Nouvelles

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Espey Manufacturing and Electronics Corp.,* Saratoga Springs, New York (SPRWA1-20-D-0021); Communications & Power Industries LLC, Beverly, Massachusetts (SPRWA1-20-D-0022); Crane Electronics Inc., Fort Walton Beach, Florida (SPRWA1-20-D-0023); SC Electronics Inc.,* Azle, Texas (SPRWA1-20-D-0024); and Dave's Engineering LLC, doing business as DE Design Works,* Chesterfield, Missouri (SPRWA1-20-D-0025), are sharing an estimated $400,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPRWA1-19-R-0007 for design and production of low voltage to high voltage power supplies. This was a competitive acquisition with five responses received. These are five-year base contracts with one five-year option period. Locations of performance are New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Texas and Missouri, with a Sept. 14, 2025, ordering period end date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Warner Robins, Georgia. L3Harris Technologies, Amityville, New York, has been awarded a maximum $52,977,415 fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Band 4-8 countermeasure receivers for B-1B aircraft. 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 four-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is New York, with a Sept. 14, 2024, ordering period end date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Warner Robins, Georgia (SPRWA1-20-D-0011). ZOLL Medical Corp., Chelmsford, Massachusetts, has been awarded a maximum $38,555,900 modification (P00002) exercising the first one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE2D1-19-D-0035) with four one-year option periods for dual-aeromedical certified defibrillators and accessories. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is Massachusetts, with a Sept. 19, 2021, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Department of Health Affairs. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 Warstopper funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a maximum $19,999,999 firm-fixed-price, undefinitized, definite-delivery/definite-quantity delivery order (SPRPA1-20-F-0012) against five-year basic ordering agreement SPE4A1-15-G-0001 for F-15 wing 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 30-month contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Missouri, with a May 21, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ARMY Accura Engineering and Consulting Services,* Atlanta, Georgia (W912PL-20-D-0047); CES Consulting LLC,* Dulles, Virginia (W912PL-20-D-0048); APSI Construction Management,* Irvine, California (W912PL-20-D-0049); and HFS Co.,* San Antonio, Texas (W912PL-20-D-0050), will compete for each order of the $180,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for construction phase services to support the southern border of the U.S. Bids were solicited via the internet with 11 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 14, 2025. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles, California, is the contracting activity. General Electric Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded a $37,070,079 firm-fixed-price contract for field service representatives in support of the T700 Series Engine program. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-20-D-0069). Manson Construction Co., Seattle, Washington, was awarded a $13,200,000 modification (P00004) to contract W912PL-18-C-0042 for dredging. Work will be performed in Ventura, California, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 13, 2021. Fiscal 2020 civil construction funds in the amount of $13,200,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles, California, is the contracting activity. System Studies & Simulation Inc., Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $9,185,564 modification (000436) to contract W31P4Q-09-A-0019 for precision fires rocket and missile systems project office general engineering and technical support. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2021. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 other procurement (Army); 2019 and 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Army); and 2020 and operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $9,185,564 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. RDZM LLC., Arlington, Virginia, was awarded an $8,802,640 modification (P00007) to contract W15QKN-19-C-0032 for engineering and manufacturing development, low rate initial production, and full rate production of the 40mm HV HEDP-AB XM1176 cartridge. Work will be performed in Middletown, Iowa; and Stafford, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 14, 2025. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $8,802,640 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Newark, New Jersey, is the contracting activity. Shearwater Mission Support LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska, was awarded a $7,324,556 modification (P00016) to contract W911S8-18-D-0018 for installation support services at Yuma Proving Ground. Work will be performed at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2023. U.S. Army 418th Contracting Support Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas, is the contracting activity. CORRECTION: The contract announced on Sept. 11, 2020, for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. LLC, Oak Brook, Illinois (W912HY-20-C-0034), for $15,494,310, was announced with an incorrect award date. The correct award date is Sept. 15, 2020. NAVY Marvin Engineering Co. Inc., Inglewood, California, is awarded a $132,481,869 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides for the production and delivery of a maximum quantity of 1,339 BRU-32B/A ejector unit rack assemblies and a maximum quantity of 1,056 LAU-127E/A guided missile launchers in support of the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G series aircraft. Work will be performed in Inglewood, California, and is expected to be completed in September 2027. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-20-D-0011). Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin Co., Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded a $54,477,181 firm-fixed-price order (N00019-20-F-0256) against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-19-G-0029. This order procures 3,754 interim spare parts and provides support for the repair and maintenance of the CH-53K low rate initial production aircraft configuration. Work will be performed in Quebec, Canada (7.08%); Jupiter, Florida (6.4%); Rome, New York (4.56%); Bridgeport, West Virginia (4.26%); Jackson, Mississippi (4.19%); Windsor Locks, Connecticut (3.9%); Erie, Pennsylvania (3.72%); Vergennes, Vermont (3.22%); Blacksburg, Virginia (3.17%); Springfield, New Jersey (2.97%); Hialeah, Florida (2.85%); Tucson, Arizona (2.62%); Magnolia, Arkansas (2.53%); Atlanta, Georgia (2.38%); Cedar Rapids, Iowa (2.3%); Irvine, California (2.27%); Vancouver, Washington (1.88%); Costa Mesa, California (1.84%); Huntsville, Alabama (1.75%); New Port Richey, Florida (1.75%); Salt Lake City, Utah (1.75%); Santa Clarita, California (1.65%); Naples, Florida (1.62%); St. Louis, Missouri (1.57%); Fort Walton Beach, Florida (1.57%); Minden, Nebraska (1.52%); Ronkonkoma, New York (1.44%); Boylston, Massachusetts (1.23%); Newington, Connecticut (1.14%); Shelton, Connecticut (1.14%); Chalfont, Pennsylvania (1%); Sylmar, California (1%); Berlin, Connecticut (1.03%); various locations within the continental U.S. (15.96%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (0.74%), and is expected to be completed in April 2023. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $54,477,181 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. RQ Construction, Carlsbad, California, is being awarded a $38,218,250 firm-fixed-price task order (N40085-20-F-6501) under a multiple award construction contract for the construction of Hurricane Florence recovery projects located at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. This task order provides replacements for facilities damaged during Hurricane Florence and entails two projects. The Marine Corps Special Operations Command Individual Training Course Team Facility replacement project constructs an academic instruction facility containing single-story steel frame buildings with brick veneer over metal studs and standing seam metal roofs. The Weapons Training Battalion (WTBN) Headquarters replacement project constructs a low-rise steel frame headquarters facility for WTBN with reinforced concrete masonry unit with reinforced masonry walls, brick veneer, reinforced concrete floors, and standing seam metal roof. Work will be performed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and is expected to be completed by June 2024. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Marine Corps) contract funds in the amount of $38,218,250 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website with five proposals received. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-20-D-0034). L-3 Communications Cincinnati Electronics Corp., Mason, Ohio, is awarded a $37,063,645 firm-fixed-priced, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the purchase of up to 163 M36E-T1 Thermal Sight Systems, spares, special tools and test equipment, new equipment training and manuals, M36E-3 conversions, associated non-recurring engineering and assault amphibious vehicle filter windows. Work will be performed in Mason, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by September 2026. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) revolving funds in the amount of $6,001,603, under Taipei Economic Cultural Representative Office FMS case TW-P-SEQ, will be obligated on the first delivery order immediately following contract award; the funds do not have an expiration date. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 and 10 U.S. Code § 2304(c) (1). Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-20-D-0005). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, is awarded a $33,912,603 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-6327 to exercise options for engineering support services, depot support services and other direct costs for Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare Increment One Block One Systems. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by September 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) (63%); and fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) (37%) funding in the amount of $4,471,479 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. Prism Maritime LLC,* Chesapeake, Virginia, is awarded a not to exceed $18,543,455 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee task order provisions for hardware items and engineering services in support of Combat Systems Interface and Steering Control Systems currently installed on the following ship classes: aircraft carrier, nuclear powered; landing ship, dock; amphibious transport dock; and multi-purpose amphibious assault ship. The supplies under this contract will support an integral part of Combat Systems Interface and Steering Control Systems installed on numerous ship platforms in the Navy. This requirement is for specialized supplies that only Prism Maritime LLC can support. Prism Maritime LLC, as the original equipment manufacturer, is the sole designer and fabricator of this equipment, and as such, possesses the proprietary technical data necessary to manufacture and provide maintenance for this specialized equipment. Work will be performed in Chesapeake, Virginia (85%); Bremerton, Washington (5%); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (5%); San Diego, California (3%); and Norfolk, Virginia (2%), and is expected to be completed by September 2025. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,269,436 ($500 minimum guarantee) will be obligated at time of award via an individual task order and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. In accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c) (1), this contract was not competitively procured; only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N64498-20-D-4038). GE Aviation Systems LLC, Sterling, Virginia, is being awarded a not-to-exceed $9,927,624 contract action for the evaluation and repair and/or modification of marine propellers used on Landing Craft Air Cushion vehicles. This contract includes a 27-month base period with an additional 180-day option, which if exercised, will bring the contract value to $19,240,816. Work will be performed in Sterling, Virginia (80%); and the United Kingdom (20%). Work is expected to be completed by November 2022. If all options are exercised, work will be completed by May 2023. Annual working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,481,906 will be obligated at time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One source was solicited for this non-competitive requirement pursuant to the authority set forth in 10 U.S. Code 2304(C)(1), with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00104-20-C-CA04). Progeny Systems Corp.,* Manassas, Virginia, is awarded an $8,607,236 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-20-C-5213 to exercise an option for engineering services and hardware systems in support of the Undersea Warfare Decision Support Systems Command and Control program. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (79%); Norfolk, Virginia (11%); Keyport, Washington (8%); Charleroi, Pennsylvania (1%); and San Diego, California (1%), and is expected to be completed by May 2021. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) (48%); fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) (40%); fiscal 2018 other procurement (Navy) (9%); and fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) (3%) funding in the amount of $690,636 will be obligated at time of award, of which, $668,225 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured under the exception 15 U.S. Code 638 (r) (4), Small Business Innovation Research Phase III. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, New York, is awarded an $8,079,018 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-6311 to exercise an option for the production of Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Surface-to-Surface Missile Module (SSMM). The modification authorizes the production of one SSMM unit. The SSMM is a Longbow Hellfire missile that will be added to the surface warfare mission module aboard the LCS. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama (80%); Bethpage, New York (18%); and Hollywood, Maryland (2%), and is expected to be completed by June 2022. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $8,079,018 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 Seed Innovations LLC, Monument, Colorado, has been awarded an $18,509,050 firm-fixed-price task order for the Chief Data Office's platform services. This award was made from the LevelUP Development Security Operations basic ordering agreement FA8307-20-G-0049. The work to be conducted includes subject matter expert support of the enterprise Data-as-a-Service platform. Work will be performed in the Washington, D.C., area, and is expected to be completed Sept. 23, 2023. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $4,598,093 are being obligated at time of award. Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity (FA7014-20-F-0205). Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp., San Diego, California, has been awarded a $15,576,708 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00007) to contract FA870-18-C-0058 for protected forward communications preliminary design review, hardware and software. The contract modification provides for additional design, development, and testing of a communications waveform prototype suitable for a rotary platform to support ground-to-helicopter, helicopter-to-airborne platform, and helicopter-to-long range relay communication which expands upon the existing research and development under the contract. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed Sept. 15, 2022. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $10,225,617 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $26,751,332. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity. PAR Government Systems Corp., Rome, New York, has been awarded a $9,876,944 cost-plus-fixed-fee completion contract for directional airborne networks for contested environments, hardware and software. This contract provides for development of an interference emulation suite (IES). The IES will provide the ability for links and networks to be stressed by a variety of interference types, from simple narrow band sources to protocol-aware interferers. Work will be performed in Rome, New York, and is expected to be completed September 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and two offers were received. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $89,052 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-20-C-1021). CYMSTAR LLC, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, has been awarded a $9,449,995 firm-fixed-price undefinitized contract action delivery order for an E-4B configured training system. This effort supports the urgent need for a full motion Federal Aviation Administration certified level C or better weapon system trainer and necessary support activities. Work will be performed in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and is expected to be completed by April 1, 2022. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $4,514,596 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8621-20-F-6264). (Awarded Sept. 14, 2020) U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Indigo Ridge Farms LLC, Quicksburg, Virginia, was awarded a $10,465,942 maximum indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (H92239-20-D-0004) for caprines and fermented alafalfa haylage (feed) to support medical training at the Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and other subordinate units. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $62,192 are being obligated at the time of award. The period of performance is a base ordering period of 12 months with four additional 12-month ordering periods. The five-year ordering period ends in September 2025. The contract was awarded competitively with two proposals received. U.S. Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY The University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, California, was awarded an $8,388,215 cost reimbursement contract for a research project under the Open Programmable Secure 5G (OPS-5G) program. The OPS-5G program creates open source software and systems enabling secure 5G and subsequent mobile networks such as 6G. Work will be performed in Marina del Rey, California; Monroe, Louisiana; and Newark, New Jersey, with an expected completion date of September 2024. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $962,297 is being obligated at time of award. This contract was a competitive acquisition under an open broad agency announcement and 40 offers were received. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR0011-20-C-0157). * Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2348694/source/GovDelivery/

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY JL Kaya,* Miami, Florida (SPE1C1-20-D-1317, $323,030,400); Unifire,** Spokane, Washington (SPE1C1-20-D-1346, $209,200,000); Coulmed Products Group,*** Springfield Township, New Jersey (SPE1C1-20-D-1320, $152,671,212); Maddox Defense,** San Diego, California (SPE1C1-20-D-1318, $88,595,200); Health Supply US,*** North Hollywood, California (SPE1C1-20-D-1332, $68,205,564); Health Supply US,*** North Hollywood, California (SPE1C1-20-D-1336, $65,411,316); Unifire,** Spokane, Washington (SPE1C1-20-D-1340, $39,580,013); The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Michigan (SPE1C1-20-D-1333, $31,359,600); Health Supply US,*** North Hollywood, California (SPE1C1-20-D-1323, $28,132,080); Unifire,** Spokane, Washington (SPE1C1-20-D-1345, $28,048,235); Unifire,** Spokane, Washington (SPE1C1-20-D-1344, $25,416,963); The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Michigan (SPE1C1-20-D-1337, $23,294,900); Marena Group,** Lawrenceville, Georgia (SPE1C1-20-D-1321, $22,529,664); Wise Manufacturing,*** Old Hickory, Tennessee (SPE1C1-20-D-1339, $20,216,250); The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Michigan (SPE1C1-20-D-1338, $11,730,000); Unifire,** Spokane, Washington (SPE1C1-20-D-1342, $11,726,208); Unifire,** Spokane, Washington (SPE1C1-20-D-1341, $10,348,416); and Health Supply US,*** North Hollywood, California (SPE1C1-20-D-1326, $8,411,508), have each been awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPE1C1-20-R-0138 for disposable isolation gowns. These were competitive acquisitions with 129 offers received. These are one-year contracts with no option periods. Locations of performance are Florida, California, New York, New Jersey, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, Washington, Massachusetts and Texas, with a Sept. 30, 2021, ordering period end date. Using customer is Health and Human Services. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 Defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ARMY Rockwell Collins Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was awarded a $103,577,044 firm-fixed-price contract to acquire avionics support services and incidental materials for the UH-60M Black Hawk multifunction display avionics suite for UH-60M mission design series and variant helicopters. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 15, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-20-F-0535). Science and Engineering Services LLC, Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $22,177,444 hybrid (cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price) contract for the procurement of Afghanistan contractor logistics support services for the Afghanistan National Security Forces. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Khandahar, Kabul, Shorab and Mezar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan; and Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2019 Foreign Military Sales (Afghanistan) funds in the amount of $22,177,444 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-20-C-0032). World Wide Technology, St. Louis, Missouri, was awarded an $11,710,362 firm-fixed-price contract for laptops, desktops, Cisco Voice over Internet Protocol phones, switches, software licenses and similar items. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 18, 2021. U.S. Army 408th Contracting Support Brigade, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-16-D-0016). (Awarded Sept. 11, 2020) The American Council on Teaching, White Plains, New York, was awarded a $10,825,025 modification (P00005) to contract W9124N-16-D-0001 for oral proficiency interviews for the Defense Language Institute's Foreign Language Center. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 16, 2021. U.S. Army Field Directorate Office, Fort Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity. IQVIA Government Solutions Inc., Falls Church, Virginia, was awarded a $7,759,363 fixed-price-incentive contract to provide commercial off-the-shelf software components and related support services for a bi-directional, secure mobile health communication system in support of the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 23, 2025. U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W81XWH-20-D-0063). NAVY Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded an $82,164,896 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides research and development support services for the Operational Readiness Directorate at the Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, California. Work will be performed primarily in San Diego, California (80%), but may include additional work locations in Bridgeport, California (1%); Camp Pendleton, California (1%); La Posta, California (1%); Twenty-nine Palms, California (1%); Groton, Connecticut (1%); Washington, D.C. (1%); Orlando, Florida (1%); St. Petersburg, Florida (1%); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (1%); Baltimore, Maryland (1%); Bethesda, Maryland (1%); Boston, Massachusetts (1%); Minneapolis, Minnesota (1%); Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (1%); Fort Bragg, North Carolina (1%); Arlington, Virginia (1%); Norfolk, Virginia (1%); Quantico, Virginia (1%); Fort Lewis, Washington (1%); and Keyport, Washington (1%). No funds will be obligated at the time of award and work is expected to be completed by September 2026. The initial task order for $4,968,119 for the base period of performance will be awarded with fiscal 2019 Defense Health Program (DHP) funding of $444,310, which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year; fiscal 2020 Navy research, development, testing and evaluation of $851,955 which will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year; and fiscal 2020 one-year DHP operations and maintenance funding of $2,137,975 which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The balance of the task orders will be incrementally funded and the total aggregate value of the initial task order for the base period and one option year, if exercised, is $10,002,412. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website, with four proposals received. The Naval Medical Logistics Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N62645-20-D-5020). (Awarded Sept. 10, 2020) Vectrus Systems Corp., Colorado Springs, Colorado, is awarded a $43,414,416 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operations support services at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. The maximum dollar value including the base period and four option years is $196,130,562. The work to be performed provides for base operations support services to include family housing, facility management, facility investment, custodial, pest control, integrated solid waste management, other (swimming pools), grounds maintenance and landscaping, utilities management, electrical, wastewater, water and base support vehicles and equipment. Work will be performed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and is expected to be completed by December 2021. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance (O&M) (Navy); fiscal 2021 Defense Health Program; fiscal 2021 O&M (Army); and fiscal 2021 O&M (Defense agencies) contract funds in the amount of $35,022,444 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the base period. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website with two proposals received. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-20-D-0071). Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $20,480,000 undefinitized contract modification (P00062) to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00019-16-C-000) for additional labor in support of depot maintenance activities associated with the completion of the government of Australia's first Joint Strike Fighter aircraft induction. Work will be performed in Williamtown, Australia (95%); and Fort Worth, Texas (5%), and is expected to be completed in July 2021. Non-Department of Defense participant funds in the amount of $10,240,000 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. Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded an $18,412,543 cost-plus-fixed-fee task order through One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS). This contract provides research and development support services for the Behavioral Epidemiology Assessment Research at the Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, California. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by September 2025. The task order is initially being awarded with fiscal 2019 Defense Health Program (DHP) Navy research, development, testing and evaluation funding in the amount of $213,632 with fiscal 2019 enhanced DHP funding of $70,066; and fiscal 2020 DHP operations and maintenance funding of $5,000, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The balance of the task order will be incrementally funded through the base period and four option years and have a total value of $18,412,543, if all option periods are exercised. This contract was competitively procured via General Services Administration OASIS Pool 4 and only one proposal was received. The Naval Medical Logistics Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N62645-20-F-0286). (Awarded Sept. 11, 2020) Aptim Federal Services LLC, Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded an $18,163,824 firm-fixed-price task order (N62478-20-F-4295) under a multiple award construction contract for repair to military petroleum storage tank Red Hill Tank 14. The work to be performed provides for the additional repairs on Red Hill Tank 14 as identified by the contractor's comprehensive out-of-service internal integrity inspection and suitability for service evaluation inspection report. Work will be performed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by June 2023. Fiscal 2016 working capital (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $18,163,824 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One proposal was received for this task order. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Hawaii Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N39430-20-D-2225). Bell Boeing Joint Program Office, Amarillo, Texas, is awarded a $16,401,341 cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price modification (P00008) against previously issued order N00019-18-F-1645 under basic ordering agreement N00019-17-G-0002. This modification procures 24 additional MV-22 integrated aircraft survivability equipment A-Kits. Additionally, this modification provides additional non-recurring engineering support to integrate the control indicator unit replacement into the existing Department of Navy large aircraft infrared countermeasures system for integrated aircraft survivability equipment and the MV-22 Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures system processor replacement retrofit installation package. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (85%); and Mesa, Arizona (15%), and is expected to be completed by April 2024. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $16,401,341 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 $12,243,575 firm-fixed-price contract for a 45-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul and dry-docking of USNS Richard Byrd (T-AKE 4). Work will be performed in Portland, Oregon, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 9, 2020. The maximum dollar value, including base period and four option years is $12,243,575. Fiscal 2021 working capital funds in the amount of $11,863,708 are being obligated at the time of the award, none of which will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with one company soliciting via the Federal Business Opportunities website and two offers received. The Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N32205-20-C-4086). Lockheed Martin Rotary Mission Systems, Orlando, Florida, is awarded a $10,621,061 modification (P00044) to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N68335-17-C-0253 to provide retrofit kits for the production and delivery of 137 low rate initial production electronic Consolidated Automated Support Systems (eCASS) to the upgraded full rate production eCASS station baseline; 137 J18/J19 general purpose interface upgrade kits; and six fire wire/fiber channel ancillary kits. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed by December 2021. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,583,663; fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,185,267; and fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,852,131 will be obligated at time of award, $2,583,663 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity. Gomez Research Associates Inc.,** Huntsville, Alabama, is awarded a $10,000,000 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00174-19-C-0021 to exercise Option Year One for continued support for counter improvised explosive devices and unmanned aerial system technology. This option exercise will enable the government to use and build upon the Small Business Innovation Research Phase I and Phase II efforts awarded to Gomez Research Associates under Topic A13-058 by expanding on Gomez Research Associates' current research into buried improvised explosive devices/unmanned aerial system detection to determine how it can be made practical for use with present counter rocket, artillery, and mortar (C-RAM) systems. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama (60%); Kiev, Ukraine (5%); Belgrade, Serbia (15%); and Sofia, Bulgaria (20%), and is expected to be completed by September 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army) in the amount of $10,000,000 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was awarded on a sole-source basis in September 2019 in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-5: Authorized or Required by Statute – 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c) (5). The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Explosive Ordnance, Disposal Technology Division, Indian Head, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $7,226,209 cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost only modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-6258 to exercise options for engineering services and other direct costs in support of the Integrated Submarine Imaging System. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (73%); Virginia Beach, Virginia (15%); Northampton, Massachusetts (6%); Fairfax, Virginia (3%); Arlington, Virginia (2%); and Newport, Rhode Island (1%), and is expected to be completed by September 2021. Fiscal 2018 (37%), 2019 (1%), and 2020 (3%) shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) (37%); and fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) (22%) funding in the amount of $7,226,209 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. Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $7,180,134 firm-fixed-price modification to exercise options under contract N00024-20-C-5400 for fiscal 2020 German Navy procurements of Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Block 2/2A components. The RAM Guided Missile Weapon System is co-developed and co-produced under an International Cooperative Program between the government of the U.S. and the government of the Federal Republic of Germany. Work will be performed in Rocket Center, West Virginia (63%); Williamsport, Pennsylvania (27%); Tucson, Arizona (7%); Ontario, Canada (1%); Joplin, Missouri (1%); and Mason, Ohio (1%), and is expected to be completed by June 2025. German cooperative funding in the amount of $7,180,134 will be obligated at the 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. DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY The Research Foundation for the State University of New York (SUNY), on behalf of SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Albany, New York, was awarded a $19,215,069 cost reimbursement (no fee) contract for a research project under the Lasers for Universal Microscale Optical Systems (LUMOS) program. The LUMOS program will enable efficient on-chip optical gain to highly capable integrated photonics platforms and enable complete photonics functionality on a single substrate for disruptive optical microsystems. Work will be performed in Albany, New York (48%); Santa Barbara, California (21%); Boston, Massachusetts (26%); and Greensboro, North Carolina (5%), with an expected complete date of September 2024. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $3,756,278 is being obligated at time of award. This contract was a competitive acquisition under an open broad agency announcement and 29 offers were received. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR0011-20-C-0142). AIR FORCE Lockheed Martin Space, Sunnyvale, California, has been awarded a $10,875,123 cost‐plus‐fixed‐fee modification (P00184) to contract FA8810‐13‐C‐0002 for Space Based Infrared System contractor logistics support for studies and modification projects. Work will be performed at Peterson Air Force Base; Buckley AFB; Greeley Air National Guard Station; and Boulder, all located in Colorado, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 15, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $1,828,554,298. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Peterson AFB, Colorado, is the contracting activity. *Woman-owned small business ** Small business ***Small disadvantaged business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2347324/source/GovDelivery/

By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force has secretly designed, built and flown at least one prototype of its enigmatic next-generation fighter jet, the service's top acquisition official confirmed to Defense News on Sept. 14. The development is certain to shock the defense community, which last saw the first flight of an experimental fighter during the battle for the Joint Strike Fighter contract 20 years ago. With the Air Force's future fighter program still in its infancy, the rollout and successful first flight of a demonstrator was not expected for years. “We've already built and flown a full-scale flight demonstrator in the real world, and we broke records in doing it,” Will Roper told Defense News in an exclusive interview ahead of the Air Force Association's Air, Space and Cyber Conference. “We are ready to go and build the next-generation aircraft in a way that has never happened before.” Almost every detail about the aircraft itself will remain a mystery due to the classification of the Next Generation Air Dominance program, the Air Force's effort for fielding a family of connected air warfare systems that could include fighters, drones and other networked platforms in space or the cyber realm. Roper declined to comment on how many prototype aircraft have been flown or which defense contractors manufactured them. He wouldn't say when or where the first flight occurred. And he refused to divulge any aspect of the aircraft's design — its mission, whether it was uncrewed or optionally crewed, whether it could fly at hypersonic speeds or if it has stealth characteristics. Those attributes, he said, are beside the point. The importance, Roper said, is that just a year after the service completed an analysis of alternatives, the Air Force has proven it can use cutting-edge advanced manufacturing techniques to build and test a virtual version of its next fighter — and then move to constructing a full-scale prototype and flying it with mission systems onboard. “This is not just something that you can apply to things that are simple systems” like Boeing's T-7 Red Hawk trainer jet, the first Air Force aircraft to be built using the “holy trinity” of digital engineering, agile software development and open architecture, Roper said. “We're going after the most complicated systems that have ever been built, and checked all the boxes with this digital technology. In fact, [we've] not just checked the boxes, [we've] demonstrated something that's truly magical.” Now, the Next Generation Air Dominance program, or NGAD, sits at a decision point. Roper declined to say how quickly the Air Force could move its next-gen fighter into production, except to say “pretty fast.” But before the service decides to begin producing a new generation of fighters, it must determine how many aircraft it will commit to buy and when it wants to start purchasing them — all choices that could influence the fiscal 2022 budget. The program itself has the potential to radically shake up the defense industry. Should the Air Force move to buy NGAD in the near term, it will be adding a challenger to the F-35 and F-15EX programs, potentially putting those programs at risk. And because the advanced manufacturing techniques that are critical for building NGAD were pioneered by the commercial sector, the program could open the door for new prime contractors for the aircraft to emerge — and perhaps give SpaceX founder Elon Musk a shot at designing an F-35 competitor. “I have to imagine there will be a lot of engineers — maybe famous ones with well-known household names with billions of dollars to invest — that will decide starting the world's greatest aircraft company to build the world's greatest aircraft with the Air Force is exactly the kind of inspiring thing they want to do as a hobby or even a main gig,” Roper said. The disclosure of a flying full-scale fighter prototype could be just what the Air Force needs to garner more financial support from Congress during a critical time where the service is facing budget constraints and needs to gain momentum, said Mackenzie Eaglen, a defense budget analyst with the American Enterprise Institute. “If you can quickly get to something and show progress through product, it just changes the whole dynamic for the Hill,” she said. “[Roper has] got so many headwinds, it seems this would be a likely avenue to show conceptual success for his ideas.” A radical new acquisition Flying a prototype of its future fighter was the easy part. Now the Air Force must choose whether to commit to a radical method of buying it. Over the last 50 years, the U.S. industrial base has dwindled from 10 manufacturers capable of building an advanced fighter to only three defense companies: Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman. The time it takes the Air Force to move a new fighter from research and development to full-rate production has stretched from a matter of years to multiple decades. The result is that every fighter program becomes existential for companies, who fight to prove that they can meet technical requirements during the development and production phase at a lower cost than their competitors. The companies are finally able to turn a profit during the later years of a program, when they become locked in as sustainment providers with the technical knowledge necessary for upgrading, repairing and extending the life of their