11 octobre 2023 | International, Aérospatial

Austrian military plane breaks down, complicating evacuation from Israel | Reuters

Austria's plans for an evacuation of its citizens from Israel by military aircraft on Wednesday were thwarted when its only available C-130 Hercules had a technical failure, forcing the country to book seats on a commercial flight instead.

https://www.reuters.com/world/austrian-military-plane-breaks-down-complicating-evacuation-israel-2023-10-11/

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  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - March 26, 2019

    29 mars 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité, Autre défense

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - March 26, 2019

    NAVY Huntington Ingalls Industries, Pascagoula, Mississippi, was awarded a $1,471,290,677 fixed-price-incentive modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-2406 for the procurement of the detail design and construction of Landing Platform Dock (LPD) 30, the first LPD 17 Flight II ship which will meet all the capabilities and capacities requirements for the Amphibious Ship Replacement. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi (82 percent); Crozet, Virginia (3 percent); Beloit, Wisconsin (2 percent); and New Orleans, Louisiana (2 percent), with other efforts performed at various sites less than one percent throughout the U.S. (11 percent), and is expected to be completed by February 2025. Fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,369,362,790 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. (Awarded March 25, 2019) Raytheon Co., Indianapolis, Indiana, was awarded a $49,989,867 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract in support of radar antenna system overhauls, coatings, shipboard installations and removals, and incidental technical support services for the following Radar Restoration Program systems: AN/SPS-48, AN/SPS-49, AN/SPS-67(V)1, AN/SPS-40, AN/SPS-73, AN/SPS-67(V)3/5, AN/SPQ-9B, AN/SPS-55, AN/SPS-75 and AN/SPS-77. All systems in the Radar Restoration Program are in the sustainment phase of their life cycle. The restored systems provided via this contract action are the above-deck components. The systems, subsystems, subassemblies and components are critical shipboard systems providing detect-to-engage capability to defend against incoming enemy aircraft and/or missiles. Some systems provide safe navigation processes for collision avoidance. This contract involves foreign military sales to Taiwan. Work will be performed in Odon, Indiana (75 percent); and Indianapolis, Indiana (25 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $271,807; and foreign military sales funding in the amount of $436,602 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with three offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity (N00164-19-D-WP40). (Awarded March 22, 2019) The Raytheon Co., McKinney, Texas, is awarded $39,718,809 for modification P00036 to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-15-C-0116). This modification exercises an option for the procurement of three APY-10 Radar System production kits for the Navy, four for the government of the United Kingdom, and five for the government of Norway, as well as related services in support of P-8A Poseidon Lot 10 production aircraft. Work will be performed in McKinney, Texas (77.1 percent); Andover, Massachusetts (7.2 percent); Chelmsford, Massachusetts (3.4 percent); Woodland Park, New Jersey (3.3 percent); Black Mountain, North Carolina (1.8 percent); San Carlos, California (1.7 percent); Ashburn, Virginia (1.6 percent); Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada (1.4 percent); Simsbury, Connecticut (1.3 percent); and Clearwater, Florida (1.2 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2022. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy); and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funds in the amount of $39,718,809 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Navy ($9,168,076; 23 percent); and FMS ($30,550,733; 77 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. National Institute of Building Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, is awarded a maximum amount $25,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for architectural design and engineering services for the National Institute of Building Sciences, District of Columbia. The work to be performed provides for ongoing criteria preparation and shall fall under the following two categories: preparation and dissemination of emerging innovative technology source information and/or criteria, commercially supported, embedded within the whole building design guide; and make findings and advise public/private sectors of the economy with respect to the use of building science and technology in achieving nationally acceptable standards and the irregularities and inconsistencies which arise from their application to particular localities or special local conditions. Work will be performed in Washington, District of Columbia. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months with an expected completion date of March 2024. Fiscal 2015 Office of the Secretary of Defense contract funds in the amount of $5,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. No task orders are being issued at this time. Future task orders will be primarily funded by military construction funds. This contract was a sole-source procurement under Federal Acquisition Regulations 6.302-5, authorized or required by statute. