17 novembre 2020 | International, Terrestre

Hanwha, Kongsberg team up to bolster Australia’s K9 howitzers

SEOUL — Hanwha Defense Australia has announced a partnership with Kongsberg Defence Australia to integrate command, control, communication and computing technology into the K9 self-propelled howitzer and the K10 ammunition resupply vehicle.

The announcement came two months after the Australian branch of Hanwha Defense, a defense company in South Korea, was selected as the preferred supplier for Australia's self-propelled howitzer acquisition project, code-named Land 8116 Phase 1

Under the project, the Australian Army is to acquire 30 155mm, 52-caliber K9 “Huntsman” howitzers and 15 K10 armored ammunition resupply vehicles, both of which are built by Hanwha.

“The selection of KONGSBERG as a central part of our Land 8116 Phase 1 industry team will make a very important contribution to Hanwha's capacity to deliver effective capability for the [Australian Defence Force] while fulfilling our extensive Australian Industry Capability commitments,” Richard Cho, managing director of Hanwha's branch Down Under, said in a statement.

The partnership has already proven to be successful, he added, citing their recent involvement in Norway's Vidar program for K9 and K10 procurement, and pointing to their delivery of K9s to Finland and Estonia.

Under the partnership, Kongsberg is responsible for the integration of tactical communication systems and battle management systems.

“Together with Hanwha Defence Australia, KONGSBERG is committed to the establishment of a sovereign industry capability to support the Australian Protected Mobile Fires capability throughout its service life,” said Joh Fry, general manager of Kongsberg Defence Australia. “We'll continue to source as much C4 hardware as possible through Australian and New Zealand-based suppliers.”

Developed by South Korea's Agency for Defense Development and Samsung Techwin in 1998, the K9 Thunder is touted as one of the world's most advanced self-propelled howitzers. It's designed to provide effective and deep fire support across theaters. The howitzer is now manufactured by Hanwha Defense, a defense contractor of Hanwha Group that acquired Samsung Techwin in 2017.

The main weapon is the 155mm, 52-caliber gun with a burst rate of fire of three rounds per 15 seconds, and a maximum rate of fire of six rounds a minute for three minutes. It has a firing range of 40 kilometers and is capable of “multiple rounds simultaneous impact” firing.

On Nov. 13, South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration announced that the completion of deliveries of K9s to the South Korean military. The announcement came about two decades after the first K9 fleet was deployed on the western border islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong

An upgraded variant, the K9A1, is in production with improvements in fire control and power systems. DAPA and Hanwha Defense plan to continue to improve the K9′s capabilities to add automatic loading and unmanned maneuvering functions.

The K9 has been exported to several countries, including Turkey, Poland, India, Norway and Estonia. About 1,700 units are in service around the world, according to Hanwha.

https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/c2-comms/2020/11/13/hanwha-kongsberg-team-up-to-bolster-australias-k9-howitzers

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  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - February 11, 2021

    12 février 2021 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - February 11, 2021

