Nouvelles

By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The Army has validated its design for its future helicopter engine, and the program remains on schedule to deliver the first engine for testing in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021, according to service officials in charge of the effort. The Improved Engine Turbine Program (ITEP) has seen a long — and often delayed — journey as the service wrestled with funding and development strategies for several years. ITEP will replace current engines in both UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters Since awarding a contract to General Electric Aviation in February 2019, the program has pushed forward on schedule, despite a protest from a competing team comprised of Honeywell and Pratt & Whitney, which paused work for roughly three months. And, while the Coronavirus pandemic caused some anxiety among Army officials trying to keep the program on track, those in charge were able to complete the critical design review, conducted 100 percent virtually, according to Army spokesman David Hylton. The ITEP Critical Design Review (CDR) was a multi-month process that consisted of three phases, Hylton told Defense News in a written statement. The engine control system component CDR was completed on June 5, followed by the software CDR on July 17 and the engine systems CDR on July 24, he said. The Army and GE are making “tremendous efforts to keep COVID-19 impacts from delaying the program,” Hylton wrote. GE is now working toward a test readiness review ahead of the first engine test. “We are full steam ahead in terms of understanding where we need to go next with respect to the design, Col. Gregory Fortier, who is in charge of the program office for the Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, said during a media briefing last month. The Army has “no reason to believe we will not fly” in fiscal 2023, he said. According to FY21 Army budget request justification documents, the service plans to fly an aircraft with an ITEP engine installed in the first quarter of FY23 followed by a low-rate initial production decision in the fourth quarter of FY24. A full-rate production decision is expected in FY26. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/08/12/army-validates-design-for-future-helicopter-engine-remains-on-track-despite-covid/

ARMY Moderna TX Inc.,* Cambridge, Massachusetts, was awarded a $1,525,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for 100 million filled drug production doses of a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-1273 vaccine. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2022. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $1,525,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911QY-20-C-0100). (Awarded Aug. 11, 2020) Messer Construction Co., Dayton, Ohio, was awarded a $126,324,295 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center Intelligence Production Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 29, 2023. Fiscal 2020 military construction, defense-wide funds in the amount of $126,324,295 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-20-C-0030). HGL-APTIM JV,* Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $110,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for environmental construction activities in support of the Welsbach General Gas Mantle Superfund Site in Camden and Gloucester City, Camden County, New Jersey. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 11, 2025. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, Missouri, is the contracting activity (W912DQ-20-D-3003). Total Technology Inc.,* Cherry Hill, New Jersey (W15QKN-18-D-0073, P00001); Logisys Technical Services Inc.,* Huntsville, Alabama (W15QKN-18-D-0077, P00001); and Pioneering Decisive Solutions Inc.,* California, Maryland (W15QKN-18-D-0078, P00002), will compete for each order of a $92,992,323 modification for an automated test system testing/diagnostics and netcentric support program. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 20, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Newark, New Jersey, is the contracting activity. The Boeing Co., Mesa, Arizona, was awarded an $11,701,146 modification (P00063) to contract W58RGZ-16-C-0023 for remanufactured Apache AH-64E aircraft. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2023. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $11,701,146 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Rolling Meadows, Illinois, was awarded a $10,008,657 modification (PZ0005) to contract W58RGZ-20-C-0018 for the re-manufacturing and delivery of the APR-39C(V)1 radar data processor. Work will be performed in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 11, 2023. Fiscal 2020 Foreign Military Sales (Saudi Arabia, United Emirates and Qatar) funds in the amount of $10,008,657 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. APC Construction LLC,* Harvey, Louisiana, was awarded an $8,942,389 firm-fixed-price contract for clearing and grubbing; structural excavation and backfill, excavation and embankments; placement of steel sheet and H-piling; construction of reinforced concrete floodwalls and deployable floodwalls; concrete scour protection, asphaltic pavement; chain link fences; concrete curbs and gutters; pavement markings; miscellaneous metal work, painting, turf establishment; and other related incidental work. Bids were solicited via the internet with 11 received. Work will be performed in New Orleans, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 6, 2022. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Army) funds in the amount of $8,942,389 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, is the contracting activity (W912P8-20-C-0039). NAVY Amentum Services Inc., Germantown, Maryland, is awarded a $430,016,852 cost-plus-award-fee, cost reimbursement and firm-fixed-price contract for the operation and maintenance of the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC). AUTEC is the Navy's large-area, deep-water, undersea test and evaluation range. Underwater research, testing and evaluation of anti-submarine weapons, sonar tracking and communications are the predominant activities conducted at AUTEC. The contractor performs AUTEC range operations support services and maintenance of facilities and range systems. In addition, the contractor is responsible for operating a self-sufficient one square mile Navy outpost. Work will be performed on Andros Island, Commonwealth of the Bahamas (64%); and West Palm Beach, Florida (36%), and is expected to be complete by August 2025. With all options exercised, work will continue through August 2030. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,000,000 will be obligated at time of award and not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured using full and open competition via the Federal Business Opportunities website with six offers received in response to Solicitation No. N66604-18-R-0881. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Newport Division, Newport, Rhode Island, is the contracting activity (N66604-20-C-0881). Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Greenbelt, Maryland, is awarded a $149,115,855 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of Hurricane Florence Recovery Package 1 located in Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. The contract also contains 21 planned modifications and six unexercised options, which if exercised, would increase cumulative contract value to $161,250,305. This project provides replacements for various buildings damaged during Hurricane Florence. The proposed replacements are divided into five separate projects: (1) construction of a 23,000 square foot, two-story security building and a 15,000 square foot, two-story headquarters and headquarters squadron (H&HS) and Marine wing headquarters squadron (MWHS-2) facility. The new security facility will be comprised of the following areas: a command staff, operations division, accident investigation section, special reaction team, Naval Criminal Investigation Service, provost marshal office supply, traffic court, services/administrative division, weapons storage, emergency dispatch center, motor transport, animal control, training, physical security, detention cells, exercise/fitness room, galley/breakroom, and male and female lockers/shower area and bunk rooms. The H&HS and MWHS-2 headquarters facility will consist of administration space for both squadron's personnel and for the safety and standardization department. Site improvements include demolition, paved roads, parking, and fencing. (2) Construction of a 36,000 square foot vehicle maintenance shop. The new facility will include a vehicle maintenance shop, tool rooms, communication maintenance shop, storage areas, a classroom, exterior elevated vehicle wash rack with associated oil/water separator, enclosed battery storage and administrative offices. Site improvements include roads, parking, utilities, and fencing. (3) Fire stations replacement involving construction of a 32,000 square foot main fire station with five bays and a 12,000 square foot satellite fire station with two bays. Construction will include a fire hose drying rack, storage room, dayroom, training area, dining room, kitchen, exercise room, medical supply storage area, boat storage, administrative space, dispatch center, workroom, laundry, fire extinguisher maintenance room, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) room, toilets and shower rooms for male and females and individual sleeping quarters with personnel lockers. Built-in equipment includes a compressed air system for vehicle maintenance, firefighter gear lockers, overhead vehicle doors, equipment racks, raised flooring, fire pump, vehicle bay radiant heating, grease trap, overhead hose reels, gear washer/dryer/extractor, cascade system for SCBA room testing, public address system, built-in work benches, vehicle exhaust system and emergency generator. Site improvements include utilities, parking, roadway and intersection improvements. (4) Range operations center (ROC) replacement involving construction of a 15,000 square foot ROC to support range management activities at Bombing Target 11. This facility will house the range operations and support center, weapons impact scoring system, electronics maintenance shop, public works maintenance shop, general purpose warehouse and appropriate support spaces. Site improvements include utilities and roadway. The site is only accessible by boat. (5) Station academic facility/auditorium involving construction of a 21,000 square foot general-purpose auditorium to provide an assembly area for instruction, training, and movies. The new facility will include adequate space for instruction/training, entrance and support spaces. Built-in equipment includes a stage, overhead doors, projector, screen, sound system, noise attenuation, seats and retail kitchenette. Site improvements include demolition, utilities and a parking lot. Work will be performed in Cherry Point, North Carolina, and is expected to be completed by August 2025. Fiscal 2019 military construction (MILCON), Marine Corps (MC) contract funds in the amount of $132,325,843; and fiscal 2020 MILCON, MC contract funds in the amount of $16,790,012, are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website with 11 proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-20-C-0055). DZSP 21 LLC, Marlton, New Jersey, is awarded a $48,586,983 cost-plus-award-fee contract for base operating support services at Joint Region Marianas. The maximum dollar