Nouvelles

By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force will procure a handful of A-29 Super Tucano planes from Sierra Nevada Corp. and AT-6 Wolverines from Textron to continue light-attack demonstrations, the service's top general said Wednesday. That purchase provides a modest, but much-needed show of confidence for the two companies, which have invested internal funding over the past two years on the Air Force's light-attack experiment and are still hoping the service moves forward with a bigger buy of light-attack aircraft. The Air Force plans to place small detachments of AT-6 and A-29 turboprop planes at Nellis Air Force Base — the Nevada-based installation that hosts Red Flag and other training exercises — and Hurlburt Field, Florida, where Air Force Special Operations Command is based, Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein said during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told Defense News that the service would likely buy two or three of each aircraft, but Goldfein told lawmakers at the hearing that the exact numbers would be dependent on the price tag of the planes. “The United States Marine Corps has already said they're joining us,” Goldfein said. “We're going to invite allies and partners, and with the authorities you've given us now that we own those prototypes, we will continue to experiment to build the interoperable network that we've already advanced.” Full article: https://www.defensenews.com/smr/federal-budget/2019/03/13/air-force-to-buy-handful-of-light-attack-planes-but-will-a-bigger-program-follow

Le gouvernement du Canada accorde une aide financière de 1,2 million de dollars à l'entreprise lavalloise Mecaer Amérique Le 13 mars 2019 – Laval (Québec) – Développement économique Canada pour les régions du Québec (DEC) Mecaer Amérique inc. est un chef de file dans la fabrication de trains d'atterrissage pour les hélicoptères, les avions de transport régional et d'affaires et pour les avions d'entraînement militaire. Afin de répondre plus adéquatement aux exigences de sa clientèle et pour assurer sa croissance, l'entreprise bénéficiera d'une contribution remboursable de 1,2 M$ de Développement économique Canada pour les régions du Québec. Gr'ce à cette aide financière, l'entreprise pourra investir dans de nouveaux procédés menant à la création d'un centre d'excellence unique et de renommée mondiale pour la conception, la fabrication et la qualification de ses systèmes d'atterrissage intégrés. Ce financement a été annoncé aujourd'hui par le député de Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, Yves Robillard. L'aide du gouvernement du Canada permettra à Mecaer Amérique de répondre à la demande mondiale croissante de production d'aéronefs, de consolider la grappe aérospatiale du Grand Montréal et de mieux positionner celle-ci sur la scène internationale. La création du centre d'excellence et la transformation technologique de l'usine lavalloise entraineront également des retombées positives chez les fournisseurs canadiens auprès desquels Mecaer Amérique effectue des achats de dizaines de millions de dollars annuellement. Mecaer Amérique est entièrement détenu par Mecaer Aviation Group (MAG), l'un des principaux fournisseurs internationaux de solutions aéronautiques utilisées dans quatre secteurs d'activité : systèmes d'actionnement et de commande de vol, systèmes de trains d'atterrissage, systèmes de confort de cabine et services aéronautiques. MAG est une entreprise italienne employant 600 personnes établies en Italie, au Canada et aux États-Unis. Mecaer Amérique est sise à Laval depuis 2002 et se spécialise dans la conception, la fabrication et la qualification de systèmes intégrés de trains d'atterrissage. La filiale lavalloise compte 125 employés hautement qualifiés, dont 20 % se consacrent à la recherche et au développement. Les travailleurs qui œuvrent dans l'industrie aérospatiale sont hautement qualifiés et contribuent à la vitalité économique du pays gr'ce à leurs emplois bien rémunérés. Voilà pourquoi le gouvernement du Canada effectue des investissements stratégiques qui permettent aux entreprises de ce secteur d'accroître leur savoir-faire et leur expertise. Citations « Conformément à notre engagement visant à favoriser la croissance de l'économie canadienne, le gouvernement du Canada s'est donné pour objectif d'offrir un meilleur soutien aux entreprises qui investissent pour améliorer leur productivité afin d'assurer leur croissance et celle de l'économie du Canada. » Yves Robillard, député de Marc-Aurèle-Fortin « À titre de ministre de l'Innovation, des Sciences et du Développement économique, j'ai pour objectif d'aider les entreprises à croître et à innover, afin qu'elles puissent accroître leur compétitivité et créer des emplois de bonne qualité et de la richesse pour les Canadiens. Voilà pourquoi nous apportons notre soutien à Mecaer Amérique, dont le succès rejaillit sur la région et sur l'économie canadienne dans son ensemble. » L'honorable Navdeep Bains, ministre responsable de DEC « L'aide financière des deux ordres de gouvernement est essentielle pour notre développement stratégique. Elle démontre d'ailleurs l'accueil important envers une entreprise italienne qui a investi des sommes importantes au Québec. Merci à DEC pour son appui. » Chris O'Neill, président, Mecaer Amérique 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. Les fonds ont été consentis en vertu du Programme de développement économique du Québec 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. L'année 2018 marque le 50e anniversaire du développement économique régional fédéral 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/2019/03/mecaer-amerique-pourra-consolider-sa-place-a-lechelle-internationale.html

