Nouvelles

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

OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 10, 2020 /CNW/ - From humanitarian assistance to high-intensity conflicts, the Royal Canada Navy's future fleet will perform a wide range of missions requiring advanced technology and multi-role versatility. Lockheed Martin's latest generation SPY-7 radar and Canadian-developed Combat Management System (CMS 330) will form the backbone of the Canadian Surface Combatant. Under a contract awarded by Irving Shipbuilding Inc. in September 2020 for the SPY-7 radar system, CSC will have the capability to keep Canada's sailors safe and prepared in the face of modern threats. "We optimized the CSC ship design with this particular radar to ensure the Royal Canadian Navy can fulfill a variety of missions with its flexible architecture," commented Gary Fudge, vice president and general manager, Lockheed Martin Canada Rotary and Mission Systems. "Partnering with our teammates, Lockheed Martin Canada has also begun the technology transfer of selected components of the radar system to Canadian suppliers for design, construction and implementation. The work in Canada will open doors to a new export market for local industry, producing high value jobs in Quebec and across the country through subcontractors and suppliers involved in the production." Canada has secured the world's most versatile radar technology to deliver an integrated fire control system. SPY-7 is a modular and scalable solid-state radar that provides continuous surveillance, protection, and an exceptionally accurate threat picture to its operators. Its scalable, open architecture enables the flexibility to fulfill a variety of missions and expand its capabilities while its modularity provides for ease of maintenance at sea. With planned deployment on more than 24 platforms across four countries, SPY-7 leverages 50 years of continuous evolution and innovation of the U.S Navy's Aegis Combat System. Lockheed Martin has a trusted history of producing, integrating and delivering radars and combat management systems for land, air, undersea and sea-based mission sets. The core building block of the radar (called the "subarray suite") chosen to protect Canada has been directly leveraged from U.S. Government programs and investments. Spain has also selected SPY-7 for its future frigates and Japan has selected SPY-7 for continuous protection of its homeland. In addition to sustaining long-term, high-value jobs, this contract strengthens interoperability and partnership with the U.S. Navy and Royal Canadian Navy. Forming the backbone of Canada's future fleet, the SPY-7 radar and CMS 330 Combat Management System will support and protect the men and women of the Royal Canadian Navy for the next 40+ years. About Lockheed Martin Canada Headquartered in Ottawa, Lockheed Martin Canada is the Canadian unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation, a global security and aerospace company that employs some 110 000 people worldwide. Lockheed Martin Canada has been Canada's trusted defence partner for 80 years, specializing in the development, integration, and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services. The company employs over 1000 employees at major facilities in Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, Calgary, and Victoria, working on a wide range of major programs spanning the aerospace, defence, and commercial sectors. SOURCE Lockheed Martin https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/royal-canadian-navy-to-be-protected-with-lockheed-martin-s-advanced-and-versatile-spy-7-radar-under-newly-signed-contract-805682582.html

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Seapower Staff WASHINGTON — The State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Canada of Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) Block IIIC missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $500 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a release. The Government of Canada has requested to buy 100 Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) Block IIIC missiles and 100 Mk13 Vertical Launch System canisters modified to employ the SM-2 Block IIIC missile. The proposed also would include “obsolescence engineering; integration and test activity associated with production of subject missiles; canister handling and loading/unloading equipment and associated spares; training and training equipment/aids; technical publications and data; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support; and other related elements of logistical and program support, the release said. This proposed sale will provide Canada with SM-2 Block IIIC missiles for installation on its planned 15 Canadian Surface Combatant ships, ensuring its ability to operate alongside U.S. and Allied naval forces against the full spectrum of naval threats. The principal U.S. contractor will be Raytheon Missiles and Defense, Tucson, Arizona. https://seapowermagazine.org/state-dept-approves-possible-sm-2-block-iic-missile-sale-to-canada/