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N62470-19-D-5013). BAE Systems, Information and Electronic Systems Integration, Nashua, New Hampshire, is being awarded an $18,184,174 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of nine OE-120B/UPX Identification Friend or Foe antenna groups and one retrofit kit for the Navy. Work will be performed in Nashua, New Hampshire, and is expected to be completed in May 2022. Fiscal 2017, 2018, and 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $18,184,174 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 Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-19-C-0052). Noble Sales Co. Inc.,* Rockland, Massachusetts, is awarded a $14,126,593 firm-fixed-price blanket purchase agreement contract to stock, store, and issue supplies, construction materials, and hardware in support of Naval Facilities Engineering Command Hawaii, Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Oahu, Hawaii. The contract will include a 12-month base period, four one-year option periods, and a six-month extension, which if exercised, the total value of this contract will be $79,409,916. Work will be performed in Oahu, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by March 2020; if all options are exercised, work will be completed by September 2024. Fiscal 2019 working capital (Navy) funds will be provided on individual task orders as they are issued against the agreement and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was solicited unrestricted to all General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule vendors under GSA Schedule Special Item Number 51V for maintenance, repairs, and operations with two offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor, Regional Contracting Department, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N00604-19-A-4000). QRC Technologies, Fredericksburg, Virginia, is awarded a $13,748,268 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for the purchase of QRC brand materials and components, hardware deliverables, and engineering services required to support design, upgrade, integration, test, and evaluation of sensor system integration projects for the U.S. Special Operations Command and the Navy. This three-year contract includes a two-year option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $21,660,140. All work will be performed in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The period of performance of the base period is from March 27, 2019, through March 26, 2022. If the option is exercised, the period of performance would extend through March 26, 2024. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Funding will be obligated via task/delivery orders. The types of funding to be obligated include operations and maintenance (Navy); other procurement (Navy); and research, development, test and evaluation (Navy). This sole-source procurement is issued using other than full and open competition in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 6.302-1 and 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) - only one responsible source. The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-19-D-3403). Raytheon Co., Tewksbury, Massachusetts, is awarded a $9,140,826 modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-17-C-5145 to exercise options for DDG 1000 ship class integrated logistics support and engineering services. The DDG 1000 ship class is a multi-mission surface combatant designed to fulfill volume firepower and precision strike requirements. DDG 1000 combat systems provide offensive, distributed and precision firepower and long ranges in support of forces ashore, while incorporating signature reduction, active and passive self-defense systems and enhanced survivability features. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Rhode Island (50 percent); and Tewksbury, Massachusetts (50 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2020. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $5,772,655 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 Sierra Nevada Corp., Circle, Sparks, Nevada, has been awarded a $317,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Precision Strike Package program. This contract provides contractor logistics support for the Precision Strike Package in support of the AC-130W and AC-130J. Work will be performed at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico; and Hurlburt Field, Florida, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2026. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $26,784,295 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8509‐19‐D‐0001). DZYNE Technologies Inc., Fairfax, Virginia, has been awarded a $48,990,806 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Mobile Onboard Nexus for Autonomy and Radical Computation Handling (MONARCH) Small Business Innovative Research III effort. This contract provides for further development of technologies they have established under previous and current contracts, and the rapid development and maturation of novel Airborne, Space, and Terrestrial (ground) technologies and systems so that MONARCH technologies and associated capabilities can be transitioned to military markets. Work will be performed in Irvine, California, and is expected to be complete by March 27, 2024. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-19-C-9203). (Awarded March 25, 2019) General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, California, has been awarded a $9,211,561 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the United Kingdom (UK) MQ-9 Reaper contractor logistics support effort. This contract provides for ongoing sustainment of the UK MQ-9 fleet. Work will be performed at multiple stateside and international locations, and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2019. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition and involves 100 percent foreign military sales to the government of the United Kingdom. Foreign military sales funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-15-G-4040 0017 21). ARMY Valiant Global Defense Services Inc., San Diego, California, was awarded a $60,685,000 modification (P00013) to contract W91247-18-C-0001 for mission support services. Work will be performed in Fort Polk, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of March 26, 2023. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $60,685,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Fort Polk, Louisiana, is the contracting activity. Up-Side Management Co.,* Hubert, North Carolina, was awarded a $46,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for general construction and repair. Bids were solicited via the internet with 33 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 25, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W91278-19-D-0017). Widman Inc.,* Godfrey, Illinois, was awarded a $30,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for upper-river land repair. Bids were solicited via the internet with seven received. Work will be performed in West Alton, Missouri, with an estimated completion date of March 25, 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $30,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis, Missouri, is the contracting activity (W912P9-19-D-0003). Widman Inc.,* Godfrey, Illinois, was awarded a $15,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for lower-river land repair. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 25, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis, Missouri, is the contracting activity (W912P9-19-D-0004). Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services, Madison, Mississippi, was awarded a $14,523,875 firm-fixed-price contract for dining facility management functions. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2024. U.S. Property and Fiscal Office for Mississippi is the contracting activity (W9127Q-19-D-0001). BAE Systems Ordnance Systems Inc., Kingsport, Tennessee, was awarded a $9,576,532 modification (P00681) to contract DAAA09-98-E-0006 for natural gas and fuel oil for the commissioning and emission testing of the new natural gas-fired steam plant currently under construction at Holston Army Ammunition Plant. Work will be performed in Kingsport, Tennessee, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2018 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $9,576,532 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Avion Solutions Inc., Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded an $8,656,308 modification (000006) to contract W31P4Q-18-A-0047 for logistics support. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of March 28, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army; other procurement, Army; and research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $8,656,308 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY Lockheed Martin Corp., Sunnyvale, California, was awarded a $30,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification (P00015) to a previously awarded HQ0277-18-C-0001 contract. The value of this contract is increased from $36,000,000 to $66,000,000. Under this modification, the contractor will complete their laser scaling and beam control critical design review in support of the Low Power Laser Demonstrator risk reduction. The work will be performed in Sunnyvale, California. The period of performance for this effort is Oct. 6, 2017, to Sept. 6, 2019. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $29,951,935 are being obligated on this award. The Missile Defense Agency, Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the contracting activity. General Atomics, San Diego, California, was awarded a $29,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification (P00017) to a previously awarded HQ0277-18-C-0002 contract. The value of this contract is increased from $33,000,000 to $62,000,000. Under this modification, the contractor will complete their laser scaling and beam control critical design review in support of the Low Power Laser Demonstrator risk reduction. The work will be performed in San Diego, California. The period of performance for this effort is Nov. 6, 2017, to Sept. 6, 2019. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $28,955,517 are being obligated on this award. The Missile Defense Agency, Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the contracting activity. Boeing Co., Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $29,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification (P00019) to a previously awarded HQ0277-18-C-0003 contract. The value of this contract is increased from $33,000,000 to $62,000,000. Under this modification, the contractor will complete their laser scaling and beam control critical design review in support of the Low Power Laser Demonstrator risk reduction. The work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama. The period of performance for this effort is Dec. 8, 2017, to Sept. 6, 2019. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $28,685,504 are being obligated on this award. The Missile Defense Agency, Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, has been awarded a maximum $11,789,305 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for diesel engines. This is a three-year contract with no option periods. This was a sole-source acquisition, using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Location of performance is Wisconsin, with a March 26, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2022 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-19-D-0084). CACI Inc.-Federal, Chantilly, Virginia, has been awarded a $10,031,056 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for technical and functional services for the Defense Agency Initiative. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. This is a one-year base contract with three one-year option periods. Locations of performance are Virginia and other areas in the continental U.S., with a March 28, 2020, performance completion date. Using customer is Defense Logistics Agency. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds; and fiscal 2019 through 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Contracting Services Office, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SP4701-19-C-0009). Beaver Aerospace & Defense Inc.,* Livonia, Michigan, has been awarded a maximum $9,036,355 firm-fixed-price contract for linear electro-mechanical actuators. 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 one-year base contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Michigan, with a July 19, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Richmond, Virginia (SPE4A6-19-C-0071). *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1796426/

