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  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 30, 2018

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

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 30, 2018

    NAVY Grove Resource Solutions Inc.,* Frederick, Maryland (N6523619D4800); Millennium Corp., * Arlington, Virginia (N6523619D4801); SimVentions Inc.,* Fredericksburg, Virginia (N6523619D4802); BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland (N6523619D8403); Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Virginia (N6523619D4804); CACI NSS Inc., Reston, Virginia (N6523619D4805); General Dynamics Information Technology, Fairfax, Virginia (N6523619D4806); Leidos, Reston, Virginia (N6523619D4807); Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Redondo Beach, California (N6523619D4808), and Scientific Research Corp., Atlanta, Georgia (N6523619D4809), are each awarded a combined $898,000,000 multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, performance-based service contract utilizing cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price task orders. The contracts are for Cyber Mission Engineering support services and provide for the delivery of information warfare capabilities through sea, air, land, space, electromagnetic, and cyber domains through the full range of military operations and levels of war. These contracts include a five-year ordering period, one 24-month option period, and one six-month option-to-extend-services in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Clause 52.217-8. If all options are exercised, the cumulative value of these contracts will increase to $962,000,000. Work will be performed worldwide and is expected to be completed by November 2024. If all options are exercised, work would continue until May 2027. Navy working capital funds in the amount of $25,000 will be divided equally among all awardees and obligated at the time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The multiple award contracts were competitively procured by full and open competition with reserves for small business via the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center e-Commerce central website and the Federal Business Opportunities website, with 25 timely offers received. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity. Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc., Monroeville, Pennsylvania, is awarded an $889,949,558 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Naval nuclear propulsion components. Work will be performed in Monroeville, Pennsylvania (74 percent); and Schenectady, New York (26 percent). No completion date or additional information is provided on Naval Nuclear Propulsion program contracts. Fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $617,385,193 will be obligated at time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code. 2304(c)(1) - only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-2115). Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc., Monroeville, Pennsylvania, is awarded a $634,011,726 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Naval nuclear propulsion components. Work will be performed in Monroeville, Pennsylvania (71 percent); and Schenectady, New York (29 percent). No completion date or additional information is provided on Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program contracts Fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $610,145,142 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. code 2304(c)(1) - only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-2114). United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Connecticut, is awarded a $399,778,883 modification to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm, cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-17-C-0010). This modification provides for performance based logistics sustainment in support of the F-35 Lightning II F135 propulsion system for the U.S Navy; U.S Air Force; U.S. Marine Corps; Non-U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) participants, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. This modification provides for maintenance of support equipment; common program activities; unique and common base recurring sustainment; repair of repairable; field service representatives; common replenishment spares; conventional take-off and landing/carrier variant F135 unique maintenance services, and short take-off and landing F135 unique services. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Connecticut (73 percent); Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (18 percent); Camari, Italy (3 percent); Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida (2 percent); Edwards AFB, California (1 percent); Hill AFB, Utah (1 percent); Luke AFB, Arizona (1 percent); and Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, South Carolina (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy), Non-U.S. DOD participants and FMS funds in the amount of $399,778,883 are being obligated on this award, $277,624,046, of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Air Force ($142,300,541; 36 percent); U.S. Marine Corps ($109,353,811; 27 percent); U.S. Navy ($25,969,694; 6 percent); non-U.S. DOD participants ($90,987,493; 23 percent); and FMS customers ($31,167,344; 8 percent) under the FMS Program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc., Monroeville, Pennsylvania, is awarded a $233,211,071 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Naval nuclear propulsion components. Work will be performed in Monroeville, Pennsylvania (93 percent); and Schenectady, New York (7 percent). No completion date or additional information is provided on Naval Nuclear Propulsion program contracts. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $111,996,969 and fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $2,852,823 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-2112). Accenture Federal Services LLP, Arlington, Virginia (N00189-19-D-Z001); Deloitte & Touche LLP, Arlington, Virginia (N00189-19-D-Z002); KPMG LLP, McLean, Virginia (N00189-19-D-Z003); PricewaterhouseCoopers Public Sector LLP, McLean, Virginia (N00189-19-D-Z004); and Sehlke Consulting, Arlington, Virginia (N00189-19-D-Z005), are awarded combined estimated $83,855,994 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contracts that will include terms and conditions for the placement of both cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price task orders to provide financial and business operations management support services in support of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. The contracts will run concurrently and will include a 48-month ordering period. The ordering period of the contract is anticipated to begin February 2019 and is expected to be completed by January 2023. Work will be performed at various contractor locations throughout the U.S. (80 percent); and at government facilities in Falls Church, Virginia (20 percent). The percentage of work at each of the contractor facilities cannot be determined at this time. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Defense Health Program) funds in the amount of $100,000 will be obligated ($20,000 on each of the five contracts to fund the contracts' minimum amounts) and funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured for the award of multiple contracts pursuant to the authority set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation 16.504. The requirement was solicited through the Federal Business Opportunities and Navy Electronic Commerce Online websites, with eight offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Co., Tewksbury, Massachusetts, is awarded a $45,009,813 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-5145 to exercise options for DDG 1000 ship class integrated logistics support and engineering services. The DDG 1000 ship class is a multi-mission surface combatant designed to fulfill volume firepower and precision strike requirements. DDG 1000 combat systems provide offensive, distributed, and precision firepower and long ranges in support of forces ashore, while incorporating signature reduction, active, and passive self-defense system and enhanced survivability features. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Rhode Island (61 percent); Tewksbury, Massachusetts (34 percent); Marlboro, Massachusetts (2 percent); Ft. Wayne, Indiana (2 percent); and Nashua, New Hampshire (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2019. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); and 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $54,256,958 will be obligated at the time of award, and funds in the amount of $10,158,276 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Kings Bay Support Services LLC, Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded a $39,858,516 modification for the exercise of option three under an indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity contract for base operations support (BOS) services at Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $322,733,069. The work to be performed provides for all labor, facilities management, supervision, tools, materials, equipment, incidental engineering, environmental services and transportation to effectively execute BOS services. Work will be performed in Kings Bay, Georgia. This option period is from December 2018, to November 2019. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $28,258,930 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the option period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida is the contracting activity (N69450-11-D-7578). General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is awarded a $31,764,038 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-17-C-2104) for reactor plant planning yard services for nuclear-powered submarines and support yard services for the Navy's Moored Training Ships. This modification includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this modification to $63,846,335. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut (90 percent); and Charleston, South Carolina (10 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2019. Fiscal 2018 other procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $23,532,530 will be obligated at time of award and funding in the amount of $17,999,876 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland, is awarded $28,893,602 for modification P00022 to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00030-17-C-0001), to provide systems engineering and integration services in support of the Trident II (D5) strategic weapons system, the SSGN attack weapon system, and strategic weapon surety. Work will be performed at Rockville, Maryland (70.6 percent); Washington, District of Columbia (14.7 percent); Kings Bay, Georgia (5.1 percent); Silverdale, Washington (2.7 percent); Norfolk, Virginia (1.1 percent); San Diego, California (1.1 percent); Barrow, United Kingdom (1.1 percent); Alexandria, Virginia (1 percent); Buffalo, New York (0.3 percent); Downington, Pennsylvania (0.3 percent); Ocala, Florida (0.2 percent); Pittsfield, Massachusetts (0.2 percent); Montgomery Village, Maryland (0.2 percent); New Lebanon, New York (0.2 percent); New Paris, Ohio (0.2 percent); Wexford, Pennsylvania (0.2 percent); Alton, Virginia (0.2 percent); Springfield, Virginia (0.2 percent), Vienna, Virginia (0.2 percent); and St. Mary's, Georgia (0.2 percent), with an expected completion date of September 30, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $21,625,865; fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,350,554; and fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,917,183 will be obligated on this modification. Contract funds in the amount of $21,625,865 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Space, Sunnyvale, California, is awarded $28,574,689 for cost-plus-fixed-fee modification P00002 to a previously awarded contract (N00030-18-C-0025), to exercise options for hypersonic booster technology development seeking to demonstrate technologies related to intermediate range capability through booster design, fabrication and validation testing. Work will be performed in Magna, Utah (51.03 percent); Elma, New York (14.08 percent); Sunnyvale, California (14.03 percent); Denver, Colorado (10.52 percent); Titusville, Florida (7.53 percent); Huntsville, Alabama (1.08 percent); Mooresville, North Carolina (1 percent); Cape Canaveral, Florida (0.52 percent); and Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (0.21 percent), with an expected completion date of Sept. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $28,574,689 are being obligated on this award, which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin, Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $20,583,568 fixed-price-incentive (firm target) and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-14-C-5104 to exercise options for ship integration and test of the Aegis Weapon System (AWS) for AWS baselines through Advanced Capability Build (ACB) 12. The contract provides for Aegis shipboard integration engineering; Aegis test team support; Aegis modernization team engineering support; ballistic missile defense test team support and AWS element assessments. The contract will cover the AWS ship integration and test efforts for five new-construction DDG 51-class ships, the major modernization of five DDG 51-class ships, and the major modernization of six CG 47-class ships, as well as the integrated combat system modifications and upgrades for all current ships with all AWS baselines up to and including ACB 12. Work will be performed in Bath, Maine (41 percent); Moorestown, New Jersey (17 percent); Pascagoula, Mississippi (9 percent); Norfolk, Virginia (8 percent); Camden, New Jersey (8 percent); San Diego, California (6 percent); Corona, California (5 percent); Deveselu, Romania (3 percent); Mayport, Florida (2 percent); and various places below one percent (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by November 2019. Fiscal 2013 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2017, and 2019 other procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $17,260,714 will be obligated at time of award, and $2,036,071 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $9,838,779 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-18-D-0001). This modification increases the ceiling of the indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract and provides for service life modifications on the F/A-18E/F fleet that will extend the operational service life of the F/A-18E/F fleet from 6,000 flight hours to 9,000 flight hours. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be completed in July 2020. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,838,779 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corporation Missile and Fire Control, Orlando, Florida, is awarded a $7,346,222 definitive job order which includes cost-plus-fixed-fee level of effort tasking for the Target Sight System (TSS) depot activation and firm-fixed price training for the depot activation under basic ordering agreement N00164-16-G-JQ87. Depot activation services include engineering and logistics support and stand-up for long term organic depot support for the TSS on the AH-1Z Cobra attack helicopter. The TSS is a large-aperture midwave forward-looking infrared sensor with a laser designator/rangefinder turret. The TSS provides the capability to identify and laser-designate targets at maximum weapon range, significantly enhancing platform survivability and lethality. The depot activation and training services will produce a TSS depot capability at Fleet Readiness Center South-East to include the required specialized weapons replaceable assembly and shop replaceable assembly test equipment, tooling, fixtures, training, access to technical data, engineering reach back, and support infrastructure for this capability. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida, and is expected to be completed in December 2020. Fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $7,346,222 will be obligated at the time of contract award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This job order was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1): only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity (N0016419FJ016). AIR FORCE L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Mississippi, has been awarded a $97,491,260 firm-fixed-price contract for contractor operated and maintained base supply of the Air Education and Training Command fleet of 178 T-1A trainer aircraft. Work will be performed at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas; Laughlin AFB, Texas; Vance AFB, Oklahoma; Columbus AFB, Mississippi; and Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida, with an expected completion date of Nov. 30, 2019. This award for Option One is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount $48,288,767 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (FA8106-18-C-0001). M1 Support Services, Denton, Texas, has been awarded a $97,353,460 modification (P00048) to contract FA4890-16-C-0005 for the backshop and flight-line maintenance of multiple aircraft types on Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The contract modification provides for the exercise of an option for an additional year of maintenance support under the multiple year contract. Work will be performed at Nellis AFB, Nevada, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2019. Air Combat Command, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity. AAR Manufacturing Inc., Cadillac, Michigan, has been awarded a $27,570,625 task order (FA8534-19-F-0005) to contract FA8519-14-D-0002 for the production of 463L cargo pallets. Work will be performed in Cadillac, Michigan, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2017 other procurement funds in the amount of $27,570,625 are being obligated at time of award. This task order brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $170,687,010. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Co. Missile Systems Division, Tucson, Arizona, has been awarded an $18,691,155 fixed-price incentive (firm-target), follow-on contract for High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile targeting system contractor logistics support services. This contract provides depot repair and sustaining engineering activities. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2019. The contract includes a one-year period of performance with three one-year options. This contract award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $18,691,155 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8675-19-C-0004). Telos Corp., Ashborn, Virginia, has been awarded a $15,195,573 modification (P00004) to contract FA4890-17-F-0025 for defensive cyber operations support at 17 U.S. Air Force bases in the continental U.S. The contract modification provides for the exercise of an option for an additional year of cyber security support services under the multiple year contract. Work will be performed in accordance with the performance work statement and is expected to be completed by Jan. 1, 2020. Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Honeywell International Inc., Clearwater, Florida, has been awarded an $11,458,551 modification (P0003) to exercise an option on contract FA8214-18-C-0001 for Pendulous Integrated Gyroscopic Accelerometer float repairs. Work will be performed in Clearwater, Florida, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 20, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $11,458,551 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $10,758,587 modification (P00066) to previously awarded FA8634-16-C-2653 for F-15 radar modernization program radar upgrades. The contract modification provides for the exercise of options for interim contract support repair. Work will be performed in St. Louis, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2019. Fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $10,758,587 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $1,375,218,427. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Sierra Nevada Corp., Sparks, Nevada, has been awarded a $9,227,540 modification (P00019) to contract FA8509-17-C-0002 for the permanent installation of the Airborne Mission Networking System. This modification provides for the exercise of only trial kit install labor and fully funding non-recurring engineering, travel, and trial kit install labor. Work will be performed in Centennial, Colorado, with travel within the continental U.S. as required to government facilities for installation and testing. Work is expected to be completed by Sept. 16, 2019. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $9,227,540 are being obligated at time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $39,256,804. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8509-17-C-0002). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, has been awarded a maximum $84,448,463 firm-fixed-price contract for various motor vehicle parts and accessories. This was a sole source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a three-year base contract with two one-year option periods. Location of performance is Wisconsin, with a Nov. 29, 2021, performance completion date. Using military services are Army and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2018, through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Columbus, Ohio (SPE7LX-19-D-0021). Nodak Electric Cooperative Inc.,* Grand Forks, North Dakota, has been awarded a $23,203,633 modification (P00002) to a 50-year utilities privatization contract (SP0600-18-C-8321) with no option periods for additional utility services for two electric systems. This is a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract. Location of performance is North Dakota, with a Nov. 30, 2068, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019, through 2069 Air Force operations and maintenance funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The Original Footwear Co., Arecibo, Puerto Rico, has been awarded a maximum $9,186,840 modification (P00014), exercising the third one-year option period of a four-year base contract (SPE1C1-16-D-1026), with three one-year option periods for men's poromeric shoes. This is firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/definite-quantity contract. Locations of performance are Puerto Rico and Michigan, with a Nov. 30, 2019, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Type of appropriation fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. DEFENSE HEALTH AGENCY Logistics Health Inc., La Crosse, Wisconsin, was awarded an $81,000,000 indefinite-delivery bridge contract (HT0011-19-D-0002). This award, titled “Reserve Health Readiness Program,” provides health readiness support services to the military service components to meet medical and dental standards essential in maintaining a deployable force. This short-term bridge contract will permit time to complete a competitive follow-on to this requirement. Services include immunizations, physical examinations, periodic health assessments, post-deployment health reassessments, mental health assessments, dental examinations, dental treatment, laboratory services, and other services as required to satisfy military service component health readiness needs. Services are delivered at military service component designated sites during group events, through the contractor's call center, and within an integrated network. The work will be performed in every U.S. state, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, and Germany, with period of performance from Dec. 1, 2018, to May 31, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds will be obligated on task orders issued under this award. This contract was awarded on an other than full and open competition basis; pursuant to the authority of 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Defense Health Agency, Falls Church, Virginia, is the contracting activity. ARMY BridgePhase LLC,* Arlington, Virginia (W15QKN-19-D-0005); Insap Services Inc.,* Marlton, New Jersey (W15QKN-19-D-0006); Johnson Technology Systems Inc.,* Dover, New Jersey (W15QKN-19-D-0007); and Softek International Inc.,* Piscataway, New Jersey (W15QKN-19-D-0008), will compete for each order of the $72,377,360 firm-fixed-price contract for information technology services for Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center. Bids were solicited with seven received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 8, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity. Carolina Growler Inc.,* Star, North Carolina, was awarded a $66,665,620 firm-fixed-price contract for M1269 light engineer utility trailers. Bids were solicited with six received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 29, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-19-D-0013). Longbow LLC, Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $52,642,959 hybrid cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price contract for the production of radar electronic units and support functions. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2022. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 aircraft procurement, Army funds in the amount of $52,642,959 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-19-F-0044). Employment Source Inc.,* Fayetteville, North Carolina, was awarded a $43,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract for dining facility attendant services. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 29, 2023. U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is the contracting activity (W91247-19-D-0002). DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded a $41,658,522 modification (P00200), to contract W58RGZ-13-C-0040 for aviation field maintenance services. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas; Afghanistan; and Iraq, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance Army funds in the amount of $41,658,522 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, was awarded an $18,000,000 cost contract for collaborative biotechnologies. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2021. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911NF-19-D-0001). Weeks Marine Inc., Covington, Louisiana, was awarded a $17,418,500 firm-fixed-price contract for dredging. Two bids were solicited with two bids received. Work will be performed in Carolina Beach, North Carolina; and Kure Beach, North Carolina, with an estimated completion date of May 15, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance Army funds in the amount of $17,418,500 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington, North Carolina, is the contracting activity (W912PM-19-C-0004). DEFENSE FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING SERVICE KPMG LLP, McLean, Virginia, is being awarded a maximum $36,039,975 modification (P00027) to exercise Option Year Two to previously awarded labor-hour contract HQ0423-17-F-0010 for fiscal 2019 financial statement audit services of the Army General Fund and Working Capital Fund. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $95,894,268 from $59,854,293. Work will be performed in McLean, Virginia, with an expected completion date of Nov. 30, 2019. Fiscal 2019 Army operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $36,039,975 are being obligated at the time of the award. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Contract Services Directorate, Columbus, Ohio, is the contracting activity (HQ0423-17-F-0010). MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY Raytheon Missile Systems is being awarded a sole-source cost-plus-fixed-fee modification in the amount of $27,277,473 to previously awarded contract HQ0276-15-C-0005 adding contract line item numbers 4005, 4006, and 4013 to provide depot level planning, All Up Round (AUR) re-certifications, and AUR repairs. This modification increases the total cumulative face value of the contract by $27,277,473 (from $1,757,712,887 to $1,784,990,360). The work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an expected completion date of October 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations maintenance funds in the amount of $9,000,000 will be obligated at the time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1702589/source/GovDelivery/