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/

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) released the latest details on the configuration of its next generation frigates: the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC). They will be heavily armed, featuring Naval Strike Missiles, Tomahawk and both ESSM and Sea Ceptor! The RCN last week unveiled a PDF document shedding light on the latest configuration retained for its next gen class of frigate: the CSC. Naval News contacted various sources familiar with the program to confirm the selection of a number of systems listed in the document. What stands out in this new document is fact that the CSC will be fitted with a wide range of weapons, both offensive and defense, in a mix never seen before in any surface combatant. Naval Strike Missile (NSM) While NSM launchers were shown in the past on CSC scale models at various tradeshows (Surface Navy and Sea Air Space), the CSC model on display at DSEI 2019 was showing Harpoon launchers aboard the frigate To our knowledge, it is the first time that an official Royal Canadian Navy lists the NSM as the main anti-surface warfare (ASuW) weapon for the CSC. Contacted by Naval News, an industry source said Kongsberg was close to finalizing the deal. NSM has an operational range of 100 nautical miles (185 Km) and a high subsonic speed. It uses Inertial, GPS and terrain-reference navigation and imaging infrared homing (with a target database aboard the missile). The NSM is a fifth generation anti-sip missile, produced by Kongsberg and managed in the U.S. by Raytheon. NSM reached Initial Operational Capability on the Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates and Skjold-class corvettes in 2012. It is also fielded by the Polish Navy (coastal defense batteries) and has been selected by the navies of Malaysia and Germany. NSM was also selected in 2018 as the winner of the U.S. Navy Over-The-Horizon Weapon System (OTH WS) competition and by the USMC last year. It will be fitted aboard the Littoral Combat Ship and the Constellation-class frigates. In the case of Canada, is selected, the NSM will likely be sourced from Raytheon via an FMS deal, rather than procured directly from Norway. Tomahawk land attack cruise missile If Tomahawk missiles end up in the CSC weapons package, this would be quite significant. So far, Raytheon's land attack cruise missile has only been exported to the United Kingdom in its submarine launched variant. Canada would become the second export customer for the missile and the only navy, with the US Navy to deploy it from surface vessels. Naval News contacted Raytheon for comment but we have not heard back yet. During the Sea Air Space 2019 tradeshow, representatives from Lockheed Martin Canada confirmed to Naval News the MK41 VLS aboard the frigate were “strike length”. The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile that is primarily used by the United States Navy and Royal Navy in ship- and submarine-based land-attack operations. Its latest variant, the RGM/UGM-109E Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM Block IV) has a range of 900 nautical miles (or 1,000 mi / 1,700 km). ESSM and Sea Ceptor The last thing that really caught our attention in the RCN document is the fact that both the ESSM and Sea Ceptor are listed. On paper, the two missiles are direct competitors and redundant: ESSM is a medium-range, all-weather, semi-active radar-guided missile used in surface-to-air and surface-to-surface roles. According to open sources, the RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) has a range of about 27 nautical miles (50 Km) and a top speed of Mach 4+. Unlike ESSM Block 1, the Block 2's active radar homing seeker will support terminal engagement without the launch ship's target illumination radars. The improved ESSM Block 2 will be fielded by the US Navy from 2020. Canada is one of the 12 nations taking part in the NATO-led ESSM consortium and will be deploying the Block 2 variant aboard the future CSC. The will be launched from the Mk41 VLS. The missiles can be “quad packed” in a single cell. According to MBDA, Sea Ceptor is the next-generation, ship-based, all-weather, air defence weapon system. The Weapon System has the capability to intercept and thereby neutralise the full range of current and future threats including combat aircraft and the new generation of supersonic anti-ship missiles. Capable of multiple channels of fire, the system will also counter saturation attacks. It has a range of 25 Km, a speed of Mach 3 and features an active RF seeker. Also known as Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (Maritime) – CAMM(M), this new missiles has already been fielded aboard the Royal Navy's Type 23 frigates and the Royal New Zealand Navy ANZAC-class frigates. Sea Ceptor will also be fitted aboard the future Type 26 frigates. Contacted