reaches its height in the mid-2030s. “Although the Air Force could probably modify both retirement plans and replacement schedules to smooth out the 2033 peak, the average annual costs of procuring new aircraft would still be higher than in the recent past: $15 billion in the 2020s, $23 billion in the 2030s, and $15 billion in the 2040s,” the report states. Dealing with an upcoming bow wave CBO's estimates included 35 platforms that will be replacing legacy systems, with six programs making up more than 85 percent of the projected procurement costs cited throughout the report: the F-35, PCA, the KC-46A, the B-21, the C-130J cargo plane as well as the yet-unannounced C-17 replacement. The report envisions a future where the Air Force is allowed to retire all of its legacy fighter and attack aircraft — the A-10, the F-15, the F-16 and even the F-22 — in favor of three aircraft: the F-35, PCA and a light attack aircraft configured to take on low-threat missions. The Air Force has yet to decide whether to buy a light-attack aircraft or how extensive its purchase may be, although the service is expected to put out a request for proposals by the end of the month. “Funding for new fighter aircraft makes up about half of the total projected costs of procuring new aircraft,” the CBO states, with the F-35 set to be the most expensive program through the 2020s until PCA takes its place in the early 2030s. The Air Force could decrease costs in a couple of ways, although all of them come with significant drawbacks. For one, it could extend the lives of its legacy fighter and attack aircraft, and delay programs like PCA. However, the CBO notes that “obtaining replacement parts can be both difficult and expensive, and a refurbished fleet may not provide as many available and mission-capable aircraft as a new fleet.” If the service wants to increase the availability of its inventory without paying the high price associated with developing a new stealth fighter, it could retire its legacy F-15s and F-16s and buy new ones. That option is probably more expensive, but would result in aircraft that are more reliable. The Air Force could also defer the PCA program while allowing some of its legacy aircraft to be retired, the CBO posits. However, Air Force leadership contend that the service is already too small, with Secretary Heather Wilson arguing that the number of operational squadrons needs to increase from 312 to 386 — a goal that necessitates buying more aircraft. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/12/14/budget-watchdogs-warn-of-expensive-price-tag-for-next-air-force-fighter/

By: Jussi Niinistö Today we are all adapting to a new security environment, both in Europe and globally. From the Finnish point of view, we can see some continuity and some new elements. After the Cold War ended, Finland did not initiate a massive defense transformation. Even though we started to build interoperability with our NATO partners and participated in crisis management operations, the main focus of the Finnish Defence Forces was always the defense of our own territory. Our consistent policy was to keep our defense strong. The upcoming investments — including four new corvettes for the Navy and replacement of the Finnish Air Force's F-18 fleet — and new defense-related legislation will further strengthen our readiness and national defense. What has changed in our current environment, however, is that other European Union and NATO countries have also started to focus on the defense of their own territory, and NATO's presence is the Baltic Sea region has increased. This has enhanced stability and security in the Baltic Sea region. At the same time, increased presence in our neighborhood has created more training opportunities. Increased cooperation and coordination is also needed because of our geography and a shared security environment, which creates some interdependency. This type of defense cooperation is based on a shared, common interest. Today, the Finnish Defence Forces are more capable and more interoperable than they have ever been. That makes us effective in looking after our own security and a solid partner for other EU member states and NATO countries. For Finland, the European Union has always been a security provider. It is increasingly also a facilitator and enabler of defense cooperation. The union has tools that other organizations lack. The European Defence Fund or promoting military mobility in Europe are just a few examples, and only a beginning, as we are moving from out-of-area crisis management to a more strategic approach to protecting Europe and its citizens. Although all the EU member states have agreed on the direction we are heading, some want to move faster than others. The vision for the future must bring countries together instead of sowing divisions. The more the EU can do for defense, the better for NATO and the trans-Atlantic link. A more capable and integrated Europe is also a stronger trans-Atlantic partner. In this respect, more EU does not mean less NATO. EU and NATO must continue to coordinate their actions on both hard and soft security. I hope this illustrates why we, in Finland, do not see European strategic autonomy as an alternative to NATO or as an alternative to a strong trans-Atlantic link. It is also essential to mention the Nordic Defence Cooperation, which has also adapted to changes in our shared security environment. In November, the Nordic defense ministers adopted a new Vision 2025 for taking our cooperation