product — often with little congressional interest or scrutiny. “The sustainment account is a black hole that nobody understands. The [operation and maintenance] account is a black hole that no one can figure out,” Eaglen said. “The person who can change sustainment can change the acquisition game, writ large.” For the Air Force, the turning point is when an aircraft hits 15 years old. At that age, maintenance costs compound rapidly, growing another 3-7 percent every year, Roper wrote in a Sept. 15 document titled “Take the Red Pill: The New Digital Acquisition Reality.” But what if instead of spending significant funds on sustaining old jets, the Air Force used that money to buy new ones? Instead of buying a large quantity of a single fighter over decades and retaining each plane for 30 years or more — as is currently the norm — the “Digital Century Series” model, proposed by Roper, posits that advanced manufacturing and software development techniques make it possible for the Air Force to rapidly develop and buy aircraft more frequently, much as the service did during the 1950s when it bought six fighters from six companies just years apart from each other during the original Century Series. In August, Air Force's advanced aircraft program office completed a business case analysis of the Digital Century Series model meant to validate whether the idea was technically feasible and, more importantly, whether it could save money. Leaders found that by applying digital manufacturing and development practices — as used by the T-7 program, as well as in the development of the NGAD prototype — it could drop the total life cycle cost of a next-gen fighter by 10 percent over 30 years compared to legacy fighters like the F-35 and F-15, Roper wrote. But for the same price as a single variant of a digitally manufactured fighter produced with a 30-year life cycle, the Air Force could buy a new fighter every eight years and replace them after 16 years — before the plane reaches the 3,500 flight-hour mark here it starts needing heavy overhauls and expensive modifications to extend its service life. “I don't think it's smart thinking to build one and only one aircraft that has to be dominant for all missions in all cases all the time,” he said. “Digital engineering allows us to build different kinds of airplanes, and if we're really smart ... we ensure smart commonality across the fleet — common support equipment, common cockpit configurations, common interfaces, common architecture, even common components like a landing gear — that simplify the sustainment and maintenance in the field.” The main difference is that the Air Force would flip from spending the majority of fighter program costs upfront instead of at the end of the aircraft's life. To continuously design new fighter jets, the service would keep multiple vendors constantly under contract for the development of new planes, choosing a new design about every eight years. To make a business case that is profitable for industry, it would then buy batches of about 50-80 aircraft every year. The result is a 25 percent increase in development costs and an 18 percent increase in production costs. However, the price of modernizing aircraft would drop by 79 percent while sustainment costs are basically cut in half, Roper wrote in the paper. “I can't make both ends of the life cycle go away; industry has to make a profit somewhere,” Roper said. “And I'm arguing in the paper that if you get to choose what color of money you use for future air superiority, make it research, development and production because it's the sharp point of the spear, not the geriatric side that consumes so much of our resources today.” There is also a strategic benefit to continuous fighter production and development, Roper said. It puts China on the defense, having to respond to U.S. technical advances as new capabilities — whether they're hypersonic missiles or drone wingmen — are matured and spiraled into the fighter's production. “This speeds up the pace at which we can do things so that we can be the disrupter instead of the disrupted, but it does so in a way that can't be undermined by throwing cheap labor at the problem,” he said. The next step is for Air Force leadership to decide how much it can afford for the program in FY22 and whether it will adopt the Digital Century Series model for developing the aircraft. “What we need to do going forward is simply understand the [Department of the Air Force's] level of financial commitment and the date they want us to charge towards for initial operations, and we can fit the acquisition strategy for [NGAD] to it, and explain how quickly we can afford to spiral and when we need to retire the aircraft to generate enough savings to afford those spirals,” he said. “Perhaps getting to the fastest [initial fielding date] may not be the most important thing. It may be important for us to push the [technical] boundaries more. Those are decisions that I've given for leadership to think about. But every decision I've given them is a better decision over the legacy ones.” If the Air Force is going to get financial support for a business plan that requires taxpayers to pay a higher upfront cost for fighter aircraft, it must clearly identify desired combat capabilities, said Rebecca Grant, an aerospace analyst with IRIS Independent Research. “Now we have the F-35, F-15EX and the Digital Century Series' small batch costs,” she said. “If it's that great, maybe it's worth the upfront cost. I could argue that, for sure. Is this the new F-117, which was similar batch size at similar cost and worth every penny? We just don't know.” On the technical side, the Air Force needs to solidify a rigorous, standardized method of conducting test activities in a virtual environment using modeling and simulation tools that can cut down the amount of time needed for live flight tests. It also needs industry to buy in to coding via a government-owned computing environment, Roper said. “We can't have every industry partner creating their own mechanism,” Roper said. “We have to have just as rigorous a process for digital design and assembly as we do for physical design assembly. So we will own that in the government, we will certify that in the government.” And — perhaps most critically — the Air Force will have to sell the concept to Congress. Roper has briefed staff members on the defense committees, and he held classified sessions with many of the lawmakers who sit on those panels to present findings of the business case study as well as the detailed progress of NGAD development and test activities. “I had some tough audiences on this. I've had people that I've been told want to cut the program or they don't understand why we need it,” he acknowledged. “But I have not left a single one of those briefings with anything other than [lawmakers saying]: ‘This is the future, we ought to do it now. And why aren't we going faster?' And the answer [to] why we aren't going faster is simply money. We can push the accelerator down more today because the digital technology allows it.” https://www.defensenews.com/breaking-news/2020/09/15/the-us-air-force-has-built-and-flown-a-mysterious-full-scale-prototype-of-its-future-fighter-jet

Seapower Staff NASHUA, New Hampshire — BAE Systems has been awarded a contract from Lockheed Martin for the production and delivery of additional electronic warfare (EW) systems for Lot 15, Lot 16 long lead, sustainment spares and retro fit kits for the 5th Generation F-35 Lightning II, providing advanced situational awareness and threat response capabilities that support critical missions in contested airspace, the company said in a Sept. 14 release. “Our goal is to deliver capabilities that provide warfighters with a distinct advantage on the battlefield,” said Deborah Norton, vice president of F-35 Solutions at BAE Systems. “This contract underscores our partnership with Lockheed Martin and our collective commitment to deliver affordable, sustainable, and world-class electronic warfare systems to combat evolving threats.” The contract follows BAE Systems' production and delivery of more than 500 EW systems for the F-35 as a key system partner, matching Lockheed Martin's airframe production. BAE Systems supports all stages of the product's lifecycle, from development and production to sustainment. The company is actively designing and developing new capabilities to enhance the system's offensive and defensive capabilities and maintains its readiness for warfighters under a performance-based logistics sustainability contract. BAE Systems is committed to delivering affordable EW systems to its customers with speed and agility. The company has strategically invested in state-of-the-art manufacturing, workforce development, and supply chain excellence to ensure that advanced systems are delivered to meet urgent customer needs. BAE Systems' engineers have a deep understanding of the electronic warfare environment and the challenging conditions our customers face. The company continues to build on decades of experience designing, qualifying, delivering, and sustaining systems for the most advanced aircraft in the world to dominate the future EW battlespace. https://seapowermagazine.org/bae-systems-awarded-contract-for-f-35-electronic-warfare-system-production/