value, including the mobilization, base period, six 12-month option periods, nine-month full performance, three-month demobilization and a six-month services extension period, is $545,318,090. The work to be performed provides for facility support and base operating support for the following services: management and administration, port operations, facilities management, facilities investment, utilities management, electrical, wastewater, steam, water and base support vehicles and equipment. Work will be performed at various locations on the island of Guam and is expected to be completed by April 2028. Fiscal 2020 working capital funds (WCF) (Defense); fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (O&M) (Navy (N), Defense); fiscal 2020 family housing O&M, N; fiscal 2020 O&M (Army National Guard); fiscal 2020 Defense Health Program funds; fiscal 2020 General Fund (formerly Navy WCF); fiscal 2020 Defense Commissary Agency; and fiscal 2020 Medical Facilities (Veterans Affairs) contract funds in the amount of $48,586,983, of which $8,975,667 will be obligated on this award and all will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunity website with five proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-20-C-1199). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded $15,620,949 firm-fixed-price order N00019-20-F-0402 against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-16-G-0001. This order provides for the production and delivery of 25 Harpoon Block II+ captive air training missiles and 24 tactical missiles. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri (65.2%); Galena, Kansas (8.5%); Lititz, Pennsylvania (3.99%); McAlester, Oklahoma (2.76%); Anniston, Alabama (2.58%); Chatsworth, California (2.15%); Minneapolis, Minnesota (2.06%); Chandler, Arizona (2.03%); Cedar Rapids, Iowa (1.53%); and various locations within the continental U.S. (9.2%), and is expected to be completed in August 2023. Fiscal 2020 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $15,620,949 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. Capco LLC, Grand Junction, Colorado, is awarded a $13,296,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the manufacture of M943 impulse cartridges used on B-1B and B-52H aircraft during the ejection sequence. The contract includes a five-year ordering period with no options. All work will be performed in Grand Junction, Colorado, and the ordering period is expected to be completed by August 2025. Fiscal 2020 ammunition procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $837,900 will be obligated for delivery order N00104-20-F-UF01 that will be awarded concurrently with the contract and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Annual fiscal ammunition procurement (Army) funds will be obligated to fund delivery orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured, with three offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00104-20-D-VF01). The Boeing Co., Seattle, Washington, is awarded a $12,825,294 modification (P00178) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N00019-14-C-0067. This modification provides non-recurring and recurring engineering for development and integration of a modified Nose Radome into the P-8A aircraft in support of Lot 10 full rate production VI for the Navy and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Meza, Arizona (59%); Seattle, Washington (40%); and Patuxent River, Maryland (1%), and is expected to be completed in March 2022. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,306,274; and FMS funds in the amount of $5,519,020, 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. Great Eastern Group Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is awarded a modification to exercise and fund an option in the amount of $9,108,903. This is the first 12-month option and is part of a firm-fixed-price contract with reimbursable elements for Offshore Support Vessel Hercules. This vessel will be utilized to support refueling and resupply of the special mission ship SBX-1. This contract includes a 12-month base period, three 12-month option periods, and one 11-month option period. Work will be performed in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command's area of responsibility and is expected to be completed, if all options are exercised, by July 15, 2024. The option is funded by fiscal 2020 and 2021 research, development, test and evaluation funds. The Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N32205-19-C-3500). JOINT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CENTER Deloitte Consulting LLC, Arlington, Virginia, was awarded a Systems Engineering, Technology, and Innovation prime integrator task order (HC102820F2000) for an estimated $106,352,518 to design and build the Joint Common Foundation artificial intelligence development environment for the Department of Defense Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. The period of performance is a one-year base period from Aug. 17, 2020, through Aug. 16, 2021, valued at approximately $31,000,000, with three one-year option periods through August 16, 2024. Work will be performed in the greater Washington, D.C., area. The contracting activity is the Defense Information Systems Activity/Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. AIR FORCE The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $95,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00005) to contract FA8681-19-D-0005 for Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) technical support and integration. Boeing will provide JDAM support for studies and analysis; product improvement and upgrades; integration including, but not limited to, software integration and aircraft integration; and associated hardware and testing. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be completed March 31, 2024. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity. Net-centric Design Professionals LLC, Boulder, Colorado, has been awarded a $28,613,576 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Tools, Applications and Processing Laboratory and Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) Battlespace Awareness Center (OBAC) support services. This contract provides for an unrestricted research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) innovation environment for enhancing and/or developing new operational capabilities, while also providing an environment accessible to other Department of Defense, civil and commercial users to find new innovative uses of remote sensing data. The acquisition will also support the OPIR OBAC co-located with the Space Based Infrared System Mission Control Station, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado. Work will be performed in Boulder and Aurora, Colorado, and is expected to be completed Aug. 31, 2022. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. Fiscal 2020 RDT&E funds in the amount of $3,033,587 are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, California, is the contracting activity (FA8810-20-C-0002). CAE USA Inc., Tampa, Florida, has been awarded a $16,093,432 firm-fixed-price modification (P00160) to contract FA8223‐10‐C‐0013 for an option to extend the KC‐135 aircraft training system contract six months. Work will be performed at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Ohio; Grissom Air Reserve Base (ARB), Indiana; Scott AFB, Illinois; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Fairchild AFB, Washington; Altus AFB, Oklahoma; March ARB, California; Hickam AFB, Hawaii; Kadena Air Base (AB), Japan; Ramstein AB, Germany; and Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2021. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $526,978,402. Fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $16,482,440 will be obligated once funding has been appropriated. This contract action is being awarded under the Availability of Funds Clause. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, has been awarded a $14,756,832 cost-per-fixed-fee contract for the research and development of a prototype semantic forensic system that automatically detects, attributes and characterizes falsified, multi-modal media assets to defend against large-scale, automated disinformation attacks and supports a variety of potential transition partners. The scope of this effort is to design, develop, evaluate and refine a semantic forensics system capable of implementation on a number of local and cloud computing architectures for a variety of end users. Work will be performed in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed October 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 37 offers were received. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2,576,175 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-20-C-1540). DEFENSE FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING SERVICE CACI Inc.-Federal, Chantilly, Virginia, is being awarded a maximum $59,296,656 labor-hour contract for comptroller mission systems support. Work will be performed in Chantilly, Virginia; and Arlington, Virginia, with an expected completion date of June 15, 2021. The contract has a 10-month base period with three individual one-year option periods. This contract is the result of a competitive acquisition for which one quote was received. Fiscal 2020 defense-wide operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $9,830,074 are being obligated at the time of the award. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Contract Services Directorate, Columbus, Ohio, is the contracting activity (HQ0423-20-F-0099). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Raytheon Technologies Corp., doing business as Pratt & Whitney Military Engines Division, East Hartford, Connecticut, has been awarded an estimated $30,143,455 modification (P00065) to a five-year contract (SPE4AX-15-D-9436) with one five-year option period for TF-33 aircraft engine spare-components. Location of performance is Connecticut, with a Sept. 26, 2023, ordering period end date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2310984/source/GovDelivery/

Nathan Strout WASHINGTON — Just over a month after leaving the Pentagon, former Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin has joined the board of Rocket Lab, a small launch provider with increasing business with the U.S. government. “Rocket Lab has established itself as the leader in dedicated small satellite launch, and it's a privilege to be joining the board at an exciting time for the business as it continues to increase launch cadence and expand into satellite manufacturing and operations,” Griffin said in a statement. “Space continues to be a highly contested domain crucial to our national security, and it's also a domain that presents significant commercial opportunity. The Rocket Lab team has a proven track record of executing on a clear vision to make space accessible to these diverse communities, and I look forward to supporting that vision.” As the U.S. government has sought to leverage the growing small launch market in recent years, Rocket Lab has been there to pick up the contracts. The U.S. Air Force has awarded the company multiple launch contracts in recent years, and the U.S. Space Force is expected to launch a payload with the company in the coming months. At the same time, the National Reconnaissance Office launched its first payload from New Zealand on one of the company's Electron rockets earlier this year. Although the company recently saw one of their launches fail to reach orbit, resulting in the loss of all commercial payloads onboard, a subsequent investigation has cleared Rocket Lab to resume launch activities and both NRO and the Space and Missile Systems Center have said they plan to continue doing business with the company. Griffin's addition to the board certainly reflects the company's desire to continue pursuing national security small launch contracts. “We are honored to welcome Mike to Rocket Lab's board of directors,” said Peter Beck, Rocket Lab's founder and chief executive. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from the civil, defense, and commercial space sectors that will be invaluable to our team as Rocket Lab continues to grow and meet the ever-evolving launch and space systems needs of the national security community and commercial sector alike.” Griffin has a long history in the space arena. In 2005 he became the 11th NASA Administrator, a position he held until his resignation in 2008. During his tenure he initiated development of the agency's first commercial cargo delivery service to orbit. More recently at head of R&E for the Department of Defense, Griffin was heavily involved in rethinking how the Pentagon approached the space domain. Griffin oversaw the establishment of the Space Development Agency in 2019, despite resistance from inside and outside of the Pentagon. Griffin was the agency's most high profile advocate, pushing for funding for the nascent organization from Congress and arguing that it should remain independent from the U.S. Air Force's traditional space acquisitions structure—at least initially. Over the agency's first year and a half, he helped articulate a unique identity for the SDA in developing a new proliferated constellation in low Earth orbit, which will eventually be made up of hundreds of satellites. That National Defense Space Architecture is now expected to be a key component to two of DoD's most pressing issues: Hypersonic missile warning and Joint All Domain Command and Control. During his tenure, Griffin was well known for his strong personality, which ruffled the feathers of both his colleagues at DoD and lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Most notably, he clashed with former Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson over the establishment of SDA, and the day before he announced his resignation the House Armed Services Committee recommended removing the Missile Defense Agency from under his control. Griffin announced his resignation June 23, officially exiting the building July 10. He and his deputy, Lisa Porter—who resigned at the same time—have since opened up a new business together called Logiq Inc. White House Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios was announced as Griffin's successor. Aaron Mehta in Washington contributed to this story. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/08/12/griffin-joins-rocket-lab-board-following-pentagon-exit

Andrew Eversden WASHINGTON — The Defense Information Systems Agency awarded a $106 million contract to Deloitte Consulting to build the Pentagon's artificial intelligence hub's AI development platform, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Aug. 12. The company will “design and build” the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center's Joint Common Foundation, a capability that DoD AI leadership has stated will be integral in developing, testing and fielding AI capabilities. The contract has a one-year base period worth $31 million with three option years through August 2024. Work is scheduled to start Aug. 17, according to Lt. Cmdr. Arlo Abrahamson, spokesperson for the JAIC. “The Joint Common Foundation will provide an AI development environment to test, validate and field AI capabilities at scale across the Department of Defense,” Abrahamson said. “The impact of the JCF will come from enterprise‐wide access to AI tools and data for AI developers across the Department and its partners that will help synchronize AI projects, reduce development redundancy and enable the broad deployment of AI-enabled solutions to the tactical edge where front line operators can benefit from these capabilities.” Deloitte will serve as the lead system integrator for all contractor solutions for the JCF, he said. It will “provide, operate, maintain, secure and enhance the JCF with platforms and tools that can be shared and distributed to end-users across the Department of Defense enterprise,” according to the press release. The Joint Artificial Intelligence Center is the DoD's lead organization on accelerating AI adoption across the department. The center has undertaken several projects since being stood up in 2018, including predictive maintenance and disaster relief work. Its portfolio continues to expand, this year taking on its first lethality project—known as the joint warfighting initiative—and entering the information warfare fight as well. The JAIC also awarded a five-year contract potentially worth up to $800 million to Booz Allen Hamilton in May for work related to the joint war fighting initiative. The award of the JCF contract is an important step as the JAIC continues to mature. For the center, “the end state is an AI development environment that will accelerate the testing, validation and fielding of AI capabilities across the U.S. military,” Abrahamson said. https://www.c4isrnet.com/artificial-intelligence/2020/08/12/deloitte-wins-106-million-contract-with-the-pentagons-ai-hub

