13 juillet 2020 | International, Aérospatial

DoD hands out $84 million in recovery funds for small drone makers and a space firm

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Defense announced Friday it is issuing $84.4 million in funding through the Defense Production Act to small unmanned technology, space and shipbuilding companies.

The money, divided among seven different companies, will be used to “sustain and strengthen essential domestic industrial base capabilities,” per a Pentagon announcement. “These actions will help to retain critical workforce capabilities throughout the disruption caused by COVID-19 and to restore some jobs lost because of the pandemic.”

The Defense Production Act has been in the spotlight in recent months, as it's served as a central tool in attempts by the Trump administration to increase production of personal protective equipment to combat the spread of the coronavirus, something critics say the administration was too slow to implement.

Title III of the DPA gives the department the opportunity to fund what it sees as critical suppliers of the defense industry who might otherwise be at risk of closing. Although those authorities have been on the books for years, the department became more serious about using them following a 2018 landmark study of the defense industrial base that identified a number of sectors where small companies that provide key parts for America's arsenal could go out of business.

The undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, Ellen Lord, previously identified shipbuilding, aviation and the small space sector as three areas that are suffering under the economic impacts from COVID-19. She has said her office will keep an eye on those sectors. That seems to have played out in the Pentagon's announcement about the $84.4 million in funding.

Of the funding, $13.4 million went to five small unmanned systems companies. Funding was authorized and appropriated under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, and awarded through the Defense Innovation Unit — the Silicon Valley technology hub for the Pentagon. The department claims the funding “saved 14 jobs, created 20 new positions, and will support continued advancement of capabilities providing the companies additional paths for recurring revenue.”

Even before the economic damage from COVID-19, the department had identified small UAS manufacturers as a sector that needs to grow. Included in this latest funding are:

  • AirMap, in Santa Monica, California, which received $3.3 million. The money will “aid product development and engineering support for integration of sUAS mission planning, post-mission analysis, and unmanned traffic management software.”
  • ModalAI, of San Diego, California, which received $3 million to “develop their next generation U.S.-made flight controller that will enable advanced autonomy including GPS-denied navigation, and all-environment obstacle avoidance.”
  • Skydio, in Redwood City, California, which received $4 million to “improve the flight controller hardware/software and data link for their sUAS so that highly capable components can be purchased and used across U.S. Government unmanned systems.”
  • Graffiti Enterprises, located in Somerset, New Jersey, which was given $1.5 million to “modify their commercial data link for DoD's sUAS use including operation in restricted frequency bands, reduction in the size, weight, and power of the hardware, and software developments to improve security and resiliency of their data link.”
  • Obsidian Sensors, from San Diego, California, which received $1.6 million to build a “low-cost, dual thermal sUAS camera that can be mounted onto a stabilization gimbal and then integrated and flown on small, packable, ISR systems.”

In addition, the Pentagon awarded $15 million to LeoLabs, based in Menlo Park, California, to “ensure the continued viability of space surveillance capability through the operation and maintenance of a world-wide highly capable phased-array radar network.” The department said LeoLabs is the only domestic commercial supplier with the capability to meet requirements in this area.

Last month, the Space Force invoked the DPA to get funding for six small space companies that were considered at risk, before it reversed those awards two weeks later.

While those are all fairly small technology firms, the biggest dollar amount awarded was $56 million for ArcelorMittal Inc., a steel and mining company based in Chicago, Illinois. The funding, also from the coronavirus relief package, will be used to “protect” jobs impacted by the pandemic that are critical to military shipbuilding.

Specifically, the investment will “expand ArcelorMittal's plate processing footprint and heat-treating capability, subsequently increasing its alloy steel plate production and ensure the U.S. Government gets dedicated long-term industrial capacity to meet the needs of the nation,” per the department.

https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2020/07/10/dod-hands-out-84-million-in-recovery-funds-for-small-unmanned-companies-space-firm

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

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    AIR FORCE Millennium Engineering and Integration Co., Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded a $340,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for research and development. This contract provides research, engineering, and technical management for performing space technology concept development, analysis, development, integration, experimentation, demonstration, and evaluation in support of the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate. Work will be performed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and is expected to be complete by April 30, 2026. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 research and development funds in the amount of $5,000,000 are being obligated on initial task orders at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is the contracting activity (FA9453-19-D-0002). Rowe Contracting Service Inc., Mandeville, Louisiana, has been awarded a $25,000,000 ceiling indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for academic and athletic custodial services. This contract provides for custodial services for the academic and athletic facilities at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Work will be performed at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado, and is expected to be complete by Feb. 29, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 27 offers received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,667,389 are being obligated at the time of award. The 10th Contracting Squadron, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado, is the contracting activity (FA7000-19-D-A002). Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze Sp. z. o.o., Mielec, Poland, has been awarded an $18,982,157 firm-fixed-price contract for M28 Block 05 aircraft. 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The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPRPA1-19-F-LY00). Travis Association for the Blind,** doing business as The Lighthouse for the Blind, Austin, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $19,958,826 modification (P00014) exercising the first one-year option period of a two-year base contract (SPE1C1-17-C-B003) with three, one-year option periods for warehousing, storage, logistics and distribution functions. This is a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract. Location of performance is Texas, with a Feb. 29, 2020, performance completion date. Using customers are Air Force, Marine Corps, and Defense Logistics Agency. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND International Auto Logistics LLC, Brunswick, Georgia, has been awarded a task order modification (P00022) on contract HTC711-14-D-R025. This modification provides continued support of transportation and storage of Department of Defense-sponsored shipments of privately-owned vehicles belonging to military service members, and transportation of DoD-sponsored shipments of privately-owned vehicles belonging to DoD civilian employees. Work will be performed at multiple locations within the U.S. and outside the U.S. The option period of performance is March 1, 2019, to Aug. 31, 2019. Fiscal 2019 Transportation Working Capital Funds in the amount of $89,700,672 (estimated) were obligated at award. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $927,409,026 from $837,708,354. U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. NAVY HDT Expeditionary Systems Inc. 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