Nouvelles

L3 MAS announced on Jan. 24 that it was competitively awarded the Flight Sciences Technical Investigation and Engineering Support (FS TIES) contract from the Government of Canada for the provision of flight sciences engineering support to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) across all its fleets. The one-year contract includes four one-year option periods. “L3 MAS is honoured to be selected by the Royal Canadian Air Force to offer technically superior, innovative and cost-effective flight sciences solutions for its fleets of aircraft,” said Jacques Comtois, vice-president and general manager of L3 MAS. “For nearly 15 years, under this very specialized contract, L3 MAS has successfully provided the RCAF with FS TIES services that encompass numerous engineering disciplines.” L3 MAS has an exceptional range of engineering skills, strategic suppliers and experience managing complex projects that include FS TIES in a collaborative team environment. With over 200 engineers and technologists, L3 MAS provides innovative and cost-effective solutions for its customers. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/l3-mas-wins-flight-sciences-technical-investigation-and-engineering-support-contract

LEE BERTHIAUME, OTTAWA, THE CANADIAN PRESS Canada is poised to contribute tens of millions of dollars toward further development of the F-35 stealth fighter even as the federal government wrestles with whether to buy the plane or not. In an interview with The Canadian Press, the Department of National Defence's head of military procurement says there are no plans for Canada to quit as one of nine partner countries in the F-35 stealth fighter program until after the Trudeau government completes the competition to determine which fighter jet will replace Canada's aging fleet of CF-18s. “We're committed to staying there (in the program) until we understand where the competition will bring us,” said Patrick Finn, assistant deputy minister of material at National Defence. The competition is expected to be launched this spring. The F-35 is one of four planes currently slated to participate in the $19-billion competition, which will result in the purchase of 88 new fighter aircraft to serve as the air force's backbone for the coming decades. The Trudeau Liberals campaigned on a promise not to buy the F-35s in 2015, but have since backed away from that pledge. The Harper Conservatives first announced plans to buy 65 F-35s in 2010, but ran into controversy over cost. Staying on as a partner in the F-35 program comes with advantages, Finn says, including the ability for Canadian companies to compete for billions of dollars in contracts associated with building and maintaining the stealth fighter. Partners are also allowed to buy the F-35 at a lower price than non-partners, who must pay a variety of fees and other costs to purchase the plane. “We want to keep the F-35 as an option, as a contender in the competition,” Finn said. “We want to also make sure that while that's unfolding, that Canadian industry that have competitively won contracts get to continue to do that.” The Defence Department says Canadian companies have won more than $1.25-billion in F-35-related contracts over the years. Yet there are also costs to being a partner; Canada has so far invested more than $500-million into the program over the past 20 years, including $54-million last year. Its next annual payment is due this spring and there will likely be more as the competition isn't scheduled to select a winner until 2021 or 2022. The first new aircraft is expected in 2025 and the last in 2031. There are some technical issues that government officials are working through that could impact how it runs the competition to replace the CF-18s. One of those is how to ensure the various bids are all measured equally. In addition to Lockheed Martin's F-35, bids are expected from Boeing's Super Hornet, Eurofighter's Typhoon and Saab's Gripen. All four companies recently provided feedback on a draft process that the government has drawn up to run the competition, and another round of consultations is scheduled for mid-February. A big question facing Lockheed is how it can meet Ottawa's usual requirement that companies who are awarded large military contracts invest back into Canada on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The F-35 partnership agreement that Canada signed with the other countries bars such promised investments and instead stipulates that companies must compete for the work. Finn said all four jet companies have unique challenges and circumstances, and that officials in charge of the competition could inject some flexibility into how the requirement is handled. “There is absolutely flexibility and I would say my colleagues in (the federal industry department) demonstrate that on a weekly, monthly basis,” he said. “They would be the first to say, and they're very good at saying, is: ‘Well listen, the first intent is to get the right military capability. We want to have the offsets as well, and with a given market segment, what it is that we do and how do we do it.“' https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-canada-to-keep-paying-for-f-35-development-as-fighter-jet-competition

Mike Rees Raytheon Company has announced that it will deploy sustainment and cybersecurity experts around the world to support the ground control systems and onboard sensors used by the U.S. Air Force fleet of RQ-4 Global Hawk remotely piloted aircraft. Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services will perform the work, which includes providing software upgrades to defend against cyber threats, as part of a $65 million subcontract from the aircraft manufacturer, Northrop Grumman. “Raytheon will help these unmanned aircraft meet tomorrow's threats,” said Todd Probert, vice president of Mission Support and Modernization at Raytheon IIS. “We have been improving the Global Hawk fleet's capabilities for 20 years by modernizing their ground and sensor systems and will now ensure their resiliency in the face of cyber threats.” Raytheon previously announced a $104 million effort to modernize the Global Hawk ground segment, moving payload and aircraft operators into mission control buildings. These new stations replace mission control, and launch and recovery elements previously housed in shelters. https://www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com/2019/01/raytheon-provides-cybersecurity-for-global-hawk-uas/