Jane Adey · CBC News Imagine you're an offshore worker on a helicopter flying to an oil platform and you hear the words "prepare to ditch" from your pilot. Adrenalin surges through your body as you raise your arms across your chest and assume the brace position. But will you remember what to do? Will panic take over? A St. John's company is working with the Marine Institute to help offshore workers become more comfortable in the air and better prepared for emergencies. Brainstorming a solution Ten years ago, in the days after the crash of Cougar 491, Anthony Patterson began thinking about how to improve safety in the offshore. His company, Virtual Marine, was in the early days of developing simulators for lifeboat training in the water. But Patterson, whose team specialized in marine simulations, knew his company had some technologies that could apply to the air. "We brainstormed on how we could create a better training experience," said Patterson, and they developed a small helicopter simulator. "We're very good at modeling boats in the water and then even the helicopter floating in the water, but the part about the helicopter flying through the air, of course, we had no expertise with that whatsoever," said Patterson. That's when Cougar Helicopters got on board. Virtual Marine brought its helicopter simulator to the lead pilots at the company. With the simulator, they flew the different kinds of manoeuvres they'd use if they had to ditch at sea. The simulator collected the data. and Virtual Marine embedded it into their simulation system to create the flight paths in an emergency. The simulator consists of a large box made to look like exactly like the inside of a helicopter. A motion bed, attached to the underside and controlled by a computer, allows workers to feel the same kind of movement as they would during a flight. The seatbelts are the same, the windows are the same and the views out the windows are the same as they would be in real life. It's important that the simulator be as realistic as possible for Liz Sanli, a researcher in ocean safety at the Marine Institute with expertise in skill learning over time. She's focused on how workers learn and how much they retain when asked to perform a task again at a later date. "So we're looking at how we can train during practice to help them remember all those steps when they're in a stressful situation down the road," said Sanli. Right now, workers are trained in a swimming pool on how to escape a helicopter submerged in water but training for the actual flight occurs in a classroom. By sitting inside a helicopter flight simulator, Sanli says, the workers' experience is more accurate. "You're getting that experience of physically doing the task so you get to go through the steps you get to experience them you can sometimes experience mistakes in a safe environment and learn from those mistakes rather than just watching somebody else do it, for example," said Sanli. "You also can simulate some of the feelings, so you can hear the sounds, you know that you're in a different environment and that can better match some of the more advanced training or perhaps even a real emergency." Sanli measures anxiety levels of participants and follows how well the protocol sequence is followed under a variety of conditions. She monitors what happens when trainees are seated in different positions and when they train in light and in darkness, getting as much information as possible to make training efficient and effective. "It's a big responsibility to have this evidence to make decisions when it comes to regulations, when it comes to decisions about training to have it based in evidence. It's safety that's at stake," said Sanli. For now, research on the simulator continues with hopes it will soon augment the training done by offshore workers. Patterson,says ten years after 17 lives were lost in the offshore, he's glad to have contributed what he could to try and make the industry safer. "This really was something that was more than a job," he said. "It was something that we had to do, to do our part to bring safety to the community. Everybody in the company, we all worked extra hours. I'd say this is the one that all of our engineers have the most pride in, accomplishing this task." https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/helicopter-cougar-crash-safety-offshore-1.5048792

DRAKKAR, a world-class company specialized in operational outsourcing within sectors including aerospace, and Avianor, a complete commercial aviation cabin integration specialist and MRO organization, have finalized a partnership agreement which will enable Avianor to accelerate its growth strategy. With the help of Ernst & Young Orenda Corporate Finance, Avianor strongly believes the strategic and Canadian-based company DRAKKAR is the best partner to secure the future of Avianor. Following this transaction, effective as of Feb. 28, 2019, the Avianor board of directors now consists of Earl Diamond, CEO of Avianor; Sylvain Savard, president and founder of Avianor; along with two new members from DRAKKAR, Denis Deschamps, president and CEO of Drakkar & Partners; and Benoit Hudon, president and CEO of the company's manufacturing business unit. Over the past 24 years, Avianor has become a leader in the aviation industry by distinguishing itself through innovative problem solving, maintaining a skilled workforce and a flexible corporate culture. Although Avianor will remain an independent operation, DRAKKAR will now provide Avianor with strategic, tactical, financial, operational, business development and training support to help the company accelerate and achieve its consolidation and growth plan while meeting customers' satisfaction. Part