Thales to provide new minehunting system to U.K. Royal Navy

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  10 octobre 2018 | International, Terrestre

  US Army triggers start of possible ground mobility vehicle competition after long delay

  By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The Army seemed geared toward holding a rapid competition to buy a Ground Mobility Vehicle in 2016, but the plan was delayed without much explanation in favor of buying an interim vehicle already in use by special operations forces. Buying the GMV was a top priority following the fall 2015 release of the Army's Combat Vehicle Modernization Strategy, which called for such a vehicle in future and current operations. After a competition never materialized, however, rumors began to swirl that the Army may decide to buy more of the U.S. Special Operations Command's GMV — General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems' Flyer 72 — even after the service had spent several years prior testing a wide variety of commercial off-the-shelf options. But Congress spurred the effort in its fiscal 2018 defense policy bill, mandating the Army hold a competition and move forward with a program. The Program Executive Office Combat Support and Combat Service Support's product lead for the GMV has quietly stated on its website that the Army plans to pursue a competition for the GMV — calling it an Infantry Squad Vehicle — as a formal program of record. The office states that it is projected to enter into a production contract in fiscal 2020 to procure 2,000 vehicles, roughly a year later than originally planned. The Army took a big step forward on Sept. 24, releasing a market survey to industry, via the Federal Business Opportunities website, soliciting offerings for an Infantry Squad Vehicle. The notice states the service is looking for a vehicle that provides mobility for a nine-soldier infantry squad as well as its associated equipment to “move around the close battle area.” The vehicle should be lightweight, highly mobile and transportable “by all means” to include CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopters, UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters and by Low Velocity Air Drop. Responses to the solicitation are due on Oct. 26. While the Army has already bought quantities of the SOCOM vehicle for five airborne infantry brigade combat teams, other companies have continued to wait in the wings for the possibility to compete. And the pool of readily available ultralight vehicles is deep. In addition to GD's Flyer, these vehicles all participated in vehicle demonstrations at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 2014: Boeing-MSI Defense's Phantom Badger. Polaris Defense's air-transportable off-road combat vehicle DAGOR. Hendrick Dynamics' Commando Jeep. Vyper Adamas' Viper. Lockheed Martin's High Versatility Tactical Vehicle, which is a version of the British Army's HMT-400 Jackal. The Army launched its new-start GMV program in 2017 as planned, based off the service's new combat vehicle modernization strategy released in 2016, which called for the capability. The Army planned to reach a full-rate production decision on a vehicle by the end of FY19. But then it decided to split GMV procurement into two phases in the FY18 budget request and, in the first phase, planned to exclusively buy 295 of GD's Flyers through a previously awarded contract with U.S. Special Operations Command. The second phase would open up into a competition to build 1,700 more GMVs. Procuring the GMV vehicles from SOCOM raised the unit cost of the vehicle higher than the unit cost of ones that would have been procured through competition, according to FY18 budget documents. https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/ausa/2018/10/09/us-army-triggers-start-of-possible-ground-mobility-vehicle-competition-after-long-delay

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  3 février 2021 | International, Naval

