Nouvelles

Does Western aerospace and defense need to be better protected against Chinese investment? Should Washington directly invest in the U.S. defense industrial base? Does anyone know how a nationally... https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/manufacturing-supply-chain/us-ad-sector-risk-chinese-investors-flooding

As part of the Government of Canada's commitment to refocus existing innovation programs to support the fight against the spread of COVID-19, the Department of National Defence has announced the first of a series of calls for innovations aimed at addressing some key challenges Canada is facing. With an initial commitment of $15 million, the first three challenges focus on: Viable and effective processes and methods for safely and rapidly decontaminating enclosed work environments, such as buildings and modes of transportation, containing sensitive equipment; Innovative material and designs to aid in decontamination of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), operational clothing, and equipment for personnel responding to events involving biological hazards; and Data gathering solutions to support the early detection and community-based monitoring of outbreaks of contagious diseases. These challenges were determined by multi-departmental panels led by the National Research Council of Canada as part of the COVID-19 Challenges Procurement Program. In addition to the call for innovation, these panels are engaging Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises to refine their near-to-market products to meet a COVID-19 related need. Promising solutions in the areas of PPE, sanitization, diagnostics and testing, therapeutics, and disease-tracking technology may receive funding to further their solutions of interest. This effort is a collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada, and Health Canada and sees an additional investment of up to $10 million. Innovators are encouraged to consult the IDEaS program website (https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/programs/defence-ideas.html) for more information on the challenges and how to apply to the program. “These are unprecedented times. We need to leverage all great minds and innovators in our efforts to combat COVID-19,” said Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan. “We will invest in Canadians as we look for innovative solutions to keep not only the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces, but all Canadians safe.” – Quick facts Call for innovation – Challenges to Canadian innovators This initiative is being led by DND's Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program, with collaboration from the Centre for Security Science Program. The call will be open until June 23, with contracts expected to be awarded this summer. COVID-19 Challenges Procurement Program DND has provided subject matter experts in the areas of public safety and security, medical response, and biology/chemistry for these panels. http://www.lookoutnewspaper.com/dnd-launches-call-innovative-thinkers-solutions-covid-19-challenges/

Posted on June 4, 2020 by Ken Pole Royal Canadian Air Force CF-188 Hornets and U.S. fighters are routinely tasked by North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) to intercept Russian aircraft operating close to Canadian and U.S. airspace. The latest incident occurred in early March when two Tupolev Tu-142 reconnaissance aircraft were met over the Beaufort Sea by RCAF Boeing CF-188s from Cold Lake, Alta., and USAF F-22 Raptors out of Elmendorf AFB in Alaska. They were supported by two larger Boeings, a USAF KC-135 Stratotanker and E-3 Sentry surveillance aircraft. Having waved their metaphorical flags, all returned to their respective bases without incident. More recently, two CF-188s from 433 Tactical Fighter Squadron at RCAF 3 Wing in Bagotville, Que., and Lockheed Martin CP-140 Aurora maritime reconnaissance aircraft out of 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S., were involved in a more unusual intercept exercise off the East Coast. Also participating were the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) frigate Ville de Quebec and the supply ship Asterix, both homeported in Halifax. The unprecedented May 28 to 31 exercise was co-ordinated by U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and also involved the U.S. Strategic, Space and Transportation Commands. Centred around the U.S. Navy Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier strike group and the RCN ships, the exercise was designed to test U.S. homeland defence against a supersonic Rockwell B-1B Lancer heavy bomber representing an enemy intruder. U.S. aircraft included KC-135s for refuelling not only the Canadian fighters but also Boeing F-15 Eagles flown by the U.S. Air National Guard 104th Fighter Wing out of Barnes ANG Base in Westfield, Mass., and Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets from Carrier Air Wing 1 at Oceana, Va. The CP-140s, from 404, 405 and 415 Squadrons at Greenwood, conducted five overflights during the exercise as well as participating in an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) element. The Ville de Quebec also participated in the ASW element as well as the Lancer intercept before returning to Halifax. The Asterix conducted several “replenishments at sea” exercises with other ships. “This was an excellent advanced readiness opportunity