22 septembre 2020 | International, Terrestre, C4ISR
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army is preparing to enter into programs of record for light- and medium-class robotic combat vehicles in a few years, with plans to award separate contracts for a lead systems integrator for each program, according to the service's robotic combat vehicles product manager.
The service wants to field a light, medium and heavy robotic combat vehicle, and it is experimenting with technology and how the vehicles might fit into future formations through the Army's Next-Generation Combat Vehicle modernization office. Developing NGCV capability is the second-highest priority for the Army.
The plan is to make a decision to move the Army's RCV-Light out of technical maturation and into the engineering and manufacturing development phase in the second quarter of fiscal 2023. The service would do the same with the RCV-Medium program in FY24, Lt. Col. Chris Orlowski said Sept. 10 during a conference hosted by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.
Orlowski noted that the potential RCV-Heavy program of record would fall behind the start of the medium and light programs by “a pretty significant margin.”
At the same conference during a separate keynote presentation, Bruce Jette, the Army's acquisition chief, said decisions were made that “put pieces in place that will establish a formal program for robotic systems with the [program manager], not just following the tech base but in fact being the centerpiece for building light and medium systems inside of an architecture that fits within the entire operational vehicle architecture. In fact, it will leap over into the aircraft as well. It will be everything from driving to operations of the vehicle to visual sensing to probably a broader array of technical capabilities that you may not have even thought possible.”
The Army plans to award a contract to a lead systems integrator that will combine the RCV's control station, network, platform, software and payloads, Orlowski said.
Anticipated government-furnished equipment for the programs would include autonomy software, radios, war-fighter machine interface software, aided target recognition software and lethality payloads “minus the turret,” according to Orlowski.
Other potential government-furnished equipment could be a tethered drone; assured position, navigation and timing technology; hostile fire detection; and other vehicle protection systems, he said.
As the Army ventures into developing robotic vehicles that don't just do the dull, dirty and dangerous work, “the biggest thing is going to be software development, improving autonomous and automation software,” he added.
“Teleoperation is nice; it works OK if you've got the right radios and the right environments, but long term, when those environments become tested, I think teleoperation will be less viable and we will have to really push the automation and autonomy on these platforms. But also, that being said, there is always going to have to be some soldier interaction with the platforms. How do we improve that interaction for the soldiers, reducing that cognitive burden?" he said.
“I know everybody likes cool, big, awesome robots, but it's really a software thing that is going to make these things go, so anything that is kind of tied to software I think is a critical technology in my view,” he added.
The Army's rough acquisition strategy for the robots calls for a first unit to receive RCV-Light vehicles in FY28 and a first unit to receive RCV-Medium in FY30, according to a slide from Orlowski's conference presentation.
The Army recently wrapped up its first phase of experimentation with RCV-Heavy surrogates fashioned out of M113 armored personnel carriers at Camp Red Devil on Fort Carson, Colorado, which added complexity to an ongoing evaluation of the government-developed platforms.
The Army also awarded contracts to a Textron and Howe & Howe team to build an RCV-Medium prototype, and to a QinetiQ North America and Pratt & Miller team to build the lighter version late last year and early this year. Those are being built now.
Orlowski stressed those prototypes are being built “primarily to support future planned experimentation” in FY22 and FY24 and “in support of defining and informing requirements for the RCV program of record.” He added there is no plan to transition any of those systems into any type of limited fielding.
“They are not designed for that. They are designed for a campaign of learning,” he said.
Now that the first major experiment is done, the Army plans to build up to a company-level operation in the first quarter of FY22 at Fort Hood, Texas, with four RCV-Medium and four RCV-Light prototypes.
While the experimentation at Fort Carson with RCV-Heavy was focused on cavalry operations where the robots served more in a scout mission and proved they could be effective in a reconnaissance and security role, the experiment in FY22 will move the robots into more of an attack-and-defend role.
While the Army has to officially complete a critical technology assessment from the Fort Carson experimentation, Orlowski said the autonomy software “needs to improve.”