  National Defence says $60B warship project delayed until 2030s

  By Lee Berthiaume The Canadian Press Posted February 2, 2021 10:40 am OTTAWA – The Department of National Defence says the first of 15 new warships being built for the Royal Canadian Navy will be delivered years later than expected as officials working on the $60-billion project grapple with unexpected design and construction challenges. The delay means Canada will need to spend more on its 12 aging Halifax-class frigates to keep them floating longer, and is sure to set off a fresh wave of debate and lobbying around what amounts to the largest military procurement in Canadian history. Yet the Defence Department's head of procurement insists the project remains on budget thanks to built-in contingencies, while navy commander Vice-Admiral Craig Baines expressed confidence that his force would not be unduly affected by the delay. That is despite a recent report that outlined concerns about the advanced age of the frigates, which was making it more difficult to find spare parts and conduct other maintenance on the 1980s Halifax-class warships. “When you put ships in saltwater over time, there's going to be an effect,” Baines told The Canadian Press in an interview. “But right now, based on all our estimates on the conditions of the ships, we're very comfortable that we'll be able to transition with this plan.” The delay is nonetheless the latest setback for the new fleet of warships, which are known in military circles as Canadian “surface combatants” and are expected to serve as the Navy's backbone for the better part of the century. The warship project was launched in earnest nearly a decade ago when Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax was selected in October 2011 to build the fleet, with the total cost estimated at around $26 billion and the first ship to be delivered in the mid-2020s. That vague schedule remained largely unchanged, at least on paper, even as the estimated price tag ballooned to $60 billion and Ottawa ordered several smaller ships so Irving would have work until the surface combatants were ready for construction. But Troy Crosby, the Defence Department's assistant deputy minister of materiel, revealed Monday that the first ship is now scheduled for delivery in the early 2030s as officials grapple with the final design and face longer-than-expected construction times. The new warships are based on the Type-26 frigate, which is also being built by the United Kingdom and Australia, but Canadian officials have been making numerous changes to the design to meet Canada's unique military – and industrial – requirements. At the same time, Crosby said the British and Australian experiences have shown that construction of the new vessels will take 7 1/2 years, rather than the original estimate of five years. “So when we look at the overall timeline, we're looking at slightly longer timelines,” he said. “We're looking at the first ship being delivered to us in the early 2030s. ... In this case, we're really more specifically looking at the 2030-31 timeframe.” The schedule slippage comes as the parliamentary budget officer is preparing to release a highly anticipated update on the estimated cost of the warship project. Defence officials have quietly expressed concern the review will show a sizeable increase. Crosby, however, was adamant that the project remains within the $60-billion budget established by the Liberal government in 2017. “The project had originally included a significant amount of contingency that had been put there to address these unknowns,” he said. “That contingency is now being applied, and that's exactly what it's there for. So with that update done, we're still confident at this point that it's going to fit within the budget.” He also said Ottawa will not pony up more money for Irving to retain its workforce as the current plan is to start cutting steel on the first new warship as scheduled in 2023-24, while work on the final design continues. A similar approach is being taken with the Navy's two new supply ships, which are being built in Vancouver. Irving is currently working on a fleet of much smaller Arctic patrol ships for the navy. It originally planned to build five, before the government ordered a sixth in November 2018 to keep Irving's workers busy until the new warships were ready for construction. The government then committed $1.5 billion for two more Arctic patrol ships in May 2019, this time for the Canadian Coast Guard, for the same reason. The delay does mean the navy will need to continue operating its Halifax-class frigates longer, which means investing more money into the ships and managing how and when they are used. Defence analyst David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute expressed concern about the new delay and what it means for the frigates, some of which are dealing with corrosion and metal fatigue that could limit how long they can remain in service. An internal Defence Department report published last year echoed some of those concerns, saying the navy's maintenance facilities were having an increasingly tough time repairing the frigates thanks in part to a lack of spare parts and the age of the fleet. And while Crosby said the government is working with British and Australian officials as well as industries to find ways to save time, Perry said the warship project has a long history of delays and cost overruns. “At this point in time, this project hasn't met a single one of its major milestones,” Perry said. “So 2030-31 is now the no-earlier-than-that-date for me.” Ottawa has rebuffed repeated calls to scrap its plan to build the ships in Canada, which advocates say could save the country tens of billions of dollars. https://globalnews.ca/news/7614144/national-defence-60b-warship-project/

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  9 décembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - December 06, 2019