  • Turkish suppliers to be eliminated from F-35 program in 2020

    10 juin 2019 | International, Aérospatial

    Turkish suppliers to be eliminated from F-35 program in 2020

    By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is preparing to transfer Turkey's industrial participation in the F-35 to other countries unless Ankara reverses course on its plans to buy the Russian S-400 air defense system. The move — which in early 2020 would end contracts with major Turkish defense contractors such as Turkish Aerospace Industries, Roketsan and Tusas Engine Industries, among many others — is just one of many steps the U.S. Defense Department intends to take to strip Turkey from the F-35 program, according to a June 6 letter from acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan. The training of Turkish F-35 pilots at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona and of Turkish maintainers at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, will also end, Shanahan wrote, and U.S. military exercises in Turkey are in jeopardy. “If Turkey procures the S-400, as we discussed during our call on May 28, 2019, our two countries must develop a plan to discontinue Turkey's participation in the F-35 program,” Shanahan wrote in the letter, which was addressed to his counterpart, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. “While we seek to maintain our valued relationship, Turkey will not receive the F-35 if Turkey takes delivery of the S-400.” However, Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, noted that Turkish participation in the program would be allowed to continue if it drops its plan to buy the Russian air defense system. The delivery of the S-400 could occur as early as this month. “Turkey still has the option to change course. If Turkey does not accept delivery of the S-400, we will enable Turkey to return to normal F-35 program activities,” she told reporters Friday. “Turkey is a close NATO ally and our military-to-military relationship is strong.” Turkey, a partner in the F-35 program that helped fund the development of the jet, plans to buy 100 F-35As. Its first jet was rolled out in June 2018 in a festive “delivery ceremony,” but although Turkey formally owns its jets, the United States has the power to keep the planes from moving to Turkish soil and intends to keep all four existing Turkish jets from leaving the United States. Lord told reporters that the Pentagon is still deciding what it will do with Turkey's jets. One option would be to buy the aircraft and repurpose them for the U.S. Air Force, but no official decision has been made. Turkish companies are responsible for 937 parts used to build the F-35, with 400 of those sole-sourced from Turkish firms, Lord said. Existing contracts would go through a “disciplined and graceful wind down” period in “early 2020,” Lord said. “If we can work to our timelines with the Turks, we would have no major disruptions and very few delays,” she said. Vice Adm. Mat Winter, the F-35's program executive, said in April that 50-75 aircraft could be delayed over a two-year period if Turkey is removed from the program, according to Breaking Defense. But Lord said those disruptions would occur only if the Pentagon terminated its supply chain agreements this summer. Ultimately, prime contractors Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney will make the decisions on which subcontractors replace the Turkish vendors, but the Pentagon has identified new suppliers that could step up and make the parts currently sole-sourced by Turkey. “They are predominantly U.S. sources. That's not to say that we won't continue to do what we always do with program management and look for other sources, because we would like to have second, third sources for most of the items,” she said. The Defense Department has already stopped material deliveries to Turkey, halting the buildup of an engine overhaul facility that was planned to be built in and operated by Turkey. “There are two other European MRO&Us [maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade facilities] that can absorb the volume with no issue whatsoever,” Lord said. Despite Turkey's industrial role in the program, Lord said she was confident that all important technical information would stay secure. "We control what is downloaded from our computers. We have shared what's appropriate. The Turks have no critical documentation that we're concerned about,” she said. What's the impact on Turkish F-35 training? The most immediate impact to Turkey, according to the letter from Shanahan, is that no new Turkish students will begin F-35 training at Luke Air Force Base. This defers the training of 20 students scheduled to begin training in June, as well as 14 students between July and November 2019. “This training will not occur because we are suspending Turkey from the F-35 program; there are no longer requirements to gain proficiencies on the systems,” according to a document attached to the letter that spelled out the schedule for Turkey's removal from the program. In addition, the country will not be allowed to attend the annual F-35 Chief Executive Officer roundtable on June 12 — depriving Turkey of the opportunity to give input on any changes to the program's governing documents. Full article: https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/06/07/turkish-suppliers-to-be-eliminated-from-f-35-program-in-2020/

