Electronic warfare system production starts for U.S. Air Force F-15s

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  14 février 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité, Autre défense

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - February 13, 2019

  NAVY British Aerospace Engineering Systems Technology Solutions & Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland (N00421-D-0035); Coherent Technical Services Inc.,* Lexington Park, Maryland (N00421-D-0036); Engility Corp., Andover, Maine (N00421-D-0037); J.F. Taylor Inc., Lexington Park, Maryland (N00421-D-0038); KBRwyle Technology Solutions LLC, Columbia, Maryland (N00421-D-0039); Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia (N00421-D-0040); and Valkyrie Enterprises Inc.,* Virginia Beach, Virginia (N00421-D-0041), are each awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts. The estimated aggregate ceiling for all contracts is $235,005,530, with the companies having an opportunity to compete for individual orders. These contracts provide for Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems Operations Onboard Ship and Shore support services for the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) - Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems Division (NAWCAD 4.11.7). Services to be provided include operational, technical, logistical and system engineering support for system certification; technical assistance; systems analysis and engineering; test and evaluation; installation and maintenance; hardware design, development, technical logistics support; configuration management; training support; equipment manufacturing; quality control; and project management of Mobile Air Battle management systems and communication-electronic systems. Work will be performed in St. Inigoes, Maryland (20 percent); and at various contractor locations within the continental U.S. (80 percent), and is expected to be completed in February 2024. No funds are being obligated at time of award, funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. These contracts were competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals, with seven offers received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Diversified Maintenance Systems,* Sandy, Utah, is awarded a maximum amount $49,000,000 indefinite-delivery indefinite quantity contract for commercial and institutional building construction alterations, renovations, and repair projects at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California. Projects will be primarily design-bid-build (fully designed) task orders or task order with minimal design effort (e.g. shop drawings). Projects may include, but are not limited to, alterations, repairs, and construction of administration buildings, maintenance/repair facilities, aircraft control towers, hangars, fire stations, office buildings, laboratories, dining facilities and related structures. Work will be performed in Ridgecrest, California. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months with an expected completion date of January 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $5,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operations and maintenance (Navy). This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with eight proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-19-D-2612). The Boeing Co., Huntington Beach, California, is awarded a $43,000,000 fixed-priced-incentive modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-6307 for the fabrication, test, and delivery of four Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (XLUUVs) and associated support elements. The Orca XLUUV will be an open architecture, reconfigurable Unmanned Undersea Vehicle. The Orca XLUUV will be modular in construction with the core vehicle providing guidance and control, navigation, autonomy, situational awareness, core communications, power distribution, energy and power, propulsion and maneuvering, and mission sensors. The Orca XLUUV will have well-defined interfaces for the potential of implementing cost-effective upgrades in future increments to leverage advances in technology and respond to threat changes. The Orca XLUUV will have a modular payload bay, with defined interfaces to support current and future payloads for employment from the vehicle. The competition for XLUUV requirements is still in source-selection, and therefore the specific contract award amount is considered source-selection sensitive information (see 41 U.S. Code 2101, et seq., Federal Acquisition Regulation 2.101 and 3.104) and will not be made public at this time. Work will be performed in Huntington Beach, California (29 percent); Virginia Beach, Virginia (27 percent); Waukesha, Wisconsin (8 percent); East Aurora, New York (7 percent); Concord, Massachusetts (7 percent); Camden, New Jersey (5 percent); Smithfield, Pennsylvania (4 percent); Attleboro, Massachusetts (3 percent); City of Industry, California (3 percent); El Cajon, California (3 percent); Fairfield, New Jersey (2 percent); Ontario, California (1 percent); and Farmingdale, New York (1 percent), and is expected to be complete by June 2022. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $43,000,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded $14,498,758 for modification P00009 to a previously awarded fixed-price incentive firm contract (N0001918C1048) to provide for initial lay-in of repair material for seven F-35 Lightning II systems at various depots in support of the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) participants, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida (34 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (27 percent); Jackson, Mississippi (16 percent); Windsor Locks, Connecticut (16 percent); St. Louis, Missouri (4 percent); and East Aurora, New York (3 percent), and is expected to be completed in July 2024. Fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement (Marine Corps, and Navy); fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Air Force); non-U.S. DoD participant; and FMS funds in the amount of $14,498,758 are being obligated at time of award, $4,582,113 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force ($6,332,003; 43.68 percent); Marine Corps ($3,128,745; 21.58 percent); Navy ($1,453,368; 10.02 percent); non-U.S. DoD Participants ($2,470,964; 17.04 percent), and FMS customers ($1,113,678; 7.68 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. EPS Corp., Tinton Falls, New Jersey, is awarded a $10,980,406 modification to a previously awarded hybrid cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed price, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract (N00174-17-D-0026) to exercise an option for technical expertise in the development and testing of underwater weapons and underwater weapons systems components. This requirement is to develop an underwater weapons system acquisition/procurement program that provides underwater weapons systems (including authentic foreign mines) for research, development, test and evaluation of underwater weapons systems and mine countermeasures systems. Work will be performed in Tinton Falls, New Jersey (95 percent); Montenegro (2 percent); Bulgaria (2 percent); and Italy (1 percent), and is expected to be complete by February 2020. No additional funds are being obligated at the time of this action. