U.S. Air Force And Lockheed Martin Complete Flight Test Of Future Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Reentry Vehicle

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  19 mai 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - May 14, 2020

  NAVY Lockheed Martin Corp., Owego, New York, is awarded a $904,800,000 modification (P00011) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00019-19-C-0013. This modification provides for the production and delivery of three MH-60R Seahawk maritime aircraft for the Navy and 21 MH-60Rs for the government of India. Work will be performed at Owego, New York (52%); Stratford, Connecticut (40%); and Troy, Alabama (8%), and is expected to be complete by September 2024. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $113,100,000 and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $791,700,000 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. Hunter Pacific Group,* San Diego, California, is awarded a $30,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, architect-engineering contract for cost engineering, value engineering and scheduling services in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Southwest Area of Responsibility (AOR). Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other government facilities within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR including, but not limited to: California (87%); Arizona (5%); Nevada (5%); Colorado (1%); New Mexico (1%); and Utah (1%). Work provides for cost estimates and other cost engineering services in support of analyses, reports, designs and change orders. Cost engineering services may include construction cost reduction evaluations and recommendations, bid analyses and verifications, validations of DD Form 1391 scope/cost estimate, peer review of cost estimates, review and technical analysis of contractor change order cost proposals and assistance with claims, litigations and negotiations with boards/committees. Value engineering services shall include facilitating and forming multi-discipline technical teams to conduct value engineering and/or function analysis concept development (FACD) workshops for a variety of projects. Services in support of value engineering and FACD workshops may include site investigations, preparation and/or review of engineering studies/reports, cost estimates, facility and infrastructure assessments, risk assessments, life cycle cost engineering and/or total ownership cost analyses, and schematic layouts/sketches. Scheduling shall be in support of analyses and change orders and may include preparation of schedules and construction cost loaded schedules, review/analysis of base line contractor schedules and schedule updates, review/analysis of contractor change orders, time impact analysis and assistance with claims, litigations and negotiations with boards/committees. Work is expected to be complete by April 2025. No task orders are being issued at this time. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (O&M) (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $5,000 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 (Navy) and O&M (Marine Corps). This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website and four proposals were received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-20-D-0614). PSI Pax Inc.,* California, Maryland, is awarded a $29,286,410 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and provides administrative, business and financial services such as data entry accounting processes, interface error research and analysis, process management, deficiency identification, testing of system changes, professional and analytical support, liaison support, funds management, financial tracking, internal and external data calls, document and records management, specialized analytical support in meeting financial systems requirements, assessing financial systems relative to data integrity, corporate and user reporting requirements as well as centralized support of travel related processes to include help desk support for the entire Naval Air Systems Command. Work is expected to be complete by June 2025. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured as a small business set-aside via an electronic request for proposal; five offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-20-D-0073). Mustang Technology Group LP, doing business as L3 Mustang Technology, Plano, Texas, is awarded a $19,082,000 fixed-price-incentive-firm-target modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-5313 for 658 rounds of 57mm MK 332 High Explosive-4 Bolt Guided (HE-4G) Cartridge ammunition. Work will be performed in Plano, Texas (78%), and Cincinnati, Ohio (22%), and is expected to be complete by September 2021. Fiscal 2020 and 2019 procurement of ammunition, (Navy and Marine Corp) funding in the amount of $19,082,000 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, D.C., is the contracting activity. L3 Harris Technologies Inc., Anaheim, California, is awarded a $12,732,754 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification (P00030) to exercise options under previously awarded and announced contract N00030-18-C-0001. Work will be performed in Anaheim, California (71%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (23%); Washington, D.C. (3%); Bremerton, Washington (1%); Norfolk, Virginia (1%), and Kings Bay, Georgia (1%). Work will provide services and support for Flight Test Instrumentation and is expected to be complete by August 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,968,016; fiscal 2020 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,332,143; and fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $200,000 are obligated on this award. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,968,016 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract modification is awarded to the contractor on a sole-source basis under 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) and was previously synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities website. The Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. IDSC Holdings LLC, Snap-on Industrial, Kenosha, Wisconsin, is awarded an $11,088,933 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract procures up to 2,064 toolboxes containing 1.423 different types of commercial tools in support of initial outfitting associated with F-35 low rate initial production and maintenance. Work will be performed in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and is expected to be complete by September 2021. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal and four offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N68335-20-D-0025). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is awarded a $9,162,847 modification (P00002) to cost-plus-fixed-fee order N00019-19-F-0280 against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-15-G-0026. This modification provides systems engineering and program management support for the development, integration, test and delivery of two radar altimeters and two integrated avionics units in support of the BQM-34S Firebee High Performance Aerial Target System, BQM-74E target drones and the Aerial Targets Program Office. Work will be performed in Endicott, New York (62%); San Diego, California (37%); and Clearwater, Florida (1%). Work is expected to be complete by January 2022. Fiscal 2018 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,472,396 and fiscal 2019 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,690,451 will be obligated at time of award, $4,472,396 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Independent RT Center LLC, Cibolo, Texas, is awarded $8,029,638 for firm-fixed-price delivery order M67854-20-F-5018 under previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract M67854-20-D-5000 with a maximum ceiling of $62,500,000, for the Rough Terrain Container Handlers Service Life Extension Program. Work will be performed in Cibolo, Texas, and is expected to be complete by January 2030. Fiscal 2019 Congressional funds in the amount of $3,066,228 and fiscal 2020 procurement (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $4,963,410 are being obligated and will expire Sept. 30, 2021. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website and two offers were received. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-20-D-5000). Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $7,400,000 not-to-exceed, fixed-price incentive, undefinitized change order modification to contract N00024-15-C-2114 for the installation of Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services AN/USQ-208B (V) 5 Local Area Network drops. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to be complete by May 2022. Fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $3,700,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Newport News, Virginia, is the contracting activity. ARMY Perspecta Enterprise Solutions LLC, Herndon, Virginia, was awarded an Other Transaction Authority agreement with a ceiling of $237,243,000 to develop, integrate, deliver, operate and maintain an enterprise capability for Army training and education information. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Herndon, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of May 17, 2024. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $14,500,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Newark, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-20-9-1118). Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington, Massachusetts (W81XWH-20-A-0003); Envigo RMS LLC, Indianapolis, Indiana (W81XWH-20-A-0004); and The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine (W81XWH-20-A-0005), will compete for each order of the $25,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to supply small laboratory research animals and related services. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 8, 2025. U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Quantitech Inc., Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $17,686,572 modification (000237) to contract W31P4Q-16-A-0010 for programmatic support for the Utility Helicopters Project Manager's Office. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of May 14, 2021. Fiscal 2020 Foreign Military Sales (Australia); other procurement (Army); and research, development, test and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $17,686,572 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Mantle-Plocher JV,* Worden, Illinois, was awarded a $14,793,000 firm-fixed-price contract for placement and leasing of modular facilities to support approximately 450 personnel at Scott Air Force Base. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, with an estimated completion date of May 13, 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Air Force) funds in the amount of $14,793,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-20-C-0021). Dawson Enterprises LLC,* Honolulu, Hawaii, was awarded a $10,431,915 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of utility infrastructure to support the installation of a modular paint booth and personnel building. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 5, 2021. Fiscal 2019 civil operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $10,431,915 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles, California, is the contracting activity (W912PL-20-C-0017). AIR FORCE Braxton Technologies LLC, Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $31,399,226 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification (P00012) to contract FA8806-19-C-0003 for support and delivery network, infrastructure, hardware and architecture solutions under the Cross Mission Ground Communications Enterprise Corps (ECX). This contract award provides for cross-domain solutions, design, integration and rapid delivery team services. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is expected to be completed by May 17, 2021. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition under the Small Business Innovation Research Program. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $55,387,870. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $8,507,999 are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity. The Corporation of Mercer University, Warner Robins, Georgia, has been awarded a $9,039,309 task order (FA8523-20-F-0029) on basic contract FA8523-20-D-0001 to provide Laboratory Intelligence Validated Emulators-Virtual-Constructive (LVC) closed-loop engineering test and evaluation of newly developed electronic warfare (EW) systems. This order provides integration of gold-standard Intelligence Community threat definitions into the Electronic Warfare and Avionics Integrated Support Facility, where LVC closed loop operational test – vertical testability demonstration simulations and testing will be conducted to inform the baseline capability and to identify growth areas for improving operational survivability, reliability and mission success of fielded EW systems in support of airborne U.S. warfighting elements. Work will be performed in Warner Robins, Georgia, and is expected to be completed by May 13, 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $4,140,106 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2187605/source/GovDelivery/