The experimentation in FY22 will focus on improvements and the Army will work with industry partners to “improve that tether,” he said. “It needs to be robust in contested environments, which we haven't fully explored yet.”
The service will also need to look at some alternate communications pathways between the control vehicle and the robots. Aided target recognition needs more maturity, Orlowski explained, “especially on the move to support the platforms.”
Anything that reduces the soldier interaction with the platforms will also be incorporated, “and there are other things that soldiers asked for, which when we are ready to release we will. [The ideas from the feedback] were pretty perceptive," he said.
"So how critical that becomes, we will see.”
20 mars 2024 | International, Terrestre
Media are invited to a virtual briefing by senior government officials with the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF) regarding An Act to Amend the National Defence Act and Other Acts. The briefing will be not for attribution and not for broadcast.
19 mars 2021 | International, Aérospatial
Block 4 development costs will reach an estimated $14.4 billion, the Government Accountability Office found.
21 juin 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité, Autre défense
MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY Coleman Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne, Orlando, Florida, is being awarded a $140,184,433 firm-fixed-price modification (P00114) to a previously awarded contract (HQ0147-14-C-0001). The value of this contract is being increased from $366,376,257 by $140,184,433 to $506,560,690 by exercising this option. Under this modification, the contractor will provide six additional Medium Range Ballistic Missile targets and associated nonrecurring engineering. The work will be performed in Orlando, Florida. The performance period is from June 2019 through December 2027. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $22,469,742 are being obligated on this award. One offeror was solicited and one offer was received. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity. NAVY BAE Systems Land and Armaments L.P., Sterling Heights, Michigan, is awarded a not-to-exceed $67,000,000 modification for firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract line item numbers 8000, 8001, 8002, and 8100 to a previously awarded contract (M67854-16-C-0006), for the development of engineering drawings, manufacture, and test support for three Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) command and control Mission Role Variants (MRVs), and the development of engineering drawings for the ACV medium caliber cannon MRV. The ACV program is managed within the portfolio of Program Executive Officer Land Systems, Quantico, Virginia. Work will be performed in York, Pennsylvania (85 %); and Aiken, South Carolina (15 %), and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2022. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) funds in the amount of $2,500,000; and fiscal 2019 RDT&E funds in the amount of $20,075,743 will be obligated at the time of award, and funding in the amount of $2,500,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract modification was not competitively procured, in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 and 10 U.S. Code § 2304(c)(1). The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Leidos Innovations Corp., Gaithersburg, Maryland, is awarded a $29,962,608 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-only modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-16-C-5202 to exercise the options for integrated logistic support, fleet support and life cycle sustainment of the Navy's AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 surface ship Undersea Warfare (USW) Systems. The AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 is the USW combat system, with the capabilities to search, detect, classify, localize and track undersea contacts and to engage and evade submarines, mine-like small objects and torpedo threats. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (61 %); San Diego, California (18 %); Pascagoula, Mississippi (6 %); Bath, Maine (4 %); Manassas, Virginia (4 %); Yososuka, Japan (2 %); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (2 %); Everett, Washington (1 %); Mayport, Florida (1 %); and Rota, Spain (1 %), and is expected to be completed by June 2020. Foreign Military Sales; fiscal 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2017, 2018 and 2019 other procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2019 operation and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $15,418,688 will be obligated at time of award, and $2,846,455 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. General Electric Co., Lynn, Massachusetts, is awarded $24,891,442 for modification P00020 to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-17-C-0047) to procure 72 F/A-18 F-414-GE-400 install engines devices for the Navy (24); and the government of Kuwait (48). In addition, this modification provides for two spare and six test F414-GE-400 install engines devices for the government of Kuwait. Work will be performed in Evandale, Ohio, and is expected to be completed in December 2020. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy); and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funds in the amount of $24,891,442 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Navy ($7,316,280; 31 %); and the government of Kuwait ($17,575,162; 69 %) under the FMS program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Austal USA, Mobile, Alabama, is awarded a $13,197,241 cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, and cost-only modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-2301 for littoral combat ship class design services and integrated data and product model environment (IDPME) support. Austal USA will provide efforts to support littoral combat ship class ships, including but not limited to technical analyses, non-recurring engineering, configuration management, software maintenance and development, production assessments, and diminishing manufacturing sources and seaframe reliability analysis. Austal USA will also maintain an IDPME that will enable the Navy to access enterprise data management, visualization, program management applications, and network management and control. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama (60 %); and Pittsfield, Massachusetts (40 %), and is expected to be complete by June 2025. Fiscal 2016 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); 2018 other procurement (Navy); and 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $13,197,241 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. Gravois Aluminum Boats LLC, doing business as Metal Shark Boats,* Jeanerette, Louisiana, is awarded a $12,818,790 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00024-17-D-2201 to exercise options for the construction of Near Coastal Patrol Vessels in support of U.S. Southern Command partner nations and Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed in Jeanerette, Louisiana, and is expected to be complete by August 2021. No funding will be obligated at this time. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Fairmount Automation Inc.,* West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, is awarded a maximum value $12,439,633 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, supplies/services contract for the commercial procurement of Fairmount Automation's G4 Design Pad family of controller models and accessories, Windows based configuration software package licenses and engineering services to work with the government design teams to assist in programming and troubleshooting network interfaces. The services under this contract cover system design, software programming, program logistic support, and equipment analysis and repair. Work will be performed in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania (90 %); and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (10 %), and is expected to be complete by June 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $261,175 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) - only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N64498-19-D-4023). SR Technologies Inc., Sunrise, Florida, is awarded a $12,360,400 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for engineering services, materials, and support for integration and operation of information operations payloads into multiple unmanned aerial vehicles used by the U.S. Special Operations Command and Navy. This two-year contract includes one three-year option which, if exercised, would bring the potential value of this contract to an estimated $23,433,021. All work will be performed in Sunrise, Florida. The period of performance of the base period is from June 20, 2019, through June 19, 2021. If the option is exercised, the period of performance would extend through June 19, 2024. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using operations and maintenance (Navy); other procurement (Navy); and research, development, test and evaluation (Navy). This sole-source procurement is issued using other than full and open competition in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-19-D-3404). Bell Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is awarded not-to-exceed $7,458,000 for modification P00005 to a delivery order N0001918F0016 previously issued against basic ordering agreement N00019-17-G-0002. This modification provides for non-recurring engineering to facilitate additional structural improvements, tooling assessment, and test aircraft retrofit tooling in support of theV-22 Nacelle Improvement effort. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (84 %); Ridley Park, Pennsylvania (5 %); Patuxent River, Maryland (4 %); Fort Walton Beach, Florida (4 %); and Amarillo, Texas (3 %), and is expected to be completed in August 2020. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,923,688 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY DRS Global Enterprise Solutions Inc., Dulles, Virginia, was awarded a firm-fixed-price task order to support the Army's Wideband Enterprise Satellite Systems Commercial Satellite Communications (COMSATCOM) Network. The face value of this action is $23,756,299 funded by fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds. The total cumulative face value of the task order is $127,496,857. Proposals were solicited via the General Services Administration's Complex Commercial SATCOM Solutions (CS3) multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts, and two proposals were received from the 20 proposals solicited. Performance will be at the contractor's facility in Dulles, Virginia. The period of performance is June 24, 2019, to June 23, 2020, with four one-year options. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. (GS00Q17NRD4006 / HC101319F0092). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, has been awarded a maximum $10,200,705 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for vehicular axle assemblies. This 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 five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Wisconsin, with a June 20, 2024, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2024 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-19-D-0129). ARMY Longbow LLC, Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $9,267,724 modification (P00087) to contract W31P4Q16-C-0035 for Laser and Longbow Hellfire engineering services. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, with an estimated completion date of June 19, 2020. Fiscal 2017 and 2018 missile procurement, Air Force funds in the amount of $9,267,724 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. *Small business