18 mars 2022 | International, Aérospatial

British-US team reports first drone flight on synthetic fuel

Chief of U.S. Naval Research Rear Adm. Lorin C. Selby termed the initiative '€œexciting and game-changing.'€

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2022/03/17/british-us-team-reports-first-drone-flight-on-synthetic-fuel/

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  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - March 20, 2020

    23 mars 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - March 20, 2020

    NAVY Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $392,412,665 modification (P00009) to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm contract (N00019-18-C-1068). This modification exercises options for the production and delivery of tactical missiles (Lot 20 AIM-9X, Block II and Block II plus), captive air training missiles, plus all up round tactical missiles, captive test missiles, special air training missiles, advanced optical target detectors, Block II and II plus guidance units (live battery), captive air training missile guidance units (inert battery), Block I and II propulsion steering sections, electronic units, multiple purpose training missiles, tail caps, maintenance, sectionalization kits, containers and spares for the Air Force, Navy and the governments of Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Israel, Japan, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (31%); Andover, Massachusetts (10%); Keyser, West Virginia (9%); Santa Clarita, California (8%); Hillsboro, Oregon (5%); Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (5%); Goleta, California (4%); Cheshire, Connecticut (4%); Heilbronn, Germany (3%); Simsbury, Connecticut (2%); San Jose, California (2%); Valencia, California (2%); Anaheim, California (2%); Cajon, California (2%); Cincinnati, Ohio (1%); Anniston, Alabama (1%); San Diego, California (1%); Chatsworth, California (1%); Amesbury, Massachusetts (1%); Claremont, California (1%); Sumner, Washington (1%); and various locations within the continental U.S. (4%), and is expected to be completed in July 2023. In addition, this modification provides for material in support of repairs, depot maintenance and refurbishment. The following funds will be obligated at the time of award: fiscal 2020 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $135,790,070; fiscal 2020 missile procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $129,267,647; fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force) funds in the amount of $8,172,170; fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,999,656; fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $800,197; fiscal 2019 missile procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $6,189,530; fiscal 2019 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,262,027; fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force) in the amount of $598,896; fiscal 2018 missile procurement (Air Force) in the amount of $503,814; fiscal 2018 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $267,280 and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funds in the amount of $104,561,378. $4,369,646 of the funds obligated at contract award will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($144,732,057; 36.88%); Navy ($143,119,230; 36.47%); and FMS customers ($104,561,378; 26.65%). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Alberici-Mortenson JV, St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $191,900,391 fixed-price award-fee contract for design-bid-build recapitalization of the dry dock at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. Work will be performed in Kings Bay, Georgia, and is expected to be complete by July 2023. The work to be performed provides for concrete repairs in various locations throughout the dry dock, overhaul and repair of the steel caisson, upgrade power distribution, chilled water and a fire detection and alarm system. The project will also repair corroded steel members of the dry dock superstructure, re-coat the entire superstructure and replace roof and wall panels. The project will remove one bridge crane and overhaul two other bridge cranes. The scope also includes effort to rebuild or replace sluice gates and actuators, roller gate rails, flap valves and frames, all piping, and will upgrade control systems, electronic components and the auxiliary seawater system. The contract also contains nine unexercised options, which if exercised will increase the cumulative contract value to $592,343,628. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $191,900,391 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website with two proposals received. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-20-C-0016). Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $98,674,505 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price and cost contract for sustainment of the Littoral Combat Ship Component Based Total Ship System – 21st Century -(LCS COMBATSS-21); and associated combat system elements. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (84%); Camden, New Jersey (5%); Virginia Beach, Virginia (5%); Deer Creek, Colorado (2%); Manassas, Virginia (1%); Orlando, Florida (1%); and various other locations (under 1% - 2% total). The work executed under this contract will include maintenance and evolution of the LCS COMBATSS-21 (the backbone of the ship's mission system) and associated combat system elements in support of operational LCS ships. The work includes development, integration, test and delivery of future combat system baseline upgrades for in-service ships, supporting ship integration, installation and checkout, developmental test/operational test, developing training and logistics products, providing field technical support for combat systems, providing hardware engineering, equipment procurement and providing life-cycle supportability engineering and fleet support for fielded baselines. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,817,298 was obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract includes options, which if exercised will bring the cumulative value of this contract to $789,584,127. This contract was a sole-source acquisition in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). This contract was not competitively procured and 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 (N00024-20-C-5601). (Awarded March 16, 2020) CACI Inc. - Federal, Chantilly, Virginia, is awarded a $13,222,827 cost-plus-fixed-fee task order for engineering, technical, administrative and managerial (support) services in support of the Ships Availability Planning and Engineering Center and non-nuclear waterfront and deep submergence system programs at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS). Work will be performed in Kittery, Maine, and is expected to be complete by March 2021. The purpose of this service contract is to provide technical work, engineering services, quality assurance, process development, consulting and content management support to the PNS departments, with frequent interface with other PNS departments and outside activities such as other private and naval shipyards, submarine maintenance engineering, planning and procurement. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) support will be in the areas of engineering, technical, planning, deficiency resolution and administration as outlined. This contract includes options, which if exercised, will bring the cumulative value of this contract to $83,189,359. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $3,803,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the SeaPort-NxG Navy.mil website, with one offer received. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, is the contracting activity (N39040-20-F-3000). BAE Systems Land & Armaments LP, Phoenix, Arizona, is awarded an $8,568,715 modification (P00001) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price delivery order N00019-19-F-4133 against basic ordering agreement N00019-18-G-0018. This modification provides for the procurement of 20 E-2 parachute survival ensemble units and 130 FLU-10 inflators for the Navy, in addition to 60 E-2 parachute survival ensemble units and 70 FLU-10 inflators for the government of Japan. Work will be performed in Phoenix, Arizona (89%); and Orchard Park, New York (11%), and is expected to be completed in November 2023. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,620,920; fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $889,322; fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $156,147; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $4,902,326 will be obligated at time of award, $156,147 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Navy ($3,666,389; 43%); and the government of Japan ($4,902,326; 57%). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Lukos LLC, Tampa, Florida (H92240-20-D-0011); People, Technology & Processes, Tampa, Florida (H92240-20-D-0012); RMGS Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (H92240-20-D-0013); and SPATHE Systems LLC, Tampa, Florida (H92240-20-D-0014), were awarded a $245,000,000 maximum multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for logistics support, equipment related and knowledge based services in support of Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) enterprise requirements. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,500 are being obligated at the time of award for each contract. The work will be performed in various locations in the U.S. and overseas and is expected to continue through fiscal 2025. The contract was awarded competitively using Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 15 procedures with 13 proposals received. NSWC headquarters, Coronado, California, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY DRS Network & Imaging Systems LLC, Melbourne, Florida, was awarded a competitive single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract for the production of Army installation kits. The contract ceiling is approximately $205,998,367, and the minimum guarantee is $2,000,000. The total value of delivery order 0001 is $16,884,194, funded by fiscal 2020 other procurement (Army) funds. Proposals were solicited via FedBizOpps, now beta.SAM.gov, and three proposals were received. The place of performance will be at the contractor's facility until the installation kits are delivered to the U.S. government at Red River Army Depot. The period of performance for the base period is March 20, 2020, to March 19, 2023; if all options are exercised, the contract performance will end March 19, 2030. The period of performance is a three-year base with seven one-year options. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity (HC1084-20-D-0006). ARMY Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC, Plymouth, Minnesota, was awarded a $104,770,422 modification (P00071) to contract W15QKN-13-C-0074 for precision guidance kits. Work will be performed in Plymouth, Minnesota, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 26, 2024. Fiscal 2020 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $104,770,422 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting agency. Raytheon Co., Dulles, Virginia, was awarded a $64,751,190 modification (P00006) to contract W56KGY-16-D-0006 to provide operations and sustainment support for Persistent Surveillance Dissemination System of Systems in support of Product Manager Force Protection Systems. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. ID Technologies LLC,* Ashburn, Virginia, was awarded a $46,579,188 firm-fixed-price contract to purchase information technology equipment and accessories. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Ashburn, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of March 24, 2021. Fiscal 2020 revolving funds in the amount of $46,579,188 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-20-F-0193). L3 Fuzing and Ordnance Systems, Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded a $19,381,064 modification (P00005) to contract W15QKN-19-C-0040 for the procurement of application specific integrated circuit chips. Work will be performed in Cincinnati, Ohio, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 procurement of ammunition, Army funds in the amount of $19,381,064 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting agency. Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was awarded a $17,405,696 modification (P00295) to contract W56HZV-15-C-0095 to exercise an option covering priced man-hours, labor, material and fees on material for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) system technical support JLTV retrofit efforts. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2019 other procurement, Army; and 2020 Marine Corps procurement funds in the amount of $17,405,696 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was awarded a $16,754,161 modification (P00344) to contract W56HZV-15-C-0095 to exercise options for packaged kits for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle family of vehicles. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2023. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $16,754,161 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Stantec Consulting Services Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana, was awarded a $14,143,940 firm-fixed-price contract for the design of pump stations and drainage structures. Bids were solicited via the internet with nine received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 20, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, is the contracting activity (W912P8-20-D-00004). SI2 Technologies Inc.,* North Billerica, Massachusetts, was awarded a $13,491,546 firm-fixed-price contract for protection of Army and Department of Defense assets and weapon systems from emerging threats. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of April 28, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-20-D-0023). Flick Lumber Co. Inc.,* Galion, Ohio, was awarded a $9,340,523 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of performance oriented packaging (POP) boxes. Bids were solicited via the internet with ten received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 22, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-20-D-0021). Texas Dewatering LLC,* Bellville, Texas, was awarded an $8,502,179 firm-fixed-price contract for improvements in the Houston Ship Channel. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Houston, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 civil operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $8,502,179 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W912HY-20-C-0010). DEFENSE FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING SERVICE Guidehouse LLP, McLean, Virginia, is being awarded a labor-hour contract option with a maximum value of $10,449,089 for audit finding remediation support services for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). Work will be performed in McLean, Virginia, with an expected completion date of March 31, 2021. Fiscal 2020 Defense-wide operating and maintenance funds in the amount of $10,449,089 are being obligated at the time of this option award. This award brings the total cumulative value of the contract to $34,766,166. This contract is the result of a competitive acquisition for which two quotes were received. The contract had a 12-month base period plus four individual one-year option periods, with a maximum value of $49,839,283. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Contract Services Directorate, Columbus, Ohio, is the contracting activity (HQ0423-18-F-0055). DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY RadiaBeam Technologies LLC,* Santa Monica, California, has been awarded a $10,202,941 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Gamma Ray Inspection Technology (GRIT) program. In Phase I, RadiaBeam Technologies LLC proposes a Laser-Compton approach for meeting GRIT program objectives and carrying out relevant system demonstrations. Work will be performed in Santa Monica, California (80%); Menlo Park, California (9%); Los Angeles, California (7%); and Paris, France (4%), with an estimated completion date of March 2021. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,718,701 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR0011-20-C-0072). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Chartwell RX LLC, Congers, New York, has been awarded a maximum $7,074,642 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for numerous pharmaceutical products in support of the Corporate Exigency Contracts program. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. This is a one-year base contract with nine one-year option periods. Location of performance is New York, with a March 18, 2021, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense warstopper funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D0-20-D-0005). UPDATE: Navistar Defense LLC, Melrose Park, Illinois (SPE8EC-20-D-0057), has been added as an awardee to the multiple award contract for commercial trucks and trailers, issued against solicitation SPE8EC-17-R-0008 and announced Jan. 9, 2018. (Awarded March 19, 2020) *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2120442/source/GovDelivery/