for Canadian and American maritime forces,” RAdm Craig Baines, the RCN's Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic, said in a statement. “The scenarios utilized during these events enable our mutual ability to operate in a multi-threat environment, in which co-ordination and integration are absolutely critical for our success in responding to any crisis in our waters or internationally.” Operational details were scarce, with Canadian and U.S. officers saying only that the exercise took place in an area up to 160 kilometres offshore. However, Terrence O'Shaughnessy, the four-star USAF General who heads both USNORTHCOM and NORAD, said in a statement that the “complex high-end operations . . . allowed us to demonstrate and exercise critical homeland defense capabilities.” https://www.skiesmag.com/news/rcaf-aircraft-participate-east-coast-intercept-exercise

Un maître d'œuvre est à la recherche de fournisseurs ayant des capacités en intelligence artificielle. Plus précisément, celle-ci est à la recherche d'entreprises qui ont développé des solutions qui permettent aux utilisateurs de gérer une grande quantité d'informations. À titre d'exemple, des solutions qui détectent des anomalies, de l'apprentissage renforcé (analyse prédictive) et de l'auto-apprentissage (arbre de décision probables). Si vous pensez pouvoir répondre à ce besoin, merci de contacter : Charbel Khoury à charbel.khoury@aeromontreal.ca ou Pauline Breyton à pauline.breyton@aeromontreal.ca Merci et au plaisir !

Nathan Strout The Air Force will dole out up to $950 million over the next five years to develop and enable its Joint All Domain Command and Control concept, according to a May 29 contract announcement. JADC2 is a new data architecture being pushed primarily by the Air Force for multidomain operations across the service branches. Under JADC2, the Department of Defense wants to connect any sensor to any shooters, regardless of domain. For instance, one aspect of JADC2 is ensuring that data collected by space-based sensors can be processed, transferred to a command-and-control node where it can be fused with other sensor data, and distributed to the appropriate shooter in near-real time. The Air Force has pursued this JADC2 vision by investing in the Advanced Battle Management System family of systems. ABMS seeks to bring the internet of things to the battlefield with an open architecture. The Air Force began testing ABMS last year and is set to conduct its next test in August or September. The Air Force contracts, with a ceiling of $950 million total, will provide maturation, demonstration and proliferation of JADC2-related capabilities across platforms and domains. Contractors will be expected to leverage open-system designs, modern software and algorithm developments to enable the JADC2 vision. Twenty-eight companies will compete for task orders under the new indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts. Several of the vendors selected are not traditional DoD contractors, highlighting the Air Force's desire to include novel commercial approaches to ABMS. “We want a wide variety of companies, and we definitely want fresh blood in the ABMS competition, so there is a lot that can be contributed from companies that are commercially focused, that know a lot about data, that know a lot about machine learning and [artificial intelligence] and know a lot about analytics. Those are going to be the most important parts of the Advanced Battle Management System,” Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Will Roper told reporters May 14. While the announcement didn't delineate what each of the vendors would bring to the table, multiple vendors on the contract have provided technologies that fit into the JADC2 concept as well. For example, Persistent Systems supports the Wave Relay Tactical Assault Kit program, which provides multidomain communications and situational awareness to Air Force convoys. In a news release, Silvus Technologies announced it would supply its StreamCaster Mobile Ad hoc Networking radio systems for ABMS under the contract. Silvus says its technology can provide a high-bandwidth, tactical-edge network that connects assets across domains. That technology fits into meshONE, a part of ABMS focused on battlefield networks. MeshONE was used in the December 2019 ABMS test, and the new contract will provide more equipment for future tests. No funds were issued at the time of the award. Work is expected to be completed May 26, 2025. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/it-networks/2020/06/02/air-force-to-dole-out-nearly-1-billion-for-abms-development/