  • Saab puts marketing effort for Swordfish maritime plane on hiatus

    7 décembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial

    Saab puts marketing effort for Swordfish maritime plane on hiatus

    By: Valerie Insinna BANGKOK — Over the past two years, Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab has put its advertising muscle into promoting a maritime patrol aircraft it called Swordfish. But in the absence of a launch customer and no immediate sales prospects, the company is ending its marketing campaign — at least for now, the head of its Asia-Pacific business said Thursday. “From a product perspective, we are no longer marketing it. So it was a concept. It was an opportunity that we looked at on the back of GlobalEye, and we're just concentrating on GlobalEye,” Dean Rosenfield said in a roundtable with journalists in Saab's Bangkok office. Defense News traveled to Thailand the week of Nov. 26 to learn more about the country's air warfare capabilities, accepting airfare and accommodations from Saab. Swordfish was initially conceived as a derivative of Saab's GlobalEye airborne early warning aircraft. Both are based on Bombardier's Global 6000 airframe and contain a suite of cutting-edge sensors, with Swordfish also adding torpedoes, sonobuoys, anti-ship missiles, an acoustics processor and a magnetic anomaly detector. But while GlobalEye has landed a launch customer in the United Arab Emirates, Swordfish is still looking for a buyer. Saab hoped to position Swordfish as a lower-cost alternative to Boeing's P-8 Poseidon, which is used by the U.S. Navy to hunt submarines and conduct surveillance over open waters. The firm targeted a handful of international countries who had expressed interest in upgrading their legacy maritime surveillance inventories. One such country was South Korea, which was looking for up to six additional aircraft to augment its fleet of Lockheed Martin P-3 Orions. In March, one Saab official told Defense News that — should South Korea chose Swordfish as its future maritime patrol aircraft — the company was prepared to allow South Korea to have a hand in producing the aircraft, with the first few aircraft being produced in Sweden and the rest assembled in South Korea. Saab had responded to South Korean requests for more information about Swordfish, Rosenfield said. But in June the country decided to award a sole-source contract valued at about $1.7 billion to Boeing for the P-8 Poseidon, eschewing the Swordfish and Airbus' C295. In July, another sales opportunity for Swordfish was dashed, when New Zealand announced that it would buy up to four P-8s to replace its P-3s. Rosenfield said that even if Saab wasn't successful in the Korean competition, the company's efforts may still prove fruitful as it goes forward marketing its GlobalEye early warning plane. “But the good thing about what we did there is that it gave us great recognition — brand recognition — particularly as we were marketing a GlobalEye capability like what we are delivering to the UAE,” he said. “That's where we see it going.” Rosenfield said there may be opportunities in the future to resurrect the Swordfish sales initiative. “If there is a customer who has a need for a maritime patrol aircraft, like Singapore for example, and they are prepared to invest in the technology to take something that hasn't been delivered before to a first customer, then we're happy to entertain that discussion,” he said. But currently, “the product, per se, doesn't exist in the Saab portfolio,” he added. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/11/30/saab-puts-marketing-effort-for-swordfish-maritime-plane-on-hiatus

  • Japanese acquisition officials reveal next steps in search for advanced fighter jet

    7 décembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial

    Japanese acquisition officials reveal next steps in search for advanced fighter jet

    By: Mike Yeo TOKYO — Japan is pushing ahead with research and development into advanced fighter jet technology, despite uncertainty over its acquisition strategy for a next-generation fighter and questions about the degree to which Japanese industry will be involved in the program. These technologies include a new fighter engine, thrust vectoring control, stealth shaping for low observability as well as the weapons carriage and release mechanism for internal weapons bays, according to representatives from Japan's Acquisition, Technical and Logistics Agency, or ATLA, who spoke at the Japan International Aerospace Exhibition in Tokyo, which ended Nov. 30. Several of these technologies were fitted on the Mitsubishi X-2, a technology demonstrator built by the Japanese and used to test and validate several of these features. Since then Japan has continued development work on the 15-ton thrust XF-9 afterburning turbofan. That turbofan displayed an improvement up to 70 percent during the time it took to spool up to full thrust from idle, when compared to the earlier XF-5 used by the X-2, said Lt. Gen. Hiroaki Uchimura, director general of aerial systems at ATLA. Japan is also working on an advanced active electronically scanned array radar, as well as manufacturing techniques to reduce or eliminate the need for fasteners in aircraft structures. Neither feature found its way to the X-2, but work continues on both fronts, with the radar having been tested in the laboratory and slated for flight tests onboard a Mitsubishi F-2 fighter jet test bed. The continuing R&D effort is reflected in the budget requests the Ministry of Defense made for next fiscal year, which begins in April 2019. This includes $194.6 million for research into fighter “mission system integration studies and manned-unmanned aircraft teaming technology,” and is on top of the $1.7 billion Japan has invested in fighter research since 2009. That first figure is also more than 10 times the amount spent on R&D for Japan's Mitsubishi F-2 fighter, according to Uchimura. Japan's next-generation fighter will replace the F-2 around the mid-2030s, and both Uchimura and ATLA Commissioner Nobuaki Miyama, who spoke at different conference sessions at the aerospace exhibition, touched on five critical attributes for Japan's next fighter program. These include its ability to secure air superiority over potential adversaries; the ease of upgrading as new technologies emerge; the latitude to domestically perform upgrades and sustainment without requiring overseas approval; the level of involvement of local industries in performing those upgrades and sustainment; and the need for the fighter and program as a whole to have a “realistic and feasible” cost. Japan is currently studying several different procurement strategies for its next-generation fighter, including a wholly domestically developed and manufactured design, an international collaboration, or what it calls a “spinoff” development of an existing design. Japan and the United Kingdom have agreed to exchange information with each other for their respective fighter programs. Reuters previously reported that both Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman responded to Japan's request for information on potential fighter offerings, with the former said to have an “F-22/F-35 hybrid” in mind. https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/japan-aerospace/2018/11/30/japanese-acquisition-officials-reveal-next-steps-in-search-for-advanced-fighter-jet