forward. The vision states that we will improve our defense capability and cooperation in peace, crisis and conflict, and that we will ensure a close Nordic political and military dialogue on security and defense. This regional cooperation supports what we are doing in the EU and together with NATO. During my time as the minister of defense of Finland, we have taken other steps to strengthen the trans-Atlantic link. A prime example is our bilateral defense relationship with the United States. In October 2016, we signed our bilateral statement of intent on defense cooperation. This was later followed by a trilateral statement of intent between Finland, Sweden and the United States in May 2018. The statements of intent speak to both the depth and width of our cooperation, including joint exercises, policy dialogue and materiel cooperation. In the coming years, these links will be further strengthened. We must also keep our minds on the bigger picture. There is a dual challenge: to sustain the vital trans-Atlantic relationship and further strengthen European security. These goals can best be achieved by increasing European capabilities. Europe needs to finds its voice and speak, alongside the United States. Jussi Niinistö is Finland's defense minister. https://www.defensenews.com/outlook/2018/12/10/finlands-defense-minister-continuity-and-change-in-finnish-defense-policy/

By: Raimundas Karoblis The end of the year is a traditional time to pause for reflection and take a moment to look ahead. Especially so, if the upcoming year brings an important milestone, like the 70th anniversary of the North Atlantic Alliance. From the outside, it may seem that NATO is approaching the year 2019 quite perplexed, if not embattled. The important decisions of the NATO Brussels Summit were overshadowed by acrimonious public exchanges among the allies on the highly sensitive issue of burden-sharing. Moreover, the recent initiatives on European defense — in particular, all the talk about a “European army” — are perceived by many as highly divisive and damaging to the very foundations of NATO. However, to paraphrase a famous saying, the rumors of the imminent death of the alliance seem to be greatly exaggerated. The burden-sharing drama at the NATO Brussels Summit has obscured the vitally important decisions that were taken there to prepare the alliance for the post-2014 security environment. Whereas the earlier NATO summits in Wales and Warsaw focused on quick-impact deterrence measures to support the most vulnerable allies, the Brussels Summit marks the start of a systemic NATO adaptation to the conventional threat posed by Russia (as well as to the threats emanating from the south). This adaptation will take many years to complete, but its impact will be durable and profound. In the course of 2019 we will see the key elements of NATO's long-term adaptation process taking shape. In February, NATO will start systemic implementation of a reinforcement strategy, which will be a major step in carrying out the Readiness Initiative, better known as the Four Thirties. The initiative aims at providing the alliance with more high-readiness forces — a crucial aspect in today's security context. Furthermore, we will be making significant advances with the NATO Command Structure update and upgrade. Work will continue in setting up the new Cyberspace Operations Centre in Belgium to provide situational awareness and coordination of operational activity within cyberspace — a capacity that is long overdue in the alliance. Next year, the Joint Support and Enabling Command in Germany will achieve its initial operational capability to ensure rapid movement of troops and equipment into and across Europe, which has become one of the most pressing operational needs. All of these steps will make us more fit to plan and execute operations in today's demanding security environment. A significantly improved financial background is another major reason to approach the new year optimistically. In fact, if there is any drama in the NATO context, it is the dramatically increased defense budgets across the alliance. Last year we witnessed the most substantial growth in defense spending since the end of the Cold War, and 2019 will continue to mark further progress in this area, with the majority of the allies nearing the fulfillment of their commitment to reach 2 percent of their gross domestic product by 2024. Two eastern flank allies — Lithuania and Poland — have committed to moving well-beyond this number, striving to raise their defense spending to 2.5 percent of the GDP by 2030. We should be soon starting to see how the additional investments translate into more and better capabilities for the alliance. We are also approaching 2019 after a year of passionate discussions on European defense and the ways to organize it. There are voices putting forward ideas on how the European Union should strengthen its “strategic autonomy” and make sure it is able to ensure security independently. The launch of the Permanent Structured Cooperation and other European initiatives are sometimes interpreted across the Atlantic as an attempt to build an alternative to the alliance. We find such fears ungrounded. Europe's own defense efforts notwithstanding, NATO is bound to remain an irreplaceable pillar of collective defense on the European continent. It is the sole organization that can provide truly credible deterrence and defense for its members. As keen supporters of NATO-EU cooperation, we are very pleased to have