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division, Indian Head, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Detyens Shipyards Inc., North Charleston, South Carolina, is awarded a $10,517,749 firm-fixed-price contract for a 50-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul and dry docking of USNS William McLean (T-AKE 12). Work will include clean and gas-free tanks, voids, cofferdams and spaces, main engine and electric motor maintenance, 10-year crane maintenance and recertification, dry-docking and undocking, propeller shaft and stern tube inspect, freshwater (closed loop) stern tube lubrication, underwater hull cleaning and painting, 2.5-year bow thruster maintenance and tunnel grating modification, renew flight deck nonskid, and auxiliary pre-stage area refrigeration installation. The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the total contract value to $10,583,543. Work will be performed in North Charleston, South Carolina, and is expected to be completed by July 16, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,517,749 are obligated at the time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. The U. S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N3220519C6002). AIR FORCE Nimbis Services Inc.,* Oro Valley, Arizona, has been awarded a ceiling increase of $49,500,000 to their indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract with cost-plus-fixed-fee task orders for research and development. The Trusted Silicon Stratus contract's objective is to achieve an initial operational capability of a novel microelectronics life-cycle verification ecosystem implemented to enhance microelectronics supply chain risk management. Work will be performed in Columbus, Ohio. There are two orders currently on this IDIQ. The first task order (FA8650-18-F-1605) is expected to be complete by July 30, 2021, and the second task order (FA8650-18-F-1656) is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds will be obligated on future task orders. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Tau Technologies LLC, Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been awarded a cost reimbursement type contract with a base period contract price of $8,913,357 for directed energy modeling for cross-domain analysis. This contract seeks to advance directed energy technologies and weapon systems in engagement and mission-level analysis to enable data-driven wargaming, military utility assessments, and weaponeering. Work will be performed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is expected to be completed May 31, 2023. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $300,000 will be obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is the contracting activity (FA9451-19-C-0002). ARMY Phylway Construction LLC,* Thibodaux, Louisiana, was awarded a $48,654,095 firm-fixed-price contract for Mississippi River levee construction. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in New Orleans, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 21, 2021. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance Army funds in the amount of $48,654,095 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, is the contracting activity (W912P8-19-C-0015). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Lions Services, Charlotte, North Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $11,403,650 modification (P00020) exercising the second one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-17-D-B008) with two one-year option periods for advanced combat helmet chinstraps and hardware. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Locations of performance are North Carolina and Texas, with a Feb. 16, 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. WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES CompQsoft Inc., Leesburg, Virginia, has been awarded a $7,710,468 a hybrid contract which includes firm-fixed-price labor hour and time and materials contract line item numbers. The contract is to provide audio-visual/video conference support services, by Joint Service Provider to supported agencies in the most efficient manner possible. Work performance will take place primarily in the National Capital Region, including the Pentagon, Mark Center and Crystal City, Virginia. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $7,710,468 are being obligated on this award. The expected completion date is Sept. 29, 2023. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HQ0034-18-C-0118). DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY Solers Inc., Arlington, Virginia, was awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract for Systems Engineering, Technology, and Innovation. This was a competitive solicitation for a multiple-award ID/IQ contract, with an unrestricted pool and a pool set-aside for small businesses. The original awards for the unrestricted pool were initially made in June 2018. Four post-award protests were submitted to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Following the GAO decisions, issued in October 2018, the agency took corrective action that resulted in the decision to award a contract to Solers Inc. The face value of this action is a ceiling amount of $7,500,000,000. The awardee will each receive a minimum guarantee of $500 applicable to the base ordering period only. All other funding will be obligated at the task order level. The primary performance will be at Defense Information Systems Agency Headquarters, Fort Meade, Maryland, as well as contractor facilities and DoD locations worldwide to be determined at the task order level. The period of performance is a five-year base period with one five-year option period. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, National Capital Region, is the contracting activity (HC1047-19-D-2015). *Small Business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1757113/source/GovDelivery/