A DoD paper for Congress suggests COVID could shut down shipyards, but Navy officials and analysts say there is little risk. By PAUL MCLEARYon August 12, 2020 at 4:04 PM WASHINGTON: A top Navy official today tried to clarify a Pentagon information paper leaked last week which warned that “at least one” of the seven shipyards that churns out ships for the Navy could close unless Congress handed over billions more to the service. As part of an $11 billion package the Pentagon is requesting from Congress to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the defense industry, the Navy is requesting $4.7 billion in part to ward off the chances “at least one” of the big seven shipyards shutting down. The paper, which has been delivered to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, also warned of over 100,000 lost jobs across shipyards and factories that make aircraft and other weapons for the military. But the Navy's top acquisition executive told reporters today that the wording continued in the paper might leave too much out. “The words could be taken out of context,” James Geurts said. “There probably should be the word ‘temporarily' in there.” If a shipyard started to see a significant portion of its workforce test positive for COVID, “we might have to temporarily close down the shipyard for a period of time until we got it under control. Not that we would have to shut down a shipyard permanently.” The memo contains no such caveats, however. It flatly states a shipyard could close unless the Navy gets the funding boost. Asked where the paper came from, and who it was intended for, DoD spokesman Christopher Sherwood told me via email the department “provided informational material to our oversight committees when asked about the impacts COVID-19 has had on the Defense Industrial Base and our suppliers.” The Navy has gone to great lengths to help its shipyards weather the COVID storm, pumping $130 billion into its supplier base this year in upfront payments, spending that is 25% higher than at this point last year. But some yards have experienced pain keeping to schedule, with uncertain futures ahead as the Navy looks to change its fleet mix in the coming years to better compete with China and Russia. Mark Cancian, a defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, acknowledged that all Navy shipyards “have a backlog of work, including Bath Iron Works, which was the subject of speculation about closing.” Bath, already six months behind on building seven destroyers in dock, is stumbling to the conclusion of a six-week strike by 4,300 shipbuilders which will likely make those delays even longer. Likewise, the Mississippi-based Austal is looking at the end of the road for its contract to build dozens of aluminum Littoral Combat Ships in a few years, which would likely mark the end of the Navy's interest in buying aluminum hulls. That shipyard “would be at more risk” Cancian said. Neither shipyard is any worse off than the others due to COVID-related shutdowns, however, making the Pentagon's point that yards could shut and require COVID relief funds to keep going, an argument that finds few adherents. There's little doubt COVID is slowing down both ship construction and repair, “but that doesn't mean the Navy doesn't need the ships anymore,” said Bryan Clark of the Hudson Institute. “It just means everything takes longer, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the shipyards are going to close.” Clark noted that while Bath is in a bad spot with delays to its destroyer work that will be compounded by the strike, the Navy still needs it to build destroyers in the future, since relying on Huntington Ingalls as the nation's only shipyard that can build the ships is too risky. Add to that the likelihood that the Navy will move toward buying more numerous small cruisers, unmanned ships, and smaller platforms for Marines and away from small numbers of large destroyers and amphibious ships in the future, means there will be more contracts, and work to go around later this decade. The service is still on track to deliver its much-delayed 30 year shipbuilding plan and force structure assessment this fall, in which several options like a new class of destroyers, a new class of smaller frigates, and smaller hospital ships will all likely find their way into the plans. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/08/shipyards-not-at-risk-despite-dod-warning-it-needs-money-to-save-them/

by Rahul Bedi India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has approved the procurement of indigenously developed platforms and weapon systems worth INR87.22 billion (USD1.17 billion) for the country's three military services, including basic trainer aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The Indian government's Press Information Bureau (PIB) announced on 11 August that the MoD's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which is headed by Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh, agreed to acquire an initial 70 Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40) aircraft from public-sector company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) following their certification. An additional 36 tandem-seat HTT-40s are expected to be acquired thereafter, once the IAF has operationalised the first lot of trainers. A HTT-40 prototype powered by a Honeywell TPE331-12B turboprop engine made its maiden test flight in June 2016, following a six-year delay, but the aircraft has yet to enter series production. The HTT-40 was developed to replace the HAL-designed HPT-32 Deepak, which was grounded in July 2009 following recurring accidents. Once inducted, the HTT-40 is meant to supplement 75 Pilatus PC-7 Mk II basic trainers that have been in IAF service since 2013. The DAC also cleared the procurement of an unspecified number of upgraded 127 mm/64 cal ‘super rapid' guns from state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) for fitment onto Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) vessels. Industry sources told Janes that the IN plans to arm an initial 13 frontline warships – including the indigenously designed and built Shivalik-class frigates and Delhi-class destroyers – with these guns. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/indian-mod-approves-procurements-worth-usd117-billion