witnessed the recent expansion of this cooperation into new areas. This cooperation has acquired additional importance with the finish line of Brexit just around the corner. While leaving the EU, the United Kingdom will remain in Europe, with every significant defense problem in and around the continent still affecting it. The U.K. has already assumed an immense role within NATO in addressing them, and the country has continuously indicated that its commitment to the alliance will be even stronger following Brexit. In welcoming a new year and a new chapter of its history, NATO is not doing it perplexed. The alliance is turning a new leaf, is proud of its achievements and with confidence is looking toward the future. For this reason, I am sure that 2019 is going to be a great year for the alliance. Raimundas Karoblis is the defense minister of Lithuania. https://www.defensenews.com/outlook/2018/12/10/lithuanias-defense-minister-it-will-be-a-good-year-for-nato/

By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — As the Trump administration and Congress deliberate the Defense Department's top-line budget for fiscal 2020, safeguarding the military's weapons programs and funding technology development is taking precedence over growing the force, the Pentagon's No. 2 official said Thursday. “At the end of the day, the national defense strategy puts a priority on modernization,” Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told reporters Dec. 13. “The trick then becomes, when you talk about force structure, how much risk do you take given the world's environment?” Shanahan's comments come at a time of back-and-forth between President Donald Trump, Defense Department leadership and Congress about the size of the FY20 defense budget. Pentagon budget makers had been planning for a $733 billion budget request — a modest increase over the $716 billion budget for FY19 — when Trump announced in October that the Defense Department's budget would instead be cut to $700 billion. The move surprised many, as Trump had frequently touted his administration's efforts to grow the size of the military and invest in new defense technology. The announcement raised questions about what the Pentagon would have to cut in order to meet the lower number, but it appears that those concerns may have been premature. Earlier this week, Politico and other outlets reported that congressional Republicans and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had convinced Trump to raise the top line to $750 billion. Shanahan on Thursday downplayed the reports, saying that a final top line had yet to be determined. "We're looking at numbers above $733 [billion], and as you know, we looked at numbers below $733 [billion]. I think everybody recognizes that this is a discussion that will go on in terms of what is the right number. The process we have is very robust,” he said. No matter what the top line ends up looking like, the goal will be “anchor[ing] line items to the National Defense Strategy. That's the rigor we put in place,” he added. With a top line above $733 billion, it's possible the Defense Department will be able to grow both its modernization accounts as well as funding for improving readiness and increasing force structure. But Shanahan, who spoke at a National Defense Industrial Association event on hypersonics on Thursday, tried to quell defense contractors' concerns that funding for hypersonic technologies, and science and technology development in general, could suffer under a budget that rings in at $733 billion or below. Asked by one Lockheed Martin employee whether funding for hypersonics programs would remain reliable in light of budgetary fluctuations, Shanahan said his level of confidence was high it would. “We've prioritized amortization,” he said. https://www.defensenews.com/congress/budget/2018/12/14/modernization-top-priority-in-fy20-budget-pentagons-no-2-official-says/

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Spacelabs Healthcare Inc., Snoqualmie, Washington, has been awarded a maximum $450,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for patient monitoring systems, accessories and training. This is a five-year base contract with one five-year option period. This was a competitive acquisition with 36 responses received. Location of performance is Washington, with a Dec. 13, 2023, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2018 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D1-19-D-0008). OrthoScan, Scottsdale, Arizona, has been awarded a maximum $125,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for radiology systems, accessories and training. This is a five-year base contract with one five-year option period. This was a competitive acquisition with 50 responses received. Location of performance is Arizona, with a Dec. 13, 2023, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2018 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D1-19-D-0007). UPDATE: Moridge Manufacturing Inc., Moundridge, Kansas (SPE8EC-19-D-0031) has been added as an awardee to the multiple-award contract for commercial agricultural equipment, issued against solicitation SPE8EC-17-R-0007, announced May 18, 2017. NAVY Textron Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana, is awarded a $314,288,369 modification to previously awarded letter contract N00024-17-C-2480 for the procurement of additional long lead time material (LLTM) for the Ship to Shore Connector program, Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) 