Military Moves Forward with Plan to Make Air Force One Supersonic

Sur le même sujet

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  22 octobre 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - October 21, 2019

  AIR FORCE Raytheon Co., Dulles, Virginia, has been awarded a $128,450,262 firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Mobile Sensors operations and maintenance. This contract provides for non-personal services for operations and maintenance services that will ensure the availability of the Cobra King and Gray Star's radar facility to collect on 100% of the tasked data collection opportunities that pass through its field of view with the necessary support provided 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Work will be performed at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, and locations overseas and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2021. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and one offer received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $22,722,616 are being obligated at the time of award. The Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Detachment 2, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA7022-17-D-0001). Mesotech International, Sacramento, California, has been awarded a ceiling of $17,462,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Fixed Base Weather Observation System (FMQ-23) program. This contract provides for new FMQ-23 system purchases and contractor logistics support. Work will be performed at Sacramento, California, and is expected to be complete by October 2025. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $129,286 will be obligated at the time of the award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (FA8730-20-D-0003). NAVY Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is awarded an $18,253,921 modification (P00003) to a firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order (N00019-19-F-0272) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-15-G-0026) in support of the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system. This order procures material kits and retrofit labor to incorporate the Integrated Functional Capability (IFC) 4.0 configuration into one retrofit ground segment and fully fund the IFC 4.0 retrofit install labor for aircraft B10. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (41.2%); Palmdale, California (30.7%); Waco, Texas (9.9%); Salt Lake City, Utah (2.9%); Newtown, North Dakota (2.5%) Verona, Wisconsin (1.6%); Sterling, Virginia (1.5%); Irvine, California (1%); San Clemente, California (0.7%); and various locations inside and outside the continental U.S. (7.9% and 0.1%, respectively). Work is expected to be completed in February 2021. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $18,253,921 are being 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. ARMY Advanced Structural Technologies Inc.,* Oxnard, California, was awarded a $17,643,500 firm-fixed-price with economic price adjustment contract for manufacture and supply of M1 Abrams tank aluminum road wheel inserts. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Oxnard, California, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 21, 2021. Fiscal 2020 Army working capital funds in the amount of $17,643,500 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W911RQ-20-D-0001). Pontchartrain Partners LLC,* New Orleans, Louisiana, was awarded a $12,221,180 firm-fixed-price contract for emergency erosion repairs. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Texas City, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 14, 2020. Fiscal 2018 flood control and coastal emergencies, civil works funds in the amount of $12,221,180 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W912HY-20-C-0002). TAC Environmental LLC,* Toledo, Ohio, was awarded a $9,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for environmental architect engineering services. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 20, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-20-D-0002). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, has been awarded a maximum $9,899,267 firm-fixed-price, requirements contract for pneumatic tire wheel assemblies. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. This is a three-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Wisconsin, with an Oct. 21, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2022 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-20-D-0002). Standard Bent Glass, East Butler, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $9,077,715 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for transparent armor vehicular windows. This was a competitive acquisition with two offers received. This is a three-year base contract with two one-year option periods. Location of performance is Pennsylvania, with an Oct. 20, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Columbus, Ohio (SPE7LX-20-D-0002). *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/1994358/source/GovDelivery/

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  20 novembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial

  United States Marine Corps Procures the New InstantEye Mk-3 GEN5-D1 SUAS System

  ANDOVER, Mass., Nov. 20, 2018 /CNW/ -- InstantEye Robotics is pleased to announce it has secured a contract with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) in support of PMA-263, the Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems (SUAS) Program Office, to field 32 InstantEye Mk-3 GEN5-D1 SUAS systems (64 aircraft). This procurement is being executed in support of a United States Marine Corps urgent needs request for field user evaluation. The new InstantEye Mk-3 GEN5-D1 platform expands mission scope and provides additional Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition capability to the individual Marine or Sailor. "We are very excited to start fielding the first system in our new InstantEye Mk-3 line of products, which is designed to further strengthen the security of our SUAS products as well as expand the capabilities and features of our systems," said Tom Vaneck, Vice President of InstantEye Robotics. "The Marines have been great supporters of the InstantEye systems, and we think the InstantEye Mk-3 GEN5 system will greatly complement their existing portfolio and enhance force protection while reducing operational risk." The InstantEye Mk-3 GEN5-D1 is the smallest (~250g) in the InstantEye family of combat-proven, high-performance, affordable systems. It is an encrypted, all-digital system with superb real-time video and still imagery. Due to its small size, it has low audible and visual signatures, enabling it to operate undetected in close proximity to targets of interest. The system requires only a single operator and goes from a stowed configuration to fully operational in approximately one minute. With an ability to operate in all weather and locations, it is an unmatched tactical enabler with operational effects. InstantEye Robotics is a division of Physical Sciences Inc., both located in Andover Massachusetts. InstantEye Robotics is a global leader in tactical unmanned aircraft systems. When customers need a reliable, portfolio-manageable, multi-mission system, they choose InstantEye. Press Contacts Kimberly Kohlhepp InstantEye Robotics 978.918.7364 kkohlhepp@instanteyerobotics.com www.instanteyerobotics.com SOURCE InstantEye Robotics https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/united-states-marine-corps-procures-the-new-instanteye-mk-3-gen5-d1-suas-system-700911791.html