  • Government watchdog warns of cost and technical risk for next-gen combat vehicle effort

    10 août 2020 | International, Terrestre

    Government watchdog warns of cost and technical risk for next-gen combat vehicle effort

    By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The Government Accountability Office is warning the Army its approach to cost estimates and technical development for its Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program is risky and should be amended, according to an August 6 report. The Army has already struggled to get the OMFV program, intended to replace the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, off the ground, canceling its previous solicitation to compete after receiving just one bid from General Dynamics Land Systems last fall. And GAO, in its report, is concerned that the service's newest attempt to get after delivering an OMFV comes with risk because the program documentation “does not clearly communicate the uncertainty associated with projected costs” and limits the program's “ability to gather the knowledge to effectively mitigate risk associated with system design maturity.” For one, the Army has come up with a singular cost estimate for the life-cycle of the program rather than a range of potential costs that takes uncertainty into account, according to the report. The OMFV program cost estimate, the report notes, is roughly $46 billion in fiscal 2019 dollars. “Our past work has determined that a point estimate alone is insufficient for managers to make informed decisions about the cost of a program,” the GAO writes. “For informed decisions, the cost estimate must reflect a degree of uncertainty, typically achieved through an uncertainty analysis, so that level of confidence can be given about the estimate.” For example, the OMFV program will be optionally manned, “which adds complexity and unknowns to the design as no vehicle like this currently exists in the Army's ground vehicle fleet,” the GAO said. “But the uncertainty surrounding this complex design is not reflected in the point estimate.” And because of this “decision makers are left making choices without a clear understanding of the impact on costs and may not be able to accurately budget for the program,” the report states. The constrained development schedule for OMFV is also a cause for concern as it inevitably drives risk into the program. GAO notes the Army had laid out, in its previous solicitation, a plan to design and demonstrate an OMFV prototype in three years and three months, but has since spread the schedule out a bit more with the relaunch of the program and now plans to complete system development and prototype demonstration in “close to” five years. The new solicitation also lays out a five-phase effort that will allow the Army to reassess the process at certain checkpoints throughout development, according to the report. The GAO also found promise in the Army's plan to use a modular open systems architecture to incorporate incremental upgrades. In the Army's previous plan for OMFV it also planned to use a mix of existing and new technologies but, the GAO report states, the program did not include plans to complete an independent technology readiness assessment until it was approaching a production decision. According to the Office of the Under Secretary for Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, in a report to Congress, “the least mature technology for OMFV had only been demonstrated at the component level in a laboratory environment,” the report notes, adding that the level of technology maturity would require “significant” additional development before it could be added to a weapon system. “The Army is maturing, or has plans to mature, individual technologies to a level lower than the threshold recommended by leading practices before beginning system development,” the report says. “This creates a danger of limited insight into key technology risks.” Critical technologies, GAO states, should be demonstrated in “an operational or realistic environment — not simply in a relevant environment — prior to their incorporation into a system design to ensure that they work as intended for the end-user.” The GAO adds, based on past experience, that without proving out technology at that level, the Army risks the possibility that new capabilities won't work as planned and will require further maturation, which results in schedule slips and rising costs. In the previous competition, OMFV didn't hold a systems engineering design review before beginning system development and the Army canceled the solicitation “in part due to the conclusion that contractors could not complete a system design that met requirements within the given schedule,” the report notes, which “illustrates the risk of beginning system development without conducting a systems engineering design review.” Program officials told the GAO that the program office and requirements developers “may have misjudged the ability of contractors to integrate the desired technology within the given schedule.” The GAO recommends the Army secretary direct the OMFV program office to include a range of cost estimates to support a range of possible outcomes as well as conduct systems engineering reviews at key decision points. The report also lays out similar findings on the Mobile Protected Firepower program, which is heading into competitive prototype testing this summer. General Dynamics Land Systems and BAE Systems are competing to build the new light tank for Army infantry. The GAO recommended the Army should ensure the MPF program also include a range of cost estimates that account for uncertainty. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/08/06/government-watchdog-warns-of-cost-and-technical-risk-for-next-gen-combat-vehicle-effort/

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