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  6 mai 2020 | International, Aérospatial

  Israel acquires FireFly loitering munition for close combat

  Seth J. Frantzman JERUSALEM — Israel's Ministry of Defense has procured the FireFly, a lightweight loitering munition designed for infantry and special forces. Jointly developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the MoD, FireFly's canister-deployed design with multiple rotors enables it to hover around buildings and attack concealed enemies that may be beyond line of sight or hiding in urban environments. FireFly is designed to fulfill a need that platoons and smaller units have on the modern battlefield for an unmanned system that is rugged and lightweight. Mini-UAVs are increasingly in demand for infantry use, and the ability to combine them with loitering munitions that can conduct surveillance and attack has become the next step for ground forces. FireFly was designed over the last 15 years based on sketches produced as far back as the Six-Day War, when Israeli soldiers had to fight in the early morning amid trenches in Jerusalem during the Battle of Ammunition Hill. Also taken into account during the design period were Israel's experiences fighting militants in close combat in urban areas, such as the Gaza Strip, as well as knowledge of the difficulties armies have faced in fighting in places like Mosul, Iraq, against the Islamic State group. Gal Papier, director of business development at Rafael's Tactical Precision Weapons Directorate, said the current FireFly model has a seeker, warhead and data link with electro-optical features that are similar to Rafael's larger Spike missile family. The Spike group of munitions includes precision-guided tactical missiles. The main difference is the addition of dual rotors so the FireFly can hover and remain stable in windy environments. “It's a different way of looking at missile guidance,” Papier said. “This is innovative and new — it's a missile that folds into a small canister.” First unveiled in 2018, Papier foresees the FireFly as “infantry's best friend,” enabling forces to both scout and attack. The warhead is small, coming in at only 400 grams, but Rafael says it is lethal enough for infantry and special forces missions. “Normally the targets are insurgents or suppressing machine guns or a sniper,” Papier explain, comparing the FireFly to UAVs that carry 20-kilogram payloads and must be launched by catapult. FireFly gives an operator up to 1.5 kilometers of line-of-sight use and 500 meters of non-line-of-sight use. It can return to the user with the click of a button, and its technology provides situational awareness to avoid collisions with obstacles. It can also operate during the day or night with a low acoustic signature. Its battery and warhead can both be replaced; the warhead can be swapped for another battery to provide double the 15-minute flying time for surveillance missions. The press of a button on the operator's tablet causes the warhead to slam into an enemy at up to 70 kph. It is also designed with safeguards, such as an abort capability. Rafael also foresees the FireFly launched from vehicles, with several units contained in a pod or “beehive” that would operate from inside the vehicle. This is in line with the increased use of smaller tactical UAVs with armored vehicles, and future battlefield concepts that foresee vehicles and infantry units operating in sync with numerous drones. “We are in [the] design stage of these pods, tailored for different vehicles. We see it as a building block,” Papier said. Israel's procurement of the FireFly and its deployment with infantry units are part of the country's multiyear plan to restructure its armed forces, known as “Momentum.” The plan also calls for increased digitization of land forces and for units to have access to more UAVs and technology. This is meant to bring intelligence assets as far forward as possible to battalion- and company-level units sharing information gathered by UAVs on a network. Papier noted that the increased deployment of loitering munitions like this will change infantry units as they decide how to make soldiers into dedicated drone operators. https://www.c4isrnet.com/unmanned/2020/05/05/israel-acquires-firefly-loitering-munition-for-close-combat/

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  14 août 2019 | International, Aérospatial

  What could a military do with this flying saucer?

  By: Kelsey D. Atherton This may be a flying saucer, but don't call it a UFO. Carefully named, the All DIrections Flying Object, or ADIFO, is instead a saucer-like contraption, a flying prototype built at exploring the aerodynamic potential of an alien craft. It is, at its core, an omnidirectional flying wing built around a quadcopter with jets attached. Its designers see a future for the airframe as an unmanned combat aerial vehicle. In a video posted July 1, a narrator discusses the design process and aerodynamics of the craft. Like many VTOL tools built on a quadcopter frame, ducted fans provide initial lift and mobility at low altitudes and low speeds. The addition of vectored jets on the rear of the craft, combined with four vertical vents and four side-facing vents, promising greater maneuverability at high speeds. The ADIFO is the invention of Romanian engineer Razan Sabie in conjunction with Iosif Taposu, a scientist with a long career in aerospace research for the Romanian government. “The aerodynamics behind this aircraft is the result of more than two decades of work and is very well reasoned in hundreds of pages and confirmed by computer simulations and wind tunnel tests,” Sabie told Vice, in the pair's first American interview. That story explores both the specific nature of the ADIFO, and the long and mostly failed history of flying saucer design. Like many other ideas for the first decades of aviation, the possibility of operating the craft without a human on board opens up greater potential in what an airframe can actually do. Human pilots are subject to the limitations of a body and perception, and a flying disk changing directions suddenly at high speed is not the ideal place for a human to be. Uncrewed craft can take on novel forms, and execute turns and twists beyond those human limits. While maneuverability is likely the primary selling point for a future role as combat aircraft, the smooth and fin-free form could easily have stealth characteristics built in, and could be further adapted by a dedicated team to fully realizing that stealth flight. What might a military planner or designer do with such a machine? The proof-of-concept offers little in the way of information about storage space or sensors. With wide enough lenses, a handful of cameras could match the circular symmetry of the vehicle and provide and omnidirectional surveillance presence. The high speeds and potentially low radar profile suggest a role akin to earlier, Cold War spy planes, taking specific pictures in contested space and returning before anti-air systems can act. And as with any aircraft, the potential is likely there for it to release an explosive payload, taking the flying saucer from an extraterrestrial fear to a terrestrial threat. ADIFO might not be the future of anything. The project's home page says the team is still attracting partners, and aviation history is littered with proofs-of-concept that failed to materialize in a meaningful way. Yet there is something to the idea of a flying saucer working the moment it no longer has to transport a human. It is an old aviation frontier that likely warrants further exploration. https://www.c4isrnet.com/unmanned/2019/08/12/what-might-a-military-want-with-a-romanian-flying-saucer/