100 Class Craft 109 through 118, for the continuation of pre-fabrication activities for LCAC 109 through 112, and for the initial procurement of LLTM for LCAC 119 through 123. The SSC Program is the functional replacement for the existing fleet of vehicles, which are nearing the end of their service life. It is an Air Cushion Vehicle designed for a 30-year service life. The SSC mission is to land surface assault elements in support of Operational Maneuver from the Sea, at over-the-horizon distances, while operating from amphibious ships and mobile landing platforms. SSC provides increased performance to handle current and future missions, as well as improvements which will increase craft availability and reduce total ownership cost. Work will be performed in New Orleans, Louisiana (46 percent); Leesburg, Virginia (18 percent); Mandal, Norway (8 percent); Gloucester, United Kingdom (7 percent); Livonia, Michigan (7 percent); Cincinnati, Ohio (4 percent); Eatontown, New Jersey (2 percent); Gold Beach, Oregon (2 percent); Riverdale, Iowa (2 percent); Huntington Beach, California (2 percent); Metairie, Louisiana (2 percent), and is expected to be complete by July 2023. Fiscal 2017, 2018 and 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the combined amount of $235,716,277 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. Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $149,435,507 cost-plus-incentive contract for the engineering, manufacturing, and development of Standard Missile-2 Block IIIC. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (85 percent); Wolverhampton, England (6 percent); East Aurora, New York (6 percent); Middletown, Ohio (2 percent); and Englewood, Colorado (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by October 2022. Fiscal 2019 and 2018 research, development, testing and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amounts of $50,090,148 and $234,663 respectively will be obligated at time of award. Funding in the amount of $234,663 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 Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-5412). Raytheon Co., Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $32,636,301 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-5432 for over-the-horizon weapon systems. Work will be performed in Kongsberg, Norway (75 percent); Tucson, Arizona (15 percent); Schrobenhausen, Germany (4 percent); Raufoss, Norway (3 percent); McKinney, Texas (2 percent); and Louisville, Kentucky (1 percent), and is expected to be complete by December 2020. Fiscal 2019 weapon procurement (Navy); fiscal 2019 research, development, testing, and evaluation (Navy); and fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) in the amount of $32,636,301 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 Navy Yard, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $32,162,533 cost-only contract for long lead material in support of fiscal 2019 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) Block 2 low-rate initial production requirements. The ESSM program is an international cooperative effort to design, develop, test, and procure ESSM missiles. The ESSM provides enhanced ship defense. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (43 percent); and the governments of Canada, Australia, Germany, Norway, Turkey, the Netherlands, and Denmark under the NATO Sea Sparrow Consortium. Work will be performed in Raufoss, Norway (47 percent); Mississauga, Canada (32 percent); and Richmond, Australia (21 percent), and is expected to be complete by December 2022. Fiscal 2017 and 2018 other procurement (Navy); fiscal 2018 and 2019 weapons procurement (Navy); and non-expiring Other Funds funding in the amount of $21,991,327 will be obligated at time of award and funds in the amount of $216,649 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with the authority 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(4). The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-5418). Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $24,717,120 cost-only contract for long lead material in support of fiscal 2019 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) Block 1 production and spares requirements. The ESSM program is an international cooperative effort to design, develop, test, and procure ESSM missiles. The ESSM provides enhanced ship defense. This contract includes foreign military sales to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Work will be performed in Raufoss, Norway (44 percent); Mississauga, Canada (34 percent); and Richmond, Australia (22 percent), and is expected to be complete by December 2021. Foreign military sales funding in the amount of $23,846,439 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with the authority 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(4). The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-5410). Austal USA, Mobile, Alabama, has been issued a fixed-price-incentive firm target modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-17-C-2301) to exercise options for the construction of two fiscal 2019 littoral combat ships (LCS). The Navy has not completed the competition for fiscal 2019 LCS class ships, therefore, the specific contract award amount for these ships is considered source selection sensitive information (see 41 U.S. Code 2101, et seq., Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 2.101 and FAR 3.104) and will not be made public at this time. Austal USA will perform and oversee all necessary design, planning, construction, and test and trials activities in support of delivery of these ships to the Navy. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama (50 percent); Pittsfield, Massachusetts (24 percent); Cincinnati, Ohio (5 percent); Henderson, Washington (2 percent), Kingsford, Michigan (1 percent); Bristol, Connecticut (1 percent), Slidell, Louisiana (1 percent); and various other locations of less than 1 percent each (totaling 16 percent), and is expected to be complete by September 2025. Fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding 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. ARMY AC FIRST LLC., Germantown, Maryland, was awarded a $129,918,292 modification (0002 37) to contract W52P1J-12-G-0048 for logistics support services, maintenance, supply, and transportation services. Work will be performed in Bagram, Afghanistan, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 21, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $12,500,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Harper Construction Co. Inc., San Diego, California, was awarded a $59,467,470 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a reception barracks complex. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 14, 2020. Fiscal 2015 and 2016 military construction funds in the amount of $59,467,470 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (W912BV-19-C-0003). Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was awarded a $30,358,753 modification (P00001) to contract W56HZV-18-F-0153 for procurement of Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin; and Liverpool, New York, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $30,358,753 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Gary Kubiak & Son Electric Inc.,* Robbinsville, New Jersey, was awarded a $12,898,760 firm-fixed-price contract for repair of the electrical distribution system (Buildings 194-194 and main base area) for Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Trenton, New Jersey, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 13, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $12,898,760 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (W912BU-19-C-0004). Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $10,219,884 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) Foreign Military Sales (Qatar) contract for support services for the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor for the Apache Attack helicopter. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2024. Fiscal 2019 foreign military sales funds in the amount of $10,219,884 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-19-D-0006). CORRECTION: The Nov. 8 announcement that Deloitte & Touche LLP, Arlington, Virginia, was awarded an $18,056,941 firm-fixed-price contract to provide a cyberspace analytics capability was announced early, and incorrectly stated the estimated date of completion and amount of obligated funds. The contract was actually awarded Dec. 12, 2018; the estimated date of completion is Nov. 11, 2023; and fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $8,736,000 were obligated at the time of the award. All other information in the announcement was correct. AIR FORCE Peraton Inc., Herndon, Virginia, has been awarded a $65,615,581 cost-type term order for Xdomain technology through research, evolution, enhancement, maintenance, and support software and report. The scope of this effort is to provide engineering, programmatic and technical expertise, to include: requirements definition/analysis, research, systems engineering, software engineering, development testing, software integration, quality control, configuration management, system integration, interoperability testing, security analysis/implementation, lab-based security assessment testing support, system installation planning, system component procurement, on-site installation/configuration, site security assessment testing support, system familiarization, and system operational support. Work will be performed in Herndon, Virginia; and Rome, New York, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 15, 2023. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and one offer was received. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $250,000; and fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $72,615 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-19-F-0003). Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Florida, has been awarded a $10,302,132 modification (P00001) to contract FA8682-19-C-0010 for Lot Two production of three Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 28, 2020. The award is the result of sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds will fund the contract. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1714535/source/GovDelivery/

Steve Trimble | Aviation Week & Space Technology Northrop Grumman has confirmed plans to launch a new product for an intelligence-gathering aircraft or service based on a newly unveiled, mature configuration of the Firebird, the optionally piloted, single-engine aircraft that first emerged as a Scaled Composites-designed demonstrator in 2011. The twin-boomed Firebird's formal launch, expected in early 2019, will reveal a new entrepreneurial strategy for the San Diego-based Autonomous Systems division of Northrop. Instead of designing the Firebird to compete directly for a share of a market already dominated by another manned or unmanned aircraft, Northrop hopes to stimulate demand for a product that offers a new set of capabilities. Full article: http://aviationweek.com/defense/northrop-grumman-formally-unveils-firebird-uas

