NASA Invites Media to Observe Quiet Supersonic Flight Series Operations

Sur le même sujet

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  7 novembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 6, 2018

  DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Calpine Energy Solutions LLC, San Diego, California, has been awarded a $67,252,189 firm-fixed-price, requirements contract to supply and deliver retail electricity and ancillary/incidental services. This was a competitive acquisition with 11 offers received. This is a 36-month contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maryland and California, with a Dec. 31, 2021, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2022 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia (SPE60419D8000). Loc Performance Products Inc.,* Plymouth, Michigan, has been awarded a maximum $52,389,123 fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for truck final drives. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Michigan, with an April 30, 2025, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2024 Army working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-19-D-0015). Direct Energy Business LLC, Iselin, New Jersey, has been awarded a $44,276,459 firm-fixed-price, requirements contract to supply and deliver retail electricity and ancillary/incidental services. This was a competitive acquisition with 11 offers received. This is a 36-month contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Maryland, Washington, District of Columbia, and New Jersey, with a Dec. 31, 2021, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2022 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia (SPE60419D8001). Kinder Morgan Tank Storage Terminal LLC, Carson, California, has been awarded a $40,510,848 firm-fixed-price contract to receive, store and ship aviation fuel. This was a competitive acquisition with one offer received. This is a four-year contract with one five-year option period. Location of performance is California, with a Nov. 9, 2022, performance completion date. Using customer is Defense Logistics Agency Energy. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2019 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia (SPE603-19-C-5001). ARMY M.C. Dean Inc., Tysons Corner, Virginia (W912GB-19-D-0002); and PAE Professional Services LLC, Falls Church, Virginia (W912GB-19-D-0001), will compete for each order of the $49,900,000 firm-fixed-price contract for construction surveillance services. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 2, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wiesbaden, Germany, is the contracting activity. DRS Sustainment Systems Inc., St. Louis, Missouri, was awarded a $17,274,668 modification (P00032) to contract W56HZV-16-C-0028 for Joint Assault Bridges. Work will be performed in West Plains, Missouri, with an estimated completion date of May 11, 2024. Fiscal 2018 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $17,274,668 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Applied Research Solutions, Beavercreek, Ohio, has been awarded a $38,788,878 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, plus an option amount of $5,967,447, for sensing, learning, autonomy, and knowledge engineering research and development. This contract is to conduct research and develop multi-domain technologies and strategies to orchestrate closed-loop sensing that manages knowledge from environment understanding to mission effects, across multiple missions. Work will be performed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and in Dayton, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by March 4, 2024. Fiscal 2019 research and development funds in the amount of $1,254,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-19-C-1692). Honeywell International Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been awarded a $7,838,175 firm-fixed-priced contract for the repair and upgrade of the C-5M Super Galaxy's Versatile Integrated Avionics/Avionics Integrated Units (VIA/AIUs) repair and upgrade. This order subsumes all work on previous order FA8625-18-F-6801, providing for the repair and upgrade of 85 of the existing -903 and -904 configuration VIA/AIUs to the -905 configuration. Work will be performed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is expected to be completed by July 5, 2020. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $7,146,972; and fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $691,203 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8625-19-F-6801). NAVY CACI Enterprise Solutions Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $26,241,210 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee task order contract for integrated business systems support services. Information technology services in this contract will assist Military Sealift Command's (MSC) business systems and ashore operations branch manage, operate, and maintain the command's business systems, as well as interfaces with the Navy enterprise defense business systems. Additionally, this contract will allow MSC to integrate all of its business systems into a single, integrated business system to meet emergent and newly mandated requirements specifically, federal compliance mandates such as financial improvement and audit readiness, growing cybersecurity concerns, cloud migration, and interoperability and integration with Navy and federal programs of records. This integrated system is a new requirement, necessitating a single support contract to achieve interoperability, maintain and sustain fleet operations, and effect a total cost of ownership model. This contract includes one 12-month base period and four 12-month options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $125,367,596. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2019. If options are exercised, work will continue through Dec. 31, 2023. Fiscal 2019 working capital funds (Navy and Transportation Command) in the amount of $19,718,408 will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with proposals solicited via the National Institutes of Health Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center's CIO-SP3 website, with four offers received. The Navy's Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N3220519F1044). (Awarded Nov. 5, 2018) CORRECTION: Contracts awarded on Oct. 25, 2018, to Central Lake Armor Express Inc.,* Central Lake, Michigan, for a ceiling of $59,369,617 (M67854-19-D-1509) incorrectly stated the production quantity. The correct quantity is 1,322,650 Plate Carrier Generation III - Soft Armor Inserts. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity. *Small Business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1683955/source/GovDelivery/

