How in-house tech and soldier tinkering is changing the Army

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  29 octobre 2018 | International, Aérospatial

  Could the Air Force restart the C-17 production line?

  By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — As part of the Air Force's push to boost its number of operational squadrons to 386 total, and the service may need additional C-17s, the head of Air Mobility Command said Friday. The service's expansion plan, which was named “The Air Force We Need” and unveiled this September, called for one airlift squadron and 14 tanker squadrons to be added by 2030. At the time, service leaders from Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson to AMC Commander Gen. Maryanne Miller, said more work would need to be done in order to determine the mix of aircraft needed to get to the 386 squadron goal, which is 74 more than the service has now. But now, AMC has a better idea of what it could require, Miller told reporters during an Oct. 26 roundtable. The analysis from “The Air Force We Need” supports adding three new C-17 Globemaster III squadrons and cutting two C-130 Hercules squadrons from the airlift inventory, she said. That would bring the total number of airlift squadrons up to 54, an increase of one squadron. But Boeing's C-17 production line in Long Beach, California is dead, with the company having manufactured the final Globemaster in 2015. Increasing the number of C-17s could entail restarting the production line — an expensive proposition for any aircraft — but Miller said the Air Force had not yet begun discussing the possibility with Boeing. "Those are the details that we have not looked at,” Miller said. “That will be the next discussion as we proceed, talking with Congress and working with Congress, because the same would apply for the tanker fleet,” she said. “An additional 14 squadrons by 2030 — what would be the path to get there? Something we're looking at, but again, this is just the initial stages of talking with Congress and getting this concept out there." It's unclear what other options would exist to increase the number of C-17 squadrons aside from restarting the production line. The U.S. Air Force currently operates 222 C-17s, but began retiring some of the oldest Globemaster IIIs in 2012. It may be possible that those C-17s could be taken out of storage and revitalized. A spokeswoman for Boeing had no comment. Miller stressed that discussions about the makeup of the future airlift fleet are still in the beginning stages, and will be informed not only by Congress but also by an ongoing AMC study. That Mobility Capabilities Requirements Study is slated to be delivered to Capitol Hill in a couple of months, and may have different recommendations than the “Air Force We Need” analysis on how many airlift squadrons are needed, and of what aircraft models. “The two studies took slightly different approaches to that,” she said. “The results of each of those studies will be reviewed and I think there will be a combination somewhere in there to try to validate the results of those studies put together.” https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/airlift-tanker-annual/2018/10/26/could-the-air-force-restart-the-c-17-production-line

