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18 août 2020 | International, Aérospatial

CEO of Boeing’s defense wing talks stumbling blocks, from KC-46 to COVID

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WASHINGTON — When Boeing Defense, Space and Security CEO Leanne Caret dials into our hourlong interview on Aug. 4, she comes prepared with 15 minutes worth of opening statements that include thoughts ranging from the company's performance during the coronavirus pandemic to the state of the KC-46 tanker program.

She knows she has a lot to cover, and a lot to answer for.

Caret stepped into the top Boeing defense job in 2016, after the American company lost a lucrative contract for the U.S. Air Force's next-generation bomber. Questions about Boeing's future as a producer of fighter jets — and the prominence of its defense business — lingered as the end of the F-15 and F/A-18 production lines loomed in the near future.

Now the tables have turned. With COVID-19 devastating the travel industry and eradicating near-term sales opportunities for commercial airliners, Boeing's defense sector finds itself as the company's model pupil.

“One of the questions that I get a lot is, how has that changed the expectations for me and for our defense and space business?” Caret told Defense News. “And I wanted to just anticipate the question and share that, you know, as I see it, the company's expectations of our business are the same as always. We need to perform consistently, and we need to perform well. And while our progress may be viewed through a different lens for a period of time, the expectations of how we do our job and what we deliver haven't really changed.”

Under Caret's leadership, Boeing has logged a number of major wins, including contracts for the T-7A trainer jet and the Grey Wolf helicopter for the Air Force, as well as the Navy's MQ-25 drone. New orders for a block upgrade of the Super Hornet aircraft resuscitated that production line, and in July the company got its first order for the Air Force's F-15EX jet.

“I mean, how many people a few years ago would have placed a bet that we'd be building new F-15s? I say, few to none,” she said.

But amid this progress, the company has met stumbling blocks. Most prominently, the KC-46 has been hampered by a list of technical issues, including foreign object debris found in the jets and a dispute with the Air Force over the camera system that allows the boom operator to refuel other aircraft. A deal on a fix for the latter problem was agreed to in April after more than a year of negotiations.

“I think we've turned the corner. I really do,” Caret said. “What I want you to know from me is I want every KC-46 delivered to be perfect. We're not there yet. But we're aligned with the Air Force, and our road map is sound.”

This interview with Caret was edited for length and clarity.

The COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, and there could be a second wave approaching. With that in mind, what is the health of Boeing's defense business? Where are you seeing challenges?

It's not unique to Boeing, but our workforce — think about this — they have masks on, safety glasses, bump caps, vests, gloves, 6-feet proximity. This environment that they're working in, it's just hard. We are still right in the middle of the pandemic. You'll see states that have different protocols. From a Boeing Company position, our goal is to make certain that our employees are safest at work.

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One of our biggest lessons learned is the quick benefit you can have from minimizing contact and quarantining. So when a case is identified, we do an entire trace of where the individual has been so that we can quarantine those who are potentially at risk, and then also make certain that they have the ability to go get the testing.

Every employee, we've made sure they have thermometers and masks as we continue to bring folks back in. We're making certain that we have lots of really great cleaning details, and folks just focused on easing the anxiousness of our teams because day in day out this is really hard. As you talk about the fall and the worry about the flu — we don't have a vaccine yet for COVID, and then you are dealing with the compounding effects of schools not being in session. We have not had a respite from this.

How is the health of your second-tier suppliers and below that? Are you concerned there could be delays in getting parts, components or subsystems that Boeing needs as we head into the fall?

We've already seen delays. Think about what we went through in both Mexico and India. We have suppliers in both of those countries. And again, this is not unique to Boeing. As they were going through their shutdowns and their quarantines, it impacted, many times, their production rates. And so that is where we have really a great cross-sharing of information occurring.

One big focus for us has been making sure we've been aggressive in making certain that they have cash flow, they have liquidity. We've actually hosted events with the Small Business Administration for our supply base. On one level, it's making certain that we help them get what they need.