Lee Hudson August 12, 2020 The Pentagon is in the early stages of replacing the troubled Lockheed Martin F-35's autonomous logistics system with a new, cloud-based network, and hopes to get it up and running by the end of 2022. The Operational Data Integrated Network (ODIN) is intended to reduce workload and increase F-35 mission readiness rates by using a smaller, deployable, commercial and cloud-native architecture. Right now, F-35 users operate the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) that collects inflight information for maintainers to predict part failures. However, the problem-plagued logistics system has encountered numerous issues that range from directing unnecessary maintenance actions, taking too long to boot up and time-consuming data entry. For example, users told the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that electronic records are frequently corrupt or missing, resulting in ALIS signaling the jet should not fly. This occurs in cases where maintainers know the aircraft is safe for flight. Maintainers at one location told the GAO they experienced as many as 400 issues per week for one six-month period in 2019. The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) plans to begin installing hardware this September that can run software from both the legacy and new systems until ODIN is deployed fully. ODIN initial delivery is planned for September 2021. ODIN hardware is designed to have a 75% smaller footprint than the legacy system, and be approximately 94% lighter—50 lb. compared with 891 lb. Another radical difference between the two systems is F-35 prime contractor Lockheed owns ALIS development and the new network is being developed by the JPO. The JPO is using agile software development tools that allow rapid updates and improvements like how Apple updates its iPhones, while Lockheed employs waterfall development that allows for updates every 12-18 months. In January, the JPO hit its first milestone by moving existing F-35 data into a new, integrated environment that will support applications designed by organizations such as Kessel Run, one of the Air Force's software factories. Kessel Run formed a team called Mad Hatter and tasked it to build software applications to render F-35 logistics more user-friendly. A key complaint about ALIS was the lack of realistic operational requirements. In other words, user needs can become outdated. To address this shortcoming, the JPO partner nations agreed in January to update a requirements document for ODIN annually—if needed. Instead of crafting a rigid requirements document that will be outdated in 10 years, the new strategy calls for updating protocols based on reality, according to a program office maintenance systems expert. This strategy complies with the software acquisition policy of Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord. It calls for the users, developers and software designers to come together and produce a customer-centric design as development progresses. The requirements document features six capability needs: deployment planning and execution; unit maintenance planning; sortie generation; sustainment readiness; information management, and ODIN support. The document also includes 43 performance measurements that the JPO will use as metrics to track ODIN development. Beyond better programmatic planning, the Pentagon is facing a considerable obstacle as it transitions from ALIS to ODIN. The JPO is having trouble receiving technical data from Lockheed, Lord told the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. “While the department recognizes industry's interest in protecting intellectual property, there is technical data that the department has rights to and needs in order to enable effective organic sustainment,” Lord noted in written testimony submitted to the committee. In response to Lord's comments, Lockheed noted the company does not own all the logistics system's intellectual-property and data rights. “ALIS software is also government-owned, per contract requirements with Lockheed, and our suppliers retaining intellectual property and data rights to portions of software that were developed using industry's investment funds is in accordance with the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations Supplement,” Lockheed spokesman Brett Ashworth tells Aviation Week. The Pentagon's overarching goal is to drive down F-35 sustainment pricing, which is where most of a program's cost resides. The government is still upgrading ALIS, an effort known as ALIS Next, before ODIN comes online to manage costs. ALIS Next consists of more regular software updates, instead of the program's current 12-18 month cycle. An updated version of ALIS, known as 3.5, is outfitted with 300 stability fixes, says F-35 Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Eric Fick. Air Force software developers and Lockheed Martin personnel are simultaneously continuing to issue ALIS software patches. ALIS Next provides an opportunity to reduce the amount of administrative personnel needed to support the logistics system's operations in the field. An important step to lowering the overall F-35 sustainment price is reducing the cost per flying hour. The goal is for the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing jet, the most popular variant, was $25,000 by 2025. “We are confident $25,000 is attainable, but it will require collaboration with the JPO, services, allies and our industry partners to reduce overall cost,” Lockheed F-35 Vice President and General Manager Greg Ulmer submitted in written testimony to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. Over the past five years, the company has reduced a portion of the F-35's operations and sustainment costs by 38%. Lockheed is responsible for 39% of all F-35 sustainment costs, according to Ulmer. The company estimates it will drive down controlled cost another 50% in the next five years, and it is working with the government to achieve similar savings on the remaining 61% of flight-hour costs that are under the purview of the Defense Department and propulsion suppliers. Although in its infancy, ODIN is set to be the cornerstone for the next major wave of F-35 sustainment improvements over the next two years as ALIS is retired. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/pentagon-rethinks-troubled-f-35-logistics-system