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  13 juin 2024 | International, Sécurité

  Why SaaS Security is Suddenly Hot: Racing to Defend and Comply

  Are your third-party SaaS risks under control? Discover the four-step process to secure your SaaS ecosystem.

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  5 décembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial

  F-35 Lightning II: A 21st century concept

  by Alan Stephenson The F-35 Lightning II is not only a fifth-generation fighter aircraft, but a 21st century tooth-to-tail concept. I recently had the privilege to join a Canadian media trip sponsored by Lockheed Martin to visit the F-35 production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, as well as the 63rd Fighter Squadron, at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., which is responsible for F-35 pilot training. Industry executives and F-35 operators presented detailed briefings on the latest aircraft improvements, maintenance concepts and operational considerations, as well as a tour of the production line and an up-close look at the aircraft itself. Without a doubt, the F-35 system represents a progressive leap in technology and life cycle management. Design concept Although some have questioned the very idea of a “fifth-generation” designation, the F-35 is the result of an evolutionary process in the design of low-observable (stealth) fighter aircraft for the United States Air Force (USAF). It draws upon the experiences of creating and operating the F-117 Nighthawk and the F-22 Raptor fighters. The lessons learned went beyond simply enhancing aircraft performance; the F-35 ameliorates fundamental life cycle cost issues through leveraging emerging technologies and leading-edge concepts to maximize readiness, logistic and maintenance efficiencies. In effect, the F-35 is built for sustainment. The fighter aircraft makes use of a modular avionics architecture with fusion technology, rather than a federated architecture where Line Replaceable Units (LRU or “black boxes”) are placed in a sequence. In this manner, maintainers no longer need to remove the first and second boxes to replace the third; they simply replace an easily accessible modular LRU. Roughly 95 per cent of the LRUs are first line removeable and virtually all first line maintenance functions are accessible through the weapons bay doors, nose wheel well, and behind panels that can be opened and closed without causing any low observable skin repairs. Ease of maintenance is further achieved from simple redesigns such as a front-hinged canopy that facilitates ejection seat removal without the need to remove the canopy. ALIS, the state-of-the-art Autonomic Logistics Information System, provides real-time digital information that also significantly reduces maintenance demands. “ALIS integrates a broad range of capabilities including operations, maintenance, prognostics, supply chain, customer support services, training and technical data,” according to Lockheed Martin. Maintenance staff can quickly determine the health of the aircraft upon landing through Prognostic Health Management (PHM) and quickly resolve any anomalies, increasing the serviceability rate and minimizing technician fault-finding time through fewer maintenance steps. PHM is a maintenance system that monitors the actual condition of an aircraft to decide what maintenance needs to be done. As all aircraft fleet operators know, unscheduled maintenance and lack of spare parts increases manpower demands and decreases aircraft availability. ALIS is designed to reduce maintenance hours, increase readiness, and decrease labour related costs by offering greater control in sustainment functions and providing actionable information to military decision-makers. Cost drivers From an initial reported cost of over US$100 million, the per-unit costs for the F-35 have fallen to US$77.9 million for Lot 14 fighters. The nine-nation co-operative development and the economies of scale of 12 current customers have greatly contributed to bringing life cycle costs closer to those of contemporary fourth-generation fighters. Costs have been lowered in assembly of the aircraft through use of an automated production line, designed to produce 180 aircraft per year, which has seen a 75 per cent reduction in “touch-labour” since 2010. Each aircraft is personalized by purchase order, allowing all three models to be produced in tandem, and unlike other fighters, the jet is essentially combat-ready when it leaves the production facility, having complete indigenous offensive and defensive avionic suites. With respect to sustainment, the F-16 had 24 different stovepipes supporting worldwide operations. ALIS logistics functions are networked with all F-35 users and supports a consolidated global supply chain that aggressively sources and produces the most cost-effective parts available, making them available as required and thereby minimizing costly inventory. A mandated Reliability and Maintainability (R&M) program has established metrics within automated processes designed to ensure constant systemic evaluation and facilitate continuous improvements that lower support costs and expedite fleet upgrades. At a reported six hours of maintenance per flight