13 juin 2024 | International, Terrestre
10 août 2020 | International, Naval
Major Submarine Contractor Drops Navy Missile Tube Biz
The disclosure comes as the Pentagon has been looking for ways to backstop key parts of its industrial base as supply chains slowed due to the COVID epidemic.
By PAUL MCLEARY
WASHINGTON: One of the Navy's primary suppliers of missile tubes for its nuclear submarines is planning to walk away from the military business, a move that will drop the number of domestic companies capable of doing the work to two at a time when the service is in a scramble to ramp up its sub-building efforts.
BWX Technologies President Rex Geveden says that the company is “not likely to pursue” any more Navy business and will repurpose a factory in Indiana that makes the components once the next set of deliveries of missile tubes wrap up in 2022. The Navy work “just doesn't have the margin profile that we want to see in the business,” Geveden said in a Tuesday investor call.
BWX was slated to build the missile tubes for the new Columbia subs, but prime contractor Electric Boat says it has options to replace the company in coming years.
The company “works with multiple suppliers to ensure we can meet the Navy's schedule requirements on these important programs,” a spokesperson emailed. “These are Babcock Marine, BAE Systems, Precision Custom Components and BWX Technologies. BWX Technologies will complete all currently contracted work for EB by 2022.”
This comes as the Pentagon has been looking for ways to bolster key parts of its industrial base as communities shut down and workers are told not to report to work or take time off, due to the COVID epidemic.
In a call with reporters late last month, Navy acquisition chief James Geurts acknowledged that the service is deeply worried that such closures and slowdowns could have wide-ranging impacts on shipbuilding. “I am absolutely interested in ensuring that we don't lose large chunks of the industrial base,” he said. “Restarting an industrial base that you lose is really hard, really painful, and takes a long time. We are absolutely focused on ensuring we do not lose an industrial base because we don't have the time or resources to re-generate it later when we need it.”
The winnowing of such a key part of the industrial base will place more pressure on the handful of other companies who can do this sort of work, something to which Pentagon leadership is particularly sensitive.
Overall, the Navy plans to buy 12 Columbia-class submarines between 2021 and 2035, with 10 of those coming 2026 and after. In the near-term, it plans two Virginia-class subs per year between 2021 and 2026, meaning shipyards will have to pump out two to four submarines a year in the mid-2020s.
The new Columbia submarines will begin being delivered to the Navy in 2030, just in time to begin replacing the Cold War-era Ohio-class subs as the Navy's leg of the nation's nuclear triad. The subs will carry 70 percent of the nation's stockpile of warheads allowed by the New Start treaty with Russia.
Falling in to replace the Ohio's on time would be a critical failure for the nation's nuclear triad, as the aging ships will have next to no life left in them by the end of the decade, and leaving the sea leg of the nuclear enterprise in some jeopardy.
Babcock Marine is a UK-based company, but does work on some components that are used for both the Columbia program and the UK's Dreadnaught submarines, which shares similar missile tubes with the Columbia effort.
In 2018, Virginia-based BWX was forced to pay $27 million to fix welding problems on the Columbia tubes, after issues were found on a total of 44 tubes. So far, 21 of those have been fixed and 11 delivered to the Navy.
Navy officials have closely tied the modernizing of the current Virginia-class subs with the building of new Columbia's, warning that since they share a base of companies who can make precision parts for nuclear-powered submarines. So any problem with one program will have knock-on effects to the other. Geurts and others have said the Navy would prioritize the health of the Columbia effort over Virginia if they had to.
If the House of Representatives gets its way, however, billions more will flow into the Virginia program than the White House has called for. Last week, the House voted to fund the construction of a second Virginia-class submarine in the 2021 budget request, after the White House dropped the planned buy to one submarine in its submission.
The push was led by Rep. Joe Courtney, chairman of the Seapower Subcommittee who represents the Connecticut district that's home to Electric Boat. The bill now includes $6.8 billion to produce two Virginia-class attack submarines, approximately $2.5 billion more than the White House's own request, and $2.2 billion more than the Senate's.
“The budget request we received from the White House flew in the face of testimony that we've heard from Navy leaders, experts, and combatant commanders,” Courtney said in a statement. “It requested the fewest ships in over a decade, and it eliminated construction of the second Virginia-class submarine in 2021—a vessel that the Navy quickly listed as its most important unfunded priority in 2021.”