The first five of India's new Rafale fighter aircraft touched down in country on July 29. According to the terms of a 2016 contract with the French manufacturer Dassault, 31 more will follow. They will go some way toward filling India's larger requirement of 126 such jets. The Indian Air Force has long needed refurbishing, but it has been perennially delayed both by New Delhi's infamous bureaucratic red tape and by budgetary issues. Now, the arrival of the new fighters—the first in over 20 years—in the middle of an unprecedented border face-off against China, will be a boost for Indian military capability as well as morale. But it won't do much to change the hard reality that, as an air power, India is falling far behind, foreign media report. The Indian Air Force has historically been one of the best-equipped air forces in the region, but it has seen its advantage, both qualitative and quantitative, against China and Pakistan narrow dramatically over the past two decades. Even worse, it now faces the challenge of mustering enough aircraft to tackle any possible collusion between the Pakistani and Chinese air forces. Related to tensions in Ladakh, China seems to be activating air platforms in its Tibetan airfields. And along the border with Pakistan, the Pakistan Air Force recently conducted an air exercise out of the Skardu base in Gilgit-Baltistan. Taken together, those are tough challenges for an underequipped air force to take on. The Rafale may help somewhat. After decades of fielding upgraded legacy fighters and struggling to develop contemporary jets, the Rafale finally provides the Indian Air Force with a comprehensive combat craft that requires very little further tinkering. Unlike any previous procurements, the Rafale fighters' capabilities are already up to par, and small enhancements will be relatively easy and cheap via the so-called India-specific enhancements. These India-specific changes are being carried out under a concurrent design, modification, testing, and certification program carried out by Dassault. The modifications involve a mix of hardware and software changes, including an improved infrared search-and-track capability, the addition of an Israeli helmet-mounted display and sight system, changes to the electronically scanned radar, a new device for jamming low-band radio frequencies, integration of an Israeli-created decoy system, an upgraded radar altimeter, expanded navigation aids, and a more robust cold start system for the engines to make them suitable for winter operations from the Air Force's Himalayan bases. Once all changes are tested and certified in 2021, the entire Indian Rafale fleet will be updated. This allows Dassault to keep producing fighters at an economical rate and the Air Force to induct jets and train personnel in an organized manner, while still ensuring that the final aircraft does not compromise on the original capability requirements. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/699521-rafale-jets-won-t-save-india-s-air-force

By: David B. Larter WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy Saturday commissioned its latest littoral combat ship amid a top-level push to fix the ship's nagging reliability issues and forge a path to make the small surface combatants useful in the years ahead. The monohull Freedom-variant LCS St. Louis was commissioned at a private event in its namesake city, the 22nd LCS and 10th Freedom variant to join the fleet. There will be 35 LCS in the fleet once all are commissioned. Change is in the wind for LCS once again, which has already seen several shakeups to its system. A high-level effort is underway to address problems with its complicated drive train built for high speeds that have limited the ships availability for tasking as well as to finally field its long-delayed mission packages. Mission packages will make the ships either a surface warfare hull, a mine hunter or an antisubmarine ship. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday told Defense News in a July 16 interview that he was preparing to increase LCS deployments by two-and-a-half times over the next two years to finally shake out how to best employ the ships, as well as develop a plan to finally field the mine and ASW mission modules. “There are things in the near term that I have to deliver, that I'm putting heat on now, and one of them is LCS,” Gilday said. “One part is sustainability and reliability. We know enough about that platform and the problems that we have that plague us with regard to reliability and sustainability, and I need them resolved. “That requires a campaign plan to get after it and have it reviewed by me frequently enough so that I can be sighted on it. Those platforms have been around since 2008 — we need to get on with it. Experts who spoke to Defense News in July said the Navy would most likely need to accept less capability than they had planned for the ships to have if the service is to get the most out of the ships. https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/08/10/us-navy-commissions-another-littoral-combat-ship-amid-renewed-push-to-fix-the-program/