CACI Awarded $1.3 Billion Task Order to Provide Communications and Information Technology Expertise to U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command

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  23 avril 2020 | International, C4ISR

  Air Force works to ‘mitigate’ Ligado deal’s impact on GPS

  Aaron Mehta and Valerie Insinna The U.S. Air Force is in the early stages of developing strategies to “mitigate” the damage expected to occur to Global Positioning System capabilities following the Federal Communication Commission's approval of a spectrum request by Ligado Networks, according to the service's top uniformed officer. On Wednesday, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said he was “very concerned about the Ligado decision,” adding those concerns are shared with Gen. Jay Raymond, the first head of the U.S. Space Force. “We as a nation, and I would offer as a [world], rely on GPS to do so much that affects far more than military operations,” Goldfein said. “This is our quality of life. This is how we run businesses. This is how we fly airplanes. This is the ATM that requires that timing signal to get money. This is the blue dot on your phone that allows you to get from point A to point B, so we have come to just rely completely on GPS.” On Monday, the FCC voted 5-0 in favor of Ligado's plan, which would allow the company to use L-band — a range of frequencies between 1 to 2 GHz, on which GPS relies in order to penetrate weather and dense vegetation. The company wants to use L-band as part of its plan to expand America's 5G capabilities, or next-generation connectivity. The Defense Department and other government agencies have opposed the proposal for almost a decade over concerns it would impact GPS. C4ISRNET first broke the news April 10 that the FCC would move forward with Ligado's request. “The best way I've heard it described — I'm a philosophy major and this works for me — if you're trying to have a quiet conversation and in the next room is a 500-watt speaker blaring music at you: That's a visual of what potentially could be the interference with this GPS signal that absolutely has got to be pristine, and the world relies on," Goldfein said. "So I am very concerned about it, and [Chief of Space Operations for the U.S. Space Force Gen. John “Jay”] Raymond and I are looking at different mitigation steps.” Goldfein didn't go into details about what those steps might entail. Later in the day, Mark Lewis, the Defense Department's director of research and engineering for modernization, said he hadn't talked with Goldfein yet on next steps, but expressed similar sentiments about the Ligado plan. “It's obviously a concern. Our ability to operate not only in space but in spectrum is critical. So I guess what I would tell you is right now we're considering what the implications will be and considering what the impacts will be,” Lewis said at an event hosted by the Mitchell Institute. It's something “we're working pretty actively,” Lewis added. Outside of the technical mitigation efforts, there may be policy efforts underway to try and block L-band use by Ligado. In an exclusive op-ed for C4ISRNET, leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees warned that Ligado's plan could ultimately “cost taxpayers and consumers billions of dollars and require the replacement of current GPS equipment just as we are trying to get our economy back on its feet quickly.” “We encourage the FCC to withdraw its approval of Ligado's application and take this opportunity to work with the NTIA [National Telecommunications and Information Administration] and other federal agencies, including the departments of Defense and Transportation, to find a solution that will both support commercial broadband expansion and protect national security assets. Moreover, we expect the FCC to resolve Department of Defense concerns before moving forward, as required by law,” the lawmakers wrote. “If they do not, and unless President [Donald] Trump intervenes to stop this from moving forward, it will be up to Congress to clean up this mess.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/2020/04/22/air-force-works-to-mitigate-ligado-deals-impact-on-gps/

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  8 janvier 2019 | International, Terrestre, C4ISR