of this plan also includes the renovation of a new and additional facility with over 100,000 square feet of hangars and offices with airside access at Montreal-Mirabel International Airport (YMX). “This new partnership reinforces the global positioning of our business as a high-caliber outsourcing team with the ability to optimize operations while keeping in mind productivity, efficiency and quality,” said Deschamps and Hudon. “With over 25 years of experience and expertise in outsourcing, this is a major turning point for our manufacturing business unit as it opens the door to the convergence and deployment of its global service offer. “DRAKKAR Manufacturing fits perfectly with our vision of creating our own innovative manufacturing ecosystem in one of our leading sectors, working collaboratively with our employees, partners, customers and suppliers as well as our own infrastructure,” added Deschamps and Hudon. “For us, this association with DRAKKAR reflects our determination and willingness to meet the needs of our existing and future clients and shows our concrete commitment to perpetuate Avianor activities over the long term and secure hundreds of jobs here in Quebec at the Mirabel Airport,” said Savard and Diamond. “With a current workforce of over 2,500 people and a solid experience in operations management, DRAKKAR will help us achieve the operational efficiency required of a large enterprise while ensuring personalized service is provided to all our clients.” “It is a proud moment for Aéro Montreal to see these companies conclude a partnership agreement with the objective of uniting their forces and combining their complementary expertise to create a strong added value within the industry,” said Suzanne M. Benoit, president of Aéro Montreal. “In addition to fostering economic growth and job creation across Canada, this type of partnership contributes to an even stronger, more competitive and prosperous Quebec aerospace industry. “It is a common and shared priority to ensure the visibility and influence of the companies that make up our industrial cluster, and in order to do so, we must effectively offer the OEMs more integrated solutions.” https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/drakkar-and-avianor-partner-to-fuel-growth-of-quebec-aerospace-cluster

DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN The Defence department's procurement chief says the Royal Canadian Air Force might not need the seven used Australian F-18 aircraft being purchased for parts afterall. Canada is buying 25 used F-18s from Australia, with 18 of those to be flown and seven to be either stripped down for parts or used for testing. The aircraft to be flown will augment the existing RCAF CF-18 fleet until a new generation fighter jet can be purchased. But Pat Finn, the Department of National Defence's Assistant Deputy Minister for Materiel, said there may be no need for the seven F-18s. “The seven, whether or not we actually take them at this point, we're still looking at that,” Finn recently told the Commons defence committee. “What we're actually finding is the number of spares that they've been able to provide to us is more than adequate. Rather than take aircraft apart and go through that cost, we're taking the spares. We may not, in fact, at this point look at any of the seven.” It is unclear whether there will be a reduction in the cost of the purchase or the overall project cost if the seven airframes are not acquired. The DND also clarified what is happening with the engines on the Australian F-18s. Rumours have been circulating in the retired military community that the engines are being stripped out of the planes and given back to Australia. “Only the engines from the first two Australian F-18s (four engines total) are being returned to Australia, at their request,” explained DND spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier. “Australia needs those engines to meet their own operational requirements.” In order to take advantage of an advanced delivery date for the first two Australian aircraft, Canada agreed to return those aircraft's engines to Australia, but the plan is to get an equivalent number of engines back at a later date, he added. “Canada has sufficient engines in reserve to support this plan and this will have no impact on operations,” Le Bouthillier stated. “We therefore found this to be a reasonable request, and agreed to it.” https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/rcaf-may-not-need-7-of-the-25-used-australian-f-18s-says-defence-procurement-chief

ARMY Northrop Grumman, Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $349,377,402 firm-fixed-price, Foreign Military Sales (Poland) contract for the procurement of two complete battery sets of Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System production hardware and software. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2026. Fiscal 2019 foreign military sales funds in the amount of $349,377,402 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-19-C-0003). Intuitive Research and Technology Corp.,* Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $36,479,628 modification (0014 45) to Foreign Military Sales (Taiwan) contract W31P4Q-09-A-0016 to provide rapid response and cost effective hardware solutions. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of March 12, 2020. Fiscal 2019 foreign military sales; research, development, test and evaluation; operations and maintenance, Army; and other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $36,479,628 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Manson Construction Co., Seattle, Washington, was awarded an $18,122,000 firm-fixed-price contract for dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Portland, Oregon; and San Francisco, California, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 26, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $18,122,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland, Oregon, is the contracting activity (W9127N-19-C-0011). Zodiac-Poettker HBZ JV LLC,* St. Louis, Missouri, was awarded a $7,330,000 firm-fixed-price contract for Department of Energy Interpretive Center. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in St. Charles, Missouri, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 7, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $7,330,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis, Missouri, is the contracting activity (W912P9-19-C-0002). AIR FORCE The Boeing Co., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has been awarded a $250,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Long Range Stand-Off Cruise Missile weapon system integration. This contract provides for aircraft and missile carriage equipment development and modification, engineering, testing, software development, training, facilities, and support necessary to fully integrate the Long Range Stand-Off Cruise Missile on the B-52H bomber platform. Work will be performed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2024. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 research and development funds in the amount of $6,343,893 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA2103-19-D-3000). Schuyler Line Navigation Company LLC, Annapolis, Maryland, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $23,042,991, indefinite‐delivery/indefinite‐quantity contract for the Thule Base Air Base Sea Lift Support contract. This contract provides for all management, labor and services to accomplish the functions and responsibilities of receiving cargo from vendors, providing in‐transit origin storage, loading/offloading and transporting U.S. government and U.S. government-sponsored cargo to and from Denmark and Thule Air Base, Greenland. Work is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2023. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $846,000 are being obligated on the first task order at the time of award. The 21st Contracting Squadron, Detachment 1, Copenhagen, Denmark, is the contracting activity (FA2523‐19‐D‐0001). The Raytheon Co., Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, has been awarded a $21,186,712 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and time-and-materials contract to retrofit the F-15 fleet. This contract provides for retrofitting the F-15 fleets current Identify Friend of Foe units, which provides Mode 5 capability for the APX-114 and APX-119 on the F-15 models C/D/E via a hardware retrofit and software upgrade. These units also provide National Security Agency approved cryptography and robust anti-jam interrogation and reply encryption capabilities. Work will be performed at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland; and Largo, Florida, and is expected to be complete by August 2022. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 procurement funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8634-19-C-2700). NAVY Omega Aerial Refueling Services Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded $92,370,920 for modification P00024 to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-type contract (N00019-13-D-0010). This modification provides for additional aerial refueling services in support of the Department of the Navy, other Department of Defense agencies, and Foreign Military Sales customers during missions ranging from basic training to multi-national exercises. Work will be performed in Riverside, California (50 percent); Brunswick, Georgia (40 percent); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2020. No funds are being obligated at time of award, funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Engines, East Hartford, Connecticut, is awarded $71,407,381 for firm-fixed-price-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee task order N0001919F0001 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-17-G-0005) in support of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Aircraft for the Navy, Air Force; non- Department of Defense (DoD) participants and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. This order provides for supplies or services for non-recurring engineering for the identification and correction of service safety and durability deficiencies, maintains specification performance, and matures the propulsion system in advance of service operational use. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Connecticut (92 percent); and Indianapolis, Indiana (8 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2023. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy and Air Force); non-DoD participant; and FMS funds in the amount of $64,600,166 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. This order combines purchases for the Navy ($25,363,518; 36 percent); Air Force ($24,943,370; 35 percent); non-DoD Participants ($12,930,389; 18 percent); and FMS customers ($8,170,105; 11 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Space Ground Systems Solutions LLC, West Melbourne, Florida, is awarded a $19,729,508 modification for task order N00173-17-F-6203 under previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00173-15-D-2015 for spacecraft engineering, software, research and development services to the Naval Center for Space Technology. Work will be performed at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia (50 percent); and Space Ground Systems Solutions LLC, Melbourne, Florida (50 percent), and is expected to be competed July 1, 2020. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,796,029 will be obligated at the time of award. These funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Ocean Ships Inc., Houston, Texas, is awarded a $13,097,120 modification under previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N3220517C3001 to exercise the first one-year option period for operation and maintenance of two USNS Gordon Class Surge Large, Medium-Speed Roll-On/Roll-Off vessels and two USNS Shughart Class Surge Large, Medium-Speed Roll-On/Roll-Off vessels. With all options exercised, it would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $220,028,462. Work will be performed at sea worldwide and is expected to be completed March 2020. If all options are exercised, work will continue through March 2023. Fiscal 2019 and availability of 2020 working capital contract funds in the amount of $13,097,120, and will not expire at the end of the fiscal years. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1784315/

NAVY Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. - Marine Systems, Sunnyvale, California, is awarded a $273,053,534 cost-plus incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for technical engineering services, design and development engineering, component and full scale test and evaluation engineering, and tactical underwater launcher hardware production to support the development and production of the Common Missile Compartment. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale, California (55 percent); Ridgecrest, California (20 percent); Cape Canaveral, Florida (10 percent); Bangor, Washington (5 percent); Kings Bay, Georgia (5 percent); Barrow-In-Furness, England (2 percent); New London, Connecticut (1 percent); Quonset Point, Rhode Island (1 percent); and Arlington, Virginia (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2024. Fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $39,631,234 will be obligated on this award. Fiscal 2019 United Kingdom Common funding in the amount of $24,369,442 will be obligated on this award. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively solicited pursuant to 10 U.S. Code. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00030-19-C-0015). Lockheed Martin Corp. Missile and Fire Control, Orlando, Florida, is awarded an $84,108,050 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to perform design and development studies, technology demonstrations and engineering services for rapid technology development for the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, Joint Air-to-Ground Missile and Hellfire baseline weapon systems. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed in March 2024. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,584,507 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity (N68936-19-D-0020). Smartronix Inc., Hollywood, Maryland, is awarded a $72,374,593 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides information management and information technology support services to sustain the analysis, design, development, integration, test, deployment and operations of information technology systems and services. This contract includes help desk, software engineering, financial and business application, server operations, application hosting, desktop, audiovisual and video teleconferencing support services. Work will be performed in China Lake, California (80 percent); and Point Mugu, California (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2024. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; six offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity (N68936-19-D-0027). Ch2m Hill Inc., Englewood, Colorado, is awarded a $68,000,000 cost-plus-award-fee modification to increase the maximum dollar value of an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for comprehensive long-term environmental architect-engineering services on Navy and Marine Corps installations at sites in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic area of responsibility. The work to be performed provides for architectural and engineering services to provide program management and technical environmental services in support of the Department of the Navy's Environmental Restoration Program, Munitions Response Program, and other similar programs at any Navy and Marine Corps activity in the area of responsibility covered by NAVFAC Atlantic. After award of this modification, the total cumulative contract value will be $308,000,000. Work will be performed primarily in Puerto Rico (35 percent); California (18 percent); Virginia (15 percent); Washington (12 percent), North Carolina (8 percent); Maryland (7 percent); Mississippi (3 percent); and Washington, District of Columbia (2 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2020. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. Task orders will be primarily funded by environmental restoration, (Navy). The contractor was chosen using federal acquisition regulation Part 36, Architect-Engineer Services on an unrestricted basis. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (contract number N62470-16-D-9000). Kiewit Infrastructure West Co., Honolulu, Hawaii, is awarded a $64,993,500 firm-fixed-price contract for P-704 Sewer Lift Station and Relief Sewer Lines, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. The work to be performed provides for two major components. The first component is a new wastewater pump station to replace existing pump station SY-001. The second component is a new gravity sewer main along South Avenue that replaces an existing gravity trunk sewer. A new pump station and gravity sewer line are required to accommodate the anticipated increase in wastewater flows from proposed shore activities within the existing pump station SY-001 collection area and to accommodate peak wet-weather flows with the required level of redundancy. Work will be performed in Oahu, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by June 2021. Fiscal 2017 military construction (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $64,993,500 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with five proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Hawaii, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62478-19-C-1515). Joyce & Associates Construction Inc.,* Newport, North Carolina (N40085-19-D-8044); Olympic Enterprises Inc.,* Hubert, North Carolina (N40085-19-D-8045); Owens Construction Inc.,* Beaufort, North Carolina (N40085-19-D-8046); Pyramid Contracting LLC,* Irmo, South Carolina (N40085-19-D-8047); and TE Davis Construction Co.,* Jacksonville, North Carolina (N40085-19-D-8048), are being awarded a $40,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award construction contract for maintenance and repair project. Work will be performed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and the surrounding area. Joyce & Associates Construction Inc. is being awarded an initial task order of $498 for the head repairs at Building 1747 at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Work is expected to be completed by July 2019. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of March 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, (Marine Corps) (O&M,MC) contract funds in the amount of $498 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of fiscal 2019. Future task orders will be primarily funded by O&M,MC. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with 12 proposals received. These five contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co., Inc., Kansas City, Missouri, is awarded a maximum amount $20,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, architect-engineering contract for architect-engineer (AE) services for various fire protection projects at various locations in all areas under the cognizance of Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Pacific. The work to be performed provides for architect-engineer fire protection services with associated multi-discipline architect-engineer support services. AE fire protection services include, but are not limited to, design and engineering services for preparation of technical reports including conducting engineering investigations and concept studies; fire protection design features including life safety analysis, building and fire code analysis, including water supply analysis at proposed project sites, etc.; design-build request for proposal documents; design-bid-build construction documents; construction estimates; operations and maintenance manuals; record drawings; shop drawing reviews and other construction submittal review; technical review of design plans and specification prepared by architecture/engineering firms and government forces; water flow testing; final acceptance testing of all types of installed fire protection systems; post construction award services; and other miscellaneous services. No task orders are being issued at this time. Work will be performed at various Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and other government facilities within the NAVFAC Pacific area of responsibility including but not limited to Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands (70 percent); Australia (20 percent); and Hawaii (10 percent). The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of March 2024. Fiscal 2017 military construction (MILCON), (planning and design) contract funds in the amount of $10,000 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by MILCON. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with eight proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-19-D-0006). NCS/EML SB JV LLC,* Louisville, Kentucky, is awarded an $11,981,174 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operations support services at Naval Air Station Whiting Field and outlying areas. The work to be performed to include facility investment, pest control, other (swimming pools), grounds maintenance and landscaping, pavement clearance, utilities management, electrical, wastewater, water, base support vehicles and equipment, and other related services. The maximum dollar value including the base period and seven option years is $96,721,878. Work will be performed in Milton, Florida (67 percent); and outlying areas (33 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2020. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy); fiscal 2019 working capital funds (Navy); fiscal 2019 Defense Health Program; and fiscal 2019 family housing operation and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $8,359,610 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the base period. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with eight proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-19-D-1740). DEFENSE SECURITY SERVICE iWorks Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $48,980,260.80 firm-fixed-price contract for the Defense Security Service (DSS) Vetting Risk Operations Center (VROC) and Consolidated Adjudications Facility (CAF) Personnel Security Support Services. The contract provides for the Personnel Security Support Services to assist in successfully executing the vetting mission for the Defense Vetting Directorate. Work will be performed at the DSS VROC office located in Hanover, Maryland; and the Department of Defense CAF office in Ft. Meade, Maryland, with an expected completion date of Feb. 4, 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funding in the amount of $7,310,770 are being obligated at time of award. This contract was a competitive acquisition and multiple proposals were solicited on government-wide point of entry (https://www.fbo.gov) and four proposals were received. The Defense Security Service Office of Acquisitions, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HS0021-19-C-0001). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Honeywell International Inc., Clearwater, Florida, has been awarded a maximum $12,788,000 firm-fixed-price contract for Inertial Navigation Systems. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a one-year contract with one one-year option period. The option is being exercised at time of award. Location of performance is Florida, with a June 22, 2020, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-19-C-0116). Honeywell International Inc., Clearwater, Florida, has been awarded a $7,724,728 firm-fixed-price contract for Inertial Navigation Kits. This is a 22-month base contract with one one-year option period. The option was exercised at time of award. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. Location of performance is Florida, with a Jan. 2, 2021, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-19-C-0099). (Awarded March 8, 2019) R. B. Allen Co., Inc., North Hampton, New Hampshire, has been awarded a maximum $7,531,007 requirements contract for casualty control communication systems to include technical data, training, testing, and shipping. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. Location of performance is New Hampshire, with a March 18, 2020, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 Navy capital improvement program funds. The contracting activity is Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Richmond, Virginia (SPE4A8-18-D-0001). UPDATE: Globe Trailer Manufacturing Inc., Bradenton, Florida (SPE8EC-19-D-0039) has been added as an awardee to the multiple-award contract for commercial trucks and trailers, issued against solicitation SPE8EC-17-R-0008, announced April 20, 2017. ARMY ExpFederal Inc., Chicago, Illinois, was awarded an $11,254,947 firm-fixed-price contract for electrical safety assessments, repairs program, materials management and control services for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan. Bids were solicited via the internet with 12 received. Work will be performed in Bagram, Afghanistan, with an estimated completion date of March 11, 2021. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $11,254,947 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-19-C-0008). *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1783465/

By: Jen Judson UPDATE — This story was updated to reflect the number of EMD Block II Chinooks under contract with the U.S. Army WASHINGTON — The Army is planning to stop procuring the newest version of the CH-47 F-model Chinook for the conventional force after fiscal year 2020, closing out the program at the end of the engineering and manufacturing development phase. While details on the plan are not yet available (more budget materials are slated to post March 18), the Army Under Secretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters, in a March 14 interview at the Pentagon, that the service will finish buying EMD versions of the Block II Chinook in FY20 and will only buy G-model Chinooks for Army Special Operations beyond that. Boeing is currently under contract to build three Block II EMD Chinooks. The Army decided to cut its production of Chinook Block II aircraft as part of a larger effort to find funding to cover major modernization priorities in the near-term including plans to design and bring online two new, state-of-the-art helicopters — a Long-Range Assault and an Attack Reconnaissance aircraft. Full article: https://www.defensenews.com/smr/federal-budget/2019/03/14/army-plans-to-stop-building-newest-ch-47-variant-in-fy20-except-for-special-ops/

DEBORAH LOYE La jeune pousse française est incubée chez InnoGEX , une structure publique labellisée CERN. Elle dévoilera son produit lors du prochain Salon du Bourget. Ingénieur chez Airbus, Arnaud Violland fait le constat d'une grosse disparité entre la sécurité dans l'aviation commerciale et l'aviation générale. « Cette dernière, qui inclut les hélicoptères ainsi que tous les aéronefs pilotés par un seul pilote, était beaucoup moins bien servie », raconte l'entrepreneur. Fin 2016, il décide de créer une start-up, qui aurait pour mission de pallier cet écart. Deux ans plus tard, Safetyn emploie 10 personnes, dont ses quatre cofondateurs. Réagir au stress La jeune pousse se concentre sur l'aspect psychologique de la gestion des urgences par des pilotes seuls dans leurs cockpits. « Nous musclons cognitivement les pilotes pour qu'ils deviennent de vrais bons gestionnaires de risque », explique le cofondateur et PDG de l'entreprise. Concrètement, Safetyn développe une « box intelligente »qui se place dans le cockpit et propose une assistance au pilotage en situation de danger. Cette dernière prend en compte les paramètres psychologiques du pilote, de sorte à l'assister le plus efficacement. « Nous ne répondons pas tous au stress de la même manière, il est donc important de proposer des solutions personnalisées », explique Arnaud Violland. Le pilote peut en outre être mis en relation avec un assistant au sol, qui connaît lui aussi son profil, et peut l'aider en conséquence. « Cela permet de réduire le temps de résolution du problème », indique l'entrepreneur. Article complet: https://business.lesechos.fr/entrepreneurs/idees-de-business/0600558292284-safetyn-veut-ameliorer-la-securite-de-l-aviation-generale-327787.php