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

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - June 25, 2020

  U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND L3 Unmanned Systems Inc., Ashburn, Virginia (H92408-20-D-0001); Precision Integrated Programs LLC Newberg, Oregon (H92408-20-D-0002); Arcturus UAV Inc., Petaluma, California (H92408-20-D-0003); Insitu Inc., Bingen, Washington (H92408-20-D-0004); Wildflower International Ltd., Santa Fe, New Mexico (H92408-20-D-0005); and AAI Corp., doing business as Textron Unmanned Systems Inc., Hunt Valley, Maryland (H92408-20-D-0006), is awarded six indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with a maximum combined ceiling of $975,000,000 for Mid-Endurance Unmanned Aircraft Systems IV intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) services in support of U.S. Special Operations Command enterprise requirements worldwide. This multiple-award acquisition supports competition at the task-order level to ensure the most capable platforms and payloads provide real-time, responsive airborne ISR solutions to Special Operations Forces. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount $1,500 have been obligated for each contract at the time of award. The contracts were awarded competitively through a full and open competition with 10 proposals received. U.S. Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. ARMY The Boeing Co., Mesa, Arizona, was awarded a $439,179,677 modification (P00062) to contract W58RGZ-16-C-0023 for new-build Apache AH-64E aircraft and Longbow crew trainers. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of March 1, 2025. Fiscal 2020 Foreign Military Sales (Morocco) funds in the amount of $439,179,677 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. BAE Systems Inc., York, Pennsylvania, was awarded a $266,865,094 modification (P00039) to contract W56HZV-18-C-0133 for Bradley A4 Production Option Two, which awards 159 vehicles. Work will be performed in York, Pennsylvania, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2023. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 weapons and tracked combat vehicle procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $266,865,094 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity. BHI Construction LLC,* Harrisburg, South Dakota (W912MM-20-D-0001); G.A. Johnson Construction Inc.,* Harrisburg, South Dakota (W912MM-20-D-0002); Golden Rule Construction Co. Inc.,* Sioux Falls, South Dakota (W912MM-20-D-0003); Howe Inc.,* Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Dakota (W912MM-20-D-0004); MDM Construction LLC.,* West Fargo, North Dakota (W912MM-20-D-0005); and Sunkota Construction Inc.,* Sioux Falls, South Dakota (W912MM-20-D-0006), will compete for each order of a $20,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to support the National Guard with construction projects. Bids were solicited via the internet with seven received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 24, 2025. U.S. Property and Fiscal Office, Rapid City, South Dakota, is the contracting activity. Orion Marine Construction Inc., Tampa, Florida, was awarded a $14,648,100 firm-fixed-price contract for pipeline dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Port Mansfield, Texas, with an estimated completion date of March 1, 2021. Fiscal 2019 civil construction funds in the amount of $14,648,100 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W912HY-0C0021). NAVY Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is awarded a $333,401,760 modification (P00007) to previously-awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract N00019-19-C-0008. This modification exercises options for the production and delivery of three low-rate initial production MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft, two main operating bases and one forward operating base in an integrated functional capability-four and multiple-intelligence configuration, with associated export compliance support for the government of Australia. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (23.3%); Red Oak, Texas (13%); Palmdale, California (11.5%); Linthicum, Maryland (9.4%); Salt Lake City, Utah (9.3%); Bridgeport, West Virginia (5.2%); McClellan, California (4.7%); Indianapolis, Indiana (4.5%); Moss Point, Mississippi (3.3%); Waco, Texas (2.1%); San Clemente, California (1.5%); Newton, North Dakota (1%); various locations within the continental U.S. (9.8%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (1.4%). Work is expected to be completed by April 2025. Foreign cooperative project funds for $27,601,190 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., Falls Church, Virginia, is awarded a $38,824,217 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide MK-41 Vertical Launch System repair and refurbishment. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and potentially other locations based only on an emergent basis. Work is expected to be completed by June 2021. If options are exercised, work will be completed by June 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $5,000 (for the minimum guarantee) will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was procured as full and open competition via the beta.SAM.gov website and one offer was received. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N50054-20-D-0006). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $16,543,143 firm-fixed-price order (N00019-20-F-0870) against previously-issued basic ordering agreement N00019-16-G-0001. This order procures retrofit modification upgrades to the series aircrafts' F/A-18 Block II Super Hornet and Growler display suites within the Block III Super Hornet and Growler Advanced Cockpit Systems. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri (65%); Mesa, Arizona (15%); China Lake, California (10%); and Ft. Walton Beach, Florida (10%), and is expected to be completed by February 2025. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $15,075,223; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $1,467,920 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Q.E.D. Systems Inc.,* Virginia Beach, Virginia, is awarded a $14,193,833 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Marine Gas Turbine Alteration Installation Team services in support of the Navy's Marine Gas Turbine (MGT) program. Work will be performed at various locations throughout the world based on each individual task order. The purpose of the contract is to provide for the installation of shipboard changes in accordance with approved ship change documents and to effect repairs and troubleshooting in accordance with government specifications on ships which utilize MGTs. Work is expected to be completed by June 2026. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $400,000 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a small business set-aside and competitively procured via the Contract Opportunities website at beta.SAM.gov and two offers were received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N64498-20-D-4015). L3 Harris Technologies Inc., Palm Bay, Florida, is awarded an $11,688,708 modification (P00016) to previously-awarded firm-fixed-price contract N00421-17-C-0024. This modification is for the procurement of 133 Fibre Channel Network switches in support of F/A-18 Lot 44 requirements for the EA-18 Growler, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and E-2D Hawkeye aircraft. Work will be performed in Malabar, Florida, and is expected to be completed by November 2022. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $11,688,708 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, California, is awarded an $11,172,403 modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-18-C-4439 to extend the delivery date of the USS Cowpens (CG 63) fiscal 2018 modernization period from December 28, 2019, to November 25, 2020, in order to complete ship repairs and alterations. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by November 2020. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $11,172,403 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The use of fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds was approved by the assistant secretary of the Navy (financial management and comptroller) on May 27, 2020, to fund within scope changes for this availability. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY Kepler Research Inc., Woodbridge, Virginia, is being awarded a $73,119,865 competitive cost-plus-fixed-fee level-of-effort contract with a two-year base value of $16,925,921 and three one-year options for contracting, compliance, cost/price and operations advisory and assistance services. The work will be performed in the National Capital Region; Dahlgren, Virginia; Huntsville, Alabama; and other locations as directed with an estimated completion date of July 2025. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the beta.SAM.gov website with five proposals received. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,099,719 are being obligated at time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (HQ0858-20-C-0008). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Marketing Assessment Inc., Sterling, Virginia (SPE2DE-20-D-0015, $48,000,000); and Manus Medical LLC, Richmond, Virginia (SPE2DE-20-D-0014, $30,000,000), have each been awarded a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPE2DE-18-R-0001 for medical and surgical supplies. These were competitive acquisitions with 41 responses received. They are five-year contracts with no option periods. Location of performance is Virginia, with an ordering period end date of June 24, 2025, for Marketing Assessment Inc. and July 1, 2025, for Manus Medical LLC. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Raytheon Co., McKinney, Texas, has been awarded a $14,737,383 firm-fixed-price delivery order (SPRPA1-20-F-QD02) against a six-year long-term contract (SPRBL1-15-D-0017) for aircraft radar system spare parts. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Location of performance is Texas, with a Nov. 14, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2022 (Navy) working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2232845/source/GovDelivery/

