China’s stealth fighter goes into mass production after thrust upgrade

Sur le même sujet

• 

  28 mai 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  How U.S. Open Skies Exit Could Undermine Arms Control

  Tony Osborne Jen DiMascio May 28, 2020 The decision by the U.S. government to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty signed two decades ago is creating ripples of discontent within the U.S. and in Europe. Washington announced on May 22 that it would end its obligations to the arms control treaty in six months, saying that it was “no longer in the United States' best interest to remain a party to this Treaty when Russia does not uphold its commitments,” in a statement put out by the Defense Department. The Open Skies Treaty permits its 34 signatories to conduct observation flights over each other's territory. Aircraft with four types of sensors—-optical panoramic and framing cameras, real-time video cameras, infrared line-scanners and sideways-looking synthetic aperture radar—may make observations anywhere over a country's national territory. Treaty rules say that the flight may only be restricted for reasons of flight safety, not for reasons of national security. NATO and European nations may share U.S. concerns about inconsistent flight restrictions imposed by Moscow but see a U.S. departure from the agreement, in place since 1992, as regrettable. According to the U.S. and NATO, Russia has imposed restrictions on the treaty, in particular those flying near Kaliningrad, Russia's enclave on the Baltic Sea, and near the country's border with Georgia. The Pentagon also says Moscow blocked the overflight of a major military exercise in September 2019, “preventing the exact transparency the treaty is meant to provide.” In an op-ed in The New York Times, Tim Morrison, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former member of this administration's National Security Council, added that Russia has been using its overflights to collect “military relevant intelligence on the other parties, like the means to target critical infrastructure.” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, during the May 22 meeting of alliance members, called on the Russian government to return to compliance as soon as possible, noting that the U.S. could reconsider its position if Russia complied. European Open Skies Treaty member states—including Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden—said they would continue to implement the treaty, saying it has a “clear added value” for conventional arms control architecture and cooperative security. Russia rejects the claims of flight restrictions and contends that the U.S. had limited Russia's own Open Skies flights over Hawaii and the Aleutian Islands. Senior Russian officials, including Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, denounced Washington's decision. Medvedev said the U.S. had taken another step down the “path of dismantling the international security architecture that took decades to lay down.” Moscow believes Washington's decision could also affect other arms control treaties, with negotiations on the next New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty potentially at risk. In Washington, the leaders of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees (both Democrats) have written a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo contending that withdrawal from the treaty is illegal. They say it violates the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which requires Esper and Pompeo to notify Congress 120 days before the intent to withdrawal is presented. “This notification must be based on your joint conclusion that withdrawal is in the best interests of the United States and that other states parties to the treaty have been consulted. To date, this requirement has not been fulfilled,” wrote Reps. Adam Smith (Wash.), the Armed Services chairman, and Eliot Engel (N.Y.), the Foreign Affairs chairman. President Donald Trump and his administration have support from Repub-licans who lead the Senate for their decision to exit the treaty. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, asserts that the U.S. should withdraw if Russia is not complying with the agreement. “It will be critical for the Trump administration to continue working with our allies and partners, especially those in Eastern Europe, to ensure they have access to the intelligence they need to protect their security. That includes facilitating access to high-quality imagery.” The U.S. had planned to upgrade the two Boeing OC-135 aircraft delivered to the Air Force in 1996. Late last year, the U.S. issued a request for information saying it was considering awarding two contracts—one for the purchase of two commercial aircraft and another to modify the airframe and provide logistics support. But the Pentagon did not include funding for OC-135 upgrades in its fiscal 2020 budget request. And in March, Esper told Congress he was not prepared to authorize funding for those upgrades until a path forward is clear. Several signatories to the treaty have dedicated aircraft for the mission; others share or lease platforms from other nations for the task. Germany is the latest country to dedicate an aircraft for the mission, using an Airbus A319 converted by Lufthansa Technik. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/budget-policy-operations/how-us-open-skies-exit-could-undermine-arms-control

• 

  19 mai 2023 | International, Naval

  Fincantieri to build the fourth Constellation-class frigate for the US Navy

  The contract for the lead frigate and 9 option ships, signed in 2020, has a cumulative value of 5.5 billion dollars, including post-delivery availability support and crew training.