  • How new prototyping dollars will help Army network modernization

    22 juillet 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

    How new prototyping dollars will help Army network modernization

    Andrew Eversden ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — The U.S. Army is moving forward on a number of projects to bolster its tactical network, thanks to a new pool of money dedicated to prototyping and maturing emerging technology. Additions to the Army's tactical network will come every two years as part of modernization efforts called capability sets. Previously, prototypes of emerging technology would fall into the “valley of death,” where technology projects that didn't have enough funding to transition into programs of record would die, said Maj. Gen. Peter Gallagher, director of the Army's Network Cross-Functional Team. The CFT received nearly $30 million to support prototyping efforts for science and technology efforts as well as industry work in fiscal 2020, according to Justine Ruggio, communications director for the CFT. According to a May news release from Army Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications-Tactical, the Army network modernization team has identified eight “promising,” Army-led science and technology efforts as well as six industry-led prototyping projects. The Army is particularly interested in low-Earth orbit satellite constellations to improve bandwidth and reduce latency for Capability Set '23 and Capability Set '25, said Michael Breckenridge, acting associate director for the Office of Science and Technology. His office falls under the purview of the Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command C5ISR (Command, Control, Communication, Computers, Cyber, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) Center. The S&T team is researching how the service can move and secure traffic through these constellations. “While those are very much in their infancy as far as the commercial LEO constellations coming together, we're already working with those vendors to try and get satellite time to be able to do experimentation to understand the capability and how do we shape, then, future investments in that space,” Breckenridge said. The Network CFT is also excited about the survivability and mobility of the Army's command posts, said Donald Coulter, senior S&T adviser for the CFT. It's also focused on spectrum obfuscation capabilities as well as an identity management project that explores new ways of verifying users' identities (for example, through wearables) to ensure the security of Army systems if equipment falls into enemy hands, he added. The S&T community and the CFT are also working on a secure communications link between manned and unmanned fighting vehicles, something that may be used for other parts of the network, Breckenridge said. For example, the C5ISR Center is also experimenting with that link for distributed command post nodes and between command post links, he noted. Previously, a lack of funds made it difficult to create an “entire road map to field” prototypes, he added, and teamwork between the network team and S&T community suffered. But with the newly allocated funds, the S&T community and the Network CFT are able to work more closely. The dollars have been “the key to have the groups from across all those different communities come together focusing on what specifically we need to take viable concepts and promising concepts from idea to demonstration to real ... tangible and robust thing[s] that we can acquire and field,” said Coulter. With the prototyping dollars now in place, the CFT is expected to have an easier time developing technologies for the service's network modernization plan, driven by capability sets. Capability Set '21, which completed critical design review in April, is focused on addressing immediate gaps in the Army's network with currently available technologies. The Army has begun buying those new network tools, which focus on smaller, lighter, faster communication systems for soldiers, and will begin fielding the technology in fiscal 2021. Meanwhile, Capability Set '23, which has preliminary design review scheduled for April next year, is focused on high-capacity, low-latency communications that aren't mature enough today, Gallagher said at the C4ISRNET Conference in May. Future capability sets will include emerging technologies that improve network resiliency. For example, after Capability Set '23, soldiers will have more bandwidth at the tactical edge, allowing for the increased adoption of machine learning and other emerging technologies. The Army is also in the planning stages of Capability Set '25. Even as the Army identifies key technologies for future capability sets, it must work within the constraints of budgets, meaning that the Network CFT and the C5ISR Center have to work together to identify S&T priorities. Coulter said the “key thing” that the CFT does is prioritize its portfolio and provide guidance on critical capability gaps. Breckenridge said the S&T community brings an understanding of adversarial threats to the network and what investments can be made to mitigate those threats to inform the CFT's prioritization. “One of the key things that S&T community does is ... identify those opportunities,” Coulter said. “So we're threat-informed and -aware, but we also are looking from a technology perspective of where can we get the leap-ahead opportunities that can impose challenges to our adversaries and take our network to the next level. So we have to rely on them heavily, not only for some threat information, but also ... those unique potential opportunities from a technology perspective as well.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/it-networks/2020/07/20/how-new-prototyping-dollars-will-help-army-network-modernization/

  • Honeywell and U.S. Army to demo next-generation T55 engine for Chinook helicopters

    10 juin 2020 | International, Aérospatial

    Honeywell and U.S. Army to demo next-generation T55 engine for Chinook helicopters

    Honeywell has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Army to demonstrate and fly its upgraded T55 engine on the heavy-lift, twin-engine Chinook helicopter. The new 6,000-horespower engine is 25% more powerful and consumes 10% less fuel than the current T55. New modifications also make the next-generation T55 easier to maintain with lower operating costs and increased readiness for the warfighter. The new T55-GA-714C engine is specifically designed for next-generation military operators, and will improve the Chinook helicopter's ability to lift troops and heavy cargo for the U.S. Army and National Guard. Because the engine is based closely on the T55 version currently in use, almost no airframe changes are required — the same intake, exhaust and engine airframe mounts are used. This provides the Army and National Guard with a major engine improvement without the need to retrain their maintenance and operational staff. The design improvement will be demonstrated as part of the Cooperation Research and Development Agreement process with the U.S. Army. The engine upgrade can be incorporated either by modifying existing engines at overhaul in the U.S. fleet or with new production engines. "Honeywell has spent years designing and developing the T55-GA-714C engine as part of our commitment to push the T55's power beyond the needs of the Chinook helicopter," said Dave Marinick, president, Engines and Power Systems, Honeywell Aerospace. "For 60 years, we've powered the world's most premier heavy-lift helicopter, and this latest improvement increases performance while saving important program dollars and maintenance hours as well as increasing mission readiness. We are proud of our legacy on the Chinook helicopter, and we are committed to continuously improve the T55 engine." The installation and demonstration of the advanced T55 engine will take place on a CH-47F Chinook at Fort Eustis in Newport News, Virginia, under the supervision of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center. The demonstration will show the ease of installation and prove out the engine's new compressor design that brings additional performance and reduces fuel burn. After that, Honeywell will complete the final qualification process for the new engine design. Honeywell first delivered the T55 engine to the U.S. Army in 1961 at 2,050 shaft horsepower on the CH-47A helicopter. Since that time, the engine's power has nearly tripled to 6,000 shaft horsepower. Each performance increase on the T55 is accompanied by reduced fuel burn, increased reliability and decreased maintenance hours. The T55 engine is the world leader in powering heavy lift helicopters. Over 900 CH-47 helicopters are operated today by various militaries around the world. Press release issued by Honeywell Aerospace on June 4, 2020 http://www.airframer.com/news_story.html?release=74824

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