by Naval News, an MBDA source shed some light on how the Sea Ceptor was selected in addition to the ESSM. The two missiles were not competing against each other. Raytheon's ESSM was selected to provide “point defense”. Instead, MBDA pitched its missile for the RCN's close in weapons system (CIWS) requirement. The Sea Ceptor beat out systems usually used in that role such as the RAM, SeaRam or Phalanx. The final Sea Ceptor configuration aboard the CSC still needs finalized and confirmed but it will likely be 24x missiles launched from Lockheed Martin's Extensible Launching System (ExLS) located amidship. The RCN would become the launch customer for that new launcher alongside the Brazilian Navy (for its new corvette design based on the TKMS MEKO A-100) depending on who signs the contract first. CSC latest configuration Surveillance & Weapon Sensors Solid State 3D Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar – LMC SPY-7 Solid State AESA Target Illuminator – MDA Navigation Radars – X & S Band Electro-Optical and Infrared Systems Electronic Warfare & Countermeasures Suite Radar/Radio ESM Frequency Identification Laser Warning and Countermeasures System Radio Frequency and Electronic Jammers Electronic Decoy System Naval News comments: An industry source informed us that except for the Torpedo decoy systems (to be provided by Ultra) the decoy launchers for CSC and their ammunition is one of the few systems that are still “up in the air”. We were told however that the RCN wants the full range of decoy types available on the market today: Infra red, chaff, corner reflectors, smoke for masking / screening and even offboard active decoys (such as Nulka). The EW suite of the CSC will be known as the RAVEN. Designed by Lockheed Martin Canada, it is based on the RAMSES system currently fitted aboard the Halifax-class frigates. Command & Control Combat Management System – LMC CMS 330 with AEGIS USN Cooperative Engagement Capability – Sensor Netting Integrated Cyber Defence System Integrated Bridge and Navigation System – OSI Internal and External Communication Suite – L3 Harris Aviation Facilities 1 x CH-148 Cyclone Helicopter Space for embarking Remotely Piloted Systems Helo Hauldown and Traverse System – Indal Technologies Inc. Weapons Missile Vertical Launch System 32 Cells – LMC MK 41 Area Air Defence Missiles – Raytheon Standard Missile 2 Point Defence Missiles – Raytheon Evolved Sea Sparrow Naval Fires Support – Raytheon Tomahawk Main Gun System – 127mm Lightweight Torpedoes MK54 & Twin Launch Tubes Close-In Air Defence System – MBDA Sea Ceptor Surface-to-Surface Anti-Ship Missile – Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile 2 x Stabilized Rapid Fire 30mm Naval Gun System – BAE Naval News comments: The main gun is another system on which the RCN has yet to formally make a choice. According to our sources, Italy's Leonardo 127/64 LW is still in competition against BAE System's Mk45 Mod 4. Note that the CSC scale models and illustrations (above) have always shown the American gun. In addition, the UK's Type 26 and Australia's Hunter-class frigates will both use the later naval gun system. A possible FMS of SM-2 Block IIIC missiles for the CSC was approved last week. Reconfigurable Mission & Boat Bays 1 x Rescue Boat – 9 metres 2 x Multi-Role Boats – 9-12 metres Mission Bay Handling System – Rolls Royce Modular Mission Support Capacity – Sea Container, Vehicles, Boats Propulsion & Power Generation Combined Diesel-Electric or Gas Propulsion System (CODLOG) 2 x Electric Motors – GE 1 x Gas Turbine – Rolls Royce MT 30 4 x Diesel Generators – Rolls Royce MTU Integrated Platform Management System – L3 Harris Integrated Underwater Warfare System Towed Low Frequency Active & Passive Sonar – Ultra Electronics Hull-Mounted Sonar – Ultra Electronics Sonar S2150 Towed Torpedo Countermeasures – Ultra Electronics SEA SENTOR S21700 Sonobuoy Processing System – General Dynamics Expendable Acoustic Countermeasures Specifications: Length: 151.4 metres Beam: 20.75 metres Speed: 27 knots Displacement: 7,800 tonnes Navigational Draught: ~8m Range: 7000 nautical miles Class: 15 ships Accommodations: ~204 Naval News comments: The displacement figure (7,800 tonnes) shown on the RCN document is probably the “full load” displacement. For comparison, the official figure for the Royal Navy's Type 26 frigate is 6,900 tons standard displacement while the official figure for the Royal Australian Navy's Hunter-class frigate is 8,800 tons at full load. In addition to the PDF unveiled last week, the Royal Canadian Navy Director of Naval Strategy, Captain Nucci, published an article on CSC in USNI's proceedings: “Canada is pursuing a single class of 15 surface combatants for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), unlike some of its allies who are building multiple classes of more specialized ships. A single variant Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) is better than the project's original vision of two