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  30 septembre 2020 | International, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Army Wants New Mega-Jammer In 2023: TLS-EAB

  SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR. Mounted on a pair of heavy trucks, the Terrestrial Layer System – Echelons Above Brigade (TLS-EAB) will do long-range jamming for high-level HQs – and fry the circuits of incoming enemy missiles as well. WASHINGTON: The Army officially asked industry today to help take a big step towards repairing the Army's long-neglected EW corps and countering Russian and Chinese jamming – and it'll have an unexpected missile defense dimension as well. Boeing and Lockheed are still building rival prototypes for the Army's next-generation cyber/electronic warfare vehicle, the Terrestrial Layer System set to enter service in 2022. The new system, known as TLS-EAB — will be TLS's much bigger brother. The service has set a pretty brisk schedule, talking of fielding something by the end of 2023. The original-flavor TLS, aka TLS-BCT, will fit on an 8×8 Stryker armored vehicle and accompany frontline Brigade Combat Teams. TLS-Echelons Above Brigade will fill a pair of heavy trucks, probably Oshkosh FMTVs, Army officials unveiled today: One truck will carry sensors, transmitters, and a tethered drone or aerostat to detect enemy signals, triangulate their locations for artillery and airstrikes, and disrupt them electronically with a combination of jamming, wireless hacking, and deceptive signals. It'll be crewed by eight soldiers, four specializing in cyber/electronic warfare and four in signals intelligence. There will likely be sub-variants, for example with a division-level system designed to frequently relocate, while a Multi-Domain Task Force might accept a less mobile version with more range and power. But overall, this long-range offensive cyber/EW/SIGINT capability is essentially a supersized version of what the TLS-BCT will do, albeit operating over much greater distances. The other truck, however, adds a dimension absent from the brigade-level TLS-BCT: a high-powered but relatively short-ranged defensive EW capability to protect key sites like division, corps, and theater command posts. It'll be crewed by four electronic warfare soldiers, but there's no SIGINT on this variant. Instead, it'll have an “electronic countermeasure point defense suite” – again, using a mix of jamming, wireless hacking, and deceptive signals – to decoy or disable incoming enemy drones, missiles, rockets, and artillery rounds, many of which rely on radar for guidance and fusing. Because it's mounted on trucks, TLS-EAB can be a lot bigger and more powerful than the Stryker-mounted TLS-BCT or the drone-mounted jamming/sensing system known as MFEW-Air-Large. But it will share data with those systems, because they'll be closer to the front line and/or able to fly over obstacles to see distant threats. TLS-EAB will also link to other Army and interservice systems like the EWPMT command-and-control software and the TITAN satellite terminal. The defensive suite, in particular, will get warning of incoming threats from air & missile defense networks – which we can presume includes the Army's forthcoming IBCS – to “national technical means,” such as spy satellites. Now, the three Army colonels who briefed the AOC CEMAlite conference this afternoon didn't provide any details on what kind of incoming missiles the TLS-EAB defensive suite is meant to stop. Actually jamming an inbound hypersonic or ballistic missile might be prohibitively hard since those weapons fly so fast – Mach 5 and up – and may only be in range for seconds. But if you deceive the enemy's reconnaissance and targeting systems into shooting at a decoy instead of the real target, it doesn't matter how fast their missiles are — they'll still miss. It's also worth noting that the Army hasn't locked down the formal requirements for this system – a draft Abbreviated Capabilities Development Document (ACDD) is in the works – and the service intends to leave plenty of leeway for industry to propose out-of-the-box ideas. “These are our initial concept ideas and not intended to constrain or limit the industrial solution space,” said Col. Jennifer McAfee. “Please think of this is a starting point in a long and mutually beneficial conversation.” That said, all proposals need to rely on an Army-sponsored software framework known as Photon and a set of technical standards known as CMOSS. Both are intended to let the service plug and play components from different vendors instead of getting locked into one company's proprietary solution that's not compatible with other people's innovations. There's also an official Software Development Kit (SDK) to let companies integrate their sensors into the Army-standard systems. What the Army rolled out today was a draft concept of operations (CONOP) for TLS-EAB, explained the Army project manager, Col. Kevin Finch. Looking ahead, he outlined an ambitious schedule: January 2021: The Army will hold an initial industry day for interested vendors (TBD whether it'll be in-person or online). February-March 2021: Individual vendors will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with Army officials. Meanwhile the service will put together a draft Request For Proposals (RFP) and circulate it for industry feedback. June 2021: a second industry day. July 2021: the release of the final RFP and the official launch of what's known as a Middle-Tier Acquisition process. Fall 2023 (first quarter of federal fiscal year 2024): the First Unit Equipped (FUE) will receive prototype TLS-EAB vehicles. If TLS-EAB can stick to that 2023-2024 timeline, it'll enter service along with a host of new long-range Army systems, from howitzers and hypersonics to intermediate-range missiles and missile defense lasers. But between the budgetary hit from COVID and the upcoming election, it's far from certain the Army can afford it all. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/09/army-wants-new-mega-jammer-in-2023-tls-eab/