    ARMY Archer Western Federal JV, Chicago, Illinois, was awarded a $205,442,643 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a new 916-car parking structure and of a new spinal cord injury/community living center. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, with an estimated completion date of March 11, 2024. Fiscal 2021 civil construction funds in the amount of $205,442,643 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles, California, is the contracting activity (W912PL-21-C-0004). Westech International Inc,* Albuquerque, New Mexico, was awarded a $58,805,487 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for data collection, data management, logistical support for operational test events and field test support. Bids were solicited via the internet with eight received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2026. U.S. Army 418th Contracting Support Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas, is the contracting activity (W91151-21-D-0003). Fugro USA Land Inc., Houston, Texas (W912HY-21-D-0001); Professional Service Industries Inc., Arlington Heights, Illinois (W912HY-21-D-0002); Eustis Engineering LLC,* Metairie, Louisiana (W912HY-21-D-0003); and QRI-Tetra Tech JV,* Baton Rouge, Louisiana (W912HY-21-D-0004), will compete for each order of the $20,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for geotechnical field exploration and laboratory testing. 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 Feb. 8, 2026. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston, Texas, is the contracting activity. S&E Services Inc.,* Edison, New Jersey, was awarded an $11,549,400 firm-fixed-price contract for revitalizing 12 buildings at Camp Buckner. Bids were solicited via the internet with 15 received. 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NAVY International Flooring and Protective Coatings Inc.,* Norfolk, Virginia (N50054-21-D-2101); Main Industries Inc.,* Hampton, Virginia (N50054-21-D-2102); Surface Technologies Corp.,* Atlantic Beach, Florida (N50054-21-D-2103); and UHP Projects Inc.,* Newport News, Virginia (N50054-21-D-2104), are awarded a combined $41,425,862 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contract to furnish management, administrative and production services, materials, tools, equipment and required support to accomplish removal of old deck covering and underlayment (including rubber base if present), abrasive blast, ultra-high pressure water jet and power tool clean decks; and prepare surfaces, apply primer coatings and install new non-skid deck covering onboard Navy or other military type vessels. International Flooring and Protective Coatings Inc. is being awarded a $10,887,224 estimate and if all options are exercised, the total value will be $58,889,922. Main Industries Inc. is being awarded a $9,616,068 estimate and if all options are exercised, the total value will be $50,102,014. Surface Technologies Corp. is being awarded a $9,410,280 estimate and if all options are exercised, the total value will be $47,110,600. UHP Projects Inc. is being awarded an $11,512,290 estimate and if all options are exercised, the total value will be $65,057,475. Work will be accomplished onboard Navy vessels located primarily within a 50-mile radius of Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed in February 2022, and February 2026 if all options are exercised. The maximum dollar value for all four contracts is $65,057,475. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $10,000 ($2,500 per awardee) will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The requirement was competitively procured as a small business set-aside solicited through the beta.SAM.gov website with five offers received. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding division, Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $13,435,247 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for engineering and technical design effort to support research and development concept formulation for current and future submarine platforms. This contract procures advanced submarine research and development (R&D) including studies to support assessments, development, design studies and tests; provide on-site engineering, logistics and technical services; and integrate/incorporate technologies for land-based or at-sea tests/demonstrations. Development and design of advanced submarine R&D technologies include integration/incorporation of developing technologies as well as advanced development models into the designated R&D test platform(s) and current and future submarine platforms. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $117,332,071. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by September 2021. If all options are exercised, work will continue through September 2025. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $250,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $35,000 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. 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Work will be performed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas; Barksdale AFB, Louisiana; Keesler AFB, Mississippi; Eglin AFB, Florida; Hurlburt Field AFB, Florida; MacDill AFB, Florida; Tyndall AFB, Florida; Patrick AFB, Florida; Charleston AFB, South Carolina; Shaw AFB, South Carolina; Moody AFB, Georgia; Robins AFB, Georgia; Columbus AFB, Mississippi; Altus AFB, Oklahoma; Tinker AFB, Oklahoma; and Vance AFB, Oklahoma, and is expected to be completed Feb. 13, 2022. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at time of award. The total cumulative value of this contract including, Option Two, is $32,348,517. The 773rd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity. Main Building Maintenance Inc., San Antonio, Texas, has been awarded a $10,355,594 modification (P00030) for healthcare aseptic management services to exercise Option Period Two. This contract provides for medical aseptic housekeeping, waste management and linen management. These services constitute the enterprise-level healthcare aseptic management services requirement for the Air Force Medical Service. Work will be performed at the Air Force Academy, Colorado; Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado; Peterson AFB, Colorado; Schriever AFB, Colorado; Beale AFB, California; Eielson AFB, Alaska; Elmendorf AFB, Alaska; Fairchild AFB, Washington; Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota; FE Warren AFB, Wyoming; Hill AFB, Utah; Malmstrom AFB, Montana; McConnell AFB, Kansas; Mountain Home AFB, Idaho; Nellis/Creech AFB, Nevada; and Offutt AFB, Nebraska, and is expected to be completed Feb. 13, 2022. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at time of award. The total cumulative value of this contract, including Option Two, is $32,350,692. The 773rd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA8052-18-C-0006). TFOM HHS Group JV, Austin, Texas, has been awarded a $9,865,349 modification (P00021) to contract FA8052-19-C-A002 for healthcare aseptic management services to exercise Option Period Two. This contract provides for medical aseptic housekeeping, waste management and linen management. These services constitute the enterprise-level healthcare aseptic management services requirement for the Air Force Medical Service. Work will be performed at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico; Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona; Dyess AFB, Texas; Edwards AFB, California; Goodfellow AFB, Texas; Holloman AFB, New Mexico; Kirtland AFB, New Mexico; Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA)-Lackland, Texas; Laughlin AFB, Texas; Los Angeles AFB, California; Luke AFB, Arizona; JBSA, Texas; Sheppard AFB, Texas; and Vandenberg AFB, California, and is expected to be completed Feb. 13, 2022. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at time of award. The total cumulative value of this contract, including Option Two, is $31,537,150. The 773rd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY Raytheon Co. Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, was awarded an $8,377,372 cost-plus-fixed-fee completion contract for a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency research project. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (38%); Goleta, California (14%); and Cedar Rapids, Iowa (48%), with an expected completion date of October 2022. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $454,127; and fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,765,783, are being obligated at time of award. This contract was a limited competitive acquisition with five offers received. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR0011-21-C-0036). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY UPDATE: Skymark Refuelers LLC, Kansas City, Kansas (SPE8EC-21-D-0077), has been added as an awardee to the multiple award contract for commercial trucks and trailers, issued against solicitation SPE8EC-17-R-0008, and awarded Jan. 9, 2018. *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2501750/source/GovDelivery/

