Nouvelles

November 16, 2020 - RUAG Simulation & Training has confirmed its capabilities for full remote monitoring and supervision support for Live training systems on behalf of a European customer. The comprehensive event specifically featured the inclusion of after-action review (AAR) reporting and analysis and was provided to full customer satisfaction. The remote supervision was supported from Switzerland and enabled the customer's scheduled training to proceed in keeping with pandemic guidelines. RUAG Simulation & Training supported army and police forces, deploying force-on-force and Mobile Combat Training Center (CTC) services featuring Gladiator Modular Tactical Engagement Training System. RUAG Simulation & Training's competency for full remote supervision, including data transfer necessary to AAR, was proven within the scope of laser-based force-on-force training exercises. The implementation of the remote protocols was a prerequisite to ensuring highest training fidelity despite COVID-19 pandemic conditions. Remote supervision offset the need for the standard on-site presence of two to four professional supervisors, assuring that international travel from Switzerland was avoided. The customer experienced a reliable and realistic training and a thorough and accurate AAR debriefing, all within their protected training-site environment. The scheduled training, featuring a special operations program, proceeded according to plan, with multiple units and their various specialisations included within the Live system. RUAG's Gladiator Supervision Equipment ensured the data transmitted from positioning and interaction sensors, from the various modules, components and participants comprised in the Mobile CTC Live system, was recorded and analysed for an effective AAR. This achievement strengthened collaboration in an ongoing series of comprehensive laser-based force-on-force trainings commissioned by the customer. The Training-as-a-Service approach included full rental of Gladiator Modular Tactical Engagement Training System components and local consultants for operational system checks and servicing. Together with the customer, the team from RUAG Simulation & Training defined system configuration and component needs to target highest training fidelity and performance accuracy within budget guidelines. RUAG Simulation & Training AG is a professional and trusted partner for Live, Virtual and Constructive (LVC) simulation & training solutions. Combining cutting-edge technology with an unparalleled depth of experience, RUAG develops affordable products tailored to training goals and designed for saving lives and protecting assets in the complex environment of today's and tomorrow's battlefields. Gladiator Modular Tactical Engagement Training Systems enable live conflict scenario simulations to proceed at the highest levels of fidelity. __________________________________________________________ RUAG MRO International is an independent supplier, support provider and integrator of systems and components for civil and military aviation worldwide. It also develops and supports simulation and training systems and solutions for international trained security forces. Highly specialized in the support of aircraft and helicopters throughout their entire life cycle, the company includes maintenance, repair and overhaul services, upgrades, and the development, manufacture and integration of subsystems and components in their service portfolio. In addition, as the manufacturer (OEM) of the Dornier 228, a versatile aircraft for special missions as well as passenger and cargo operations, RUAG International focuses on customer support solutions, including OEM services. Moreover, RUAG MRO International is a developer, OEM and system support provider for simulation and training systems technology for live, virtual and constructive (LVC) training. Complex and flexible functions, and a holistic approach, support realistic training scenarios, adapted to mission goals, at individual, team and unit instruction levels. View source version on RUAG : https://www.ruag.com/en/news/ruag-international-implements-full-remote-supervision-support-live-simulation-training-system

By: Eric Chewning and Frank Coleman III After years of growth, defense budgets will likely flatten (or decline). In such a financial environment, the U.S. Department of Defense will consider trade-offs between funding modernization, sustaining legacy equipment and preserving force structure. These hard choices will be informed by the DoD's strategic acquisition priorities, which will likely continue to reflect the need for innovation around leading-edge capabilities in areas like space, C5ISR, long-range precision fires, unmanned vehicles and artificial intelligence. To support these evolving mission requirements, the defense industry will need to ensure the industrial base is able to deliver technological advantage. This requires attracting world-class talent as well as the necessary financial capital to operate global industrial enterprises. Attracting these resources requires continued value creation through growth and return on invested capital improvements. But in a down budget environment, where is this growth to come from? While many will think organic growth is the best value-creating option (and often is), the answer also lies in augmenting a classic portfolio strategy