variants based on a common hull (the first a task group command/air-defense version, the other a more general-purpose/antisubmarine warfare version). While all naval force structure is essentially driven by national strategic defense and security interests, a single-class solution is based on three principal factors. First, it fits best for Canada's unique naval requirements shaped by its geography, modest fleet size, and the RCN's operational needs. Second, it optimizes effectiveness now and into the future, while responsibly seeking maximum cost efficiencies. Finally, it is an innovative approach that has only recently become both practical and advantageous because of recent technological developments, such as convergence and digitization.” Captain Christopher Nucci, Royal Canadian Navy, Proceedings, USNI, November 2020 https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/11/royal-canadian-navy-unveils-new-details-on-csc-frigates/

AIR FORCE The Boeing Co., Defense, Space & Security, St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $9,800,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for F-15 support for Saudi Arabia. This contract provides for modernization and sustainment of the F-15 Saudi fleet to include such efforts as hardware, software, and interface design, development, integration, test, subsystem and structural component production and installation of future modifications and enhancements to the F-15 Saudi weapon system as well as product support. Work will be performed in St. Louis and as separately specified in individual task and delivery orders and is expected to be completed by November 2025. The ordering period for this contract is five years from the date of contract award plus an option for an additional five year ordering period. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Initial delivery order FA8634-21-F-0015 will be awarded concurrently in the amount of $1,032,649 using FMS modification and development type 4F funds. The F‐15 Division Contracts Branch, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8634‐21‐D‐2703). The 3M Co., St. Paul, Minnesota, has been awarded a $37,460,947 firm-fixed-price modification (P00003) to contract FA8638-20-C-0046 for the production capacity expansion for N95 respirators undefinitized contract action (UCA). This modification definitizes the UCA. Work will be performed in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and is expected to be completed April 30, 2021. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 other procurement funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $125,460,947. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $10,319,026 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Pulsed and Continuous Wave Innovation for Integration and Effects Research (PACIFIER). This contract provides for enhanced experimental and predicative capabilities to address existing and emerging laser systems and to quantify the effects of high power continuous-wave lasers interacting with a variety of materials and targets. Work will be performed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,800,233 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is the contracting activity (FA9451-20-C-0026). (Awarded Sept. 29, 2020) KIDDE Technologies Inc., Wilson, North Carolina, has been awarded a $7,800,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the manufacture of fire cartridge extinguishers. This contract provides for supply of fire cartridge extinguishers for F-35, E-8, E-3, and KC-10 aircraft. Work will be performed in Wilson, North Carolina, and is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2026. This contract involves sales to Joint Partner Nations and Foreign Military Sales countries and is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2021 Joint Strike Fighter funds in the amount of $97,986 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8213-21-D-0001). NAVY RAMSys GmbH, Ottobrunn, Germany, was awarded a €35,324,329 and $35,634,345 firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-18-C-5403) for fiscal 2021 German Navy requirements for Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) MK 49 Guided Missile Launching Systems (GMLS), and associated shipboard hardware and spares. The RAM Guided Missile Weapon System is co-developed and co-produced under an International Cooperative Program between the U.S. and Federal Republic of Germany's governments. RAM is a missile system designed to provide anti-ship missile defense for multiple ship platforms. This contract is to procure material, fabricate parts, assemble, test, and deliver RAM MK 49 GMLSs and spares. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (33%); Ulm, Germany (26%); Roethenbach, Germany (16%); Louisville, Kentucky (12%); Ottobrunn, Germany (10%); and Schrobenhausen, Germany (3%), and is expected to be completed by June 2028. German cooperative funds in the amount of €35,324,329 and $35,634,345 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 under the exception 10 U.S. Code 2304(c) (4), International Agreement. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Awarded Nov. 5, 2020) KBR Diego Garcia LLC, Houston, Texas, is awarded a $61,307,522 modification for the exercise of Option Three under an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operating support services at U.S. Navy Support Facility, Diego Garcia. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $240,038,950. The work to be performed provides for general management and administration services; command and staff (information technology services, information technology support and management, telephone services, telecommunication services, antenna maintenance); public safety (fire protection and emergency services); air operations (ground electronics, airfield facilities, and passenger terminal and cargo handling); port operations; supply (supply services and petroleum, oil and lubricant management and operations, and ship's store service activities); morale, welfare and recreation support; galley; bachelor quarters; facilities support (facility management, facility investment sustainment, restoration and modernization, custodial, pest control, integrated solid waste management, grounds maintenance, and pavement clearance); utilities (electrical, compressed gases, wastewater, steam, hot water and demineralized water and potable water); base support vehicles and equipment; and environmental to provide integrated base operating services. Work will be performed in Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory, and is expected to be completed by November 2021. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy and Air Force); and fiscal 2021 non-appropriated funds in the amount of $42,801,266 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the option period, of which $42,801,266 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Far East, Yokosuka, Japan, is the contracting activity (N62742-17-D-3600). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum, Maryland, is awarded a $33,921,325 cost-plus-fixed-fee job order with a two-year period of performance, to procure supplies, services, and repairs for the AN/ALQ-218 and AN/ALQ-240 systems and their variants. Work will be performed at the Baltimore, Maryland facility and will be completed by November 2022. Contract funds in the amount of $40,000 will be obligated at the time of contract award. Obligated funding is fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement, Navy. In accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), this contract was not competitively procured; only one responsible source and no other sources will satisfy agency requirements. The contracting agency is Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana (N0016421GWS42). Hornbeck Offshore Operators LLC, Covington, Louisiana, is awarded a $9,176,100 firm-fixed-price contract for the Undersea Rescue Command support vessel HOS Dominator in the Eastern Pacific vicinity of San Diego, but may be employed worldwide. This vessel shall function as offshore support vessel primarily for the U.S. West Coast. The vessel's primary mission shall be to support Navy submarine rescue utilizing the Navy Submarine Rescue Chamber Flyaway System, Assessment Underwater Work System, and the Navy Submarine Rescue Diving and Recompression System, including training. The vessel may also serve as escort for submarine sea trials, as well as a diving platform utilizing existing and developing portable diving systems, and other missions as required by the Navy and permitted by the vessel's certifications and classifications. The contract also contains four unexercised options which, if exercised, would increase cumulative contract value to $44,245,122. Work is expected to be completed by November 2025. Fiscal 2021 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $6,787,800 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website, with four proposals received. The Navy's Military Sealift Command Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N32205-21-C-4115). ARMY Turner Construction Co., New York, New York, was awarded a $34,050,240 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a new aircraft hangar facility at Redstone Arsenal. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2022. Fiscal 2020 military construction, Army funds in the amount of $34,050,240 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W91278-21-C-0006). *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/article/2411921/source/govdelivery/