  • Squad X Improves Situational Awareness, Coordination for Dismounted Units

    30 novembre 2018 | International, C4ISR

    Squad X Improves Situational Awareness, Coordination for Dismounted Units

    The first test of DARPA's Squad X Experimentation program successfully demonstrated the ability to extend and enhance the situational awareness of small, dismounted units. In a weeklong test series at Twentynine Palms, California, U.S. Marine squads improved their ability to synchronize maneuvers, employing autonomous air and ground vehicles to detect threats from multiple domains – physical, electromagnetic, and cyber – providing critical intelligence as the squad moved through scenarios. Squad X provides Army and Marine dismounted units with autonomous systems equipped with off-the-shelf technologies and novel sensing tools developed via DARPA's Squad X Core Technologies program. The technologies aim to increase squads' situational awareness and lethality, allowing enemy engagement with greater tempo and from longer ranges. The Squad X program manager in DARPA's Tactical Technology Office, Lt. Col. Phil Root (U.S. Army), said Experiment 1 demonstrated the ability for the squad to communicate and collaborate, even while “dancing on the edge of connectivity.” The squad members involved in the test runs praised the streamlined tools, which allowed them to take advantage of capabilities that previously had been too heavy or cumbersome for individual Soldiers and Marines to use in demanding field conditions. “Each run, they learned a bit more on the systems and how they could support the operation,” said Root, who is also program manager for Squad X Core Technologies. “By the end, they were using the unmanned ground and aerial systems to maximize the squad's combat power and allow a squad to complete a mission that normally would take a platoon to execute.” Two performers, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control and CACI's BIT Systems, each are working on different approaches to provide unique capabilities to enhance ground infantries. Manned-unmanned teaming is critical to both companies' solutions. Marines testing Lockheed Martin's Augmented Spectral Situational Awareness, and Unaided Localization for Transformative Squads (ASSAULTS) system used autonomous robots with sensor systems to detect enemy locations, allowing the Marines to engage and target the enemy with a precision 40mm grenade before the enemy could detect their movement. Small units using CACI's BITS Electronic Attack Module (BEAM) were able to detect, locate, and attack specific threats in the radio frequency and cyber domains. Experiment 2 is currently targeted for early 2019. https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2018-11-30a

  • Reinventing Drug Discovery and Development for Military Needs

    30 novembre 2018 | International,

    Reinventing Drug Discovery and Development for Military Needs

    Flying at 50,000 feet, diving deep in the ocean, or hiking for miles with gear through extreme climates, military service members face conditions that place unique burdens on their individual physiology. The potential exists to develop pharmacological interventions to help service members complete their toughest missions more safely and efficiently, and then recover more quickly and without adverse effects, but those interventions must work on complex physiological systems in the human body. They will not be realized under the prevailing system of drug discovery and development with its focus on engaging single molecular targets. DARPA created the Panacea program to pursue the means of rapidly discovering, designing, and validating new, multi-target drugs that work with the body's complexity to better support the physiological resilience and recovery of military service members. The premise of Panacea is that the physiological systems of the human body work in complex and highly integrated ways. Drugs exert effects on our bodies by physically interacting with and changing the functional state of biomolecules that govern the functions of cells and tissues. Most drugs target proteins, which are the principle cellular workhorses. Ideally, drugs would target multiple proteins simultaneously to exert precise, network-level effects. One major problem facing the drug development community is that the functional proteome — the complete collection of proteins and their roles in signaling networks — is largely dark to science. Despite being able to identify many of the proteins within a cell, researchers do not have a firm grasp on everything those proteins do and how they interact to affect physiology. Due to this sparsity of structural and functional knowledge, the state of the art in drug development — what Panacea seeks to transform — is to engage only a very small fraction of known protein targets to achieve an effect. In fact, today's approach to drug design singles out individual proteins in certain cells. That hyper-specificity is an attempt to minimize the risk of side effects and speed time to market, but it also yields a thin stream of drugs, many of which have similar mechanisms and relatively muted effectiveness compared to what might be achieved using a multi-target, systems-based approach. “The current roster of drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration only targets about 549 proteins, yet the body can produce more than six million different protein variants,” said Tristan McClure-Begley, the Panacea program manager. “The opportunity space for pharmacological intervention is vast and effectively untapped, but to access it we need new technology for understanding and targeting the human functional proteome.” Panacea will address the lack of functional knowledge about the proteome. DARPA's call to the research community is to consider complex physiological conditions relevant to military service members — for instance, metabolic stress during extreme endurance missions or pain and inflammation after injury; investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying those conditions; identify multiple, key molecular targets involved; and develop novel medicinal chemistry approaches to synthesize interventions that modulate those targets. DARPA believes that multi-target drugs will deliver safer and more efficacious solutions to military requirements for readiness and recovery over state-of-the-art interventions. “Many of the most successful drugs produced in the past were found rather than made, and we knew what they did long before we knew how they did it,” McClure-Begley said. “To deliver improved interventions, we need to get to a place where we can investigate all of the potential proteins at play for a given condition and then prioritize sets of protein targets and signaling networks to effectively modulate physiological systems, regardless of what prior knowledge exists about those targets.” The Panacea program aims to generate initial proof of concept for this new direction in drug discovery and development. Research will primarily involve animal models, human cell derived organoids, and high-throughput cell culture models. However, to support eventual transition to humans, DARPA will work with federal agencies to develop a regulatory pathway for future medical use. By the end of the five-year program, DARPA will require teams to submit novel drug candidates to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for review as an Investigational New Drug or for Compassionate Use. DARPA will hold a Proposers Day on December 14, 2018, in Arlington, Virginia, to provide more information about Panacea and answer questions from potential proposers. For details of the event, including registration requirements, visit https://go.usa.gov/xP6hD. A forthcoming Broad Agency Announcement will fully describe the program structure and objectives. https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2018-11-28

  • Why can't Ottawa get military procurement right?

    30 novembre 2018 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

    Why can't Ottawa get military procurement right?