By: Tom Kington ROME — Italy's Leonardo has announced a major shakeup of its management structure, which will see three of its seven divisions merged and entrusted to one of the firm's top British managers, Norman Bone. Reporting to CEO Alessandro Profumo, Bone will oversee a new Electronics Division, into which its Land & Naval Defence Electronics, Airborne & Space Systems, and Defence Systems divisions will be merged. Bone was previously the head of the Airborne & Space Systems division as well as chairman and managing director of Leonardo's U.K. operation. The Defense Systems division includes Leonardo's torpedo business, formerly known as WASS, and its cannon business, formerly known as Oto Melara. In a statement, Leonardo said the merging of the divisions was designed to “achieve suitable critical mass” in its electronics-related businesses. “This evolution will result in the organizational model being aligned with that of the main players in the market, ensuring an even more integrated development,” the firm said. Additionally, the firm's Air Traffic Control and Automation Systems businesses will be moved from the firm's Security & Information Systems Division to the new Electronics Division. The remainder of the Security & Information Systems division has been renamed the Cyber Security Division, and will be taken over on Jan. 21 by Barbara Poggiali, the firm said. Leonardo's three other divisions are Helicopters, Aircraft and Aerostructures. The shakeup is the latest stage in the consolidation of Leonardo's activities, which formerly existed as separate companies including AgustaWestland and Alenia. They were first transformed into divisions of the firm in 2016 as the company changed its name to Leonardo from Finmeccanica. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2018/12/14/italian-firm-leonardo-merges-3-divisions-names-brit-to-head-them

by Chris Thatcher When the Department of National Defence (DND) finalizes the statement of work for the CH-149 Cormorant Mid-Life Upgrade (CMLU), Sentient Vision is hoping a visual detection and ranging (ViDAR) optical radar will be among the requirements. The Australian company has partnered with Heli-One, a Vancouver-based subsidiary of CHC Helicopter, to offer a Canadian manufactured version of what it says is a transformational search and rescue technology. “We've coined a phrase: lost at sea, found in seconds. The system we have developed is able to autonomously find people lost at sea in seconds,” Simon Olsen, director of business development, strategy and partnerships, told Skies. “It is truly transformational. It has the unique ability to detect very small things that virtually no other system in the world has.” Where traditional radar struggles to differentiate small objects such as a person or a rubber raft from the waves in most sea states, ViDAR has successfully demonstrated the ability to find almost all objects or persons. “A radar works on being able to have a response back from the object, so the object needs to stand out from the ocean environment,” explained Olsen. “If the object is very small, and especially if it doesn't have a radar cross-section, it can't get a response back. Hence, in most search and rescue environments, when you are looking for people at sea, a rubber raft or even a small canoe . . . we currently use beacons or transponders to get a rough location, and then rely on the Mark 1 eyeball.” That often involves a spotter in an aircraft monitoring about 0.1 nautical miles at a time. “With ViDAR, we can look out two to 2.5 nautical miles from that aircraft and have an almost 100 per cent certainty of finding every person lost at sea immediately,” he said. The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) has been analyzing options for a life-extension program that would see the CH-149 fleet of 14 search and rescue helicopters remain in service until around 2040. The project secured long-term funding with the release of the Liberal government defence policy in June 2017. And a year later, in April 2018, Public Services and Procurement Canada posted a letter of notification (LoN) outlining its intent to conduct a sole-source negotiation with Leonardo, formerly AgustaWestland, to replace, modify or upgrade current and projected obsolete systems based on the Norwegian AW101-612 All-Weather Search and Rescue Helicopter (NAWSARH) model, which began entering service in December 2017. The LoN also indicated that the government would proceed with a plan to “augment” the current fleet by upgrading as many as seven of nine VH-71 aircraft, variants of the AW101, acquired from the U.S. government in 2011 ostensibly for spare parts. Olsen said the Canadian program presents an opportunity to not only work with a highly regarded Canadian partner, but also to develop and prove a solution that could then be exported to other military and civilian search and rescue programs. “If we have the opportunity to partner with [Team Cormorant] to supply this technology to the Canadian government, we see tremendous export appeal to other markets in which these helicopters operate,” he said of the team led by manufacturer Leonardo Helicopters and in-service support provider, IMP Aerospace & Defence. “We are configuring this to be able to retrofit it to existing aircraft of a