ARMY Donley Construction,* Aberdeen, Maryland (W912DQ-19-D-4000); LGC Global Inc.,* Detroit, Michigan (W912DQ-19-D-4001); Southwind Construction,* Edmond, Oklahoma (W912DQ-19-D-4002); Walga Ross Group JV,* Topeka, Kansas (W912DQ-19-D-4003); RM Builders,* Alamogordo, New Mexico (W912DQ-19-D-4004); and SES Construction and Fuel Services,* Oak Ridge, Tennessee (W912DQ-19-D-4006), will share in a $95,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for design-build and design-bid-build construction work. Bids were solicited via the internet with 40 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 16, 2022. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, Missouri, is the contracting activity. Inquip Associates Inc.,* McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $41,169,021 firm-fixed-price contract for levee improvement construction. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Sacramento, California, with an estimated completion date of April 13, 2021. Fiscal 2017 and 2019 general construction and non-federal sponsor funds in the amount of $41,169,021 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento, California, is the contracting activity (W91238-19-C-0006). ACC Construction Co. Inc., Augusta, Georgia, was awarded a $21,039,018 firm-fixed-price contract for a special operations forces tactical-equipment maintenance facility. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 9, 2020. Fiscal 2018 military construction funds in the amount of $21,039,018 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington, North Carolina, is the contracting activity (W912PM-19-C-0011). Cottrell Contracting Corp.,* Chesapeake, Virginia, was awarded a $12,740,080 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Jekyll Island, Georgia; and Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 2, 2019. Fiscal 2017, 2018 and 2019 civil work Irma supplemental; civil work Matthew supplemental; and civil work operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $12,740,080 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Georgia, is the contracting activity (W912HN-19-C-5001). Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. LLC, Oak Brook, Illinois, was awarded a $7,814,143 modification (P00004) to contract W912HP-18-C-0006 to increase cubic yards of beach fill. Work will be performed in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with an estimated completion date of June 17, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $7,814,143 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum, Maryland, was awarded a $7,666,503 firm-fixed-price foreign military sales (Kuwait) contract for procurement of Army, Navy vehicle intercommunication systems. One bid was solicited via the internet with one bid received. Work will be performed in Elkridge, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 23, 2020. Fiscal 2019 foreign military sales funds in the amount of $7,666,503 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-19-C-5007). AIR FORCE Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Savannah, Georgia, has been awarded an $80,607,877 firm-fixed-price modification (P00004) to contract FA8106-18-D-0002 for C-20/C-37 fleet sustainment. The contract modification is for exercise of Option Year II, to include issuance of task orders for one-year extension of contract term to support the C-20 and C-37 fleet for the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard; and funding uninterrupted continuation of contractor logistics. Work will be performed at Savannah, Georgia; Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy; Ramstein Air Base, Germany; Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland; Hickam AFB, Hawaii; Marine Corps Base Hawaii; MacDill AFB, Florida; and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington, District of Columbia. The work is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenances funds in the amount of $62,162,710 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $594,429,554. Air Force Lifecycle Management Center, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Planmeca U.S.A. Inc., Roselle, Illinois, has been awarded a maximum $29,850,000 firm-fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for medical equipment and accessories for the Defense Logistics Agency electronic catalog. This was a competitive acquisition with 70 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Illinois, with a Jan. 22, 2024, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and other federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D1-19-D-0009). NAVY General Atomics, Electromagnetics Systems Group, San Diego, California, is awarded $19,682,252 for firm-fixed-price delivery order N0001919F2406 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0006). This order provides for the manufacture, assembly, inspection, integration, test and delivery of Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) spare parts in support of the CVN-78 prior to the Advanced Arresting Gear and EMALS material support dates. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (37 percent); Boston, Massachusetts (18 percent); Tupelo, Mississippi (10.7 percent); Aston, Pennsylvania (5.8 percent); Guilford, Connecticut (4.4 percent); San Leandro, California (3.5 percent); Cincinnati, Ohio (2.6 percent); Randolph, New Jersey (2.4 percent); Mankato, Minnesota (1.4 percent); Middletown, Ohio (1.2 percent); Bindlach, Bavaria, Germany (.53 percent); and various locations within the continental U.S. (12.47 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2023. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $19,682,252 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. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1738850/source/GovDelivery/

