9 décembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial

Germany in talks with Lockheed Martin over ‘fragile’ missile defense program

By: Sebastian Sprenger

COLOGNE, Germany – German defense officials are negotiating with contractors Lockheed Martin and MBDA Deutschland about a bid proposal for a next-generation antimissile program that the government believes is missing crucial components, according to a new defense ministry report.

Information about the status of the high-profile TLVS program, short for Taktisches Luftverteidigungssystem, is included in the latest, unclassified portion of a biannual assessment by the defense ministry on the progress of key military acquisition programs.

The document constitutes the defense ministry's first public evaluation of the U.S.-German industry consortium's second and final bid, submitted in June.

“The analysis of the second offer shows that the proposal still falls short of the government's requirements because key elements and services were not included, some of which had been previously agreed,” the document states. Additionally, some performance requirements, which are left unexplained in the report, were not addressed in the industry bid, it adds.

Talks with the companies are ongoing to clarify outstanding issues by the end of 2019, the defense ministry wrote.

Overall, the government considers the program to be “fragile” based on a high degree of technological and managerial complexity. That is compared to a more upbeat assessment in the previous report, dated June, which found “significant progress” had been made over the previous six months.

The defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment on what elements the Lockheed Martin-MBDA proposal was lacking. A Lockheed spokesman referred questions to the German government, writing in an email, “It is a matter for the German MoD to comment on the content of its latest project report and position relating to TLVS.”

The report offers an explanation for why defense officials have been unable to articulate a time table for submitting the multibillion-dollar program to the German parliament for consideration.

For one, the government must first wait for a foreign military sales process to play out with the United States over access to key performance data of the Lockheed-made PAC-3 MSE interceptor, the primary missile of the TLVS system. Germany launched the petition for the requisite goods and services in April 2019.

In addition, officials are unable to formulate a path for integrating a secondary interceptor into the system, the IRIS-T SL, to be made by Germany's Diehl Defence, officials wrote. That is because the most recent Lockheed-MBDA proposal lacks the detailed interface documentation that would be needed to integrate such an interceptor into TLVS. Without that information, however, officials are unable to solicit a bid from Diehl, according to the report.

German officials consider the ability to use IRIS-T missile a must-have for TLVS because those missiles are domestically made and because they are cheaper.

Amid the runaway program complexity giving officials headaches, the government still appears to believe in the promise of the TLVS system as a replacement of the country's fleet of Patriot batteries. If it can be made to work, the military expects a “technological advantage” that will position the country as a NATO leader in missile defense, the report states.

Officials will make decisions about the way ahead after ongoing talks with industry come to an end, it adds.

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2019/12/06/germany-in-talks-with-lockheed-martin-over-fragile-missile-defense-program

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12 mai 2020 | International, Terrestre

No tanks, but the Corps is still looking for an LAV replacement
Shawn Snow While the Corps plans to scrap its tank battalions the Marines are still in pursuit of a new armored reconnaissance vehicle to replace the legacy light armored vehicle. It's called the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle, and Marine Corps Systems Command noted in a news release that prototypes from two vendors should be ready for evaluations by the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020. The Corps says it expects a final request for prototype proposal by spring 2021. In 2019, the Corps announced it had selected two vendors, General Dynamics and SAIC, to design and build full-scale prototypes of the new ARV vehicle. Marine Corps Systems Command detailed in the news release that an assessment had “identified shortfalls and gaps in capability” when the legacy LAV was pitted against a peer threat. Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger has said that current light armored reconnaissance battalions across the Corps are outmoded for the high-end fight against adversaries like Russia and China. “Light Armored Reconnaissance today is built great for another Desert Shield, Desert Storm,” Berger said previously said. “I don't see that likelihood as being very great.” But the top Marine noted that reconnaissance and counter reconnaissance was vital to a fight against near-peer rivals. “No question in my mind” when going up against a capable adversary “that it pays to be spread out and dispersed,” Berger told reporters in April. “What we have to do now is transition to a lighter footprint, more expeditionary, more in support of a littoral environment,” Berger said. The top Marine said a future LAR unit should be able to collect information even potentially offshore. Marine Corps Systems Command said in the news release that it wants a “battle management system, enhanced vision technologies for increased situational awareness, and target tracking and engagement capabilities,” for its new ARV. An industry day for the ARV was slated to run in May 2020 but has been pushed back to fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020, the release said. https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2020/05/11/no-tanks-but-the-corps-is-still-looking-for-an-lav-replacement/
7 mai 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité, Autre défense

Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - May 6, 2019
AIR FORCE Vital Link Inc., Sealy, Texas, has been awarded a $228,843,057 indefinite-delivery requirements contract for the sustainment of Air Force noise suppressors. This contract provides for the repair, refurbishment and relocation of noise suppressors. Work will be performed at Air Force locations worldwide, and is expected to be complete by Nov. 5, 2029. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and one offer was received. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8534-19-D-0003). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $35,800,000 delivery order for Radar Modernization Program (RMP) Common Configuration General Purpose Processors (GPP3) and Waveform Generators (WFG). This contract provides for 57 GPP3s and 11 WFGs to ensure a common configuration of the APG-82(v)1 radar, as well as 14 spares. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be complete by Oct. 31, 2023. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 procurement funds in the amount of $17,686,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Fighter/Bomber Directorate, F-15 Division, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8634-19-F-0009). Metis Solutions LLC, Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded a $10,301,762 fixed-price level-of-effort contract for financial services. This contract provides for counter-threat finance services to U.S. Central Command, U.S. Africa Command, and the U.S. European Command areas of responsibility. Work will be performed in several locations worldwide, and is expected to be complete by Oct. 20, 2019. This award is the result of a non‐competitive bridge acquisition and one offer was received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Headquarters Air Combat Command, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley‐Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA4890‐19‐C-A007). (Awarded March 20, 2019) CORRECTION: The contract announced on May 2, 2019, for Engility Corp., Andover, Massachusetts (FA8650-19-C-6024), for research and development, included an incorrect award amount. The correct award amount is $57,296,527. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Shore Terminals LLC, doing business as NuStar, San Antonio, Texas, has been awarded a $227,733,110 firm-fixed-price contract to receive, store and ship various types of jet fuel. This was a competitive acquisition with one offer received. This is a four-year base contract with one five-year option period. Locations of performance are Texas and California, with a May 6, 2023, performance competition date. Using customers are Navy and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia (SPE603-19-C-5006). Point Blank Enterprises, Pompano Beach, Florida, has been awarded a maximum $92,881,740 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract for enhanced small arms protective inserts. This contract 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 one-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Florida, with a March 31, 2021, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-19-D-1154). CORRECTION: The contract announced on May 2, 2019, for Raytheon Co., McKinney, Texas, was announced with an incorrect delivery order number and incorrect basic ordering agreement number. The correct delivery order number is SPRPA1-19-F-CB01 and correct basic ordering agreement number is SPRPA1-19-G-CB01. ARMY Eagle Eye - Enviroworks JV,* Anchorage, Alaska (W9128F-19-D-0034); Ahtna-CDM JV,* Irvine, California (W9128F-19-D-0035); IE- Weston Federal Services JVB LLC,* Pasco, Washington (W9128F-19-D-0036); and Relyant Global LLC,* Maryville, Tennessee (W9128F-19-D-0037), will compete for each order of the $95,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for rapid disaster infrastructure response. Bids were solicited via the internet with 19 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 5, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity. Cray Inc., Seattle, Washington, was awarded a $22,549,000 firm-fixed-price contract for Department of Defense High Performance Computing Modernization Program's Technology Insertion. Four bids were solicited with four bids received. Work will be performed in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 5, 2025. Fiscal 2018 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $22,549,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-19-F-0296). Cray Inc., Seattle, Washington, was awarded a $14,549,000 firm-fixed-price contract for Department of Defense High Performance Computing Modernization Program's Technology Insertion. Four bids were solicited with two bids received. Work will be performed in Vicksburg, Mississippi, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 5, 2025. Fiscal 2018 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $14,549,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-19-F-0298). AAI Corp., doing business as Textron Systems, Hunt Valley, Maryland, was awarded an $8,928,378 cost-plus-fixed-fee Foreign Military Sales (Australia) contract for logistics support. 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 Feb. 7, 2020. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-19-F-0407). U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND n~Ask Inc., Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a $7,816,490 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (H92401-19-C-0014) for demonstration of a prototype, modular intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance small-satellite in support of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Fiscal 2019 research and development funds in the amount of $2,000,000 were obligated at time of award. The work will be performed primarily at the n~Ask Colorado facility. The period of performance is scheduled to run through September 2020. USSOCOM headquarters, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1838303/source/GovDelivery/
25 mars 2021 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

Le Royaume-Uni annonce un vaste plan de modernisation de son armée
Au Royaume-Uni, le ministre de la Défense, Ben Wallace, a détaillé ce lundi 22 mars son plan de refonte de l'armée. Près de 190 milliards de livres, soit plus de 220 milliards d'euros, seront investis dans les quatre prochaines années, avec un objectif : renforcer la cyberdéfense. Le Royaume-Uni entend donc investir dans les technologies de cybersécurité, créer une « constellation » de satellites de surveillance dans l'espace, mais aussi consolider sa force navale, avec notamment une flotte renforcée. Ces changements vont s'accompagner d'une baisse des effectifs. 4 000 personnes en moins d'ici 2025, soit 72 500 militaires, le chiffre le plus bas depuis trois cents ans. Ensemble de la presse du 23 mars 2021

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