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  15 octobre 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Terrestre

  Budgets Défense : les doutes du député Cornut-Gentille

  Jean-Marc Tanguy Le député de la Haute-Marne, rapporteur spécial pour la défense à la Commission des finances de l'Assemblée Nationale a, une fois de plus, transmis ses doutes sur le projet de loi de finances (PLF) 2021. Surcoûts Opex Le député (LR) de la Haute-Marne, rapporteur spécial pour la défense à la Commission des finances de l'Assemblée Nationale, a une fois de plus transmis ses doutes, ce 13 octobre, sur la fin de gestion 2020, et le projet de loi de finances (PLF) 2021, qui sera étudié en première lecture dans l'hémicycle à la fin du mois. François Cornut-Gentille estime que la « fin de gestion 2020 sera compliquée comme tous les ans, mais un peu plus en 2020 » du fait de l'augmentation des surcoûts Opex liés aux 600 personnels déployés en plus à Barkhane (mais aussi aux pertes en matériels), aux opérations Résilience et Amitié. Ainsi, le niveau pourrait atteindre 1,6 Md€, estime l'élu. Dassault Rafale pour la Grèce Auparavant, le ministère des Armées trouvait des ressources pour financer ces surcoûts : les montants non dépensés du titre 2 par exemple, mais le député estime que la totalité des fonds du T2 seront dépensés cette année. Le report de charge, qui aurait dû se réduire dans le cours de la LPM, progresse, constate François Cornut-Gentille, et pourrait atteindre 15 à 16 %. Le député se félicite aussi des annonces grecques sur le Dassault Rafale, « une bonne nouvelle pour les exportations et pour Dassault Aviation » mais il s'inquiète comme beaucoup des conséquences du prélèvement des 12 Dassault Rafale dans l'Armée de l'Air. Et du fait qu'il va falloir inscrire environ un milliard d'euros non prévus en LPM au chapitre des dépenses. Certes, la Grèce va payer pour les appareils d'occasion (sur lesquels en sus il faudra enlever des équipements/ndlr), mais moins que pour des avions neufs. Definvest pas à la hauteur ? Et la ministre des Armées, Florence Parly, elle-même reconnaissait en commission il y a peu qu'elle n'était pas sûre de récupérer le produit de cette vente même si elle entend obtenir gain de cause avec Bercy. Le niveau du reste à payer, les engagements non couverts par des paiements, atteint les 72,7 MdEUR à la fin 2019, un plus haut historique depuis 2006 au moins. François Cornut Gentille veut aussi dynamiser la logique de Definvest, qui n'a réalisé « que huit opérations » et « n'est pas à la hauteur des enjeux ». Photonis n'a pas été suffisamment protégé, constate-t-il. Enfin, il a déploré l'absence de réponses du ministère des Armées à ses 150 questions budgétaires posées en juillet en vue du PLF2021, ou des réponses trop tardives : 50 sont arrivées au courrier ce samedi. D'autres réponses, enfin, sont accompagnées d'une demande de discrétion, alors qu'elles figurent par ailleurs... en source ouverte, dans d'autres documents budgétaires. https://www.air-cosmos.com/article/budgets-dfense-les-doutes-du-dput-cornut-gentille-23737