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  19 août 2020 | International, Terrestre

  USAF Errantly Reveals Research On ICBM-Range Hypersonic Glide Vehicle

  Steve Trimble The U.S. Air Force agency that manages the service's nuclear arsenal has started researching enabling technology for an intercontinental-range, hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), according to a document that was published briefly in error on a public website. Although the document shows a U.S. nuclear weapons agency is researching HGV technology, senior Pentagon officials say there has been no change to a policy that “strictly” limits the emerging class of hypersonic gliders and cruise missiles to non-nuclear warheads. A request for information (RFI) published on Aug. 12 by the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center asks companies to submit ideas across seven categories of potential upgrades for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) designed with a “modular open architecture.” The Air Force often describes the future Ground Based Strategic Deterrent ICBM as featuring a “modular systems architecture,” in contrast with the aging Minuteman III, which does not. Among the seven items on the upgrade list, the Air Force called for a new “thermal protection system that can support [a] hypersonic glide to ICBM ranges,” according to the RFI, which is no longer publicly available on the government's procurement website. The RFI appears to have disclosed information that was not meant by the Air Force's nuclear weapons buyers to be made public. Each of the seven items listed in the RFI's “scope of effort” for ICBM upgrades included a prefix designation of “U/FOUO,” a military marking for information that is unclassified, but for official-use only. Although not technically a classified secret, information marked as “FOUO” usually is withheld from the public. The RFI was removed from beta.sam.gov on Aug. 17 after Aviation Week inquired about the document with the Air Force and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). The Defense Department (DOD) has three different operational prototypes for HGVs in development now: the Air Force's AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon, the Army's Long Range Hypersonic Weapon and the Navy's Intermediate Range Conventional Prompt Strike. Once fired from an aircraft, ground-launcher or submarine, all three are designed to strike targets with conventional warheads at intermediate range, which is defined as 1,500-3,000 nm by the official DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. But the Pentagon has no acknowledged plan to develop an HGV with a range beyond 3,000 nm and maintains a policy that “strictly” prohibits arming any such weapon—regardless of range—with nuclear warheads. The two-most senior staffers leading the hypersonic weapons portfolio reiterated that policy during a press conference on March 2. “Our entire hypersonic portfolio is based on delivering conventional warheads,” said Mike White, assistant director of defense research and engineering for hypersonic weapons. “Right,” agreed Mark Lewis, the director of defense research and engineering for modernization programs. “Strictly conventional.” The Pentagon has not changed the policy since March 2, said Lt. Col. Robert Carver, a spokesman for Lewis' office. “DOD is not developing nuclear-capable hypersonic weapons,” Carver said in an email. “There are common technology needs between the nuclear enterprise and hypersonic systems. Particularly in the area of high-temperature materials, we typically collaborate on the development of advanced dual-use materials technology. I will reiterate that our entire hypersonic program portfolio continues to be based on delivering conventional effects only.” Although the DOD upholds the conventional-only policy for hypersonic gliders and scramjet-powered cruise missiles, the source of the RFI raises questions, said James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “The fact that [this RFI] is coming from the nuclear weapons center, it makes it sound an awful lot like this would at least be nuclear-armed or conceivably dual-capable,” Acton said. Although the RFI confirms research is underway, the DOD still has no acknowledged plan to proceed from basic research into the acquisition phase of an ICBM-range hypersonic glider, whether carrying a conventional or nuclear warhead. If the thermal-protection system technology is limited to research only, the RFI by the Air Force's nuclear weapons organization may not violate the DOD policy, which may apply only to fielded weapons. “DOD does a lot of research on a lot of different things and the vast majority of these programs never turn into an acquisition,” Acton said. “It could turn into something, but sophisticated observers recognize that it may not.” The DOD's conventional-only policy for maneuvering hypersonic weapons stands apart from other countries in the field. Russia, for example, has deployed the nuclear-armed Avangard HGV on the SS-19 ICBM. In February, the head of U.S. Northern Command, Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, said in written testimony submitted to Congress that “China is testing a [nuclear-armed] intercontinental-range hypersonic glide vehicle, which is designed to fly at high speeds and low altitudes, complicating our ability to provide precise warning.” The DOD never has had an announced weapons development program for a conventional- or nuclear-armed, intercontinental-range HGV, but has experimented with air-launched gliders. The Hypersonic Test Vehicle-2 program by the DARPA attempted to demonstrate a range of 4,170 nm, but each experimental glider in two tests staged in 2010 and 2011 failed about 9 min. into a planned 30-min. hypersonic glide. The leading edges of an intercontinental-range HGV could be exposed to temperatures as high as 7,000K (6,726C) on reentry, then endure a prolonged glide phase compared to an intermediate-range system, said Christopher Combs, who researches hypersonic aerodynamics as an assistant professor at the University of Texas-San Antonio. “The bottom line is it's just crazy temperatures,” Combs said. “They're still not dealing with space shuttle or Apollo [capsule] temperatures, but it's still really hot.” The rescinded RFI, meanwhile, also may provide a rare glimpse into the Air Force's plans for the new ICBM developed under the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program. Apart from the thermal-protection system for a hypersonic glider, the scope of effort in the RFI sought industry input on a variety of topics, including: • Fusing data from lower-fidelity, onboard sensors to improve guidance, navigation and control. • New navigation aids to correct inertial measurement unit drift on long-time-of-flight missions. • A lighter, smaller and more efficient “future fuze,” which also could “accept inputs from external subsystems.” • Radiation-hardening techniques for advanced microelectronics, such as a system on a chip or system in a package. • Improved computer hardware and software, including artificial intelligence algorithms. • A more secure architecture and better security sensors for ICBM ground facilities. The Air Force plans to award the contract to Northrop Grumman by the end of the month to launch the engineering and manufacturing development contract for the GBSD program. Northrop remained the sole bidder for the program to deliver more than 600 new ICBMs to the Air Force after a Boeing-led team withdrew from the competition last year. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/missile-defense-weapons/usaf-errantly-reveals-research-icbm-range-hypersonic-glide