Seth J. Frantzman Israel defense giant Rafael will target armies in Asia and Europe with its software-defined radios, banking on increasing demand for digitized communications systems. With programs already underway in Germany and India, the company is pitching its BNET family of radios through partnerships with companies in half a dozen European markets — looking to snag market share from L3Harris, Thales, Leonardo and Israel's own Elbit Systems. Yoav Wermuth, head of Rafael's Communications Division (C3) and former head of research and development, says that BNET can be integrated into a variety of platforms with existing architecture and systems. Integration is achieved through local partnerships, as it has done in India, or working with Spain's Technobit, which provides the industrial and manufacturing solution with Rafael's software and radio kit. The company is now on the hunt for a local partner in the United Kingdom. “We have several forms of the radio to be compatible with platforms from aircraft to tanks, and the integration is simple as we support standard interfaces," Wermuth said. With older vehicles some re-wiring may be necessary, along with the addition of computers, which is one of the upgrades Rafael supports in India. "When integrating into a new tank, the tank provider has a modern architecture we plug into, and there are some standards in industry in last decade that make it simple with interfaces and protocols,” he added. Rafael's BNET has a broadband IP radio for aircraft (BNET-AR), a man-packable system (BNET-MPS), a vehicle (BNET-V) and hand-held model (BNET-HH). The system enables multiple radios and networks without tactical bottlenecks in communications, Wermuth said. In short: No more jeeps with dozens of antennas, but rather one radio. “You connect each force, whether soldier, vehicle or aircraft or drone,” he says. “If you take a current software defined radio, tactical for instance, you receive 1 megabyte per second; on BNET you can do 100 times more.” Many militaries lag behind the rapid advances in civilian infrastructure for communications, thanks in part to the success of applications like WhatsApp on smartphones, according to Rafael officials. Now they're playing catchup, with Israel in the midst of a major digitization upgrade with its five year Momentum program, which includes BNET and Rafael's Fire Weaver technology for reducing sensor to shooter times. The same technology was chosen when Germany hired Rafael and Atos in December 2019 for a “glass battlefield” demonstration. “Militaries are conservative today and must go through transformative thinking to change how they conduct their mission, as it happens in civilian life,” says Wermuth. Furthermore, providing a new communications system for militaries requires solving three challenges: lack of infrastructure when deployed in the field, the need to operate in severe conditions, and the need to ensure security amid threats of electronic warfare tactics, according to Rafael. Those challenges have been addressed with the Israel Defense Force, which the company hopes will be a selling point for foreign militaries seeking similar upgrades to communication technology. In addition to the German demonstration, Rafael also won a $30 million contract for the Indian Air Force signed with the company's local joint venture Astra Rafael Comsys Pvt Ltd, which could eventually approach $200 million according to the company. The potential is far greater if the program expands to equip the whole Indian Air Force. Rafael works within the framework of India's demand to make products locally, building a local manufacturing footprint by way of joint ventures and local companies. It plans to compete for the Indian army's massive 100,000 radio network when that becomes available. The work with Germany also provides a foot in the door for work with the Tactical Edge Networking plan that envisions Germany and the Netherlands working together on tactical communications. This could combine the Bundeswehr's D-LBO and Dutch Ministry of Defense FOXTROT systems, and is a multi-billion dollar program. A request for proposal (RFP) is expected for next year. “In Europe there is now a rush of digitization programs,” says Wermuth, pointing to Spain where the country is seeking a complete renovation of tactical communications. Tenders for the army and air force are expected in the $1 billion range. Rafael hopes to team with the Spanish firm Technobit, which they have worked with before to supply remote controlled weapons stations to the Spanish army. The company has demonstrated BNET to Spanish officials from the Ministry of Defense . In the U.K., Rafael hopes to play a role with the Morpheus program for next generation tactical communications for the British Armed Forces. In Australia the company is eyeing the Land 200 program, which is also estimated at $1 billion in digitization. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/2020/06/02/israel-company-targets-opportunities-in-europe-and-asia-for-software-defined-radios/

AIR FORCE National Aerospace Solutions LLC, Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee, has been awarded an $181,934,683 cost-plus-award-fee modification (P00106) to contract FA9101-15-C-0500 for test operations and sustainment. This modification adds Option Year Four for test operations, technology development, equipment and facility sustainment, capital improvements and some support services for the Arnold Engineering Development Complex. Work will be performed at Arnold AFB, Tennessee, and is expected to be completed June 30, 2021. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $1,186,513,728. Air Force Test Center, Arnold AFB, Tennessee, is the contracting activity. Range Generation Next LLC, Sterling, Virginia, has been awarded a $13,941,843 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P000297) to contract FA8806-15-C-0001 for cyber hardened infrastructure support. This modification supports an increase in launch and test range requirements. The primary locations of performance are the Eastern Range, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida; and the Western Range, Vandenberg AFB, California. Work is expected to be completed Feb. 14, 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $13,941,843 are being obligated at the time of award. The total cumulative face value is $1,210,861,882. Space and Missile Systems Center, Peterson AFB, Colorado, is the contracting activity. Oracle America Inc., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $10,499,623 firm-fixed-price contract to provide software licenses, Oracle Service Cloud Hosting Services and maintenance in support of the myPers Customer Relationship Management software. The vendor will be required to provide 1,000 full software licenses for business process owners/administrators and 5,000 light software licenses for users requiring access to support customers. Work will be performed in Washington, D.C., and is expected to be completed May 31, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $5,249,812 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity (FA7014-20-C-0024). (Awarded May 29, 2020) NAVY Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Woodland Hills, California, is awarded a $79,083,495 modification (P00018) to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, cost reimbursable, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N68936-15-D-0013. This modification increases the ceiling for the research and development of AH-1Z and UH-1Y system configuration set mission computers in support of the Marine Corps. Work will be performed in Woodland Hills, California (98%); Salt Lake City, Utah (1%); and Baltimore, Maryland (1%). Efforts include researching alternatives, investigating and documenting new capabilities and anomalies related to avionics and weapons, designing, developing, integrating, verifying, validating and testing upgrades to existing mission computer software and ancillary hardware and/or improved functionality and obsolescence management of the mission computer. This modification also includes the logistics requirements to support the system. Work is expected to be complete by April 2021. No funds are being obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity. Viasat Inc., Carlsbad, California, is awarded $75,373,500 (a modification with a maximum potential value) under previously awarded, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award contract N00039-15-D-0043 for the Block Upgrade II retrofit of multifunctional information distribution system (MIDS) low volume terminals. Work will be performed in Carlsbad, California. The terminals provide secure, high-capacity, jam-resistant, digital data and voice communications capability for the Navy, Air Force and Army platforms as well as Foreign Military Sales customers. Work is expected to be complete by May 2024. This modification will increase the current contract value from $599,093,506 to $674,467,006. No funding is being obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as individual delivery orders are issued. This contract modification was not competitively procured because it is a sole-source acquisition pursuant to the authority of 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). Only one responsible source (Federal Acquisition Regulation subpart 6.302-1) was addressed under Justification and Approval No. 18,413 (April 2, 2018) and the contract was awarded on behalf of the Multifunctional Information Distribution System Program Office. The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Trandes Corp., Linthicum, Maryland, is awarded a $24,388,698 for an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N66001-20-D-0336) to provide engineering services to support electronic tactical air navigation, air traffic and command control, landing systems and joint tactical systems. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (75%); and potential air traffic control sites, ships, and Department of Defense facilities worldwide (25%). The period of performance of the base award is from June 2, 2020, to June 1, 2022. If all options are exercised, the period of performance will extend through June 1, 2025. This two-year contract includes three one-year options, which if exercised will bring the potential value of this contact to an estimated $63,833,003. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using operations and maintenance (Navy); other procurement (Navy); research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); and potential funding from other government agencies to include the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security. This contract was competitively procured as a small business set-aside via request for proposal which was published on the contract opportunities section of the System for Award Management website and the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce Central website. Two proposals were received and one was selected for award. The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Metson Marine Services Inc. (N66604-20-D-M001); Seaward Services Inc. (N66604-20-D-M002); and Oceanetics Inc. (N66604-20-D-M003), are awarded $22,950,296 for a maximum value, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract for the procurement of operational and logistic services required to support various at-sea tests for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport customers. Work will be performed at the contractors' sites and at government locations based on each individual task orders all over the world and is expected to be complete by June 2025. For these base five-year contracts, funding will not be obligated at time of award; the $1,000 minimum guarantee will be executed on each awardee's initial task order. Fiscal 2020 service cost center funding in the amount of $3,000 will be obligated at time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This multiple-award contract was competitively procured and three acceptable offers were received via the BETA.SAM.gov website. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Aerospace Systems, Melbourne, Florida, is awarded a $17,649,408 modification (P00001) to firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee order N0001920-F-0025 against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-15-G-0026. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (39.2%); Ronkonkoma, New York (23.98%); Bethpage, New York (18.02%); Petaluma, California (6.8%); Irvine, California (6.76%); Melbourne, Florida (3.25%); Minden, Nebraska (1.5%); and various locations within the continental U.S. (.49%). This modification procures fabrication and installation support to retrofit the Link 16 (L16) Crypto-Modernization (CM)/Hybrid-Beyond Line of Sight (HBLOS) capability on 34 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. This modification also provides for the retrofit of four sets of support equipment to satisfy operational requirements for the L16 and HBLOS as well as the procurement of five new radio interface units in support of the installation schedule for the CM/HBLOS capability. Work is expected to be complete by June 2021. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds for $17,649,408 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. AECOM Technical Services Inc., Los Angeles, California, is awarded $9,054,900 for cost-plus-award-fee task order N62742-19-F-4006 modification under an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award contract for the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program advanced studies, part three, at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (PHNSY) and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (IMF). Work will be performed in PHNSY and IMF, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and provides for 17 advanced studies and project management for Site 1, PHNSY and IMF, in accordance with the scope of work as negotiated. Work is expected to be completed by September 2021. Fiscal 2020 Navy contract funds in the amount of $9,054,900 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-16-D-3555). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, is awarded a $7,815,609 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract N00024-15-C-6327 to provide equitable adjustments for engineering change proposals for Increment One Block One (I1B1) Systems low rate initial production in support of the Expeditionary Warfare Program Office. Work will be performed in San Diego, California. This modification is to provide for an equitable adjustment for already completed engineering work for Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Devises Electronic Warfare (CREW) systems that provide combat troops protection against Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Devices (RCIEDs). CREW systems are designed to provide protection for foot soldiers, vehicles and permanent structures. The Joint CREW (JCREW) I1B1 system is the first generation system that develops a common open architecture across all three capabilities and provides protection for worldwide military operations. This modification is issued to ensure JCREW systems are viable for future production and maintain operational readiness for the field. Work is expected to be complete by May 2020. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Air Force) funds; 2019 other procurement (Navy) funds; and 2018 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $7,815,609 will be obligated at time of award; $5,011,497 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Awarded May 28, 2020) DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY Agile Defense Inc.,* Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $31,225,244 modification (P00052) to previously awarded task order HR0011-15-F-0002 for unclassified information technology services. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the task order from $176,513,865 to $207,739,109. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an expected completion date of February 2021. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 research and development funds in the amount of $12,224,558 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. ARMY Chi-Chack LLC,* Tacoma, Washington, was awarded a $29,082,048 firm-fixed-price contract for language and culture services to include creativity and flexibility to meet the unique instruction needs of commanders requiring language and/or culture related capabilities. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2025. U.S. Army 419th Contracting Support Brigade, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is the contracting activity (W9124720D9001). Technica LLC,* Charleston, South Carolina, was awarded an $11,316,045 modification (0004 C4) to contract W52P1J-12-G-0018 for Fort Bliss, Texas, Logistics Readiness Center support services to include maintenance, transportation and supply. Work will be performed in El Paso, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 1, 2020. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $11,316,045 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Maloof Weathertight Solutions LLC, Warner Robins, Georgia, was awarded an $8,847,818 firm-fixed-price contract to provide all work for repair and replacement of roof projects at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia. 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 June 1, 2023. U.S. Army 419th Contracting Support Brigade, Fort Stewart, Georgia, is the contracting activity (W9124M-20-D-0006). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Telephonics Corp., Farmingdale, New York, has been awarded a maximum $15,236,585 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for aviation control interface. This was a competitive acquisition with one offer received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is New York, with a June 1, 2025, ordering period end date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (SPRRA1-20-D-0044). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Rolling Meadows, Illinois, has been awarded a $12,494,230 firm-fixed-price delivery order (SPRPA1-20-F-KF0C) against a five-year basic ordering agreement (SPE4A1-16-G-0005) for AAQ-24 ATW sensors. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Location of performance is Illinois, with a May 31, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2022 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2205772/source/GovDelivery/

June 2, 2020 | By John A. Tirpak The Pentagon awarded Lockheed Martin a $26.7 million contract on June 1 to develop a structural modification for the F-35 strike fighter to improve its Suppression/Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses capability (SEAD/DEAD). The retrofit design will be applied to both U.S. and foreign F-35s in Lots 14 and 15, and will be completed by August 2022. The contract, issued by Naval Air Systems Command on behalf of all F-35 users, says Lockheed will perform the engineering necessary to modify the aircraft to perform “full up” SEAD and DEAD. When the Air Force declared the F-35 operational in 2016, it described the F-35's SEAD/DEAD suite as able to perform the mission in a “limited” fashion. The need for a structural modification indicates the aircraft will be fitted with new munitions and/or sensors to carry out the role, which usually involves detecting, fixing, and attacking ground-based air defense threats, which can be mobile or stationary. When the service declared initial operational capability for the F-35A, the aircraft was in the 3i configuration, which gave it capability to release satellite-guided bombs. With the 3F version, the F-35 gained capability for the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb and AGM-154 Stand-Off Weapon—both used for SEAD/DEAD. The Block 4 upgrade will enable the F-35 to carry the in-development Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW). The Navy plans to field its AGM-88E Anti-Radiation Guided Missile, a successor to the HARM anti-radiation missile, and the Air Force is considering the weapon, as well. The ARRGM and HARM home in on the last known emissions of a surface-to-air missile radar at high speed; their presence and success in previous conflicts has dissuaded enemies from turning their radars on in some instances, hence “suppression.” The F-35's ASQ-239 electronic warfare system can passively detect an enemy air defense system's emissions and geo-locate these targets in concert with the F-35's other systems. Air Force leaders have said the F-35, by virtue of its stealth, will become the main platform for the SEAD/DEAD mission in the coming decade. That role is now primarily performed by the F-16 with the HARM. https://www.airforcemag.com/lockheed-to-retrofit-f-35s-for-suppression-destruction-of-enemy-air-defenses-role

SOCOM has budgeted $106 million in 2021 to buy the first five of up to 75 Armed Overwatch aircraft to perform close air support for its troops on the ground, light attack and ISR missions. The planes would replace Air Force Special Operations Command current fleet of U-28 Draco aircraft. By THERESA HITCHENSon June 02, 2020 at 8:01 AM WASHINGTON: Given the fact that the global market for trainers is flat at best, and practically non-existent for light attack aircraft, the competition for Special Operations Command's upcoming Armed Overwatch buy is likely to be fierce. “75 planes is a lot in this market,” Richard Aboulafia, aviation analyst at Teal Group, told Breaking D. SOCOM has budgeted $106 million in 2021 to buy the first five of up to 75 Armed Overwatch aircraft to perform close air support for its troops on the ground, light attack and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. The planes would replace Air Force Special Operations Command's current fleet of U-28 Draco aircraft. Indeed, Teal Group's January 2020 market analysis on trainers (not including supersonic aircraft) and light attack aircraft finds the total market worth only about $2 billion, compared to up to $30 billion for fighter jets. “Having SOCOM do this with 75 planes to train with less capable allied forces almost makes sense, compared with the totally absurd idea of the Air Force buying hundreds as part of their force structure,” Aboulafia said. He was referencing the Air Force's on-again, off-again romance with the concept of buying up to 300 so-called Light Attack Aircraft to use for training, for close air support by Air Force Special Operations