We also adjust how we do business so it makes it more efficient. A great example of that is how we're doing virtual inspections now. We have teams go out and inspect parts and do different things like that. We now do them with videos and cameras so that we don't slow the supply base down. Anywhere where we can do advances and allow our supply base to do advanced delivery, we're doing that as well.

What's been the impact of pauses at your defense production lines in Puget Sound, Washington, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania? Will Boeing be able to deliver all of the military aircraft that was the books for 2020?

So for instance, with the Army, we actually did slow down the pace of Apache [attack helicopter] final assembly due to some supply chain impacts resulting from COVID. And most of those came from our efforts with our JV [joint venture] with [Indian defense company] Tata. But there is some realism in what you're talking about.

Now, I'm not seeing drastic changes at this point. But to your earlier point, we haven't gotten to the fall yet. So we're all being very pragmatic. We're being very cognizant of prioritizing what our customers need and making certain that we can support them. And then we just assess it on a case-by-case basis. And I'll defer to the services to let them publish any changes that have been agreed to or not.

Is the worst over for Boeing's defense business, or is there concern that a second wave of COVID-19 could cause a more dramatic impact?

I mean, let's be honest: If nothing else, we know the flu always hits hard in the fall/early winter time frame. So there's a compounding effect there. And so we are planning for another resurgence, but we have the benefit of what we've already been through, and a disciplined approach for how we manage it. That's really going to aid us. I'm not going to predict, other than to say we are better positioned now to handle a resurgence than we were when the thing first started.

Under your leadership, there was a realigning of some of Boeing's business divisions involved in the defense sector. But given that the operating environment has changed, do you anticipate more restructuring or changes in leadership?

I think any good leader always looks at: Do you have the right structure for the business environment and for the market? And we made some very specific decisions when I first came into this role about flattening the organization, taking out layers, reducing. We were extremely top heavy. We eliminated a lot of that. I feel very comfortable. I'm not predicting anything significant.

Do you expect an impact on foreign military sales because of the global economic downturn or because countries are trimming defense spending?

Absolutely. The industry is already seeing that nations have been affected by spending on COVID similar to the U.S., and they're having to go look at their timelines.

We have not seen any cancellations. But we have seen some acquisitions and some contracts pushed to the right. Now, you also know that many of our international deals take — you know, they're years in the making anyways. But I think it's only pragmatic for us to look at it through the lens that they're going to face the same pressures the U.S. does in terms of spending decisions. And so that's why we really need to be flexible and we need to be innovative.

Over the past few years, Boeing has bid very aggressively on a number of defense programs like MQ-25 and T-X. Considering Boeing's commercial business now faces a number of financial challenges, was that a bad move? What sort of impact will that have on Boeing as a whole over the next couple years? Will Boeing continue to employ the same bidding strategy?

I actually remain very confident in the investments we made on both the MQ-25 and the T-7. There was a lot of commentary back at that time about how much we invested. We had already redesigned, reimagined, how are we going to use advanced modeling and simulation and digital twins. And so those investments, in terms of how we design and build, I think have paid off not only for those programs you mentioned, but for the F-15EX for the air power teaming system and for everything that follows.

It wasn't just about the bid. We evolved ourselves in terms of how we did the work, not just the offering. And that was really the true differentiator. I think that enabled us to win. Going forward, I think you will see — as we're delivering these aircraft and additional orders come in — that it was exactly the right thing to do.

So the investments Boeing made in advanced manufacturing processes and digital engineering make you confident these programs won't be a repeat of the KC-46 program?

It is my goal to never have a repeat of tanker, and that was the headset that I've gone into with pretty much every decision that we make. It started with how we design and how we build, to your point, and how we sustain over the long term. We had to go prove out those advanced technologies, and we spend our investment dollars wisely to be ready to go pursue this. So these are not the same; these programs aren't even in the same ballpark.

