Nouvelles

David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen, Postmedia News André Fillion, assistant deputy minister, defence and marine procurement, at Procurement Canada is retiring. Fillion was a key official involved in the Canadian Surface Combatant and other major defence acquisition programs. Bill Matthews, deputy minister at Procurement Canada, announced that Fillion's retirement is effective April 1. Fillion came to Public Service and Procurement Canada in 2018 from national defence where as chief of staff materiel he was also involved in CSC, the fighter jet replacement and all major acquisitions. Simon Page will take over Fillion's job at PSPC as assistant deputy minister, defence and marine procurement. Matthews said Page will be on the job starting March 1. https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/news/canada/top-defence-procurement-official-to-retire-547466/

By: The Associated Press GROTON, Conn. — General Dynamics Electric Boat plans to add 2,200 jobs this year in Connecticut and Rhode Island as it tackles a $39 billion backlog of work, the submarine maker's top executive said Monday. Kevin Graney, Electric Boat's president, made the announcement during a video briefing for stakeholders. He said the company is facing the largest backlog of work in its history, with orders to build two new ballistic missile submarines and 19 new attack submarines, 11 of which are currently under construction. The company added more than 2,000 jobs a year ago, much of it at the company's Quonset Point site in Rhode Island. The new jobs will include shipyard workers, engineers and support staff, Graney said, and the firm expects to be in a “stable hiring mode pretty much for the next decade.” “We're going to need to sustain the Rhode Island workforce as we grow the Connecticut workforce,” he said. Electric Boat employs more than 17,000 people, including about 12,000 at its Groton shipyard and more than 4,000 in Rhode Island. Congress increased funding for submarine programs from about $11.1 billion during the last fiscal year to $11.6 billion this fiscal year. Members of Connecticut's all-Democrat congressional delegation, who took part in the video conference, said the defense contractor can expect to continue receiving work under the Biden administration. “It may be unmanned as well as manned weapons platforms, but the future of the submarine is critically important,” U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2021/02/01/submarine-maker-to-add-jobs-amid-39-billion-backlog-in-work/

Andrew Eversden WASHINGTON — The U.S. Defense Department awarded a $30.4 million contract to boost domestic processing of light rare earth elements as part of an effort to become less dependent on China for critical technologies, the department announced Monday, The Pentagon awarded the funds to Lynas Rare Earths Limited, the world's largest rare earth element mining and processing company outside of China. The firm will use the funds to open a processing facility in Hondo, Texas, through its U.S. subsidiary, Lynas USA. The award is part of a broader push by the department to secure its rare earth supply chain, which is threatened by China's dominance in the industry, and move more production to the United States. China is the top producer of rare earth metals, which are a critical piece of defense systems like satellites or the F-35 fighter jet. “The significance of the award is they [the Defense Department] are continuing to march forward and put the pieces of the puzzle back in place so the U.S. will have access to rare earth [elements] to meet national security needs,” said Jeffery Green, president of J.A. Green & Company, a government relations firm that works with the defense industry. If the project is successful, Lynas would be the producer of about a quarter of the world's rare earth oxides, or processed rare earth elements. Increasing domestic production of the metals is critical because they are so widespread. “You'll find these things in almost every major defense system,” Green told C4ISRNET. To counter Chinese dominance, the Pentagon in recent years took steps to bring domestic rare earth production back to the United States. According to Reuters, in April last year the department funded the construction of a Lynas heavy rare earth metals facility in Texas, which it built through a joint venture with Texas-based Blue Line Corporation. In November 2020, the Pentagon announced three Defense Production Act awards with rare earth element producers worth more than $12.5 million in total. The Defense Department's actions on rare earth elements stems from Executive Order 13817, a Trump administration document directing the government to adopt a strategy for critical minerals. “This award aligns with the U.S. government's strategy to ensure secure and reliable supplies of critical minerals under Executive Order 13817 and follows a series of rare earth element actions the Department of Defense has taken in recent years to ensure supply and strengthen defense supply chains,” the department's announcement stated. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/it-networks/2021/02/01/pentagon-awards-30-million-contract-to-boost-processing-of-rare-earth-elements