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  25 mars 2020 | International, Terrestre

  Raytheon, Uptake partner to bring predictive maintenance to the M88 fleet at the tactical edge

  Indianapolis, March 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and Uptake, a leader in the development of industrial-use artificial intelligence software, have teamed to bring predictive maintenance capabilities to deployed U.S. Marine Corps teams using M88 armored recovery vehicles. With this partnership, Raytheon brings the technical ability for onboard recording, processing and transfer of large quantities of sensitive data over secure Wi-Fi, while Uptake brings a suite of advanced artificial intelligence software that offers actionable insights at the component level. "Commanders should have data-driven confidence that the vehicles chosen for a critical operation are not trending toward an issue right when it matters the most," said Matt Gilligan, vice president of Raytheon's Intelligence, Information and Services business. "These kinds of decisions don't just save dollars and ensure mission success-- they save lives." Current maintenance and logistics decisions are event based or timeline driven, but militaries are increasingly using advanced data analytics and condition-based monitoring to identify problems and provide alerts before they happen. For Marines using the M88, this proactive approach ensures predictive maintenance strategies are in place to improve long-term vehicle health and maximize availability. "To shift from reactive to predictive maintenance requires advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence technologies," said Brad Kewell, Uptake's Founder and CEO. "We want to radically improve mission readiness, success and safety for deployed Marines at the tactical edge." Raytheon's partnership with Uptake is an example of improving Department of Defense processes by leveraging commercial best practices in support of national security. To learn more about Raytheon's data-driven mission readiness solutions, visit us here. About Raytheon Raytheon Company, with 2019 sales of $29 billion and 70,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 98 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I® products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Follow us on Twitter. Media Contacts Heather Uberuaga +1.520.891.8421 iispr@raytheon.com SOURCE Raytheon Company View source version on Raytheon: http://raytheon.mediaroom.com/2020-03-23-Raytheon-Uptake-partner-to-bring-predictive-maintenance-to-the-M88-fleet-at-the-tactical-edge