With flight testing ongoing for an interim version of the KC-46′s remote vision system, called RVS 1.5, when do you expect the Air Force to make a decision on adopting that?

We're still waiting for that. They participate in the flight testing. As a matter of fact, we had [then-Chief of Staff of the Air Force] Gen. [Dave] Goldfein out in Seattle. He was with me just a couple of weeks ago.

We're getting real pleased with the feedback. I think you've heard [Air Force acquisition executive] Dr. [Will] Roper's comments about it, and [he's] really pleased with the path that we're on. But that'll be an Air Force decision, and so I will defer to them on that.

The Air Force will award a Ground Based Strategic Deterrent contract in August, and Boeing did not bid because of complaints with how the competition was run. Is Boeing still looking at its legal options? Is it considering a protest?

We made the decision to not bid on GBSD due to what I was concerned about with the process, and I'll just leave it at that.

What do you see as the sales potential for F-15EX?

We are already getting inquiries. We're very excited, and they are nations that you would not be surprised about.

Are you satisfied that the Navy is committed to MQ-25? What kind of future do you see for that program?

We're absolutely thrilled with the partnership with the U.S. Navy. And you probably saw that in April they increased the quantity to a total of seven. So we're well on track to what we were working with in our assumptions when we bid on the program.

We have completed nearly 30 flight hours to date, and what [Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition James] Geurts saw while he was out there [at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in St. Clair County, Illinois], was the aerial refueling store already mounted under the wing of the aircraft. As as we get back into flight testing later this year, we'll be able to collect more performance data.

https://www.defensenews.com/top-100/2020/08/17/ceo-of-boeings-defense-wing-talks-stumbling-blocks-from-kc-46-to-covid/

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  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - May 28, 2020