Christina Mackenzie PARIS – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Sept. 12 that Athens would buy 18 Rafale combat aircraft from France, a combination of new and pre-owned planes. According to Greek media, six of the aircraft would be new and 12 would be second-hand from the French air force. French media put the ratio at 10 (Rafale F3Rs) and eight, respectively. Contacted by Defense News, manufacturer Dassault Aviation declined to confirm the figures, saying it was up to the client to communicate. The Rafales will replace Greek Mirage 2000s of the 332 Squadron “Gerakia.” Misotakis also said Greece would procure guided missiles for its air force. Given Greece's long history with Dassault – it purchased 40 Mirage F1s in 1974, 40 Mirage 2000s in 1985 and 15 Mirage 2000-5s in 2000 – this means Athens is likely to buy its guided missiles from MBDA as these older Dassault aircraft are armed with that company's missiles (Exocet, Scalp, Mica). The prime minister added that Athens would also purchase four Romeo naval helicopters from Lockheed Martin-Sikorsky, unspecified antitank weapons for the army, torpedoes for the navy. There is also a plan to refurbish four MEKO frigates and, over the next five to seven years, buy four new frigates. Speaking on the grounds of the Thessaloniki International Fair, Mitsotakis also said that over the next five years the Greek armed forces would be recruiting an additional 15,000 young men and women. The defense procurements come against a background of heightened tensions between Greece and Turkey. “Ankara is now adding to the provocations in the Aegean, the undermining of peace in the entire Mediterranean. It is threatening the eastern borders of Europe, and it is undermining security in a sensitive crossroads of three continents,” the prime minister was quoted as saying by ekathimerini.com, the website of Greek daily Kathimerini. A French defense ministry statement said negotiations over the next months should lead to a contract signature for the Rafales, possibly before the end of 2020. Greece is the first European client for the aircraft which, apart from the French air force, has been procured by Egypt (24) Qatar (24) and India (36). The other major procurement announced – four frigates – has France's Naval Group interested. France has been negotiating the sale of frigates to Greece for several years but given the length of time it would take for a ship to be delivered to the Hellenic Navy, Mitsotakis has opted to procure more immediately available aircraft first. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/09/14/greece-looks-to-france-for-new-arms-amid-spat-with-turkey/

Steve Trimble In December 2018, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems executives still felt the bitter sting of a losing bid two months earlier for the U.S. Navy MQ-25 contract, but a clearly disappointed company president vowed to return for the next competition against the aerospace industry's largest companies. “If the [request for proposals] comes out for a major program of record, we're all-in,” said David Alexander in that December 2018 interview in his offices in Poway, California. “We'll maybe have a few more lessons learned on what to do and what not to do,” he added. "But we'll go in with both feet planted again and go after it.” Eighteen months later, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) is doubling-down on Alexander's commitment, releasing exclusively to Aviation Week a concept rendering of a next-generation unmanned aircraft system (UAS) that reflects the characteristics the company's designers view as essential for the class of aircraft that could replace the MQ-9 by the early 2030s. Ultra-long-endurance UAS proposed GA-ASI hints at propulsion advances GA-ASI was among at least five industry teams that responded to the U.S. Air Force's request for information (RFI) for a next-generation intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and strike UAS to enter service in fiscal 2030. Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin shared concepts for next-generation UAS designs on Sept. 11. Boeing and Kratos also responded to the Air Force RFI by the July 15 deadline but declined to release concepts at this nascent stage of the bidding process. Arguably, GA-ASI invented the role of the ISR/Strike UAS with the MQ-9, and the company's concept for the Reaper is no less provocative, featuring a jet-powered aircraft with distinctive, tear-shaped inlets and a long, high-aspect-ratio wingspan that appear optimized for ultra-long-range flight at high altitudes. “We're embracing ultra-long endurance to keep our next-generation ISR/Strike UAS in the fight for longer periods than many ever imagined possible,” Alexander said in a statement to Aviation Week. Although GA-ASI released no specifications with the rendering, it is clear Alexander means the next-generation concept should have even longer range that the 27-hr. endurance currently offered by the Air Force's MQ-9. The Air Force Research Laboratory defined ultra-long-endurance in 2019, when a popular light sport aircraft, the Pipistrel Sinus, was modified to fly autonomously for 2.5 days over the Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. The modified aircraft was called the Ultra-Long-Endurance Aircraft Platform. How the new GA-ASI concept achieves ultra-long endurance is likely to include intriguing surprises beyond the disproportionately long, thin-chord and highly swept wings. The tear-shape inlets appear to feed airflow through parallel ducts down the middle of the fuselage into a mysterious propulsion system. Alexander's statement hints that the aircraft's engine is a critical element of the ultra-long-endurance capability. “Our advancements in propulsion technology will give commanders a longer reach than ever before,” Alexander said. In the late-1990s, GA-ASI designed the MQ-9 to perform the hunter-killer UAS mission's three “F's”—find, fix and finish—by itself if necessary, with a targeting sensor embedded beneath the nose and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles along with GBU-12 laser-guided or GBU-38 GPS-guided gravity bombs under the wing. GA-ASI's next-generation UAS concept appears capable of performing the role in a similar stand-alone fashion. A faintly visible bulge under the leading edge suggests capacity for a large payload bay, allowing the future concept to carry sensors and weapons internally, unlike the MQ-9. But the Air Force's concept of operations is changing. Whether manned or unmanned, any aircraft in the future combat fleet must be capable of finding and striking targets on their own, but they are expected to be able to operate as part of a network. Data from onboard sensors must be shared to the network, and data coming from other sensors elsewhere on the network must be receivable. GA-ASI's concept is adapted to that approach, Alexander said. “We envision [the] next-gen ISR/Strike [aircraft] as a conduit, supplier and consumer of information,” hesaid. “We believe it is imperative that future unmanned systems are able to communicate, share information and collaborate—together and intuitively with their human counterparts—across systems and domains in record time.” The next-generation UAS also addresses the workforce needed to operate the MQ-9, including separate teams of pilots and sensor operators during cruise flight and takeoff and landing. GA-ASI notes that the company has already qualified technologies to enable the existing fleet to taxi, take off and land automatically as well as a ground control system that allows a single pilot to control six UAS. “Our team has been developing and delivering automation solutions for years,” Alexander said. https://aviationweek.com/shows-events/afa-air-space-cyber-conference/reaper-replacement-reveals-bold-new-ga-asi-vision

