21 novembre 2024 | International, Aérospatial
Even if ULA's Vulcan rocket is certified in the coming weeks, time is running out to fly the missions before the end of the year, an official said.
16 mai 2023 | International, Aérospatial
A former IT programmer now serving as a Ukrainian soldier says a four-rotor commercial drone which sells over the counter for $300 can be modified to carry explosives that will destroy Russian tanks.
7 février 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
NAVY Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is awarded a $172,424,000 modification (P00004) to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract (N00019-19-C-0008). This modification exercises options for the production and delivery of two MQ-4 Triton unmanned air systems for the Navy, one Navy main operating base, trade studies and associated technical and administrative data. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (30.5%); Red Oak, Texas (12%); Palmdale, California (10%); Baltimore, Maryland (9.7%); Salt Lake City, Utah (7.9%); Bridgeport, West Virginia (4.9%); Indianapolis, Indiana (3.8%); Moss Point, Mississippi (3.6); Chantilly, Virginia (3.5%); Waco, Texas (1.7%); San Clemente, California (1.3%); Newton, North Dakota (.9%); various locations within the continental U.S. (8.8%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (1.4%), and is expected to be completed in January 2024. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $172,424,000 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. Toland & Mizell Architects Inc.,* Atlanta, Georgia, is awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect-engineering contract with a maximum amount of $30,000,000 for professional architectural and engineering services in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast (SE) area of operations (AO). Initial task order is being awarded at $267,865 to provide engineering design for Server Rooms 1 and 2 within Building 514 at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by September 2020. All work on this contract will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps installations in the NAVFAC Southeast AOR including, but not limited to Florida (20%); Georgia (17%); South Carolina (15%); Louisiana (10%); Mississippi (10%); Texas (10%); Andros Island, Bahamas (5%); Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (5%); Tennessee (3%); Alabama (1%); Arkansas (1%); Kansas (1%); Missouri (1%); and Oklahoma (1%), and is expected to be completed by February 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) (O&M N) contract funds in the amount of $267,865 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by O&M N and military construction (Navy). This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with 26 proposals received. NAVFAC SE, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-20-D-0001). Progeny Systems Corp.,* Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $14,822,628 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-19-C-6204 to exercise options to provide engineering and technical services for Navy submarines and aircraft carriers via the software infrastructure and build process related to a maintenance management tool. This option exercise is under Small Business Innovation Research Topic N05-051 for software build production, engineering and technical services, and includes all material travel, subsistence and incidental material in support of the related production orders and services. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (30%); Groton, Connecticut (25%); Bremerton, Washington (15%); Las Vegas, Nevada (10%); Cleveland, Ohio (10%); Chesapeake, Virginia (4%); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (2%); San Diego, California (2%); and Kings Bay, Georgia (2%), and is expected to be completed by January 2021. Fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $4,058,930 was 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. Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is awarded a $7,598,226 undefinitized contract action to the previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-2111 to perform Phase III of the Virginia Class Main Propulsion Machinery control systems effort. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale, California, and is scheduled to be completed by March 2021. Fiscal 2016 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $7,598,226 will be obligated at time of award and funding will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair, Groton, Connecticut, is the contracting activity. U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND Construction Helicopters Inc., Howell, Michigan, has been awarded a contract modification, P00009, on contract HTC711-17-D-R007 in the amount of $168,964,521. This modification provides continued rotary- and fixed-wing airlift support services, including passenger, cargo, casualty evacuation, personnel recovery, air drop and limited door-to-door services to U.S. Africa Command. Work will be performed in continental Africa, African islands and countries supporting operations in Africa, such as Germany and Italy. The option period of performance is from Feb. 2, 2020, to Feb. 1, 2021. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $703,381,606 from $534,417,085. U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Jan. 28, 2020) Berry Aviation Inc., San Marcos, Texas, has been awarded a contract modification, P00009, on contract HTC711-17-D-R008 in the amount of $157,889,835. This modification provides continued rotary- and fixed-wing airlift support services, including passenger, cargo, casualty evacuation, personnel recovery, air drop and limited door-to-door services to U.S. Africa Command. Work will be performed in continental Africa, African islands and countries supporting operations in Africa, such as Germany and Italy. The option period of performance is from Feb. 2, 2020, to Feb. 1, 2021. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $674,556,717 from $516,666,882. U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Jan. 28, 2020) Erickson Helicopters Inc., Portland, Oregon, has been awarded a contract modification, P00007, on contract HTC711-17-D-R009 in the amount of $93,601,765. This modification provides continued rotary- and fixed-wing airlift support services, including passenger, cargo, casualty evacuation, personnel recovery, air drop and limited door-to-door services to U.S. Africa Command. Work will be performed in continental Africa, African islands and countries supporting operations in Africa, such as Germany and Italy. The option period of performance is from Feb. 2, 2020, to Feb. 1, 2021. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $379,378,242 from $285,776,477. U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Jan. 28, 2020) ARMY Akima Support Operations LLC, Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $101,329,977 cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for Enhanced Army Global Logistics Enterprise logistics support and services at Fort Hood, Texas. Bids were solicited via the internet with 11 received. Work will be performed at Fort Hood, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 7, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-20-F-0137). Federal Resources Supply Co.,* Stevensville, Maryland, was awarded a $40,365,948 firm-fixed-price contract for metal working and machine shop set shelters. 