Pat Host, Washington, DC - Jane's Defence Weekly The US Navy (USN) awarded Bell a USD440 million contract modification to produce and deliver 25 AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters on 18 January, according to a Pentagon statement. The contract modification, known as Lot 16, is part of the US Marine Corps' (USMC's) programme to acquire 189 AH-1Zs. The contract also includes the purchase of 25 store control units, which, according to Bell spokesman Michael Reilly, is the interface between the pilot and the weapon system that is used to manage the employment of the weapons loaded on the aircraft. Work is expected to be complete by January 2022. Reilly said it takes roughly 30-31 months to manufacture an AH-1Z aircraft. USN spokesman Greg Kuntz said on 23 January that Lot 16 is the final lot buy of AH-1Z for the service. The marinised AH-1Z features virtually identical front and rear 'glass' cockpits, fully-integrated weapons, avionics, and communications system. It also features a fully-integrated air-to-air missile capability. https://www.janes.com/article/85924/us-navy-awards-bell-contract-for-ah-1z-helicopters

By: Jeff Jeong SEOUL — It looked like Italy's aerospace group Leonardo was going to be an easy winner for South Korea's second batch of anti-submarine helicopters. The procurement program would seek 12 more AW-159 “Wildcat” helicopters, with no other competitors for the $840 million program. But the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, or DAPA, threw a curveball, deciding to accept a U.S. proposal for alternate option and to begin the competitive bidding process from the scratch. The plan for the maritime operational helicopter, or MOH, was originally to sign a direct commercial deal with a foreign helicopter maker, with three bidders — Leonardo, Lockheed Martin and NH Industries — showing interest. The two latter contenders failed to submit their proposals by the Oct. 31 deadline, leaving Leonardo seemingly as the only remaining bidder. According to sources from DAPA, however, the U.S. government in November sent a letter of price and availability of Lockheed Martin's MH-60R Seahawk, causing South Korea's arms procurement officials o rethink the acquisition approach. “We've decided to consider the U.S. FMS option,” DAPA spokesman Park Jung-eun told Defense News. “We're going to weigh in on both options of commercial and FMS contracts.” As dictated by acquisition regulation, two successive failed biddings mean that the agency can make a private contract with a sole bidder, but that's not mandatory. The agency is expected to issue a renewed request for proposals as early as March, according to DAPA officials. Leonardo would be a direct buy, while the Sikorsky bid would be a foreign military sale. Leonardo said in a statement that it would still pursue the South Korean naval helicopter program “in a fair and transparent manner.” A Leonardo spokesman said the AW-159 is optimized for the Korean theater of operations, pointing to an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for detecting North Korea's coastal weapon system and a missile firing range that is more than three times longer than Seahawk. “We do not really know about the details of the U.S. Navy's latest proposal,” a Lockheed Martin communications official said, declining to elaborate. “After an RFP is issued, we could be able to discuss with the service.” Pundits here expressed different reactions to the renewed MOH bidding process. Shin In-kyun, head of Korea Defense Network, a Seoul-based private defense think tank, said it's a better opportunity to acquire state-of-the-art naval helicopters with better performances. “The Seahawk is estimated to be more expensive by 20 to 30 percent than the Wildcat, but the former has performances about two times better than the latter,” said Shin. “The unit price of the MH-60R could be lowered through the FMS, as the U.S. and Indian Navies are also said to be procuring more than 40 MH-60Rs.” Shin Jong-woo, a senior analyst at the Korea Defense & Security Forum, said an FMS deal may not guarantee economic benefit for South Korea. “You give up offset programs should an FMS deal be made,” he said. “I'm not really sure how much the unit cost of the MH-60R could be lowered. If lowered, we may have to lose some optional functions of the helicopter.” Moreover, a possible MH-60R selection will bring more work to change the designs of warships, he added. “The Navy's existing warships, including the KDX-III Aegis destroyer, are not able to accommodate the MH-60R, so it's inevitable to change the design should the American helicopter be chosen.” The South Korean Navy currently operates eight AW-159s acquired under a 2012 deal. The helicopters fly missions aboard KDX-series destroyers and Incheon-class guided-missile frigates. The service plans to commission at least 12 more new frigates fitted with a flight deck and a hangar that can accommodate one Lynx helicopter. https://www.defensenews.com/2019/01/23/change-of-plans-seoul-decides-to-start-from-scratch-with-helo-competition

Military.com | By Oriana Pawlyk The U.S. Marine Corps' F/A-18C/D Hornet fighter fleet is getting a radar upgrade. The service selected Raytheon Co. to upgrade the aircraft to the APG-79(v)4 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, according to a company announcement. The radar is a scaled version of the APG-79 AESA, which has been integrated into Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers. The APG-79 gives pilots additional situational awareness, high-performance targeting and extended range. A contract amount was not disclosed. "With AESA radars, fighter jet pilots and crews tip the scales in their favor over their adversaries," said Eric Ditmars, vice president of Raytheon Secure Sensor Solutions, in a release. "Now that the APG-79(v)4 is slated to fly on the classic Hornet, Marine Corps pilots will be able to identify, track and engage more targets over a greater distance than ever before." Full article: https://www.military.com/defensetech/2019/01/22/marines-classic-hornet-jets-get-upgraded-radar.html