Command, and as strike aircraft for US allies involved in insurgencies such as Afghanistan and Lebanon. After almost a decade of dithering, the service finally in February made a final determination to buy only two each of the Textron/Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverine and the Sierra Nevada-Embraer A-29 Tucanos for continued experimentation. SOCOM officials have stressed that the commands requirements are slightly different than those of the Air Force, focused more on mission capabilities than aircraft design. “Armed Overwatch addresses our requirement for a close air support and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability that can operate in austere, short take-off and landing environments with minimal manning, infrastructure and sustainment,” Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins, a SOCOM spokesperson, told Breaking D. And while at least one vendor expressed concerns about speaking with the press due to guidance issued to industry by SOCOM, Hawkins said the guidance used standard language asking vendors not to speak about SOCOM's articulated needs with the goal of protecting ‘controlled unclassified' information. The program is slated to hold a prototype demonstration in November or December — a date that may slip, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At least four aircraft manufacturing teams have confirmed participation in the contest: Sierra Nevada-Embraer; Textron Aviation Defense; Air Tractor; and Leidos. In an May 18 interview with Breaking D, Textron Aviation Defense's Vice President of Defense Strategy and Sales Brett Pierson stressed the fact that the Beechcraft AT-6E has already shown that it can perform the multiple missions envisioned by SOCOM by virtue of its participation in the Air Force's Light Attack Experiment over the last several years. “It already has the capability to do the kind of missions that SOCOM talks about,” he said. The AT-6 has proven its chops in austere environments, Pierson said, both in landing on unprepared runways, and in the ability to rapidly refuel and re-arm. “During Light Attack Experiment, one of the things we demonstrated was the ability to have pilots refuel the airplane, re-arm rockets, do a quick turnaround and take back off again,” he said. In addition, Pierson pointed out, Textron Aviation Defense has customers all over the world , giving it an established supply chain, as well as manufacturing capability. According to a company fact sheet provided to Breaking D, the AT-6 has “85 percent parts commonality with the T-6” trainer, which “yields low risk, low cost sustainment, world-wide logistics, and low-footprint maintenance.” On the other hand, newcomer to the competition Leidos argues that its new Bronco II has the advantage of being designed specifically with the SOCOM mission in mind. Leidos is partnering on Bronco II with the US arm of South African defense conglomerate Paramount Group (which manufactures the Mwari light reconnaissance aircraft), and aftermarket service provider Vertex Aerospace, based in Mississippi. And the fact that the Bronco II is a prototype means its specifications can be altered more easily to fit exactly what the customer might desire, Richard Jackson, Leidos VP for Business Development & Strategy Airborne Solutions, Defense, told Breaking D in a May 19 interview. “It allows SOCOM, from our perspective, to have greater flexibility in influencing the future of how the aircraft evolves,” he said. The aircraft design is optimized to meet SOCOM's multi-mission profile, Jackson stressed, using modern, modular design approaches and open standards that ensure future subsystem upgrades are easily accomplished. It also has an “interchangeable conformal mission bay” that allows payloads to be rapidly swapped out by a couple of operators “in hours, not days.” “Multi-mission is key word here,” he said. “It can do the surveillance and combat support and combat attack role simultaneously. That is something that SOCOM has touted and is not easily done.” The Bronco II is built specifically to operate in austere environments, he said. For example, it can be rapidly broken down for transport — with one deconstructed aircraft fitting on a C-130 and two fitting in a C-17. “It was designed from a clean sheet,” Jackson said, “purpose built for austere environments. That's something that no other company can say.” Neither Sierra Nevada-Embraer or Air Tractor were available for comment. The A-29 turboprop not only has been involved in the Air Force's Light Attack Experiment, but also used in combat by Afghanistan's air force in the fight against the Taliban. And on April 17, the Sierra Nevada/Embraer team announced that it has successfully flight tested the first of 12 A-29s being built for the Nigerian air force. Air Tractor had offered, with partner L3, the AT-802L Longsword back in 2017 during Phase 1 of the Light Attack Aircraft experiment, but lost out to the AT-6 and A-29 — with Air Force officials citing lack of an ejection seat as a factor. (Air Tractor last November filed a bid protest with the Government Accountability Office that was subsequently dismissed.) Air Tractor's website now touts the multi-mission AT-802U, which the firm says can support ISR, signals intelligence, border/maritime patrol and remote supply/transport missions. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/06/socom-multi-mission-plane-competition-heats-up