• 

  27 juin 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité, Autre défense

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

  ARMY Burgos Group LLC,* Albuquerque, New Mexico (W9126G-19-D-0041); Southwest Valley Constructors, Albuquerque, New Mexico (W9126G-19-D-0033); SLSCO Ltd., Galveston, Texas (W9126G-19-D-0036); Bristol Construction Services LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska (W9126G-19-D-0039); J&J Contractors Inc.,* North Billerica, Massachusetts (W9126G-19-D-0043); Gibralter-Caddell a Joint Venture, Montgomery, Alabama (W9126G-19-D-0037); Puyenpa Cottles Joint Venture LLC,* Copperas Cove, Texas (W9126G-19-D-0038); Texas Sterling Construction Co., Houston, Texas (W9126G-19-D-0035); BFBC LLC, Bozeman, Montana (W9126G-19-D-0034); JSR Inc.,* Schertz, Texas (W9126G-19-D-0045); Stormwater Plans, LLC doing business as SWP Contracting & Paving,* Glendale, Arizona (W9126G-19-D-0044); Gideon Contracting LLC,* San Antonio, Texas (W9126G-19-D-0042); and Randy Kinder Excavating Inc.,* Dexter, Missouri (W9126G-19-D-0040) will compete for each order of the $5,000,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for horizontal construction services in support of the Department of Homeland Security, Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, Del Rio, Big Bend and El Paso Border Patrol sectors. Bids were solicited via the internet with 40 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 24, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity. Atlantic Diving Suppling Inc.,* Virginia Beach, Virginia (W56HZV-19-D-0070) and Sorinex Exercise Equipment Inc.,* Lexington, South Carolina (W56HZV-19-D-0071), will compete for each order of the $63,778,092 firm-fixed-price contract for procurement of Army combat fitness test equipment. Bids were solicited via the internet with 11 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 6, 2022. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Peckham Vocational Industries Inc., Lansing, Michigan, was awarded a $22,860,897 modification (P00008) to contract W56HZV-17-C-0187 for services to support the organizational clothing and individual equipment effort for the repair, cleaning, warehousing, and distribution. Work will be performed in Lansing, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance Army funds in the amount of $22,860,897 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Manson Construction Co., Seattle, Washington, was awarded a $16,715,000 firm-fixed-price contract for annual maintenance dredging for the Oakland Inner and Outer Harbor federal navigation channel in Alameda County, California. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Oakland, California, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 18, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, civil funds in the amount of $16,715,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco, California, is the contracting activity (W912P7-19-C-0009). IAP Worldwide Services Inc., Cape Canaveral, Florida, was awarded a $16,289,540 hybrid (cost-no-fee, firm-fixed-price and time-and-materials) contract for satellite communication support. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 21, 2025. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance Army funds in the amount of $16,289,540 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-19-C-0034). International GeoConsultants JV, Germantown. Maryland, was awarded a $9,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for geotechnical engineering services. 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 June, 25, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-19-D-0034). General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a $7,805,000 modification (F406 22) to contract W91QUZ-06-D-0012 for combined mission command network operations and maintenance information technology services. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of April 12, 2020. U.S. Army 411th Contracting Support Battalion, Republic of Korea, is the contracting activity. NAVY BAE System Technology Solutions and Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland (N00039-19-D-0031); Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia (N00039-19-D-0032); and Scientific Research Corp., Atlanta, Georgia (N00039-19-D-0033), are each awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-only indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contract for logistics, integration, engineering, procurement, fabrication, assembly, test, inspection, zone integration and installation of integrated command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) system of systems capabilities aboard new construction aircraft carrier and large deck amphibious ships, to include refueling and complex overhaul ships. Throughout the duration of the awarded contracts, the total obligated amount on orders for all of the awarded contracts combined will not exceed $747,097,000. Each contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the estimated value of each contact to $601,513,730 for BAE System; $608,243,247 for Serco Inc., and $599,544,784 for Scientific Research Corp. These contracts will support various Navy shipbuilding programs. These programs require integrated C4I capabilities to provide communications for maritime operations and flight safety. The integrated capability is composed of distributed systems that provide network capabilities, communications, command and control, intelligence, and non-tactical data. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia (73%); Charleston, South Carolina (17%); and Pascagoula, Mississippi (10%), and work is expected to be completed by June 2029. No contract funds will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $50,000 will be obligated on the first task order under each contract utilizing fiscal 2017 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy), and fiscal 2019 research and development (Navy) funds. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. These contracts were awarded pursuant to full and open competition, with three offers received. The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Integrity Applications Inc.,* Chantilly, Virginia (N68936-19-D-0036); Toyon Research Corp.,* Goleta, California (N68936-19-D-0037); KAB Laboratories,* San Diego, California (N6893619D0038); and Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Virginia (N68936-19-D-0039), are each being awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts. These contracts provide for research, development, testing and evaluation, technical assistance and systems engineering in the development, testing and fielding of future intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting systems. The estimated cumulative aggregate ceiling for all contracts is $49,839,291, with the companies having an opportunity to compete for individual orders. Work will be performed at various contractor facilities located inside the continental United States, and is expected to be completed in June 2024. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,004 ($2,501 per company to satisfy the minimum guarantee amount) are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. These contracts were competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals; four offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity. Tetra Tech Inc., Norfolk, Virginia, is awarded $9,870,904 for firm-fixed-price task order N44255-19-F-4112 under a previously awarded single award services contract for a base wide site investigation for munitions at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor. The work to be performed provides a munition response site investigation for 15 sites having 21 locations. The scope includes all work necessary to define the source and nature of a release, describe pathways for contaminant migration, identify human and ecological receptors, conclude whether a No Further Action determination, a removal action, or a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study is warranted. The following surveys will be completed as part of this work: habitat/endangered species, historical and cultural resources, land surveying and clearing, munitions and clearing, and geophysical. Work will be performed in Silverdale, Washington, and is expected to be completed by June 2022. Fiscal 2019 environmental restoration (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $9,870,904 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One proposal was received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, Silverdale, Washington, is the contracting activity (N44255-19-D-4112). AIR FORCE HDT Global, Salon, Ohio, has been awarded a $66,684,930, fixed-price incentive firm modification (P00038) to previously awarded FA8204-13-C-0010 for production of 19 Transporter Erector Replacement Program (TERP) production units. This contract provides for the procurement of 19 TERP production representative vehicles and initial spares over four option periods. Work will be performed in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Florence, Kentucky, and is expected to be completed by December 2020. This award is the result of a negotiated agreement to definitize engineering changes incorporated into the design portion of performance. Fiscal 2018 procurement funds in the amount of $15,225,936 to fully fund option period one. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. United Technologies Corp., doing business as Collins Aerospace, Westford, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $31,920,402 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification (P00008) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract FA8620-18-D-3014 for providing partner nations an ordering vehicle for the DB-110 Tactical Reconnaissance Pod Program. This modification raises the price ceiling from $31,920,402 to $215,025,402. Work will be performed in Westford, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 14, 2023. This contract involves 100% foreign military sales to Oman, Poland, Morocco and Greece. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Brighton Cromwell LLC, Randolph, New Jersey, has been awarded a maximum $34,746,167 firm-fixed-price contract for specialized parts kits. 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 three-year base contract with two one-year option periods. Location of performance is New Jersey, with a June 25, 2022, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Columbus, Ohio (SPE7LX-19-D-0163). Federal Prison Industries (UNICOR),** Washington, District of Columbia., has been awarded a maximum $14,141,250 modification (P00002) exercising the first one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-18-D1069) with two one-year option periods for Army physical fitness uniform trunks. This is an indefinite-delivery contract. Locations of performance are Minnesota, Colorado, Louisiana and Kentucky, with a July 11, 2020, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency, Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY Spectrum Healthcare Resources Inc., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $9,061,238 firm-fixed-price contract, HT0014-19-C-0001. This contract provides support to the Defense Health Agency's national capital region for continuation of healthcare services at the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital Family Health Centers of Fairfax and Dumfries (outpatient clinics stemming from Fort Belvoir Community Hospital). The work includes all personnel and facilities to provide healthcare for approximately 51,000 TRICARE prime beneficiaries. Work will be performed in Virginia, beginning July 1, 2019, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2019. The contract includes a two- month base period. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $9,061,238 are obligated on this award. This was a sole-source acquisition. The Defense Health Agency, Falls Church, Virginia, is the contracting activity. *Small business **Mandatory source https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1888547/source/GovDelivery/