  NAVY Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, Linthicum, Maryland is awarded a $188,995,364 modification for the firm-fixed-price portion of a previously-awarded contract (M67854-19-C-0043). This modification is for the purchase of six Gallium Nitride full-rate-production systems and associated travel in support of Program Executive Officer Land Systems, Quantico, Virginia. Work will be performed in Linthicum, Maryland, and is expected to be complete by April 4, 2023. Fiscal 2020 procurement (Marine Corps) funds for $188,995,364 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract modification was not competitively procured. The base contract was prepared 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 (M67854-19-C-0043). Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $153,392,916 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously-awarded contract (N00019-19-C-0074). This modification procures special tooling and special test equipment required to meet current and future F-35 Lightning II low-rate initial production as well as full-rate production rates. Work will be performed in Rome, Italy (29.9%); Redondo Beach, California (24.4%); Fort Worth, Texas (21.3%); Clearfield, Utah (10.4%); Marietta, Georgia (6.9%); Samlesbury, United Kingdom (3.7%); Papendrecht, Netherlands (0.9%); Irvine, California (0.7%); Williston, Vermont (0.6%); Helena, Montana (0.5%); Kongsberg, Norway (0.4%); and Amityville, New York (0.3%), and is expected to be completed in December 2023. Fiscal 2018, 2019 and 2020 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps); non-U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) international partners; and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funds in the amount of $153,392,916 will be obligated at time of award, $39,892,893 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($55,841,076; 36%); Navy ($51,887,772; 34%); Marine Corps ($22,286,205; 15%); non-U.S DoD international partners ($17,564,488; 11%); and FMS customers ($5,813,375; 4%). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Syracuse, New York, is awarded a $21,381,819 cost-plus-incentive-fee delivery order under a previously-awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00024-19-D-6200 for the procurement of long-lead-time material for two Virginia Block V hulls, one Virginia installation and checkout kit, one pre-production unit and associated hardware assets to support environmental qualification testing. This effort will award the procurement of Navy equipment. Work will be performed in Syracuse, New York, and is expected to be completed by December 2020. Fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding for $21,381,819 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. Rockwell Collins Simulation and Training Solutions, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is awarded a $12,819,390 modification (P00015) to a previously-awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N61340-17-C-0014) to procure additional in-scope work and technical data to refurbish and update the E-2D Hawkeye Integrated Training System-III at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed in May 2021. Fiscal 2018, 2019 and 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy-AP, N) funds in the amount of $12,819,390 will be obligated at time of award, $9,615,568 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year — fiscal 2018 AP, N: $9,615,568; fiscal 2019 AP, N: $1,436,802; and fiscal 2020 AP, N: $1,767,020. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity. Austal USA, Mobile, Alabama, is awarded a not-to-exceed $9,198,875 fixed priced incentive firm target (FPI(F)) undefinitized contract action modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-19-C-2227 for the immediate procurement of long-lead-time material, engineering and production to support changes to the arrangement of the 02 and 03 Levels on Expeditionary Fast Transports (EPF) 13 and 14. The EPF class provides high speed, shallow draft transportation capability to support the intra-theater maneuver of personnel, supplies and equipment for the Navy, Marine Corps and Army. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama, and is expected to be complete by November 2021. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy-SCN) funding for $4,599,438 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year -- fiscal 2018 SCN (62%); and fiscal 2019 SCN (38%). The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Invicta Global, LLC, * Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded an $8,683,299 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for facility support services at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia. The maximum dollar value including the base period and six option years is $62,498,327. The work to be performed provides for all management, supervision, labor, materials and equipment necessary to provide facility support including facility investment, facility management, integrated solid waste management and pavement clearance. Work will be performed in Washington, District of Columbia, and is expected to be completed by June 2027. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2020 Navy working capital fund, (Navy) contract funds for $6,732,669 for recurring work will be obligated on an individual task order issued during the base period. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N62470-20-D-0002). U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND UNCOMN LLC, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois (HTC711-20-D-D001), has been awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, firm-fixed-price and labor-hour line items, with an estimated amount of $175,701,170. The contract provides enterprise architecture, data and information technology engineering services for the U.S. Transportation Command, Air Mobility Command and the Surface Deployment and Distribution Center. Work will be performed at Scott AFB, Illinois. The contract's ordering period is Dec. 6, 2019, to Dec. 5, 2024. Fiscal 2020 transportation working capital funds were obligated at award for the minimum guarantee. Operations and maintenance; transportation working capital funds and research, development, test and evaluation funds may be obligated at task order execution. U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott AFB, Illinois, is the contracting activity. ARMY Riptide Software,* Oviedo, Florida, was awarded a $43,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for target modernization and Targetry Range Automated Control and Recording system. 