similar kind.” The ViDAR hardware consists of a small, lightweight pod that can be mounted to multiple points on an aircraft and is then integrated with the onboard mission system. “We don't want to add any risk or complex technical integration, so we've focused on making it easy to integrate and use,” said Olsen. “Operationally, there is no new mission system, there's no new mapping system. All we do is send a location on a map and a thumbnail image of the object we find in the water. The operator can click that image and it slews the existing sensors they have on the aircraft to investigate that object.” It was still being developed when the Canadian government released the statement of requirements for the fixed-wing search and rescue project, but Olsen said ViDAR could be readily added to the Airbus CC295 when it enters service with the RCAF. Air Force members have seen the system in action and are well aware of the capability, he added. The U.S. Coast Guard conducted a “fairly exhaustive” trial in 2016 at which, of the various radars evaluated, “we were the only one that found 100 per cent search and rescue targets in a range of sea states,” he said. The Coast Guard subsequently incorporated it into its Insitu ScanEagle unmanned aerial platforms for counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean and off the southern coast. ViDAR is also being employed by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Bombardier Challenger 604 jets in a search and rescue capacity. By partnering with Heli-One and CHC Helicopter, which operates an extensive global search and rescue network, Olsen said there is an opportunity to develop a solution with a Canadian stamp on it that the government can take ownership of and help to export. “With the unique relationship between Heli-One and CHC, we clearly see an opportunity to extend this, not just along the path of where the Cormorant goes with Leonardo, but to work with CHC on a range of search and rescue operations they have all around the world.” https://www.skiesmag.com/news/sentient-vision-aims-to-expand-cormorant-search-radar

Par Michel Cabirol L'Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d'Armement a lancé le 31 octobre un appel d'offres portant sur le développement, la production et la phase initiale de maintien en condition opérationnelle du drone MALE européen. Le drone MALE européen est sur la piste de décollage. Le système européen de drone de moyenne altitude et longue endurance MALE RPAS (Medium Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aerial System) a franchi le 22 novembre dernier une nouvelle étape importante avec la réalisation de la revue de conception préliminaire, ont annoncé jeudi les trois industriels Airbus, Dassault Aviation et Leonardo. D'ici le milieu de la prochaine décennie, le MALE RPAS, conçu pour opérer dans l'espace aérien non ségrégué, pourra être déployé dans le monde entier pour des missions de renseignement, surveillance, acquisition de cible et reconnaissance (ISTAR). "Ce succès majeur intervient après le lancement par l'Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d'Armement (OCCAR) le 31 octobre d'un appel d'offres portant sur le développement, la production et la phase initiale de maintien en condition opérationnelle du programme", ont précisé les trois industriels dans le communiqué. Cette nouvelle étape permettra aux nations et aux industriels partenaires de commencer le développement du système avec des spécifications harmonisées et une vision claire de sa conception globale. Surtout, la question du prix va être importante mais pas déterminante pour le lancement du programme s'il y a bien sûr toujours une volonté politique. D'autant que l'Allemagne se serait engagée à prendre à son compte les surcoûts liés à la motorisation du MALE. Mi-2017, les pays partenaires avaient conclu un accord sur la configuration du drone, optant in fine pour un système biturbopropulseur. Résultat, la facture pourrait s'élever à plus de 2 milliards d'euros, soit plus du double de l'estimation d'un projet précédent (1 milliard d'euros). Airbus, maître d'oeuvre Désigné comme futur maître d'œuvre, Airbus Defence and Space coordonnera la réponse industrielle à l'appel d'offres avec les principaux sous-traitants : Airbus Defence and Space, Dassault Aviation SA et Leonardo. Airbus va passer un test grandeur nature, le groupe n'a jusqu'ici pas particulièrement brillé dans la conduite de certains grands programmes militaires, dont il a eu la maîtrise d'oeuvre (A400M, drone SIDM, hélicoptère NH90...). Et plus spécifiquement quand le groupe européen a lui-même dû développer des missions de défense dans ces programmes. Selon le communiqué, cet appel d'offres témoigne de la volonté des nations partenaires (France, Allemagne, Italie et Espagne) de poursuivre le programme "à l'issue d'une phase extrêmement fructueuse d'alignement des exigences et d'une démonstration convaincante de la qualité et de l'adéquation de la conception proposée à l'usage prévu". La revue de conception préliminaire du système conclut avec succèsl'étude de définition de deux ans lancée en septembre 2016 par les nations partenaires. Trois d'entre elles avaient signé en mai 2015 une déclaration d'intention en vue du développement commun d'un système de drone européen MALE, puis l'Espagne a rejoint le programme en 2016. https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/industrie/aeronautique-defense/airbus-dassault-leonardo-le-drone-male-europeen-sur-la-piste-de-decollage-800954.html