20 septembre 2023 | International, C4ISR
Leidos awarded $7.9 billion U.S. Army tactical IT hardware contract
The contract has a maximum value of $7.9 billion if all options are exercised.
9 décembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial, C4ISR
Wanted: Virtual reality headsets that aren’t made in China
By: Valerie Insinna
ORLANDO, Fla. — The U.S. Air Force wants to tap into the augmented and virtual reality technologies that are proliferating in the commercial market, but the service has run into a problem: Many have parts from China, limiting their ability to be used by the U.S. military in operational environments.
“Can we not have an AR [augmented reality] solution that's made in China? I don't think that's good for us,” Col. Gerard Ryan, chief of the Air Force's operational training infrastructure division, said during a panel discussion Tuesday at the Interservice/Industry, Training, Simulation and Education Conference.
“I don't think the security policy is going to pass. And I say that sarcastically, but it's true. If we're going to use a gaming engine, let's make sure it's not made by a foreign country that we don't like,” he added.
The Air Force is dipping its toes into using virtual reality through its Pilot Training Next program, which seeks to get airmen through basic pilot training more quickly and cheaply. While the PTN program is currently considered an experiment, with only a handful of airmen participating at any given time, the Air Force has already shown it may be able to shave months off the existing training timeline by supplementing live flights spent in the T-6 trainer with virtual ones using Vive virtual reality headsets and flight simulation software.
An unclassified environment like basic pilot training is a perfect place for the Air Force to use the augmented and virtual reality devices currently on the market. But for such products to ever see use by fighter and bomber pilots — or any operator that deals with secure information — the service must be sure that no part of the device is made by China, or any other foreign entity that could insert technology that allows for data collection.
The Air Force has begun talking to companies about its concerns, Ryan said. The hope is those firms can examine their supply chains and shift away from buying Chinese components.
“I've talked to some people in industry. A smaller company has said they've found a set of goggles that's American-made. I'm like: ‘Great, you're the first person to tell me that. The only one so far, too,' ” Ryan said.
Another challenge is connecting commercial devices in a classified environment, where Bluetooth and Wi-Fi use may be restricted.
“I've talked to one company that has figured [it] out. They have a system where it's a backpack laptop. So it's a direct connect to the goggles,” Ryan said. “Unfortunately it's more expensive, probably, to do that. It's probably more challenging to find the parts.”
When augmented or virtual reality systems can be brought into classified environments, they may not be flexible enough for quick reconfiguration to complement different training scenarios, said Col. David Nyikos, Air Combat Command's deputy director of operations.
“AR/VR is super cool,” he said during the panel. “But now you need it to evolve, you need it to reprogram to adapt to whatever mission rehearsal you're coming up with. Maybe tonight you're going to go out with guys from AFSOC [Air Force Special Operations Command] working with some Norwegian SOF [special operations forces], working with some Afghans. You've got to be able to train together to rehearse that. We don't have that right now.”
Sur le même sujet
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26 février 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
Trump announces $3B defense deal with India
By: The Associated Press NEW DELHI — U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that India has signed a deal to purchase more than $3 billion of advanced military equipment, including helicopters. The announcement comes as the president visits with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Asian nation. Trump also said the two leaders made progress on what he describes as a “comprehensive trade deal" after bilateral talks. Modi, meanwhile, said the two had a productive exchange on issues including defense cooperation, energy and technology, adding that talks will continue. He also said that he and Trump have now met five times over the past eight months, noting that ties between the two nations is the “most important partnership of the 21st century." https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2020/02/25/trump-announces-3b-defense-deal-with-india
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26 janvier 2021 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - January 22, 2021
AIR FORCE Chugach Range and Facilities Services JV LLC, Anchorage, Alaska, has been awarded a $112,991,156 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-reimbursable contract for Ascension Island Mission Services. This contract provides for radar tracking, space surveillance tracking, telemetry, timing and sequencing, communications, airfield operations, operations, maintenance and engineering support for facilities, systems, equipment, utilities and base operating support responsibilities. Work will be performed on Ascension Island Auxiliary Airfield and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. Fiscal 2020 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $104,367 are being obligated at the time of award. The 45th Contracting Squadron, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA2521-21-C-0015). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY FedMedical Inc.,* Summerville, South Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $30,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for pulse oximeters, exam/surgical lights and related accessories. This was a competitive acquisition with 137 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is South Carolina, with a Jan. 24, 2026, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2026 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D1-21-D-0005). Lions Services Inc.,** Charlotte, North Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $10,480,000 modification (P00007) exercising the first one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-20-D-B082) with two one-year option periods for improved combat helmet chinstraps. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is North Carolina, with a Jan. 28, 2022, ordering period end date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NAVY Alabama Shipyard LLC, Mobile, Alabama, is awarded a $19,679,483 firm-fixed-price contract (N32205-21-C-4128) for a 76-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul/dry docking on USNS Lewis and Clark (T-AKE 1). The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the total contract value to $21,847,693. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama, and is expected to be completed by May 24, 2021. Contract funds in the amount of $19,679,483 are obligated in fiscal 2021 using working capital funds (Navy). This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the beta.Sam.gov website and three offers were received. The Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Progeny Systems Corp.,* Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $15,480,788 cost-plus-fixed fee and cost-only modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-6204 to exercise options for engineering and technical services for Navy submarines and aircraft carriers. 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 2022. Fiscal 2017 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) $1,900,000 funding will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. General Electric Co., Niskayuna, New York, is awarded a $10,197,968 cost-type contract to develop a mobile automated manufacturing platform to provide just-in-time manufacturing of nucleic acid countermeasures to rapidly produce, formulate and package doses of nucleic acid therapeutics or prophylactics. This two-year contract includes three one-year option periods which, if exercised, would bring the potential value of this contract to an estimated $41,219,762. Work will be performed at the contractor's facilities in Niskayuna, New York (52%); San Diego, California (24%); Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France (20%); and Seattle, Washington (4%). The period of performance of the base award is from Jan. 25, 2021, through Jan. 24, 2023. If all option periods are exercised, the period of performance would extend through Jan. 24, 2026. Funds in the amount of $1,973,062 will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Fiscal 2021 funds will be obligated using research, development, test and evaluation funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This contract was competitively procured via a DARPA broad agency announcement solicitation (HR0011-20-S-0006) published on the beta.SAM.gov website. Ten proposals were received and two were selected for award. The Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-21-C-4014). *Small business **Mandatory source https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2482200/source/GovDelivery/