    29 mai 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - May 28, 2020

    ARMY Ad Hoc Research Associates LLC,* Havre De Grace, Maryland (W91CRB-20-D-0017); Beshenich Muir and Associates LLC,* Leavenworth, Kansas (W91CRB-20-D-0018); Digiflight Inc.,* Columbia, Maryland (W91CRB-20-D-0019); Integrated Defense Applications LLC,* El Paso, Texas (W91CRB-20-D-0020); Joint Research and Development Inc.,* Stafford, Virginia (W91CRB-20-D-0021); Man-Machine Systems Assessment Inc.,* El Paso, Texas (W91CRB-20-D-0022); and Science and Technology Corp.,* Hampton, Virginia (W91CRB-20-D-0023), will compete for each order of a $249,000,000 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price) contract to provide engineering and test support services across all directorates and divisions within the U.S. Army Evaluation Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Bids were solicited via the internet with seven received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 27, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. James Construction, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was awarded a $55,050,170 firm-fixed-price contract for the Comite River Diversion Project. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2018 civil construction funds in the amount of $55,050,170 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, is the contracting activity (W912P8-20-C-0023). Jabez-Absher Small Business JV,* Orting, Washington, was awarded a $42,743,158 firm-fixed-price contract for a 22 Special Tactics Squadron operations facility at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), Washington. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed at JBLM with an estimated completion date of July 7, 2022. Fiscal 2020 military construction, defense-wide funds in the amount of $42,743,158 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle, Washington, is the contracting activity (W912DW-20-C-0005). PRIDE Industries, Roseville, California, was awarded a $20,281,403 firm-fixed-price contract to provide repair and maintenance support to the real property assets of the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, Louisiana. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Leesville, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2021. No funds were obligated at the time of the award. The U.S. Army 418th Contract Support Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas, is the contracting activity (W91247-18-C-0011). General Electric Co., Lynn, Massachusetts, was awarded a $9,451,807 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance and overhaul of the Stage 1 Nozzle. 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 27, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-20-D-0036). NAVY R.A. Burch Construction Co. Inc.,* Ramona, California (N62473-17-D-4626); Bristol Design Build Services LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska (N62473-17-D-4627); I.E.-Pacific Inc.,* Escondido, California (N62473-17-D-4628); Barnhart-Reese Construction Inc.,* San Diego, California (N62473-17-D-4629); and Bilbro Construction Co. Inc.,* Escondido, California (N62473-17-D-4630), are awarded $58,000,000 to increase the aggregate capacity of the previously awarded suite of firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award construction contracts. The maximum dollar value including the base year and four option years for all five contracts combined is increased from $240,000,000 to $298,000,000. The contracts are for new construction, renovation and repair of general building construction projects at various government installations located in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. All work will be performed at various federal sites within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest area of responsibility. No funds are being obligated on this award and they will not expire. Future task orders will be primarily funded by military construction (Navy) funds; operations and maintenance (O&M) (Navy) funds; O&M (Marine Corps) funds; and Navy working capital funds. The original contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website and 20 proposals were received. The NAVFAC Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Metron Inc.,* Reston, Virginia, is awarded a $32,199,767 ceiling increase and 36-month period of performance extension modification to previously awarded, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N65236-17-C-8000 for research and development of a mission planning and execution aid tool to support strategic fleet operations. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia (81%); and San Diego, California (19%), and is expected to be complete by May 2023. This modification brings the total cumulative value of the contract to $52,574,968. Fiscal 2020 research, development, testing and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,362,374 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity. Kings Bay Support Services LLC, Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded a $23,589,660 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification (N69450-11-D-7578) for the exercise of the option to extend services for base operations support services at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia. The work to be performed provides for all labor, facilities management, supervision, tools, materials, equipment, incidental engineering, environmental services and transportation to effectively execute base operations support services. Work is expected to be complete by November 2020. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $365,830,721. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $15,831,705 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the option period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity. Vectrus-J&J Facilities Support LLC, Colorado Springs, Colorado, is awarded a $23,274,230 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N62470-20-D-0011) for base operations support (BOS) services at Naval Support Activity, Annapolis, Maryland, to include services at the U.S. Naval Academy. Work will be performed in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The BOS services to be performed include general information, management and administration, facility management, facility investment, pest control, integrated solid waste management, pavement clearance, special events, utility management, electrical, natural gas, wastewater, steam, water, chiller plant and transportation. Work is expected to be complete by August 2027. The maximum dollar value, including the base period and six option periods, is $154,100,049. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $15,172,106 for recurring work will be obligated on an individual task order issued during the base period. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, and nine proposals were received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Co., Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded a $17,916,867 modification (P00286) to previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract N00019-06-C-0081. This modification provides logistics, program management, training, configuration management and sustaining engineering support for the H-53K system demonstration and test article aircraft. Work will be performed in Shelton, Connecticut (57%); New River, North Carolina (35%); Patuxent River, Maryland (5%); and Bohemia, New York (3%). This modification includes pre-initial operational test and evaluation scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and software updates as well as product support packages, repair of repairable analysis and identification and interim supply support provisioning. Additionally, various pieces of peculiar support equipment and common support equipment may be identified and procured under this modification. Work is expected to be complete by December 2024. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,500,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Vectrus Systems Corp., Colorado Springs, Colorado, is awarded a $15,827,023 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) modification (N62742-16-D-3552) for the exercise of Option Two under an IDIQ contract for base operations support services at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast area of responsibility (AOR). Work will be performed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The work to be performed provides for base operations support services to include facility investment, other (swimming pools), utilities management, electrical, wastewater, steam, water, base support vehicles and equipment, and environmental. Work is expected to be complete by November 2020. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $61,744,502. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy); fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army); and fiscal 2020 Defense Health Program contract funds in the amount of $12,228,731 for recurring work will be obligated on modifications to the task order during the option period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is the contracting activity. BAE Systems Land and Armaments LP, Sterling Heights, Michigan, is awarded an $11,038,019 modification for cost-plus-fixed-fee Contract Line Item Number 8101 to previously awarded contract M67854-16-C-0006 for Phase Two of the design and development for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) medium caliber cannon mission role variant. The ACV program is managed within the portfolio of Program Executive Officer Land Systems, Quantico, Virginia. Work will be performed in York, Pennsylvania (85%); and Aiken, South Carolina (15%), and is expected to be complete by March 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $3,885,873 will be obligated at the time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract modification was not competitively procured, in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 and 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Kellogg Brown and Root Services Inc., Houston, Texas, is awarded a $9,885,077 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) modification (N62470-14-D-6012) for the exercise of bridge Option Two under an IDIQ contract for base operations support services at Isa Air Base, Kingdom of Bahrain. Work will be performed at Isa Air Base, Kingdom of Bahrain, and provides for but is not limited to all management, supervision, tools, materials, supplies, labor and transportation services necessary to perform galley services, bachelor quarters and laundry services, facility management, emergency service requests, urgent service, routing service, facilities investment, custodial, pest control service, integrated solid waste, grounds maintenance, wastewater, operate reverse osmosis water treatment system and base support vehicles, environmental, fire emergency services and explosive safety officer services. Work is expected to be complete by August 2020. After award of this bridge option, the total cumulative contract value will be $181,834,599. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $9,885,077 for recurring and non-recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the option period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Europe, Africa and Central, is the contracting activity. DynCorp International, Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded an $8,774,725 modification (P00007) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost reimbursable, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N61340-19-D-0905. This modification increases the flight hour capacity on base year two of this contract by 1,100 flight hours per month, increasing the total flight hours from 6,500 hours per month to 7,600 hours per month in support of the TH-57 aircraft. Work will be performed in Milton, Florida, and is expected to be complete by May 2023. No funds are being obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Interior Fusion LLC, Largo, Florida, has been awarded a maximum $45,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for medical equipment and accessories for the Defense Logistics Agency electronic catalog. This was a competitive acquisition with 115 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Florida, with a May 27, 2025, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DH-20-D-0041). Varec Inc., Norcross, Georgia, has been awarded a maximum $9,584,428 firm-fixed-price task-order (SP4702-20-F-0048) against a four-year blanket purchase agreement (SP4702-19-A-0504) for FuelsManager defense deployments and on-site support. This was a sole-source acquisition as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 8.405-6 (a)(1)(i)(B). This is a one-year contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are inside and outside the continental U.S., with a May 31, 2021, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Contracting Services Office, Columbus, Ohio. Genesis Vision,* doing business as Rochester Optical, Rochester, New York, has been awarded a maximum $9,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for optical frames. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. This is a three-year base contract with two one-year option periods. Location of performance is New York, with a May 27, 2023, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DE-20-D-0013). Varec Inc., Norcross, Georgia, has been awarded a maximum $8,829,339 firm-fixed-price task order (SP4702-20-F-0049) against a four-year blanket purchase agreement (SP4702-19-A-0505) for FuelsManager defense software maintenance services. This was a sole-source acquisition as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 8.405-6 (a)(1)(i)(B). This is a one-year contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Georgia and Virginia, with a May 31, 2021, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Contracting Services Office, Columbus, Ohio. AIR FORCE Thomas Instrument, Brookshire, Texas, was awarded a $25,334,400 five-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for remanufacture of B-1B left/right-hand hydraulic heat exchanger. Work will be performed in Brookshire, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 21, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and two offers were received. Fiscal 2020 working capital funds in the amount of $1,679,680 will be obligated at the time of award. Air Force Sustainment Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (FA8118-20-D-0010). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., has been awarded a $19,354,527 firm-fixed-price requirements contract for the repairs, spares and engineering services relating to the electronic systems test set, ALQ-155 power management system, ALQ-161 defensive avionics system (DAS) and Band 6/7/9 of B-1B ALQ-161 DAS. Work will be performed in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 9, 2028. This award is the result of a non-competitive acquisition. Fiscal 2020 defense working capital funds are being used and no funds are being obligated at the time of the award. The Air Force Sustainment Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8524-20-D-0011). M1 Support Services L.P., Denton, Texas, has been awarded a $12,533,445 firm-fixed-price modification (P00101) to contract FA8106-13-C-0008 for C-21 contractor logistics support services. This modification provides for the exercise of Option Seven, which includes maintenance and repair support of the C-21 fleet. Work will be performed at various locations worldwide, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2020. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $138,119,030. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity. Dynetics Inc., Huntsville, Alabama, has been awarded a $10,452,506 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract for the Laboratory Intelligence Validated Emulator (LIVE) Virtual Constructive (LVC) production and sustainment. The work involved with this effort includes production, test and delivery of LIVE LVC test systems and sustainment of those systems for the Electronic Warfare and Avionics Integration Support Facility, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and other Department of Defense agencies. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, and is expected to be completed by May 27, 2030. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $824,186; and fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $3,191,926 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins AFB, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8523-20-D-0004). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Azusa, California, has been awarded a $7,304,322 firm-fixed-price and cost-reimbursement modification (P00013) to contract FA8823-17-C-0001 for Defense Meteorological Satellite Program sensor sustainment. This contract modification provides for the exercise of an option for sensor sustainment of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program on-orbit constellation being provided under the basic contract. Work will be performed in Azusa, California; Baltimore, Maryland; Boulder, Colorado; and Dallas, Texas, and is expected to be completed May 31, 2021. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $29,309,850. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds are being obligated at the time of award. The Space and Missiles Systems Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting activity. U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia (H92238-20-C-0001) was awarded a $22,699,935 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft, with modifications in support of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) requirements. The contract is multi-year and funded with fiscal 2020 procurement, defense-wide appropriations. The majority of the work will be performed in Bridgewater, Virginia. This is a non-competitive award and in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. USSOCOM, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2200874/source/GovDelivery/