with a systematic approach to transactions. Mergers and acquisitions are a proven growth accelerant for defense companies, and have generated superior shareholder returns and greater resilience for companies that have pursued it systematically. At first glance, this may simply seem like an obvious description of recent history. The aerospace and defense sector, after all, has seen rapid consolidation in the last five years, with deals worth $358 billion struck between 2015 and 2019, three times the total between 2010 and 2014. The problem for defense companies looking for more of the same is that this wave of consolidation now appears to have run its course. The combined market value of the top five defense hardware players is now more than four times that of the next five; so even as further mega-deals are theoretically possible, they will be increasingly difficult to execute, underscoring the value of programmatic M&A. Distinct from selective or organic deal-making approaches, programmatic M&A involves a company conducting two or more small or midsized deals per year, with an aggregate value greater than 15 percent of its market capitalization over five years, that align with their overall corporate strategy (which is hopefully linked to the “fast streams” of growth in the budget (see exhibit below)). These deals get choreographed around a specific business case, such as scaling or integrating vital digital capabilities, and are rooted in a disciplined appraisal of transactions. In the defense industry, programmatic M&A should be deployed against a strategy supported by the customer's need for innovation, lower costs and better mission outcomes for the war fighter. Our analysis shows that over the last decade, few defense companies took a programmatic approach to M&A. Those who did outperformed their peers in total shareholder returns by 10.4 percent. M&A was also an important key to resilience during the last defense spending downturn in 2007-2011: The top quintile of outperforming companies, as well as optimizing cash and flexing capex, used it as an opportunity to grow less cyclical parts of the business and build digital capabilities. Defense companies may be deterred by the current market environment, featuring stretched valuations, competition from institutional capital and a squeeze on mid-tier players. They may be cautious about the challenge of integrating smaller nondefense acquisitions into company processes and culture — a process that is easier to get wrong than right to be sure. The very complexity of these circumstances creates opportunities for bold players to differentiate themselves from their peers, align their strategies with national defense priorities and add significant value for shareholders. When done well, programmatic M&A can form a central pillar of their growth strategy. With a proactive approach to deal sourcing, holistic diligence, and in-house execution and integration expertise, companies can establish M&A as a critical capability and avoid the risks of reactive, one-off projects. In the challenging environment that confronts the defense industry today, those who act boldly will succeed in creating enduring businesses that can adapt to the evolving needs of the national defense. Eric Chewning and Frank Coleman III are partners at McKinsey and Company. Chewning previously served as chief of staff in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and before that as the Pentagon's industrial chief. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/11/16/why-defense-firms-need-to-get-systematic-about-ma-big-and-small/

NAVY General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is awarded a $9,473,511,245 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-2117. The contract modification exercises an option for construction and test of the lead and second ships of the Columbia class SSBN 826 and SSBN 827, as well as associated design and engineering support. This modification to the integrated product and process development (IPPD) contract supports the fiscal 2021 construction start of the lead ship (SSBN 826) and advance procurement, advance construction, coordinated material buys and full construction of the follow hull (SSBN 827) in fiscal 2024. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut (36%); Newport News, Virginia (25%); Quonset Point, Rhode Island (17%); with other efforts performed at various sites throughout the U.S. (each less than 1%) (22%), and is expected to be completed by April 2030. Efforts within the ship include the Common Missile Compartment which is a joint U.S./United Kingdom effort. Fiscal 2021 National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund (NSBDF) funding in the amount of $545,186,307 (96%); and fiscal 2020 NSBDF funding in the amount of $19,936,251 (4%) will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This action leverages the acquisition authorities contained in 10 U.S. Code §2218a, NSBDF. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Raytheon Co., Tewksbury, Massachusetts, was awarded a $94,039,953 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-5145 to exercise options and realign funding for DDG 1000 ship class integrated logistics support and engineering services. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Rhode Island (41%); Tewksbury, Massachusetts (36%); Los Angeles, California (8%); San Diego, California (5%); Ft. Wayne, Indiana (4%); Marlboro, Massachusetts (4%); Bath, Maine (1%); and Nashua, New Hampshire (1%), and is expected to be completed by October 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $10,980,000 was 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. (Awarded Nov. 2, 2020) The Boeing Co., Seattle, Washington, is awarded a $14,181,537 modification (P00009) to firm-fixed-price order (2017) against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-16-G-0001. This modification exercises options for production, delivery and installation of 24 P-8A Poseidon Increment III Block I retrofit kits for the Navy. Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington (98.7%); and Mesa, Arizona (1.3%), and is expected to be completed in November 2022. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds for $14,181,537 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. Progeny Systems Corp., Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $9,428,513 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-reimbursable modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-6267 to exercise options for engineering services. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia, and is expected to be completed in December 2021. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) (88%); and fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) (12%) funding in the amount of $3,900,000 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. AIR FORCE Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $53,190,386 hybrid cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price modification (P00067) to contract FA8615-12-C-6016 for miscellaneous support for 50 retrofit aircraft to the Taiwan F-16 Peace Phoenix Rising program. This modification provides for contractor over and above support and acquisition of legacy aircraft hardware and equipment. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas; and Taiwan, and is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2023. Foreign Military Sales funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. CORRECTION: The contract awarded on Oct. 30, 2020, to BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland, for $13,365,920, listed the incorrect contract number. The correct contract number is FA8720-21-F-0042. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Outdoor Venture Corp.,** Stearns, Kentucky, has been awarded a maximum $37,464,448 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Modular General Purpose Tent System and components. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses received. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. Location of performance is Kentucky, with a Nov. 4, 2021, ordering period end date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-21-D-1404). *Small business **Small business in historically underutilized business zones https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2416815/source/GovDelivery/

DEFENSE Financement de l'industrie de défense française : quelles solutions hors du secteur bancaire ? La Tribune consacre un article détaillé au problème du financement de l'industrie de défense, les entreprises se trouvant exclues «de plus en plus souvent», selon le ministère des Armées, du bénéfice de financements (prêts et crédits) par le secteur bancaire français. Des refus motivés par des raisons d'image, selon la sénatrice Hélène Conway-Mouret. Interrogé le 21 octobre par les sénateurs lors d'une audition à la commission des affaires étrangères et de la défense, le Délégué général pour l'armement (DGA), Joël Barre, a confirmé que «les entreprises de défense se heurtent de plus en plus fréquemment à un phénomène de frilosité bancaire». Un constat partagé par deux sénateurs de la commission des affaires étrangères et de la défense, Pascal Allizard (Les Républicains) et Michel Boutant (PS), auteurs d'un rapport d'information sur la base industrielle et technologique de défense (BITD). Le ministère dispose d'outils de soutien et d'accompagnement des PME, ETI et start-up de défense, à travers les fonds Definvest et Definnov. Pascal Allizard et Michel Boutant estimaient toutefois dans leur rapport qu'il manque à ce jour «un ou des fonds français de taille à financer ce type d'investissements, dès lors que l'entreprise en question aurait été jugée stratégique». Les entreprises du secteur peuvent également bénéficier du prêt Sofired-PME Défense géré également par Bpifrance, qui finance les projets de développement ou de croissance externe des PME à hauteur d'un prêt participatif de 100 000 à 1 million d'euros, en complément d'un cofinancement bancaire. L'Agence de l'innovation de défense (AID) dispose également d'un outil de financement dédié aux PME, le Régime d'Appui pour l'Innovation Duale (RAPID). Au niveau européen, Le Fonds européen de défense (FED), qui doit être doté de 9 milliards d'euros dans la proposition de Cadre financier Pluriannuel 2021-2027 de l'Union européenne, vise à apporter un soutien financier notamment via l'octroi de subventions aux projets, collaboratifs en matière de défense. Ce fonds valorise la participation de PME aux projets, et dispose de capacités à accompagner certains projets portés exclusivement par des PME. La Tribune du 17 novembre