By: Sebastian Sprenger COLOGNE, Germany – Airbus and Dassault executives hope to finalize their offer for the next phase of the Future Combat Air System by the end of the week, putting to rest a dispute over the handling of intellectual property rights that has been simmering between partner nations Germany, France and Spain. At issue is whether countries participating in the development of mainland Europe's futuristic weapon system are free to use the technology to make adjustments of their own later on, said German Air Force Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz. “It should be clear that if we're developing a European system, there can be no black boxes,” he said at an virtual press conference organized by German aerospace industry association BDLI. The term “black box” refers to technology purchased as-is, with no means by customers to understand, replicate or modify it. “It must be possible to hand intellectual property rights from branch of industry to another so that it's possible for all partners to make their own developments in the future,” Gerhartz added. The tri-national FCAS program aims to replace the German Eurofighter and French Rafale fleets by 2040. As envisioned, it will consist of a next-generation manned jet and a series of drones, dubbed remote carriers, that can be tasked to work in concert on anything from reconnaissance to strike missions. Germany's Airbus and France's Dassault are the primary contractors for the program. As Europe's most ambitious weapons project ever, it is estimated to have a price tag in the hundreds of billions of euros. Spain is meant to be a full participant, with Indra as national lead, getting access to a third of the overall work share. Next up for the program is additional development work culminating in the presentation of a demonstrator aircraft and remote carriers by 2026 or 2027. Those could be simple, throw-away drones or more elaborate unmanned planes in the style of a “loyal wingman” to the human pilot, said Dirk Hoke, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, at the same event. An agreement on intellectual property usage is needed both on the government and industry level before submitting an offer for the upcoming program stage. The idea is to find a compromise by Feb. 5, have the Berlin government submit the documentation to the Bundestag, Germany's parliament, for approval over the next few months, and get the green light to spend additional money before the summer break, Hoke said. While Airbus is used to sharing its intellectual property rights when selling to the German government, partner nations, France and Spain handle those occasions differently. “I'm confident that we can find a common solution,” Hoke said. Reinhard Brandl, a lawmaker of Bavaria's Christian Social Union who sits on the Bundestag's appropriations committee, said he shared the optimism but singled out IP rights as a continuing sticking point. “We will look at the agreement very carefully,” he said. “We don't want to see unfavorable concessions just for the sake of an agreement.” Brandl belongs to a faction of German lawmakers who fear that domestic companies could lose out in a cooperative program with France. That is especially the case, following that logic, because Airbus, as the German lead contractor, is partly French to begin with. The French, meanwhile, have at times become frustrated with Germany's piecemeal approval process for FCAS funding, a dynamic that could become even more pronounced if money gets tight as a result of the coronavirus crisis. Thomas Jarzombek, the point person for aerospace policy at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, said the program remains crucial for German industry, describing it as a recovery activity for companies post-COVID. “It's become even more important than before,” he said. Brandl said he still worries about spending cuts in the future, especially during development, as the defense ministry may seek opportunities for more near-term fixes to lagging readiness rates across the force. He proposed anchoring FCAS funding elsewhere in the federal government other than under the auspices of the Bundeswehr, at least until the program gets close to showing actual military utility. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/02/01/companies-seek-end-to-haggling-over-fcas-rights-with-fresh-offer-this-week

Jean-Marc Tanguy Les deux C-160G Gabriel, opérés par l'escadron « Dunkerque » d'Evreux, vont subir un dernier rétrofit avant le retrait de service. En attendant les Dassault Falcon Archange Les deux C-160G Gabriel, opérés par l'escadron « Dunkerque » d'Evreux, vont subir un dernier rétrofit avant le retrait de service. Cette ultime opération est sensée leur permettre de durer au-delà de 2025, la date de retrait qui était initialement envisagée, et qui, on le sait désormais, ne sera pas tenue, à quelques années près. Leur relève doit être assurée par les trois Archange, co-développés par Dassault Aviation et Thales. Les deux appareils recevront des améliorations dans les interfaces homme-machine et les capacités de recueil de l'appareil. Un retrofit confié à l'AIA de Clermont-Ferrand ? C'est l'AIA de Clermont-Ferrand qui est traditionnellement chargé de ces opérations de rétrofit (comme d'entretien). On ignore, à ce stade, si ce sera encore le cas. Il est, en tout état de cause, le dernier industriel à travailler sur les Transall. Les deux Gabriel sont entrés en service en 1989 et tutoieront donc les 40 ans de service, à leur retrait. Ils ont été de toutes les opérations extérieures majeures depuis la guerre du Golfe, notamment dans les Balkans, en Afghanistan. En Libye, ils ont pris une nouvelle dimension, confirmée au Sahel puis au Levant. Des Gabriel aux frontières russes Les C-160G Gabriel sont néanmoins régulièrement aperçu aux frontières russes, comme d'ailleurs les Mirage 2000D qui ont repris la mission ROEM aux Mirage F1CR, en emportant le pod Astac. L'escadron dispose désormais de ses propres Transall ravitailleurs (également utilisables pour d'autres missions) et de quatre ALSR (avions légers de surveillance et de renseignement) dont deux postés à Barkhane. Des ALSR dont certains répondent au doux nom de Vador. https://www.air-cosmos.com/article/arme-de-lair-vers-un-dernier-retrofit-des-gabriel-24148