Le gouvernement du Canada accordera jusqu'à 500 000 $ à des jeunes entreprises innovantes du Québec Le 23 janvier 2019 – Montréal (Québec) – Développement économique Canada pour les régions du Québec (DEC) L'audace et l'ingéniosité des jeunes entrepreneurs innovants sont essentielles pour propulser le Québec dans l'économie de demain. C'est pourquoi le gouvernement du Canada lance aujourd'hui une nouvelle initiative pour les aider à concrétiser leurs projets d'affaires : le Défi propulsion DEC. Ce concours permettra aux jeunes entrepreneurs dynamiques de saisir les occasions offertes par des conditions économiques et technologiques en constante évolution. En lançant aujourd'hui le Défi, le ministre des Transports et député de Notre-Dame-de-Gr'ce—Westmount, l'honorable Marc Garneau, invite les jeunes de partout au Québec ayant la fibre entrepreneuriale et qui œuvrent dans les secteurs de pointe à soumettre, du 8 février au 1er avril 2019, leur plan d'affaires à Développement économique Canada pour les régions du Québec (DEC). En mai 2019, 20 entreprises finalistes seront invitées à présenter les projets les plus prometteurs à un jury d'experts. Les 10 meilleurs projets se verront remettre un prix de 50 000 $ pour concrétiser leur projet d'affaires. Les détails du Défi sont disponibles au canada.ca/defi-propulsion-dec. Citations « Le talent, particulièrement le talent entrepreneurial, est une importante ressource. Nous voulons favoriser l'émergence de nouvelles entreprises en investissant directement dans le développement des talents et des habiletés des Québécoises et des Québécois. Par cette initiative, notre gouvernement permettra à des jeunes de tous les coins du Québec de lancer leur entreprise et de concrétiser leur projet. » L'honorable Marc Garneau, député de Notre-Dame-de-Gr'ce—Westmount et ministre des Transports « Des initiatives comme le Défi propulsion DEC stimulent les entreprises innovantes à concrétiser leurs projets. En se dotant de la Stratégie fédérale d'innovation et de croissance pour les régions du Québec, le gouvernement du Canada a mis en place une approche ambitieuse pour stimuler l'innovation et la croissance pour tous. Il s'agit d'un engagement ferme pour contribuer au développement d'une culture d'innovation et, à terme, à la création de plus d'emplois de qualité pour les Québécois. » L'honorable Navdeep Bains, ministre responsable de DEC Faits en bref L'annonce d'aujourd'hui est faite au nom de l'honorable Navdeep Bains, ministre responsable du portefeuille de l'Innovation, des Sciences et du Développement économique, qui regroupe 17 ministères et organismes fédéraux, dont DEC et les cinq autres agences de développement régional. Le Défi propulsion DEC est une initiative qui découle de la Stratégie fédérale d'innovation et de croissance pour les régions du Québec. Pilotée par DEC, avec la participation d'autres ministères fédéraux, la Stratégie cible quatre priorités et quatorze pistes d'intervention pour favoriser l'adoption et le développement de pratiques innovatrices et assurer la croissance pour tous et pour toutes les régions du Québec. Les fonds ont été consentis en vertu du programme Croissance économique régionale par l'innovation (CERI) de DEC. Pour en savoir davantage sur DEC et ses priorités, consultez le Plan ministériel 2018-2019 ou visitez le www.dec-ced.gc.ca. Depuis maintenant 50 ans, le gouvernement du Canada participe activement au développement économique régional au Québec : un demi-siècle d'actions concrètes consacrées à l'essor des régions et des entreprises d'ici. https://www.canada.ca/fr/developpement-economique-regions-quebec/nouvelles/2019/01/les-jeunes-entreprises-innovantes-du-quebec-sont-invitees-a-participer-au-defi-propulsion-dec.html

by Sebastien Roblin To recap: stealth technology is more effective at a distance. Although there are a number of methods to detect stealth fighters at long range, they generally don't permit weapons to lock on to them. In Len Deighton's book Fighter, he describes the tactics used by the outnumbered English fighter pilots defending against German Luftwaffe bombers in the Battle of Britain: The professional fighter pilot gained height as quickly as he was permitted, and treasured possession of that benefit. He hoped always to spot the enemy before they spotted him and hurried to the sun side of them to keep himself invisible. He needed superior speed, so he positioned himself for a diving attack, and he would choose a victim at the very rear of the enemy formation so that he did not have to fly through their gunfire. He would hope to kill on that first dive. If he failed, the dedicated professional would flee rather than face an alerted enemy. Full article: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/why-f-22-raptor-and-f-35-stealth-fighters-will-revolutionize-war-42322