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Seapower Staff MCLEAN, Va. — BAE Systems has been awarded a five-year, $94 million single-award indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract to deliver advanced technology capability to the U.S. Navy. Building on 40 years of support to the U.S. Navy, this award from the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division's (NAWCAD) Webster Outlying Field (WOLF) enables the company to provide engineering, test, and evaluation support for sensors as well as communication, control, and weapons systems for various manned and unmanned airborne platforms. “We are bringing new advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and autonomy to the Airborne Systems Integration Division,” said Mark Keeler, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems' Integrated Defense Solutions business. “Our state-of-the-art digital engineering capabilities, and extensive experience in integrating airborne systems are further strengthening the warfighter's ability to meet mission requirements and ensuring combat readiness in the field.” The award recognizes BAE Systems' investments in the development of model-based systems engineering capabilities. The company's ADAMS architecture provides a digital environment for systems engineering across multidisciplinary, multi-organization teams and stakeholders. On this contract, the company will use its innovative tools and methods such as digital engineering to create the digital thread that provides full design traceability to requirements, improved collaboration, and a digital repository for the Airborne Systems Integration Division. https://seapowermagazine.org/bae-systems-secures-94m-contract-to-deliver-advanced-tech-to-navy/

Posted on November 12, 2020 by Seapower Staff MCLEAN, Va. — BAE Systems has been awarded contracts worth more than $30 million to produce and integrate a mission-critical information warfare platform for U.S Navy vessels to help Sailors execute their missions and remain connected while at sea, the company said in a Nov. 11 release. The U.S Navy has issued two task orders for Consolidated Afloat Network Enterprise Services (CANES) for two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, a Virginia-class submarine, and two Blue Ridge-class command ships. “These two task orders permit us to continue our high-quality, high volume production and integration service, assembling and delivering CANES to the Navy safely and affordably,” said Mark Keeler, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems' Integrated Defense Solutions business. “CANES takes advantage of commercial-off-the-shelf insertion, which brings operational agility to the warfighter and savings to the U.S. Navy.” Under the first task order from the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) San Diego, BAE Systems will produce fully integrated CANES racks for two command ships, which are expected to be completed by February 2022. Under the second task order, the company will produce fully integrated CANES racks for two destroyers and a submarine, which are expected to be completed by March 2022. Work will be performed at BAE Systems' 281,000 square-foot state-of-the-art production facility in Summerville, South Carolina. CANES consolidates and enhances five existing legacy network programs and it serves as a single support framework for all command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) applications that require dedicated infrastructure to operate. https://seapowermagazine.org/bae-systems-secures-new-contracts-for-production-of-the-u-s-navys-canes/

Andrew Eversden WASHINGTON — BAE Systems was awarded two task order contracts to provide and integrate an information warfare platform aboard five U.S. Navy vessels, the company announced Nov. 11. Under the two task orders, worth more than $30 million, BAE will integrate the platforms into the Navy's Consolidated Afloat Network Enterprise Services — the Navy's tactical afloat network. "These two task orders permit us to continue our high-quality, high volume production and integration service, assembling and delivering CANES to the Navy safely and affordably,” Mark Keeler, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems' Integrated Defense Solutions business, said in a statement. “CANES takes advantage of commercial-off-the-shelf insertion, which brings operational agility to the warfighter and savings to the U.S. Navy.” Under the first task order, BAE will produce two fully integrated CANES racks for two Blue Ridge-class command ships, according to the release. That work is expected to be completed by February 2022. The company will provide the same services for two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and a Virginia-class submarine under the second task order, expected to be completed by March 2022. Work will be performed at the BAE Systems facility in Summerville, South Carolina. Naval Information Warfare Systems Command in San Diego, California, awarded the contracts. BAE Systems also announced earlier this week that it won a five-year, $94 million indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to deliver engineering, test and evaluation support for sensors, in addition to communication, control, and weapons systems for manned and unmanned air platforms. The contract was awarded by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. "We are bringing new advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and autonomy to the Airborne Systems Integration Division,” Keeler said in a news release. “Our state-of-the-art digital engineering capabilities, and extensive experience in integrating airborne systems are further strengthening the warfighter's ability to meet mission requirements and ensuring combat readiness in the field.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/it-networks/2020/11/12/bae-systems-wins-several-naval-it-contracts/