    Murray Brewster · CBC News The last couple of weeks may go down in the Trudeau government's public record as the point when the desires of deliverology met the drawbacks of defence procurement. Remember 'deliverology'? That lofty concept — measuring a government's progress in delivering on its promises — was the vogue in policy circles at the beginning of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's administration. While it's sometimes derided as an empty concept, deliverology must have seemed tailor-made for a new government inheriting a troubled defence procurement system. The Canadian International Trade Tribunal's decision Tuesday to step into the brawl over which multinational consortium will design and support the construction of the navy's new frigates is another lesson in how (apologies to Robert Burns) the best laid plans of mice and men go awry. The tribunal's decision to order Ottawa to put the frigate project on hold pending the completion of their probe into a complaint by a failed bidder comes at a politically awkward time for the Liberals. One week ago, Auditor General Michael Ferguson delivered an ugly report on the Liberals' handling of fighter jet procurement — specifically, the plan to buy interim warplanes to cover the gap until the current CF-18 fleet can be replaced with new aircraft. Self-inflicted wounds A cynic's reflex (given the checkered history of defence purchasing over the last decade) might be to consider these two events as just another day at the office for the troubled government procurement system. That might not be entirely fair. Still, experts were saying Wednesday that the government is suffering from numerous self-inflicted political and administrative wounds on this file. With a federal election on the horizon, and in a climate of growing geopolitical instability, the question of what the government has actually managed to deliver on military procurement is an important one to ask, said Rob Huebert, an analyst in strategic studies at the University of Calgary. While the system, as the Trudeau Liberals and previous governments have constructed it, seems to be the perfect model of the "evidence based" policy making promised by the champions of deliverology, it's also not built for speed. Some would suggest the deliverology model was followed to the letter in the design competition now tied up before the trade tribunal and in Federal Court. What seemed like endless consultations with the bidders took two years. The government made up to 88 amendments to the tender. And in the end, the preferred bid was challenged by a competitor that claims not all of the navy's criteria were met. Alion Science and Technology Corp. and its subsidiary, Alion Canada, argue the warship Lockheed Martin Canada and BAE System Inc. want to sell to Ottawa cannot meet the speed requirements set by the tender without a substantial overhaul. It does not, the company claims, meet the government's demand for a proven, largely off-the-shelf design. Michael Armstrong, who teaches at Brock University and holds a doctorate in management science, said the government could have avoided the challenges and accompanying slowdowns had it been more precise in its language. "They could have been more clear and firm when they use the words 'proven design'," he said. "Did they literally mean we won't buy ships unless they're floating in the water? Or did they mean that British one that doesn't quite exist yet is close enough? "If they would have been more firm and said, 'We want a ship that actually exists,' that might have simplified things at this stage." Huebert described the auditor general's report on the purchase of interim fighters as an all-out assault on evidence-based policy making. "It is just so damning," he said. A break with reality The Conservatives have accused the Liberals of avoiding the purchase of the F-35 stealth jet through manufacturing a crisis by claiming the air force doesn't have enough fighters to meet its international commitments. The auditor found that the military could not meet the government's new policy commitment and even ignored advice that one of its proposed solutions — buying brand-new Super Hornets to fill the capability gap —would actually make their problems worse, not better. That statement, said Huebert, suggested a jaw-dropping break with reality on the government's part. "They [the Liberals] were just making things up," he said. It might have been too optimistic to expect the Liberals to fix the system, said Armstrong, given the short four years between elections. But Huebert said Ottawa can't carry on with business as usual — that the government now must deliver on procurement, instead of doubling down on rhetoric. The problem, he said, is that governments haven't really paid a price in the past for botched military procurement projects. There was "no political pain for the agony of the Sea King replacement, as an example," he said, referring to the two-decade long process to retire the air force's maritime helicopters. "The thing that makes me so concerned, even outraged, is that we are heading into a so much more dangerous international environment," said Huebert, citing last weekend's clash between Russia and Ukraine over the Kerch Strait and ongoing tension with Beijing in the South China Sea. "When things get nasty, we have to be ready." https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/why-can-t-ottawa-get-military-procurement-right-1.4924800

  • UK: Speech by Admiral Sir Philip Jones, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff

    30 novembre 2018 | International, Naval

    UK: Speech by Admiral Sir Philip Jones, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff

    Introduction Good morning everyone, and Nick [Childs, IISS], thank you very much for the introduction, for the invitation for Mike [Noonan, RAN] and I to be here with you all this morning, and to everyone here at IISS for facilitating this event. And a special thanks to Mike. He looks as fresh as a daisy this morning, but he's on a bit of a world tour, taking in London having also taken in some substantial visits in Europe to check on future RAN capability, I'm sure you'll hear more about that later, and then after a trip to Scotland tomorrow to have a look at what a Type 26 looks like, and we'll see the significance of that of course, we're then travelling together to Chile on Thursday night to help them commemorate the 200th Anniversary of their navy. So you've covered a lot of ground as Chief of Navy but for very good reason and it's really good to have you with us, Mike, today. What I wanted to do is to set the scene, before we hear from the Theatre expert, Mike, on the Asia Pacific Region, about how the Royal Navy sees that region and the way we've shifted some of our posture to reflect that in the last year or so. RN Pacific Presence Because it won't have escaped the attention of most of you who are tracking what the Royal Navy does and where it goes that this year has seen a very public return to that region. The deployments of the frigate HMS Sutherland initially, which also went to Australia, the LPD HMS Albion and her embarked Royal Marines, now followed by the frigate HMS Argyll which is in the region as we speak, and then HMS Montrose, who I'll be on board in Chile in a couple of days' time, is then crossing the Pacific to New Zealand and Australia on her way through the region too; so all of that has drawn no small amount of interest and commentary, both in the region and back here in the UK. And I hope that comes as no surprise because those deployments have had in the region, I am told, a really tangible effect. Whether on be operations: helping to enforce UN Security Council Resolutions against the DPRK, or the significant programmes of defence engagement they have been conducting right across the region – Indonesia, Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, Brunei, Japan and of course Australia to name but a few. But why now? Why has that change of focus to the region come now? Importance of the Pacific Those of you who are aficionados of IISS events may have been at their other site in June when, the US CNO, Adm John Richardson, and I spoke at a similar event about the challenges we share together in the maritime domain, challenges that have grown considerably into threats, and threats have both intensified and diversified. And whilst it's perhaps unsurprising that our combined UK/US geographical focus is principally in the Atlantic area, we made the point that the same challenge to freedom and security on the high seas is to be found in many other places in the world, perhaps most notably over the last year or so in the Indo-Pacific region. And that's a region we here in the UK simply can't afford to ignore. As I said at my Sea Power conference at RUSI a few weeks before that IISSevent I did with CNO, we were feeding off the UK Defence Concepts and Doctrine Centre's analysis of Global Strategic Trends which clearly identifies the economic shift towards the Indo-Pacific region; that's already on the way and will only intensify in the years to come When you combine this with the well established importance and growth of global maritime trade, and the UK's ambitions for an enhanced global trade network once we depart from the European Union, it becomes very easy to see why the Indo-Pacific region will be of such strategic importance to this island nation in the years to come – physically separated from that region by several thousand miles though we may be. But this renewed ambition for trade links in the Indo-Pacific, where some of the largest and fastest growing economies reside, does rely on influence in the region; you have to earn your place there. And that's where the key attributes of a navy can come into play, the ability, as one of my predecessors, Adm Sir Mark Stanhope, once put it, to do ‘engagement without embroilment', and that can come into play in support of cross-government objectives. But to paraphrase our Secretary of State for Defence: it's not all about soft power, it's also about being able to back it up with credible, hard power if required. And the way we can proactively contribute to regional maritime security is clearly one component of that. China In any assessment of the Indo-Pacific region, the growing role and influence of China will play a major part. China is the most populous country in the world, it's home to the largest supply of natural resources, it boasts the second largest world economy. So it is perhaps only natural that given their place in world they should look to exert their influence as a world power. And we're seeing this ambition play out very clearly in the maritime domain as the PLA(Navy) evolves from a coastal force to a regional force, and now very clearly a global force; they had 5 different task groups on deployment around the world last year. It's an ambition backed up by a programme of Naval expansion that massively exceeds any other country in the world, including the United States. If you look at the scale of their shipbuilding programme purely in terms of tonnage, it broadly equates to launching the equivalent of the whole Royal Navy or French Navy, every year, and they'll be able to do that for the next 10 years. Combine this with their equally rapid development of tactics and doctrine and it is very clear that they now possess a potent Naval force, equipped and ready to support China's national agenda, and this will be the case more and more in the years to come as they become bigger and more and more capable. Now there are probably differing, even conflicting views as to how this growth in Chinese military capability is to be perceived, but these perceptions are surely influenced in no small part by their recent actions like the militarisation of artificial features in the South China Sea, and I suspect not influenced for the better. UK/China relationship At the national political level, Britain is very clear eyed in its relationship with China, it's a good relationship and one we hope will continue to prosper for all sorts of reasons. And at a Head of Navy level, I'm pleased to say my relationship with Admiral Shen Jinlong, Commander of the PLA(N) is a good one. I visited him in China this year and we had a further meeting at the International Sea Power Symposium in Newport, Rhode Island a couple of months ago. Now unquestionably there were issues on which we do not see eye to eye, but the open, honest and frank discussion we have over a myriad of issues which affect all of us in the maritime domain are open and genuinely valuable, and I thank him for it. But at the same time, to again paraphrase my Defence Secretary, we will not shy away from telling them when we feel that they do not respect the commonly accepted rules and norms of international behaviour, the laws and systems from which we all benefit and therefore have a duty to protect. Specifically, in the Maritime domain, we are committed to ensure that the global commons remain secure and freely available for all mariners who are going about their lawful purpose, anywhere in the world, and we will continue to work to ensure that the laws and conventions that exist to protect those rights are followed. Return to Pacific So it's clear that the Pacific is somewhere the Royal Navy needs to be, in defence of our national interests and to promote our national prosperity, but also to exert our influence in the region as we seek to uphold the rules that have underwritten our collective security since the middle of the last century. But all of this comes after something of a fallow period in the Royal Navy's record of operations in this region, and I'm very keenly aware of that. Following the decision in the 1960s to withdraw naval forces from the region, and the demise of the Far East Fleet in 1971, our last ship, HMS Mermaid, left the Sembawang Basin in Singapore in September 1975. Since then we have seen a steady decline in the Royal Navy's presence in the region, exacerbated further by the withdrawal from Hong Kong in 1997, to the extent that when Sutherland arrived back in the region earlier this year, that was the first Royal Naval presence in the region for 5 years. The stark contrast of this year's near constant presence shows that we've now passed that nadir of presence and engagement, and I think we can now look forward to far closer engagement with our key regional partners there, whether it be in the guise of FPDA activity or bi-lateral and tri-lateral relationships such as our burgeoning relationship we have with Japan, and after Chile I fly on to Japan with Admiral Richardson to have another one of our close tri-lateral meetings with Admiral Murakawa, the head of the Japanese Defence Force. RN/RAN But whilst we may have been removed from the Pacific for a while, we have not lost our links with Pacific-based powers, especially the Royal Australian Navy. Throughout, our 2 navies have continued to enjoy a significant programme of personnel exchanges, building those all important personal relationships, shared experiences and mutual understanding. And at the tactical and operational level, our collective efforts in the Middle East in particular have kept our 2 navies closely aligned. As 2 of the 4 central members around which the 33 nation Combined Maritime Forces coalition has been built over the last 15 years or so, our ships have worked side by side and we have each taken a large share of Task Force Commander responsibilities. And if you've seen in the press in the last couple of days, we've also started to muscle in on the Royal Australian Navy's drug busts as well. In the course of these commitments the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy have shared in a plethora of operational tasking – and no small amount of operational success – be it counter piracy and counter narcotics focussed maritime security tasking right the way through to offensive military action. Going back to 2003, on the gun line off the Al Faw peninsula during 3 Cdo Bde RM's assault, that gunline was HMS Marlborough, HMS Richmond, HMS Chatham and HMAS Anzac. And that Combined approach was far from unprecedented either; 12 years earlier during the 1991 Gulf War, HMS Gloucester and HMS Cardiff had operated in the high end of the Gulf establishing air defence supremacy alongside their Australian counterparts HMAS Brisbane and HMAS Sydney. All of that is evidence of how closely our 2 navies have, and can, integrate with each other. Interoperability I hope we can take it as an established fact that interoperability lies at the heart of successful international partnerships. And that for effective interoperability, how we operate and why we operate is just as important as where we operate and when we operate. So it's about far more than simply our ability for our comms fits to speak to each other – important though that may be. In this sense, the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy are always going to be natural partners. We have those ties that bind our 2 countries together, our common history including being part of the Commonwealth, and we're always going to share near identical outlooks and values, and I would contend that this is especially true in the relationship between our 2 navies. But now we have a generational opportunity to further enhance this Naval partnership. The decision by Australia to buy and operate Type 26 frigates means that our 2 navies will soon be operating common Anti-Submarine Warfare platforms, the Australian Hunter class working side by side with our near identical Royal Navy City Class. And if you add to that our common outlook on how we generate these common platforms, how we bring that capability and its characteristics into service, it's but a short leap to see that we can find a way to operate them more closely together. And therein lies the opportunity to set the gold standard for interoperability – in the Asia-Pacific region, in Combined Maritime Forces and more widely amongst the ‘Five Eyes' community. And if the Type 26 has a coalescing effect for Combined RN/RAN operations, it will surely enhance our Anti-Submarine Warfare strategic partnership too, and Admiral Mike and I have signed an agreement today to push that between our too navies. There's no small amount of truth in the old adage that ‘2 heads are better than 1'. So the ability to tap into all of the skills, knowledge and experience that our navies both share, to address the future challenges in the underwater battlespace that we know we face, I think that makes a really powerful partnership. US and Regional Leadership Potent though this combined force may be, I think it would be remiss of me not to reflect on the predominant Naval power in the Pacific, which of course remains the US Navy, a navy with whom both the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy also work incredibly closely. Given the number of maritime facing nations in the Indo-Pacific region, some of which may be small but all of which are rightly proud and keen to play their part, leadership opportunities abound. And working alongside the USN, there's no doubt that there's something the Royal Australian Navy can provide in leadership through the region, which is significant; providing the lead for other navies to follow and providing a unifying role within the region. And I think this is something our 2 navies very much have in common. Just as the Royal Australian Navy provides that leading role within the Pacific, I would like to think the same can be said for the Royal Navy's corresponding leadership role in the Atlantic and the adjoining seas, bringing together, in our case, principally European navies to work together alongside the US, in our case most often under the framework of NATO. So the leadership role we play in our respective oceans is a real point of connection for us, and I hope this is something that will allow the Royal Navy to quickly begin to deliver effect alongside the RAN in the Pacific. I hope that this work, the unifying effect that we can bring with the Royal Australian Navy, can achieve within the region the leadership opportunity that I think is there, and by bringing to bear our mutual close relationship with the US Navy and a host of other navies in the region, I think this can have a powerful effect. Conclusion A few weeks ago we marked the centenary of the armistice that brought to an end the First World War. The Royal Australian Navy might only have been formed 3 years before the outbreak of that war, but from the very outset our 2 navies were entirely compatible. The Royal Australian Navy had almost all its major units operating as part of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet in the North Sea for most of the Great War, and the Royal Naval Division landed directly alongside the Anzacs at Gallipoli. In the Second World War, 5 Australian destroyers distinguished themselves repeatedly as part of Admiral Cunningham's Mediterranean fleet and over 1,000 Australians were serving in the Royal Navy on D Day. Through the subsequent campaigns in Korea and Malaya, and right up to the present with those 2 recent conflicts in the Arabian Gulf, our 2 navies have been at each other's side. It's a partnership steeped in history. But it's also modern, forward looking, and it's hugely valued, certainly on my side, and I look forward to seeing it grow in the future. So I'm hugely grateful to Mike for being here today and for all your team is doing to lean so heavily in to the optimisation of this relationship. Because as we re-assert our presence in your region I have no doubt our cooperation with you will continue to feature very heavily. https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/iiss-global-partnerships-event-2018