By: Joe Gould , Valerie Insinna , David B. Larter , Andrew Eversden , and Nathan Strout   WASHINGTON ― Senate Republicans on Tuesday introduced a governmentwide, $1.4 trillion spending package, with $696 billion for defense, teeing up negotiations in Congress' tense lame-duck session ― and several fights with House Democrats. The government is operating on a stopgap continuing resolution, or CR, through Dec. 11, and Congress must either pass a deal, or another funding patch, to avoid a government shutdown in the middle of a turbulent presidential transition. A separate COVID-19 relief effort and the annual defense policy bill are also on Capitol Hill's busy to-do list. The Senate must reconcile its long-awaited package of 12 bills with the House, which passed its own bills in July. The Senate's GOP-drafted defense language for fiscal 2021 differs from the House version on the number of Lockheed Martin-made F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to order and funding for a space-based sensor. Compared to the House bill, the Senate version also calls for one fewer Virginia-class submarine and $19 million more in funding for next-generation 5G networks. Though the Senate bill was mostly bipartisan and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., expressed confidence in an eventual deal, the atmosphere for compromise is unclear. The post-election period remains white hot politically, as Republican leaders back President Donatl Trump in his legal challenges of President-elect Joe Biden's electoral win, and as two races to determine control of the Senate face January runoffs. On Tuesday, Democrats chided Republicans over the long-stalled bills. Stopping short of endorsing the effort, Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., criticized the legislation for ignoring the country's COVID-19 relief needs, shortchanging safety net programs and the environment, and wasting money on Trump's border wall. The House passed its $694.6 billion Pentagon spending bill for fiscal 2021 in July as part of a $1.3 trillion package. It included politically charged provisions to set aside $1 million for the Army to rename 10 bases that honor Confederate leaders and to bar the Trump administration from using more Pentagon funds on border wall construction. It would reduce transfer authority from the requested $9.5 billion to $1.9 billion, and place additional oversight mechanisms on the Defense Department's ability to reprogram funds. Here's what stood out in the Senate GOP's latest proposal: Air warfare: The Senate panel would fund a total of 96 F-35s in FY21, 17 jets more than the Pentagon's request and five more than the panel's House counterpart. Its bill added about $1.7 billion for 12 F-35As for the Air Force and five F-35Cs for the Marine Corps and Navy. Though the bill fully funds the B-21 bomber program, many of the Air Force's other major development programs received slight cuts. Funding for one of its biggest priorities, the Advanced Battle Management System, shrank from $302 million to $208 million. The committee cited “poor justification” as a reason for the cuts. The Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance program also would take a hit despite the headline-grabbing first flight of a full-scale demonstrator aircraft, which was disclosed by the service in September. The Air Force wanted $1 billion in FY21 to continue development of NGAD ― a suite of manned and unmanned air superiority technologies that could include a sixth-generation fighter. However, the committee shaved about $70 million off the request. Naval warfare: The bill provides money to buy nine ships, though some argue it's only eight because the LPD-17 was already procured. The total comes to roughly $21.35 billion, or $1.44 billion more than the president's request, but less than the House bill. The ships include one attack submarine (one less than the House bill but a match to what the administration requested), a Constellation-class frigate, two destroyers, and two towing and salvage ships. The Senate bill also calls for nine P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and four E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes, as well as 24 F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters. 5G technology: The bill fully funded the Pentagon's $449 million budget request for defensewide 5G projects, $19 million more than the House. In their budget justification, House appropriators cited “historical underexecution” for its $430 million recommended allocation. The Pentagon is working with industry on multiple ongoing 5G experiments that are underway at military bases across the country. The department recently awarded $600 million in contracts for the effort. Satellites: The bill also adds to frustrations expressed by members of the House at how a new constellation of hypersonic weapon-tracking satellites will be funded. While technically a Missile Defense Agency program, former Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin pushed for the Hypersonic Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor, or HBTSS, to be funded through the Space Development Agency. Leaders of both agencies have insisted that the program remains under MDA's ownership, but legislators have expressed concern over the arrangement and the low level of funding set aside for it. No money was