DEFENSE MICROELECTRONICS ACTIVITY Globalfoundries U.S. 2 LLC, Hopewell Junction, New York, has been awarded a ceiling increase of $400,000,000 under modification P00068 to previously awarded contract HQ0727-16-C-0001 for access to leading edge, current and legacy microelectronics and trusted processes for the Department of Defense and other federal agencies. Increase in interest for leading edge technology and lifetime orders for end of life technology initiated the need for this ceiling increase. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $1,114,632,911 from $714,632,911. Work will be performed at Burlington, Vermont; East Fishkill, New York; and Malta, New York, with an expected completion date of March 31, 2021. The contract is being incrementally funded and no funds are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Microelectronics Activity, McClellan, California, is the contracting activity. NAVY AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corp., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is awarded a $171,047,763 modification (P00006) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N61340-20-C-0007. This modification exercises options for the production and delivery of 36 TH-73A aircraft in support of the Advanced Helicopter Training System program. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (87%); Mineral Wells, Texas (5%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (8%), and is expected to be completed in December 2022. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $171,047,763 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. J. Walter Thompson U.S.A. LLC, doing business as Wunderman Thompson, Atlanta, Georgia, is awarded an $80,056,529 modification to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract M95494-19-C-0020. This modification exercises Option Period One to furnish supplies and services to enhance the Marine Corps' recruiting efforts. These services include a full range of services from the development of a tactical advertising strategy to the production of a wide-range of advertising formats (e.g., television, radio, print media, internet and direct marketing). Work will be performed in Atlanta, Georgia, with an expected completion date of December 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $80,056,529 are obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Installations Command Contracting Office, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Honeywell International Inc., Tempe, Arizona, is awarded a $72,944,708 for a long-term, firm-fixed-priced requirements contract for the repair of six weapon repairable assemblies in support of the V-22 aircraft. This contract includes a five-year base period with no options. Work will be performed in Torrance, California (44%); Tucson, Arizona (35%); San Diego, California (15%); and Tempe, Arizona (6%). Work is expected to be completed by November 2025. Annual working capital funds (Navy) will be obligated as individual task orders are issued and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One firm was solicited for this non-competitive requirement under authority 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), with one offer received. The Naval Supply Systems Command, Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00383-21-D-XP01). Raytheon Co., El Segundo, California, is awarded a $53,440,000 modification (P00004) to previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-fee contract N00019-20-C-0001. This modification exercises an option to procure 16 AN/APG-79(V)4 radar systems. Additionally, this modification includes software, obsolescence management, engineering support and associated technical, financial and administrative data necessary for retrofit integration into the F/A-18C/D aircraft for the Marine Corps. Work will be performed in Forest, Mississippi (41.1%); El Segundo, California (32.6%); Andover, Massachusetts (18.3%); and Dallas, Texas (8%), and is expected to be completed in June 2022. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $53,440,000 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. Vigor Marine LLC, Portland, Oregon, is awarded a $24,049,402 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-4447 to support USS Chosin (CG 65) extended dry-docking selected restricted availability. Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington, and is expected to be complete by October 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $24,049,402 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Everett, Washington, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, California, has been awarded an $81,866,402 cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price modification (P00014) to contract FA8620-18-C-2009 for the U.K. MQ-9B Protector program. This modification provides for the design, development, integration and component-level testing of additional capabilities being added to the baseline program. Work will be performed in Poway, California, and is expected to be completed Aug. 31, 2021. Total cumulative face value of the contract is not-to-exceed $174,889,865. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $71,563,692 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, Greenville, Texas, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $24,500,078 cost-plus-fixed-fee undefinitized contract action for procurement of Group B material and the Ground System Integration Lab. Work will be performed in Greenville, Texas, and is expected to be completed March 2024. This contract involves 100% Foreign Military Sales (FMS). This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. FMS funds in the amount of $14,006,934 are being obligated at the time of award. The 645th Aeronautical Systems Group, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-19-F-4872 P00005). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Baxter Healthcare Corp., Deerfield, Illinois, has been awarded a maximum $40,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for infusion pumps and accessories. This was a competitive acquisition with 105 offers received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Illinois, with a Nov. 11, 2025, 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-0001). Cummins Inc., Commercial and Government Entity, Memphis, Tennessee, has been awarded an estimated $24,869,181 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment for multiple weapon systems program support. 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 two-year base contract with four two-year option periods. Location of performance is Tennessee, with a Nov. 11, 2022, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Columbus, Ohio (SPE7LX-21-D-0007). ARMY Tutor Perini Corp., Sylmar, California, was awarded a $25,998,795 firm-fixed-price contract for renovation of the Cadet Field House at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 24, 2022. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Air Force) funds in the amount of $25,998,795 were obligated at the time of the award. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity (W9128F-21-C-0004). *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/article/2413459/source/govdelivery/

By: Andrew Chuter LONDON – Defense and space industries are among nearly twenty sectors named by the British government in the introduction of new legislation Nov. 11 aimed at tightening regulations allowing it to block potentially hostile direct foreign investment. The government said the National Security and Investment Bill will strengthen its ability to investigate and intervene in mergers, acquisitions and other types of deals potentially posing a threat to British national security. Artificial intelligence, robotics, military or dual-use technologies, satellite and space technologies, defense and critical suppliers to the government were among 17 industry sectors included in the new legislation. The new powers allow the government to act against investors from any country, including the United States. “Under the National Security and Investment Bill, the government will be taking a targeted, proportionate approach to ensure it can scrutinize, impose conditions on or, as a last resort, block a deal in any sector where there is an unacceptable risk to national security,” said the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial strategy in a statement. The acquisition of sensitive assets and intellectual property, as well as the acquisition of companies is covered by the legislation. The government said the move brings British legislation into the 21st century. Reporting of deals in the sectors covered by the legislation will be mandatory and companies could face heavy fines and the transactions made void if they fail to get approval from the Business department. Britain's effort to shut the door on unwelcome investors like the Chinese is part of a growing trend among Western nations. Earlier this year the United States introduced mandatory notification requirements for transactions concerning specified types of businesses as part of a broader program of reform. The Australian government have also introduced legislation requiring foreign investors to seek approval to acquire a direct interest in sensitive national security businesses. The powers pending before parliament are similar to those already in place with allies like France, Germany and Italy, said the government. Paul Everitt , the chief executive of the defense, aerospace and security lobby group ADS, welcomed the move but said it was important the government didn't deter overseas investors. “The government's plans must strike an appropriate balance between putting protections in place and continuing to ensure the UK remains an attractive environment for international investment,” said Everitt. Consultant Howard Wheeldon, of Wheeldon Strategic Advisory, also supported the government action, but he cautioned: “Does it [the legislation] have sufficient teeth? We certainly need to protect our specialist industry but we must also ensure and expect the playing field to be kept level.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/11/12/britain-moves-to-protect-its-defense-industry-from-foreign-influence/