Air & Cosmos consacre un article à l'action de la «task force» mise en place en mars dernier par le ministère des Armées pour soutenir les entreprises de la BITD (Base Industrielle et Technologique de Défense) face aux conséquences de la crise sanitaire. 47 entreprises, dont l'activité est stratégique ou critique pour la BITD française, ont déjà été soutenues gr'ce à la cellule mise en place par le ministère des Armées, ce qui représente presque la moitié des «92 chantiers ouverts», indique Vincent Imbert, ingénieur général de l'armement, qui dirige la «task force». Depuis le mois de mars, «nous avons recueilli auprès des différents organismes acheteurs du ministère des Armées, de la DGA et des services de soutien leurs listes d'industriels stratégiques ou critiques qui pouvaient se retrouver en position délicate. Des contacts ont aussi été pris avec les grands maîtres d'œuvre, les groupements industriels comme le GIFAS, le GICAT et le CIDEF, afin d'obtenir de leur part une liste de sous-traitants qu'ils jugeaient en situation à risque», explique-t-il. «Nous devons être attentifs à ce qu'il y ait une vraie solidarité au niveau national, au niveau des entreprises, afin que le tissu industriel soit alimenté de la meilleure façon possible par les engagements et les investissements que nous allons faire», conclut-il. Air & Cosmos du 11 septembre

Steve Trimble Lockheed Martin F-35 deliveries postponed by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the supply chain will not fully recover by the end of 2021, a company executive told Aerospace DAILY. In June, Lockheed announced that 18-24 F-35s in production Lot 12, which are scheduled for delivery in 2020, will be delayed, reducing the overall delivery target to 117 to 123 jets this year. Although Lockheed's final assembly plant in Fort Worth is now at full operations, the impact on the supply chain will drag out the recovery for another year, said Michelle Evans, executive vice president of Lockheed's Aeronautics business. “We're still looking somewhere between 15-20 aircraft that we will be behind by the end of the year,” Evans said in an interview. “It is going to take a while for the supply chain and, thus, Lockheed Martin to recover. So it will take us longer than next year. We'll probably be staring at two years to recover those jets.” Lockheed's supply chain is in recovery while the company continues negotiating separate deals with the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) for the next three years of airframe production and converting the annual sustainment contracts into a multiyear performance-based logistics (PBL) agreement. In October 2019, the JPO and Lockheed agree to an economic order quantity of 478 aircraft for lots 12-14, which are delivered from 2020 to 2022. The agreement includes a firm order from the U.S. government for Lot 12 aircraft, with priced options for Lots 13 and 14 resulting in an overall total of 291 F-35s. The international customers added orders for 187 aircraft under a related, three-year production order. A similar approach will be followed for the U.S. and international orders in Lots 15-17, which will include the first jets to receive upgraded Technical Refresh-3 hardware, Evans said. Separately, the JPO and Lockheed are continuing to negotiate a long-term PBL to sustain the F-35s, with an overall goal to reduce the cost per flight hour of the F-35A to $25,000 by 2025. Lockheed sees an opportunity to reduce sustainment costs by $18 billion or more over the term of the PBL, Evans said. Lockheed expects to make an initial investment of $1.5 billion in cost-saving projects once the deal is signed. https://aviationweek.com/shows-events/afa-air-space-cyber-conference/full-covid-19-recovery-f-35-deliveries-pushed-2022

Premium content David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen, Postmedia News (dpugliese@ottawacitizen.com) Published: Sep 11 at 7 a.m. Updated: Sep 11 at 2:01 p.m. Candidates have been interviewed for the country's top military position but whoever is selected will likely have the tough job of presiding over significant cuts to the Canadian Forces as the federal government tries to get its fiscal house in order. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced July 23 that Gen. Jonathan Vance would leave the position as chief of the defence staff, the job he has held since July 2015. Trudeau said he expected a new CDS to be named in the coming months. Defence and government sources say interviews for the position were held this week with a number of candidates. Lt.-Gen. Christine Whitecross, who is heading into retirement, is considered the front-runner for the job if she wants it. Whitecross still has an office at defence headquarters at Carling Avenue and there is an interest in the Liberal government to have a woman in the job of defence chief for the first time. The view that Whitecross has strong support within the Liberal government was further solidified when Trudeau took the unusual step on July 18 of singling out the lieutenant general on Twitter. He thanked the officer for her three decades of service in the Canadian Forces and for “being a strong voice for gender equality in the military.” Among the other individuals considered to be candidates for the chief of defence staff job are Lt.-Gen. Mike Rouleau, who recently took over as second-in-command of the Canadian Forces, navy commander Vice Adm. Art McDonald, air force commander Lt.-Gen. Al Meinzinger and army commander Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre. Vice-Admiral Darren Hawco's name has also been mentioned. At least eight individuals were to be interviewed, according to various government sources. But the new CDS is expected to face the challenge of dealing with significant budget cuts because of the financial strain on federal coffers created by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Spending on various emergency relief programs has resulted in Canada's deficit increasing to $343 billion this year, according to the federal government's economic snapshot released in early July. Trudeau has acknowledged that the full economic impact of the pandemic is unknown. A second COVID-19 wave could further worsen the economic situation. Department of National Defence deputy minister Jody Thomas said in a June 5 interview with The Canadian Press that she hasn't seen any indication defence spending, and the government's defence policy called Strong, Secure, Engaged, or SSE, will even be affected at all by COVID-19. There have been no slowdowns and the DND and Canadian Forces has been aggressively pushing forward on implementing SSE, according to Thomas. Behind the scenes, however, there is significant concern within some quarters in the military about the cuts expected in the coming years. Some organizations within National Defence headquarters have already told staff to prepare for a rocky road in the future. The Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence, with the largest source of discretionary funds in the federal government, is a ripe target for cost-cutting. DND's current budget is listed as $21.9 billion. SSE has been billed by the Liberal government and its supporters as “a historical investment in Canada's military” since it promises $497 billion for the Canadian Armed Forces over 20 years. But the policy was always built on shaky foundations, as was the previous Canada First Defence Strategy brought in by the Conservative government and largely undercut by funding reductions at that time. Despite defence analysts' cheerleading on both policies, the fact is that such strategies only promise future spending. There is no guarantee and plans can be jettisoned as fiscal circumstances change. In 1994 the Liberal government of Prime Minister Jean Chretien embarked on significant cost-cutting measures throughout the federal government as it struggled to deal with the deficit. The Canadian Forces and the DND were a prime target during that period. Equipment was mothballed. Military and civilian staff were cut. The coming years could see a replay of similar cost-reduction measures. Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2020 https://www.saltwire.com/news/canada/analysis-new-defence-chiefs-main-job-could-be-to-preside-over-budget-cuts-495666/