NAVY Raytheon Technologies Corp., Pratt and Whitney, Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Connecticut, is awarded a $290,704,534 cost-plus-incentive-fee, fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract. This contract provides material and support equipment for depot maintenance facilities, program administrative labor for non-recurring sustainment activities, mockup engines and modules for test cells, as well as supplies, services, and planning for depot activations in support of the F-35 Lightning II Program Lot 13 propulsion system for the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, non-Department of Defense (DOD) participants and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (30%); East Hartford, Connecticut (22%); Cherry Point, North Carolina (10%); Indianapolis, Indiana (6.75%); Windsor, Connecticut (3.25%); Yuma, Arizona (1.25%); Norfolk, United Kingdom (1%); Leeuwarden, Netherlands (1%); various locations within the continental U.S. (3.75%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (21%), and is expected to be completed in January 2024. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $89,468,714; fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $84,152,318; non-DOD participant funds in the amount of $45,225,342; and FMS funds in the amount of $15,886,074, will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-21-C-0006). Crowley Government Services Inc., Jacksonville, Florida (N62387-15-C-2505) is awarded a $25,484,291 modification under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract to exercise a six month option period (P00128) for the operation and maintenance of five Navy ocean surveillance ships USNS Victorious (T-AGOS 19); USNS Able (T-AGOS 20); USNS Effective (T-AGOS 21); USNS Loyal (T-AGOS 22); and USNS Impeccable (T-AGOS 23), and missile range instrumentation ships USNS Invincible (T-AGM 24); and USNS Howard Lorenzen (T-AGM 25). This modification provides for the exercises of a six-month option period to the bridge contract that was awarded on July 22, 2020. Work will be performed at sea, world-wide beginning Feb. 1, 2021, and is expected to be completed by July 31, 2021. Working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $25,484,291 are obligated for fiscal 2021 and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This bridge was not competitively procured and was prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 and 10 U.S. Code § 2304(c)(1). The Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin, Mission Systems and Training, Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded a $14,184,813 cost-plus award-fee order N62786-21-F-0004, against previously awarded basic ordering agreement N00024-19-G-2313 to provide engineering and management services for LCS-21 post shakedown availability. Work will be performed in Mayport, Florida (37%); Moorestown, New Jersey (29%); Virginia Beach, Virginia (18%); Washington, D.C. (15%); and Baltimore, Maryland (1%), and is expected to be completed by July 2022. Fiscal 2015 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) $5,339,694 funding will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair, Bath, Maine, is the contracting activity. ARMY Ellume USA LLC, Valencia, California, was awarded a $250,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to procure reliable home use testing without prescription requirements to meet the demand to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Valencia, California, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 1, 2022. Fiscal 2021 special funds in the amount of $250,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911NF-21-9-0003). NIKA Technologies,* Rockville, Maryland (W912DY-21-D-0017); Health Facilities Solutions, San Antonio, Texas (W912DY-21-D-0021); Polu Kai Tidewater,* Falls Church, Virginia (W912DY-21-D-0020); Vali Cooper International, Covington, Louisiana (W912DY-21-D-0018); VW International Inc., Alexandria, Virginia (W912DY-20-D-0019); and The Outfit Inc., New Braunfels, Texas (W912DY-21-D-0016), will compete for each order of the $50,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to provide medical project support services, facility support services, quantity verification and analysis services, project development support services and commissioning support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 15 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2026. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Indiana, has been awarded a $96,932,957 delivery order (FA8504-21-F-0022) to contract FA8504-17-D-0002 for C-130J propulsion long-term sustainment. This order provides funding for Option IV. Work will be performed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and is expected to be completed Jan. 31, 2022. Fiscal 2021 Special Operations Command operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $7,109,327; fiscal 2021 Air National Guard operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $22,126,544; fiscal 2021 Air Force Reserve operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $12,187,542; fiscal 2021 Air Force operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $54,486,354; and fiscal 2021 Special Operations Command research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,023,191 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $66,684,503. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins AFB, Georgia, is the contracting activity. Innovative Scientific Solutions Inc., Dayton, Ohio, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $44,195,532 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Technology for Sustained Supersonic Combustion (TSSC). This is for the Technical Area 2 portion of TSSC. The mission of this TSSC effort focuses on development and evaluation of advanced aero propulsion systems and components, airframe structures, internal/external aerodynamics including integration into air vehicles, weapons and launch components with an emphasis on decreasing weigh and evaluating the effect of engine scale to determine operability, durability and performance. Work will be performed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expected to be completed February 2028. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and four offers were received. The first task order will be incrementally funded with fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $20,000 at time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-21-D-2401). Cyber Systems and Services Solutions, Bellevue, Nebraska, has been awarded a $17,765,741 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P0010) to contract FA8773-18-D-0002 to exercise Option Three for defensive cyber realization, integration and operational support services. Work will be performed at Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA)-Lackland, Texas, and is expected to be completed Feb. 28, 2022. This modification is the result of a competitive acquisition and seven offers were received. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $8,764,731 are being obligated at the time of award. The 38th Contracting Squadron, JBSA-Lackland, Texas, is the contracting activity. University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, has been awarded a $12,500,000 cost-reimbursement contract for “Photovoltaic Sheets for High-Specific-Power Space-Based Energy Harvesting (PVS-EH)”. This contract is to provide, develop and demonstrate the concept of PV “sheets” (PVS), consisting of modular, interconnect able, high-efficiency PV power sources fabricated on low-weight flexible substrates using scalable processing. Under this program, the contractor will further the effort to study and develop advanced materials, interfaces and electrical contacts for high efficiency and high specific power tandem thin film photovoltaic technologies to achieve lightweight solar sheet technologies that enable specific powers to exceed 1000 W/kg onboard spacecraft self- sensing, attribution and autonomy. Work will be performed in Toledo, Ohio, and is expected to be completed February 2026. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is the contracting activity (FA9453-21-C-0056). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, has been awarded a $7,763,422 firm-fixed-price task order under the ground subsystems sustainment contract (FA8214-15-D-0001) for the Minuteman III Launch Control Center Block Upgrade production for the exercise of Option Year One of Malmstrom Wing I. Work will be performed in Ogden, Utah, and is expected to be completed Aug. 15, 2022. Fiscal 2021 missile procurement funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Total value of the task order after exercise of the previously mentioned option is $26,428,083. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8204-20-F-0071). CORRECTION: The contract modification (P00014) awarded to Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Savannah, Georgia, Jan. 27, 2021, had an incorrect obligation amount. The operation and maintenance funds being obligated at the time of award should be $50,418,022, not $44,482,293 (FA8106-18-D-0002). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Stryker Corp., Portage, Michigan, has been awarded a maximum $89,644,767 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for cranial and maxillofacial procedural packages and ancillary items. 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 one-year contract with four one-year option periods. Location of performance is Michigan, with a Jan. 31, 2022, ordering period end date. Using military services are Army, Navy and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DE-21-D-0011). Exxel Outdoors LLC,* Broomfield, Colorado, has been awarded a maximum $55,760,612 firm-fixed-priced, indefinite-delivery/definite-quantity contract for three-season sleep systems and components. This was a competitive acquisition with three responses received. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. Location of performance is Colorado, with a Jan. 28, 2022, ordering period end date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency, Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-21-D-1439). SNC Manufacturing LLC,** Orocovis, Puerto Rico, has been awarded a maximum $41,007,805 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for trousers. This was a competitive acquisition with eight responses received. This is a one-year contract with four one-year option periods. Location of performance is Puerto Rico, with a Jan. 31, 2022, ordering period end date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency, Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-21-D-1413). *Small business **Small disadvantaged business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2489417/source/GovDelivery/