  • Czech Senate backs setting NATO spending target of 2% of GDP as law

    31 mai 2023 | International, Autre défense

    Czech Senate backs setting NATO spending target of 2% of GDP as law

    The Czech parliament's upper house approved a bill on Wednesday that will set the state's minimum defence spending at 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) from next year, matching its commitment to the NATO military alliance.

  • ImSAR LLC wins $$7.2M contract for work on RQ-21A unmanned aerial systems

    15 octobre 2019 | International, Aérospatial

    ImSAR LLC wins $$7.2M contract for work on RQ-21A unmanned aerial systems

    ByEd Adamczyk Oct. 11 (UPI) -- ImSAR LLC was awarded a $7.2 million contract for work on payload systems and communications packages of the RQ-21 Blackjack unmanned aerial system. The cost-plus-fixed fee delivery order against a previous ordering agreement calls for work to be executed by October 2020, the Defense Department announced Thursday. The RQ-21 Blackjack is 8.2 feet long, weighs 134 pounds and has a wingspan of 15.7 feet. It can carry a payload of up to 39 pounds, and is used primarily for forward reconnaissance. Introduced in 2014, it was designed by Insitu, a Boeing Co. subsidiary. The contract with the U.S. Navy is in support of a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research program effort named "Advanced Radar Concepts for Small Remotely Piloted Aircraft." ImSAR, headquartered in Springville, Utah, will provide research, development, procurement and sustainment of the AN/DPY-2 split aces payload systems and communications relay package aboard the RQ-21A. The SBIR program is coordinated by the U.S. Small Business Administration to aid small businesses conduct research and development for future U.S. government needs, with a goal of technical innovation through investment of federal research funds. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2019/10/11/ImSAR-LLC-wins-72M-contract-for-work-on-RQ-21A-unmanned-aerial-systems

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