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 Dec. 2, 2027. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-20-D-0004). General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $12,456,918 cost-plus-fixed-fee foreign military sales (Kuwait) contract for contractor logistics services, maintenance training and technical assistance. One bid was solicited via the internet with one bid received. Work will be performed in Kuwait City, Kuwait, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 5, 2023. Fiscal 2018 Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $12,456,918 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-C-0031). Smiths Detection, Edgewood, Maryland, was awarded an $11,734,549 modification (P00013) to contract W911SR-18-C-0033 for aerosol vapor chemical agent detector systems. Work will be performed in Edgewood, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of May 29, 2020. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2,861,673 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE L3 Technologies Inc., Communication Systems, West, Salt Lake City, Utah, has been awarded a $17,933,366 contract for the Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) Call 002 Vendor Flexibility effort. This contract seeks to establish the ability to communicate with Air Force platforms via multiple commercial space internet constellations using common user terminal hardware elements. Work will be performed at Salt Lake City, Utah, and is expected to be complete by Aug. 31, 2022. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition under the DEUCSI Advanced Research Announcement Call 002. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $4,130,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-20-C-9313). BlueForce Inc., Hampton, Virginia, has been awarded a $15,683,635 firm-fixed-price, Option 1 modification (P00003) to previously-awarded contract FA3002-19-F-A045 for continued support for the Royal Saudi Air Force English language training outside the continental U.S. program. Work will be performed at King Abdul Aziz Air Base, Saudi Arabia, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 3, 2024. This contract involves 100% foreign military sales to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $28,009,060. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $15,683,635 are being obligated at the time of award. The 338th Specialized Contracting Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio, Randolph, Texas, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp., San Jose, California, has been awarded a $13,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity for Airborne Signals Intelligence Payload (ASIP) efforts. This contract provides for solutions for diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages, systems integration lab and cybersecurity support, upgrades to meet routine requirements identified via Air Force IMT 1067 modification proposals and engineering change proposals that are logical follow-ons to maintain and upgrade the ASIP sensor. Work will be performed at Sacramento, California, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2020. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. No funding is being obligated at the time of the award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-20-D-3025). BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland, has been awarded a $12,608,102 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract modification (P00003) to previously-awarded contract FA8109-18-D-0005 to exercise Option Two. The contract modification extends the contract term for an additional 12 months in order to continue providing diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages support for Air Force and non-Air Force users supporting the Air Force, to proactively reduce mission capability impacts to improve logistics support and weapon system sustainability. This effort will help assure all required parts and materials supporting Air Force-managed weapon systems are available within acceptable production lead times and will reduce the overall cost of ownership of the weapon systems by facilitating economical diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages resolutions costs, reducing the number of reactive solutions, minimizing any delays in organic depot-level repair, as well as contractor repair and by improving weapon system availability. Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Robins Air Force Base, Georgia; Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma; and Fort Walton Beach, Florida; and is expected to be completed by June 20, 2021. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $37,386,305. Fiscal 2020 and 2021 consolidated sustainment activity group engineering funds will be obligated on any individual task orders issued during the option two performance period. The Air Force Sustainment Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, has been awarded a $9,947,673 contract for the Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) Call 002 Vendor Flexibility effort. This contract seeks to establish the ability to communicate with Air Force platforms via multiple commercial space internet constellations using common user terminal hardware elements. Work will be performed at San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by November 2021. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition under the DEUCSI Advanced Research Announcement Call 002. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,633,549 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-20-C-9315). *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2034460/source/GovDelivery/