By: Sean Kennedy The Biden administration has the opportunity to institute reforms in several crucial areas at the Department of Defense. First and foremost, it should eliminate the overseas contingency operations account. The continued justification for the OCO has reached the stage of parody. Originally intended for emergency spending in response to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the account has transitioned into a slush fund designed to inflate spending at the DoD far above the baseline budget and for purposes unrelated to foreign wars. In fiscal 2015, approximately 50 percent of OCO funding was for nonemergency items. An August 2019 Congressional Budget Office report noted that approximately 85 percent of funding for the OCO in FY20 and FY21 “is designated for base-budget and ‘enduring' activities,” funding maintenance in support of foreign operations that will continue regardless of force size. OCO spending has long outpaced the military's presence in combat zones. In FY08, the U.S. deployed an average of 187,000 troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. OCO spending topped $187 billion that year, equating to $1 million per service member. The DoD currently has approximately 5,000 troops stationed in these countries, meaning the $70.7 billion in OCO spending in FY20 equates to $14.1 million in funding per service member — more than 14 times the amount in FY08. With President Joe Biden unlikely to substantially increase the military's footprint in Afghanistan and Iraq, outsized OCO spending will continue in FY21 and beyond, barring reform. The DoD has received approximately $2 trillion from the OCO since 2001. Were it considered to be a federal agency, the FY20 OCO funding would make it the fourth largest, dwarfing spending at all other agencies except the departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs. The incoming administration must also expand efforts to make DoD finances more transparent and accountable. The bookkeeping is so abysmal that areas within the DoD have been on the Government Accountability Office's list of programs at high risk for waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement since 1995. The financial black hole is nowhere more evident than in the DoD's inability to pass a clean audit, unlike every other federal agency. On Nov. 16, 2020, the Pentagon announced that for the third straight year it failed its financial review. Progress has been incremental, with seven of 24 DoD agencies thus far producing clean audits. However, the DoD estimates that it will not be able to pass an audit before 2027, or 37 years after it was required to do so by law. The DoD must also determine the replacement mechanism for the chief management officer position, which was the No. 3 civilian slot until it was eliminated in the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act. Despite identifying $22.3 billion in savings between FY18 and FY21, legislators bowed to Pentagon pressure, distributing the duties and responsibilities of the role to various existing positions with far less authority. The acquisition side is also a mess, including several infamous procurement disasters that epitomize the Pentagon's systemic problems. The foremost example is the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The program has been under continuous development since the contract was awarded in 2001, and has encountered innumerable delays and cost overruns. Total acquisition costs now exceed $428 billion, nearly double the initial estimate of $233 billion. The total costs for the F-35 are estimated to reach $1.727 trillion over the lifetime of the program. On Jan. 14, 2021, then-acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller labeled the Joint Strike Fighter a “piece of sh*t.” Enough said. Many of the problems with the F-35 program can be traced to the decision to develop and procure the Joint Strike Fighter simultaneously. Whenever problems have been identified, contractors needed to go back and make changes to aircraft that were already assembled, adding to overall costs. Of course none of this has stopped the Pentagon from asking for Joint Strike Fighter funding, and members of Congress from supplying it, oftentimes exceeding the request from the DoD. This trend continued in FY20, when legislators added $2.1 billion in earmarks to fund the acquisition of 22 Joint Strike Fighters beyond the amount requested by the Pentagon, bringing the total amount of earmarks for the program to $8.9 billion since FY01. Lastly, the Biden administration would do well to introduce some stability into Pentagon leadership. Every defense secretary brings to the job different priorities for the government's largest bureaucracy. President Donald Trump burned through two confirmed and four acting secretaries, the most for any administration. President Biden should endeavor to reverse this churn. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2021/02/01/these-five-items-should-top-bidens-defense-priorities/