  • Defense industry’s COVID costs could tank DoD modernization plans

    11 juin 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

    Defense industry’s COVID costs could tank DoD modernization plans

    By: Joe Gould WASHINGTON ― The Pentagon is facing billions of dollars in pandemic-related claims, which may force it to dip into modernization and readiness accounts if Congress doesn't backfill the money, the department's top acquisitions official said Wednesday. Testifying at the House Armed Services Committee, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord reaffirmed the Pentagon's commitment to request supplemental appropriations from Congress, beyond its fiscal 2021 budget of $740 billion. It's been seven weeks since Department of Defense officials first publicly disclosed a request was coming; that request is currently sitting with the White House Office of Management and Budget. The defense industry claims are expected to be covered by Section 3610 of the coronavirus relief package, among other provisions, Lord said. To give an idea of the scope, one of the major prime contractors told the DoD it and its suppliers could claim as much as $1 billion. Under Section 3610, the Pentagon and other agencies can reimburse suppliers for expenses to keep workers employed. Under other provisions, contractors can seek reimbursement for leave and DoD-directed purchases of personal protective equipment, cleaning, and costs associated with spacing out workers in factories. “The department does not have the funding to cover these costs,” Lord said, which she later said were “in the lower end” of “double-digit billions of dollars.” Lord affirmed the Defense Department would need Congress to pass supplemental appropriations beyond its fiscal 2021 budget during an exchange with HASC ranking member Mac Thornberry, R-Texas. “Otherwise these contractors are going to have to eat several billion dollars, which could well come at their employees' expense, which this was supposed to help to begin with,” Thornberry noted. “There's a choice there,” Lord said. “Whether we want to eat into readiness and modernization ― and slow down modernization or readiness on an ongoing basis ― or whether we want to remedy the situation in the next six months or so ... and continue to have the ready forces we need for our national security.” Though some House Democrats have expressed reservations about the size of the Pentagon's budget request, HASC Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee Chairman Joe Courtney, D-Conn., expressed support, saying: "The intent of Congress needs to be followed up on with an appropriation.” Courtney called on the DoD to provide Congress the data underlying its request, when the request actually arrives on Capitol Hill, saying it would foster conversation among lawmakers. The Pentagon has rough calculations, but contractors have not yet filed claims, Lord said, because Congress has not drafted an appropriations bill. She speculated the full extent of the issues will emerge over time. “I believe they are concerned that they'll get a one-time shot and want to make sure what the entire situation is,” she said. “We believe we understand the lower end of the number.” https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2020/06/10/defense-industrys-covid-costs-could-tank-dod-modernization-plans/

  • Special US fund to replace Russian equipment in Europe is shifting its strategy