  The Army's M1 Abrams Tank Is About To Get Even Deadlier

  by Kris Osborn The Army is engineering new AI-enabled Hostile Fire Detection sensors for its fleet of armored combat vehicles to identify, track and target incoming enemy small arms fire. This system, integrated onto Apache Attack helicopters, uses infrared sensors to ID a “muzzle flash” or heat signature from an enemy weapon. The location of enemy fire could then be determined by a gateway processor on board the helicopter able to quickly geolocate the attack. The Army is engineering new AI-enabled Hostile Fire Detection sensors for its fleet of armored combat vehicles to identify, track and target incoming enemy small arms fire. Even if the enemy rounds being fired are from small arms fire and not necessarily an urgent or immediate threat to heavily armored combat vehicles such as an Abrams, Stryker or Bradley, there is naturally great value in quickly finding the location of incoming enemy small arms attacks, Army weapons developers explain. There are a range of sensors now being explored by Army developers; infrared sensors, for example, are designed to identify the “heat” signature emerging from enemy fire and, over the years, the Army has also used focal plane array detection technology as well as acoustic sensors. “We are collecting threat signature data and assessing sensors and algorithm performance,” Gene Klager, Deputy Director, Ground Combat Systems Division, Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate, told Warrior Maven in an interview last year. Klager's unit, which works closely with Army acquisition to identify and at times fast-track technology to war, is part of the Army's Communications, Electronics, Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC). Army senior leaders also told Warrior Maven the service will be further integrating HFD sensors this year, in preparation for more formals testing to follow in 2019. Enabling counterattack is a fundamental element of this, because being able to ID enemy fire would enable vehicle crews to attack targets from beneath the protection of an armored hatch. The Army currently deploys a targeting and attack system called Common Remotely Operated Weapons System, or CROWS; using a display screen, targeting sensors and controls operating externally mounted weapons, CROWS enables soldiers to attack from beneath the protection of armor. “If we get a hostile fire detection, the CROWS could be slued to that location to engage what we call slue to cue,” Klager said. Much of the emerging technology tied to these sensors can be understood in the context of artificial intelligence, or AI. Computer automation, using advanced algorithms and various forms of analytics, can quickly process incoming sensor data to ID a hostile fire signature. “AI also takes other information into account and helps reduce false alarms,” Klager explained. AI developers often explain that computer are able to much more efficiently organize information and perform key procedural functions such as performing checklists or identifying points of relevance; however, many of those same experts also add that human cognition, as something uniquely suited to solving dynamic problems and weighing multiple variables in real time, is nonetheless something still indispensable to most combat operations. Over the years, there have been a handful of small arms detection technologies tested and incorporated into helicopters; one of them, which first emerged as something the Army was evaluating in 2010 is called Ground Fire Acquisition System, or GFAS. This system, integrated onto Apache Attack helicopters, uses infrared sensors to ID a “muzzle flash” or heat signature from an enemy weapon. The location of enemy fire could then be determined by a gateway processor on board the helicopter able to quickly geolocate the attack. While Klager said there are, without question, similarities between air-combat HFD technologies and those emerging for ground combat vehicles, he did point to some distinct differences. “From ground to ground, you have a lot more moving objects,” he said. Potential integration between HFD and Active Protection Systems is also part of the calculus, Klager explained. APS technology, now being assessed on Army Abrams tanks, Bradleys and Strykers, uses sensors, fire control technology and interceptors to ID and knock out incoming RPGs and ATGMs, among other things. While APS, in concept and application, involves threats larger or more substantial than things like small arms fire, there is great combat utility in synching APS to HFD. Full article: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/armys-m1-abrams-tank-about-get-even-deadlier-40847

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  11 août 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - August 10, 2020

  ARMY General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $428,229,970 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the field level maintenance, field service representative support, contingency maintenance support, new equipment training and total package fielding for the family of Stryker vehicles. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-D-0075). Sierra Nevada Corp., Sparks, Nevada, was awarded a $318,952,224 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price) contract for simple key loader production, engineering and sustainment support services. 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 Aug. 9, 2030. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W15P7T-20-D-0030). Remotec Inc., Clinton, Tennessee, was awarded a $48,600,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the reset, sustainment, maintenance and recap to support the overall sustainment actions of the Remotec family of robots. 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 Aug. 1, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Detroit, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-F-0366). Carbro Constructors Corp.,* Hillsborough, New Jersey, was awarded a $7,832,976 modification (P00003) to contract W912DS-19-C-0035 for construction of flood-control measures for Green Brook Segment C1, Borough of Middlesex, New Jersey. 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 Oct. 13, 2021. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York, New York, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Aug. 6, 2020) AIR FORCE Tangram Flex Inc.,* Dayton, Ohio, has been awarded a maximum $95,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for software and reports. The scope of this effort is to perform research, development, prototyping, enhancement, testing, evaluation, integration, transition and operational assessment to enhance and commercialize the Tangram Platform resulting in flexible system engineering componentization that allows system integrators and maintainers to ease the difficulty in interface versioning and generation. Work will be performed in Dayton, Ohio, and is expected to be completed Aug. 10, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 23 offers were received. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $243,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-20-D-1000). Black River Systems Co. Inc.,* Utica, New York, has been awarded an $89,280,441 modification (P00012) to contract FA8750-19-C-0040 for operational counter-small unmanned aircraft system (C-sUAS) open systems architecture. The objective of this effort is to rapidly enhance and commercialize the technology and approach developed under the previous Small Business Innovation Research Phase II contract in order to support rapid research, development, prototyping, demonstration, evaluation and transition of C-sUAS capabilities. Work will be performed in Utica, New York, and is expected to be completed May 1, 2023. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $9,150,720; fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,683,016; and fiscal 2018 other procurement funds in the amount of $2,509,784, are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $184,929,049. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity. The Boeing Co., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has been awarded a $50,000,000 cost ceiling, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-incentive-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) Internet Protocol Enabled Communication (IPEC) program. This contract provides for the continued acquisition of supplies and services directly associated with the functions of IPEC in the overarching AWACS upgrade. Work will be performed at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and is expected to be completed Aug. 10, 2026. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $1,875,634 are obligated at the time of award on the same day delivery order. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (FA8730-20-D-0038). NAVY Nan Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded a $33,491,868 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of magazines at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The work to be performed provides for constructing four standard earth covered Type D box magazines without loading platforms, each equipped with electronically-operated doors at ground level, lightning protection system and grounding system. Paving and site improvements include concrete magazine apron and site demolition. Electrical utilities include primary and secondary electrical distribution systems and transformers. Work will be performed in Oahu, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by September 2022. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $33,491,868 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Beta.SAM.gov contract opportunities website with four proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Hawaii, Joint Base Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62478-20-C-4016). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Argentum Medical LLC, Geneva, Illinois, has been awarded a maximum $14,780,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for medical surgical products. This was a competitive acquisition with 24 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Illinois, with an Aug. 9, 2025, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through fiscal 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DE-20-D-0018). *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2307696/source/GovDelivery/