hour, the F-35A is at the forefront of fighter operations. Conscious design features such as internal weapons carriage and the use of pneumatic (air pressure) weapons ejection rather than explosive cartridges has significantly reduced maintenance personnel hours required to clean and service fourth generation weapons delivery systems. Another example of manpower savings occurs in routine checks on the fuel tanks and valves, where only one F-35 technician with a Portable Maintenance Aide (a laptop computer the technician connects to the F-35) is now required to conduct the same task that requires six maintainers to perform on the F-16. In manpower savings alone, anecdotal evidence suggests a 60 per cent reduction in personnel to perform routine maintenance functions. Operations At the flight line, significant changes have occurred to USAF military occupations and employment through innovative maintenance developments such as the Blended Operational Lightning Technician (BOLT) and the Lightning Integrated Technicians (LIT) programs. The BOLT program combines six USAF technical trades into two streams. The Air Vehicle stream includes crew chiefs, fuels, and low observable technicians, while the Mission Systems stream focuses on avionics, weapons, and egress trades. This streaming not only economizes manpower but allows deployed operations to be conducted with a smaller personnel footprint. In addition, the LIT program was introduced to increase maintenance efficiencies and effectiveness by integrating these two streams into one co-ordinated team through establishing commonality in training and dedicating each team to a single aircraft. The low observability of the F-35 is more than just a means to penetrate adversary defences; it is a “nose-to-tail” concept that increases performance and survivability from reduced drag and a low platform electromagnetic signature. The embedded antennas in the radar absorbent skin, internal fuel tanks and weapons carriage, and full line-of-sight radar reflection blockage not only help define the F-35 as a fifth-generation fighter, but the addition of an advanced sensor suite with sensor fusion, an electro-optical Distributed Aperture System (DAS) electronic warfare suite and networked enabled operations cement the fifth-generation classification. The Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar is a computer-controlled array antenna in which individual radar beams can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the antenna. This feature allows the F-35 to perform multiple functions such as detecting, tracking, and attacking airborne targets while simultaneously countering or attacking ground-based radar systems. When combined with the embedded sensors and advanced CNI (communications, navigation, identification) capabilities, the F-35 becomes an ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) as well as a command and control (C2) platform. These radical innovations elevate the F-35 from a tactical fighter to an operational asset with strategic value. The F-35, with commonality shared amongst its three variants, can perform air-to-air, air-to-surface, electronic attack, ISR gathering, and localized C2 roles during a single mission. Tactically, the increase in situational awareness allows F-35 pilots to fly farther apart and with more individual freedom, changing the manner in which fourth-generation fighters are employed. Operationally, a flight of F-35s flying missions in the Arctic can also provide localized ISR and C2 functions in a region devoid of such assets. Additionally, the F-35 requires fewer operational support platforms such as AWACS, Joint STARS and stand-off electronic warfare aircraft to conduct combat operations. The F-35 could be considered a strategic asset that would allow Canada to offer NATO the flexibility of employing Canada's fighter commitment strategically to support either the traditional northern flank or send its assets to central Europe. In either case, eight NATO nations will already have their own F-35 infrastructure in place to operationally facilitate Canadian integration. Conclusion Given the innovative design, leading-edge avionics suites, automated production line, networked sustainment program, globalized supply chain, and fundamental changes to how air forces conduct business, it is hard to argue that the F-35 is not only a fifth-generation fighter, but that the F-35 system is a transformational 21st century concept. The F-35 is more than a simple multi-role fighter, it is multi-mission platform. There are indeed identified problems as the F-35 program matures that are part of the evolution of any new platform. However, with the weight of the U.S. government and 12 customer nations, the chances are that these challenges will be resolved satisfactorily. With the cost to own an F-35 fighter in the same range as other fighter aircraft on the market today, the real discriminators are in the costs to operate and the value-added to military operations. Alan Stephenson (Col ret'd) holds a PhD from Carleton University and is a former CF-188 pilot with 3,600 hours flying fighters. He is currently an aviation consultant and a Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/f-35-lightning-ii-a-21st-century-concept/