    19 mars 2020 | International, Aérospatial

    Special US fund to replace Russian equipment in Europe is shifting its strategy

    By: Aaron Mehta WASHINGTON — A U.S. State Department fund to help European nations replace Russian-made weapons with American equipment has expanded to eight countries, but will be eschewing a second wave of funding in favor of targeted investments. In 2018, the State Department quietly launched a new effort known as the European Recapitalization Incentive Program, or ERIP, a new tool developed alongside U.S. European Command to speed up the process of getting allied nations off Russian gear. The U.S. benefits both strategically — getting partners and allies off Russian equipment to improve interoperability and deny Moscow funds for maintenance — and financially, thanks to the sale of American weapons abroad. ERIP funds, reprogrammed from unused dollars such as regional Foreign Military Financing, come in one-time bursts to help a country buy American-made alternatives to Russian kit. To get the money, the European nation must pledge to not buy Russian equipment in the future, while also at least matching the dollar value of the ERIP grant with domestic funding. The initial funding round consisted of six countries, totaling $190 million in reprogrammed fiscal 2017 dollars. As of last May, the State Department was considering a second round of ERIP grants and was at least in early discussions with Latvia about the funding. But in the time since, the department decided there won't be a second round, but rather ERIP will become a tool best used on a rolling basis. (Discussions with Latvia turned to different pots of money other than ERIP, according to a source.) “There was a lot of discussions about a second round, but the way it's kind of evolving is, rather than look at it as rounds is, look at it as opportunities,” a senior State Department official told Defense News on condition of anonymity. “It's a tool that we can use when opportunities arise for us to work with a partner to make a difference.” All told, the department has given out roughly $277 million in ERIP grants in the last two years — but, the official said, those relatively small dollars helped lock in roughly $2.5 billion in U.S. weapons sales. That's a win in “pure economic terms,” the official said, even before getting into the hard-to-quantify policy and political benefits. “It was a pretty bold decision in trying to help some of these countries acquire a pretty high capability capital intensive, and for some of them it's their first major [Foreign Military Sales] case, period.” Going forward, there may be tie-in money from EUCOM, which could kick in $1-3 million in small grants to nations that received ERIP dollars in order to help nations with maintenance costs on the newly bought American equipment. That money would likely come from DoD's Section 333 authority. Asked about that potential. DoD spokesman Lt. Col. Uriah Orland said the department "continues to work closely with the Department of State in the planning of security assistance with our European partner nations that enables them to reduce their dependencies on Russia's defense industry and build and/or sustain their own defense capabilities.” Targeted, ongoing funding Bulgaria presents a notable example for how the thinking on ERIP is evolving. The country spent several years debating what fighter jet to purchase, with the finalists coming down to new F-16s from Lockheed Martin, secondhand F-16s from Portugal, Eurofighter Typhoons from Italy and Saab Gripens from Sweden. As ERIP was envisioned, it would be used only for rotorcraft or ground vehicles. But with the government in Sofia teetering on the edge of rejecting the Lockheed deal, the U.S. State Department stepped in and used $56 million in ERIP dollars to push the F-16s over the edge and finalize a deal that could exceed $1.6 billion in costs. “For countries where it's a politically contentious issue, whether for economic or political reasons” the fund can help make a deal happen, the official said. “We were able to close that gap with an ERIP grant that enabled them to make the purchase and acquire the capability.” The second nation to get a targeted ERIP grant has been Lithuania, which in October announced plans to buy six UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to replace its Soviet-made Mi-8 fleet. The State Department kicked in $30 million of ERIP funding to help complete that deal. In fact, no one piece of equipment has benefited from ERIP as much as the UH-60, of which three of the eight ERIP grants has helped procure. The eight projects to date are: Albania: $30 million for UH-60 procurement. The UH-60 is produced by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary. Bosnia and Herzegovina: $30.7 million for the Bell Huey II. Croatia: $25 million for Bradley fighting vehicles, manufactured by BAE Systems. Croatia is also working to stand up local maintenance for the equipment. North Macedonia: $30 million for Stryker vehicles, produced by General Dynamics. Slovakia: $50 million for UH-60 procurement. Greece: $25 million earmarked, but the government is still debating what to buy. Likely to either be Bradley vehicles or the M1117 Armored Security Vehicle from Textron. Greece stands out because, as a higher-income nation, they are technically ineligible for Foreign Military Financing dollars, but a political decision was made to support them with ERIP anyway, the official said. Lithuania: $30 million for UH-60 procurement. Bulgaria: $56 million for eight Lockheed-produced F-16s. All of those deals except Greece and Lithuania are under contract, with a letter of request from Lithuania expected in the next few weeks. As to future opportunities, “we always kind of have our eye open, and we rely on the country teams out in the field to bring us these opportunities and think about them,” the official said. Although at the moment there are no potential ERIP projects in the works. “We continue to look at the Baltics, we look at the Balkans,” the official said, adding that “countries within Eastern Europe, the Baltics, the Balkans moving towards a new ground mobility or rotorwing systems with something to divest would be our top candidates.” All of those deals except Greece and Lithuania are under contract, with a letter of request from Lithuania expected in the next few weeks. As to future opportunities, “we always kind of have our eye open, and we rely on the country teams out in the field to bring us these opportunities and think about them,” the official said. Although at the moment there are no potential ERIP projects in the works. “We continue to look at the Baltics, we look at the Balkans,” the official said, adding that “countries within Eastern Europe, the Baltics, the Balkans moving towards a new ground mobility or rotorwing systems with something to divest would be our top candidates.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/03/18/special-us-fund-to-replace-russian-equipment-in-europe-is-shifting-its-strategy

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