Melbourne, Fla. January 27, 2021 — The U.S. Air Force has awarded L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) a five-year, up to $668 million IDIQ contract to help maintain its C-130 aircraft fleet readiness. L3Harris will perform sustainment on C-130H and J-model aircraft at its 1.1 million-square-foot aircraft modification center in Waco, Texas. The center features hangars to support a full range of missionization and aircraft services, including conducting parallel avionics modernization and programmed depot-level maintenance efforts for reduced aircraft downtime. The center supports the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve C-130H aircraft fleet under the U.S. Air Force Avionics Modernization Program Increment 2. The center also services the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, space, commercial and international operators. “L3Harris' support will alleviate capacity constraints for the U.S. Air Force's Air Logistics complexes,” said Sean Stackley, President, Integrated Mission Systems, L3Harris. “Our extensive C-130 experience, skilled personnel and expansive hangar capacity provide a ready solution to assist the Air Force in maintaining its fleet readiness.” About L3Harris Technologies L3Harris Technologies is an agile global aerospace and defense technology innovator, delivering end-to-end solutions that meet customers' mission-critical needs. The company provides advanced defense and commercial technologies across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains. L3Harris has approximately $18 billion in annual revenue and 48,000 employees, with customers in more than 100 countries. www.L3Harris.com Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect management's current expectations, assumptions and estimates of future performance and economic conditions. Such statements are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements about the value or expected value of orders, contracts or programs are forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties. L3Harris disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. MEDIA CONTACTS Marcella Thompson Integrated Mission Systems Phone: 214-430-8872 Marcella.Thompson@L3Harris.com Jim Burke Corporate Phone: 321-727-9131 | 321-604-0067 Jim.Burke@L3Harris.com View source version on L3Harris Technologies: https://www.l3harris.com/newsroom/press-release/2021/01/us-air-force-awards-l3harris-technologies-668-million-idiq-contract

Amberley (Australia), January 28, 2021 – Airbus has recently signed a contract to provide a digital services focus for the maintenance of the Air Refueling Boom System (ARBS) on the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport (A330 MRTT) fleet. Based on the Airbus suite of digital services SmartForce, this service is intended to support the operator in reducing maintenance costs and improving fleet availability by optimizing the fault diagnosis and troubleshooting tasks for the ARBS of the tanker aircraft, based on data analytics applications. The Central Data System plays a key role, allowing operators to draw on the flight data recorded by the Mission Recording System and provides information outputs about issues registered during the flight and recommended maintenance actions to fix them. Within the KC-30A Enterprise, the Central Data System is a joint development built upon a successful long-standing collaboration among Airbus, the Commonwealth of Australia (CoA) and the Australian KC-30A Through Life Support (TLS) provider Northrop Grumman Australia, in sharing data and defining the architecture of the system. Future proposed development of the capability will allow customers which apply this technology to their fleet to be able to extend the ARBS analytics to entire aircraft level diagnostics. Stephan Miegel, Head of Military Aircraft Services at Airbus Defence and Space, said:“Since the launch of SmartForce in 2018, Airbus is fully committed to support the digital initiatives of our customers. Working collaboratively with them, we have signed five agreements for the co-development of new services and technologies. We are proud to see that military operators are increasingly joining us on our digital journey.” Jake Adams, Northrop Grumman Australia KC-30A Program Manager, said: “The introduction of the Central Data System has provided significant benefits in terms of increased availability of the ARBS. The recent agreement between Airbus and Northrop Grumman Australia ensures that the RAAF continues to benefit from this capability as well as providing the opportunity for ongoing collaboration and sharing of data and analytics to enhance the ARBS capability.” Group Captain Scott Parry, Officer Commanding Heavy Air Lift Systems Program Office, commented: “The Central Data System delivers a significant capability benefit for the KC-30A aircraft and demonstrates the strong commitment within the KC-30A enterprise to innovation and improvement.” SmartForce is a suite of services enabling military operators to exploit aircraft data to improve troubleshooting, optimize maintenance effort, predict maintenance actions and plan smartly for material demand and improving the fleet availability. SmartForce capitalizes on the new power of big data analytics coupled to secured connectivity to maximize mission readiness. @AirbusDefence @AusAirForce #A330MRTT Your Contact Pablo Correa External Communications - Airbus Defence +34 6 89 66 96 02 Send an email Belinda Ng Communications - Airbus Asia-Pacific +65 9683 6361 Send an email View source version on Airbus: https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2021/01/royal-australian-air-force-benefits-from-airbus-smartforce-digital-services.html