  • Air Spray wins Manitoba aerial firefighting contract

    30 novembre 2018 | Local, Aérospatial, Sécurité

    Air Spray wins Manitoba aerial firefighting contract

    Air Spray Ltd. announced that is has been awarded a contract for aerial firefighting by the Government of Manitoba. The Wildfire Suppression Services Contract has been issued by the Manitoba Sustainable Development Agency and is for a period of 10 years. Air Spray will be working in partnership with Babcock International to carry out the contract. The contract includes the management, maintenance and operation of Manitoba's fleet of seven Canadair water-bomber amphibious aircraft (four CL-415s and three CL-215s), supported by three Twin Commander “bird-dog” aircraft. Manitoba will retain ownership of the water-bomber aircraft, parts, inventory, special tools and equipment but will transfer care and custody to the contractors. Based on operations in prior years, the Wildfire Suppression Service will provide approximately 1,400 flying hours and 3,750 water drops per year. Operations will cover the entire province of Manitoba (649,950 square kilometres) and will help to protect communities in a population of 1.3 million people. Lynn Hamilton, owner and president of Air Spray Ltd., responded that “the province of Manitoba can be assured that our years as a leader in the airtanker industry and experience fighting wildfires throughout Western Canada can be relied on to provide outstanding service to the province. The award of the contract is expected to provide Air Spray with additional future opportunities associated with the CL415 aircraft platform and enable us to further our dedication to the protection of our environment from wildfire.” Mike Whalley, president of Babcock Canada, commented: “Babcock has over 30 years of fixed- and rotary-wing aerial firefighting experience throughout Europe. In 2017, our aircraft and crews carried out over 5,500 firefighting missions, dropped 174 million litres of water and logged over 20,000 hours in support of wildfire suppression. “We deliver a fully integrated and professional aerial firefighting management service, underpinned by technology investments and mission specialist pilot training. We are delighted and honoured that the Government of Manitoba has entrusted us with this critical service, and we look forward to serving the province and protecting the natural resources and communities of Manitoba.” https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/air-spray-wins-manitoba-aerial-firefighting-contract/

  • Japan sets naval-friendly requirement in search to replace AH-1S Cobra fleet

    30 novembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial

    Japan sets naval-friendly requirement in search to replace AH-1S Cobra fleet

    By: Mike Yeo Correction: Airbus has not confirmed its H145 multipurpose helicopter will be chosen to compete in Japan's search for a new attack helicopter. TOKYO — Japan is requiring its new attack helicopters be equipped for shipboard operations, as the country looks to replace its legacy Bell/Fuji Heavy Industries AH-1S Cobra attack helos. Japan's request for information issued earlier this year called for the new helicopters to be marinized and able to operate from “expeditionary airfields or sea bases,”, said retired Lt. Gen. George Trautman, an adviser to Bell. Speaking to Defense News at the Japan International Aerospace Exhibition in Tokyo, the former U.S. Marine aviator and commander of Marine Corps aviation said the RFI requested pricing and information for “30, 40 and 50” helicopters. He added that a request for proposals is expected in the next three to four months. Apart from Bell's AH-1Z Viper offer, Japanese firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is proposing its UH-60J/JA Black Hawk helicopter fitted with stub wings and weapons stations. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has produced several variants of the Black Hawk and SH-60 Seahawk for the Japan Self-Defense Forces under licence with Sikorsky since the 1990s. European manufacturer Airbus confirmed to Defense News that it is not offering its Tiger attack helicopter, and has not made a final decision on its offering. The company already has a footprint in Japan, as local emergency medical services operate the civilian H145, manufactured by Airbus. The company has also announced it is adding a maintenance, repair and overhaul complex adjacent to its existing facility in Kobe, Japan. Other possible contenders for the competition include Boeing with the AH-64E Apache as well as Italy's Leonardo with its AW249 attack helicopter currently in development. Japan already uses the Apache, with 13 license-produced AH-64Ds currently in service. However, this was a much smaller number than the 62 helicopters it originally planned to manufacture, and like neighboring South Korea, Japan is reportedly unimpressed with the performance of the Apache's Longbow radar. https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/japan-aerospace/2018/11/29/japan-sets-naval-friendly-requirement-in-search-to-replace-ah-1s-cobra-fleet

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