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 Feb. 25, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, is the contracting activity (W9098S-20-D-0005). Vectrus Systems Corp, Colorado Springs, Colorado, was awarded a $23,026,701 modification (P00012) to contract W52P1J-18-C-0025 to provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform Area Support Group-Kuwait Dining Facility food services. Work will be performed in Kuwait City, Kuwait, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 9, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Army; defense cooperation agreement operations and maintenance; and Air Force operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $23,026,701 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Pine Bluff Sand And Gravel Co., White Hall, Arkansas, was awarded a $16,389,850 firm-fixed-price contract for Mississippi River maintenance dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in New Orleans and Black Hawk, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 9, 2023. Fiscal 2020 civil construction funds in the amount of $16,389,850 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, is the contracting activity (W912P8-20-C-0002). Messer Construction Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded a $13,960,000 firm-fixed-price contract for replacement and relocation of an existing fuel farm located at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, with an estimated completion date of June 17, 2021. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-20-C-0006). Skookum Educational Programs, Bremerton, Washington, was awarded a $7,335,413 modification (P00006) to contract W911S8-18-D-0004 to provide regularly scheduled custodial services to a multitude of federal facilities at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. Work will be performed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2023. The 418th Contracting Support Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Federal Prison Industries Inc.,** Washington, District of Columbia, has been awarded a maximum $24,465,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for various types of trousers. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. Locations of performance are Washington, District of Columbia, Texas, Illinois and North Carolina, with an Oct. 5, 2021, performance completion date. Using customers are Army and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-20-D-F057). *Small business **Mandatory source https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2077018/source/GovDelivery/
20 septembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial, C4ISR
By: Ryan Hazlett With unmanned systems becoming ever more ubiquitous on the battlefield, the question of where unmanned systems and accompanying technologies, such as autonomy, are headed is in the limelight. First, to better understand the future direction of the unmanned field, it is instructive to note some important trends. The number of uses for unmanned systems on the battlefield has increased significantly in the post-9/11 conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, with the U.S. Army's Shadow® Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) program having logged nearly 1 million flight hours in those areas of operation. The proliferation and commoditization of UAS capabilities is a global phenomenon, as demonstrated by both the widespread possession of UAS hardware as well as the ability to indigenously produce at least rudimentary unmanned systems. Growth of the nascent commercial unmanned systems market has added to this trend, as has the government's emphasis on a greater use of commercial off-the-shelf solutions. But while commoditization has occurred at the platform level — particularly among smaller airborne vehicles — overcoming the challenges of adversaries employing anti-access area-denial (A2AD) military strategies requires far more capable solutions than simply having hordes of cheap drones. In this environment, how will U.S. and allied forces retain their advantage? Critical capabilities and technologies are necessary. These include the ability to dynamically swarm, conduct automatic target recognition, possess on-board autonomy and artificial intelligence, as well as have interoperable communications capabilities. First, future platforms — manned or unmanned — will increasingly need better collaboration between the sensors and payloads they carry and with allied forces. This growing level of collaboration and autonomy is already happening. Driven by advances in onboard computing power, as well as smaller and less power-intensive sensors and advanced algorithms, tomorrow's unmanned systems will be able to better communicate among themselves and make their own decisions on basic functions, such as navigation, to enable dynamic swarming or to identify areas of interest during intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Next, systems that can seamlessly operate and communicate with other military platforms across domains will be the most successful. Gone are the days when largely mission-specific platforms dominated the force composition. With platforms needing to be highly capable to meet A2AD threats, a mission-specific approach will simply be unaffordable. Instead, increasingly we see platforms that can act as highly capable but also flexible “trucks” that can easily swap payloads designed for specific missions, while the overall platform serves many needs. Multi-domain abilities for conducting command and control (C2) and other tasks will also be vital as technologies move from remote-control type operations to more of a “man monitoring the loop” concept. Technological progress in providing secure communications and a level of onboard artificial intelligence are necessary enablers, as will be data fusion technologies. Initial versions of these multi-domain C2 solutions for unmanned systems are already here. For example, the U.S. Army has years of experience operating the Universal Ground Control Station and One System Remote Video Terminal that allow soldiers in tactical units to access overhead sensor video from unmanned aircraft. Next-generation, multi-domain control and collaboration technologies to take the concept to a new level are mature, allowing a single user to simultaneously operate multiple vehicles and sensors, including the ability to control numerous types of aircraft and other multi-domain unmanned systems from different manufacturers. In addition, these systems are ready to incorporate the best available software applications as “plug-ins” to an open architecture. Industry is also investing in additional technology to ensure that tomorrow's unmanned systems continue to meet U.S. and allied needs. Among them are advanced power generation, systems with improved maneuverability, and vehicles designed to deploy with lighter support and operational footprints. Done smartly, the application of technologies such as autonomy can be better integrated into unmanned systems to enable improved navigation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as other tasks, while leaving a man in the loop for the use of weapons. Moreover, defense users can rightly leverage the commercial sector's work on areas such as self-driving cars and unmanned taxis that are at the forefront of artificial intelligence for navigation. But while the military can leverage such commercial developments, there are, and will remain, cyber hardening, survivability and other specific requirements that are unique to the defense marketplace and require experienced industrial partners with deep knowledge of national security needs. The ongoing move away from only long-term programs of record to the embrace of the “buy, try, and decide” model, as well as greater uses of funded prototyping, is helping to fast-track many of these promising new technologies. Companies can now match their internal research and development funding to move that innovation along and ensure the United States and its allies remain at the forefront of unmanned technologies. Ryan Hazlett is senior vice president at Textron Systems. https://www.c4isrnet.com/thought-leadership/2018/09/19/the-new-critical-capabilities-for-unmanned-systems