set aside for HBTSS in MDA's budget, while the Space Development Agency's budget included $20 million for the critical sensor. In June, the House Armed Services Committee's' strategic forces subpanel threatened to transfer MDA away from the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, placing it instead under the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment. While the Senate bill doesn't go that far, it does add an additional $140 million in unrequested funding for HBTSS, including a $20 million transfer from the Space Development Agency. Furthermore, senators demanded the agencies report on their acquisition strategy for HBTSS and fully fund the program in their future budget proposals. https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2020/11/10/gop-unveils-14t-spending-bill-with-696b-for-defense/

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Brett Davis NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Airborne Tactical Advantage Co. (ATAC), part of the Textron Systems segment of Textron Inc., has been selected to continue to provide the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps with fleet fighter jet training support services under the Fighter Jet Services (FJS) program, the company said in a Nov. 9 release. ATAC will provide up to 8,500 flight hours per year of fleet support air training services for approximately five years under the indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, worth up to $441 million. The training will be provided by ATAC's fleet of Mirage F1, F-21 Kfir, and Mk58 Hawker Hunter fighter aircraft and is expected to commence in the spring of 2021. “ATAC is proud to continue providing tactical flight training support services to the U.S. Navy and its allies and partners, further cementing the company as the leader in the contracted air services industry,” said Scott Stacy, ATAC General Manager. “We look forward to adding additional years to our two decades of established Navy and Marine Corps support of fleet exercises, ship services, fleet replacement squadron syllabi, fleet squadron adversary requirements, Joint Terminal Attack Controller training and Research, Development, Test and Evaluation flights. With additional ATAC aircraft and pilots coming online, we are well positioned to continue to expand our flight operations.” In addition to the Navy Fighter Jet Services program, an ATAC-led team trains Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) under the U.S. Navy's Terminal Attack Controller Trainer (TACT) program. ATAC has also recently won significant contracts to provide adversary air training for three U.S. Air Force bases and JTAC training services to U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command under the U.S. Air Force Combat Air Forces Contracted Air Support (CAF CAS) program. ATAC is the global leader of tactical airborne training, having pioneered much of what are now contracted air services industry standards with a fleet of over 90 aircraft, over 65,000 flight hours, and 20 years of operating experience. ATAC has provided a wide range of contracted air support capabilities to the U.S. Department of Defense in locations world-wide, including the Continental United States, Hawaii and the Western Pacific region. ATAC has helped train crews from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps and regularly operates out of as many as 25 different air bases per year. https://seapowermagazine.org/airborne-tactical-advantage-to-deliver-up-to-441m-in-contracted-air-services

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Seapower Staff OTTAWA – General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada announced today it has been awarded the Halifax-class Combat Systems (HCCS) in-service support contract, valued at $182 million over six years. General Dynamics will support the Royal Canadian Navy's operational readiness and sustainment objectives, providing support to six Combat Systems on 12 Halifax-class ships, RCN Fleet Schools, Fleet Maintenance Facilities and the Naval Electronic Systems Test Range Atlantic and Pacific. “General Dynamics has a long and proud history of working closely with the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Navy – building on 30 years of support to the Halifax-class ships,” said David Ibbetson, vice president and general manager of General Dynamics Mission Systems–International. “With this contract, we are proud to maintain technology-driven careers from Halifax to Ottawa and Victoria for years to come.” This ISS contract will help ensure the RCN's HCCS Equipment Group, which largely includes radar systems, are ready for any mission. General Dynamics is also upgrading and maintaining underwater sensors on the Halifax-class ships via the Underwater Warfare Suite Upgrade contract, further contributing to technologies that generate economic impact for Canada. https://seapowermagazine.org/general-dynamics-tapped-by-canadian-navy-for-in-service-support-work