https://breakingdefense.com/2020/08/major-submarine-contractor-drops-navy-missile-tube-biz
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11 octobre 2018 | International, Naval
Italian shipbuilders tout systems-engineering chops ahead of French merger talks
By: Tom Kington ROME – Italian firms Leonardo and Fincantieri have announced tighter cooperation on naval systems work to help them build better ships and get ready for an expected Italo-French team-up in warship construction. The two firms said they would relaunch Orizzonte Sistemi Navali, an existing joint venture between them, to develop naval combat systems. Leonardo, which holds 49 percent of the joint venture, has long supplied radars, guns and systems to ships built by shipyard Fincantieri, which holds a majority 51 percent stake. OSN was created in 2002 to integrate the work of the two firms on Italy's Horizon frigates, Cavour carrier and FREMM frigates, but was not used for the more recent construction of Italy's new PPA frigates. In its new form, OSN will “assume responsibility for the development of the combat systems and the definition of subsystem requirements and individual components' architecture, including the Combat Management System (CMS),” in new vessels, the firms said in a statement. “Fincantieri will act as prime contractor, the single interface to customers and hold responsibility for the warship as a whole (Whole Warship Design Authority), therefore in charge, on behalf of OSN, of the architecture of the ship system concerning both the platform and the combat system. Leonardo will be the preferred partner for the Combat Management System and the equipment and systems of the ship,” the statement reads. An Italian industrial source said the deal was designed to make systems integration more central to shipbuilding by the two firms. “Until now a lot of work on integration took place during the ship building process. Now, integration should happen earlier in the process,” the source said. Full article: https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/10/10/italian-shipbuilders-tout-systems-engineering-chops-ahead-of-french-merger-talks
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27 juin 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité, Autre défense
Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - June 26, 2019
ARMY Burgos Group LLC,* Albuquerque, New Mexico (W9126G-19-D-0041); Southwest Valley Constructors, Albuquerque, New Mexico (W9126G-19-D-0033); SLSCO Ltd., Galveston, Texas (W9126G-19-D-0036); Bristol Construction Services LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska (W9126G-19-D-0039); J&J Contractors Inc.,* North Billerica, Massachusetts (W9126G-19-D-0043); Gibralter-Caddell a Joint Venture, Montgomery, Alabama (W9126G-19-D-0037); Puyenpa Cottles Joint Venture LLC,* Copperas Cove, Texas (W9126G-19-D-0038); Texas Sterling Construction Co., Houston, Texas (W9126G-19-D-0035); BFBC LLC, Bozeman, Montana (W9126G-19-D-0034); JSR Inc.,* Schertz, Texas (W9126G-19-D-0045); Stormwater Plans, LLC doing business as SWP Contracting & Paving,* Glendale, Arizona (W9126G-19-D-0044); Gideon Contracting LLC,* San Antonio, Texas (W9126G-19-D-0042); and Randy Kinder Excavating Inc.,* Dexter, Missouri (W9126G-19-D-0040) will compete for each order of the $5,000,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for horizontal construction services in support of the Department of Homeland Security, Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, Del Rio, Big Bend and El Paso Border Patrol sectors. Bids were solicited via the internet with 40 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 24, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity. Atlantic Diving Suppling Inc.,* Virginia Beach, Virginia (W56HZV-19-D-0070) and Sorinex Exercise Equipment Inc.,* Lexington, South Carolina (W56HZV-19-D-0071), will compete for each order of the $63,778,092 firm-fixed-price contract for procurement of Army combat fitness test equipment. 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 Jan. 6, 2022. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Peckham Vocational Industries Inc., Lansing, Michigan, was awarded a $22,860,897 modification (P00008) to contract W56HZV-17-C-0187 for services to support the organizational clothing and individual equipment effort for the repair, cleaning, warehousing, and distribution. Work will be performed in Lansing, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance Army funds in the amount of $22,860,897 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Manson Construction Co., Seattle, Washington, was awarded a $16,715,000 firm-fixed-price contract for annual maintenance dredging for the Oakland Inner and Outer Harbor federal navigation channel in Alameda County, California. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Oakland, California, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 18, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, civil funds in the amount of $16,715,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco, California, is the contracting activity (W912P7-19-C-0009). IAP Worldwide Services Inc., Cape Canaveral, Florida, was awarded a $16,289,540 hybrid (cost-no-fee, firm-fixed-price and time-and-materials) contract for satellite communication support. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 21, 2025. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance Army funds in the amount of $16,289,540 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-19-C-0034). International GeoConsultants JV, Germantown. Maryland, was awarded a $9,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for geotechnical engineering services. 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 June, 25, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-19-D-0034). General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a $7,805,000 modification (F406 22) to contract W91QUZ-06-D-0012 for combined mission command network operations and maintenance information technology services. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of April 12, 2020. U.S. Army 411th Contracting Support Battalion, Republic of Korea, is the contracting activity. NAVY BAE System Technology Solutions and Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland (N00039-19-D-0031); Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia (N00039-19-D-0032); and Scientific Research Corp., Atlanta, Georgia (N00039-19-D-0033), are each awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-only indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contract for logistics, integration, engineering, procurement, fabrication, assembly, test, inspection, zone integration and installation of integrated command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) system of systems capabilities aboard new construction aircraft carrier and large deck amphibious ships, to include refueling and complex overhaul ships. Throughout the duration of the awarded contracts, the total obligated amount on orders for all of the awarded contracts combined will not exceed $747,097,000. Each contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the estimated value of each contact to $601,513,730 for BAE System; $608,243,247 for Serco Inc., and $599,544,784 for Scientific Research Corp. These contracts will support various Navy shipbuilding programs. These programs require integrated C4I capabilities to provide communications for maritime operations and flight safety. The integrated capability is composed of distributed systems that provide network capabilities, communications, command and control, intelligence, and non-tactical data. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia (73%); Charleston, South Carolina (17%); and Pascagoula, Mississippi (10%), and work is expected to be completed by June 2029. No contract funds will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $50,000 will be obligated on the first task order under each contract utilizing fiscal 2017 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy), and fiscal 2019 research and development (Navy) funds. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. These contracts were awarded pursuant to full and open competition, with three offers received. The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Integrity Applications Inc.,* Chantilly, Virginia (N68936-19-D-0036); Toyon Research Corp.,* Goleta, California (N68936-19-D-0037); KAB Laboratories,* San Diego, California (N6893619D0038); and Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Virginia (N68936-19-D-0039), are each being awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts. These contracts provide for research, development, testing and evaluation, technical assistance and systems engineering in the development, testing and fielding of future intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting systems. The estimated cumulative aggregate ceiling for all contracts is $49,839,291, with the companies having an opportunity to compete for individual orders. Work will be performed at various contractor facilities located inside the continental United States, and is expected to be completed in June 2024. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,004 ($2,501 per company to satisfy the minimum guarantee amount) are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. These contracts were competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals; four offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity. Tetra Tech Inc., Norfolk, Virginia, is awarded $9,870,904 for firm-fixed-price task order N44255-19-F-4112 under a previously awarded single award services contract for a base wide site investigation for munitions at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor. The work to be performed provides a munition response site investigation for 15 sites having 21 locations. The scope includes all work necessary to define the source and nature of a release, describe pathways for contaminant migration, identify human and ecological receptors, conclude whether a No Further Action determination, a removal action, or a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study is warranted. The following surveys will be completed as part of this work: habitat/endangered species, historical and cultural resources, land surveying and clearing, munitions and clearing, and geophysical. Work will be performed in Silverdale, Washington, and is expected to be completed by June 2022. Fiscal 2019 environmental restoration (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $9,870,904 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One proposal was received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, Silverdale, Washington, is the contracting activity (N44255-19-D-4112). AIR FORCE HDT Global, Salon, Ohio, has been awarded a $66,684,930, fixed-price incentive firm modification (P00038) to previously awarded FA8204-13-C-0010 for production of 19 Transporter Erector Replacement Program (TERP) production units. This contract provides for the procurement of 19 TERP production representative vehicles and initial spares over four option periods. Work will be performed in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Florence, Kentucky, and is expected to be completed by December 2020. This award is the result of a negotiated agreement to definitize engineering changes incorporated into the design portion of performance. Fiscal 2018 procurement funds in the amount of $15,225,936 to fully fund option period one. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. United Technologies Corp., doing business as Collins Aerospace, Westford, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $31,920,402 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification (P00008) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract FA8620-18-D-3014 for providing partner nations an ordering vehicle for the DB-110 Tactical Reconnaissance Pod Program. This modification raises the price ceiling from $31,920,402 to $215,025,402. Work will be performed in Westford, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 14, 2023. This contract involves 100% foreign military sales to Oman, Poland, Morocco and Greece. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Brighton Cromwell LLC, Randolph, New Jersey, has been awarded a maximum $34,746,167 firm-fixed-price contract for specialized parts kits. 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 three-year base contract with two one-year option periods. Location of performance is New Jersey, with a June 25, 2022, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Columbus, Ohio (SPE7LX-19-D-0163). Federal Prison Industries (UNICOR),** Washington, District of Columbia., has been awarded a maximum $14,141,250 modification (P00002) exercising the first one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-18-D1069) with two one-year option periods for Army physical fitness uniform trunks. This is an indefinite-delivery contract. Locations of performance are Minnesota, Colorado, Louisiana and Kentucky, with a July 11, 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. DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY Spectrum Healthcare Resources Inc., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $9,061,238 firm-fixed-price contract, HT0014-19-C-0001. This contract provides support to the Defense Health Agency's national capital region for continuation of healthcare services at the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital Family Health Centers of Fairfax and Dumfries (outpatient clinics stemming from Fort Belvoir Community Hospital). The work includes all personnel and facilities to provide healthcare for approximately 51,000 TRICARE prime beneficiaries. Work will be performed in Virginia, beginning July 1, 2019, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2019. The contract includes a two- month base period. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $9,061,238 are obligated on this award. This was a sole-source acquisition. The Defense Health Agency, Falls Church, Virginia, is the contracting activity. *Small business **Mandatory source https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1888547/source/GovDelivery/