UNITED KINGDOM
AIR
24 Jan 20. Longbow LLC, Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $235,794,870 hybrid (cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) Foreign Military Sales (Republic of Korea (South Korea), Greece, India, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom) contract for procurement of production support services for the Fire Control Radar System for the Apache attack helicopter. One bid was solicited via the internet with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-20-D-0009).
USA
LAND
30 Jan 20. Applied Visual Technology Inc.,** Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $31,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to design, develop, integrate, manage, deliver, install, test, document and support construction equipment virtual trainers. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 29, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-20-D-0008).
24 Jan 20. Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio, has been awarded a $7,483,871 modification (P00003) for the option effort on previously awarded contract HR0011-19-C-0019. The contract is for research and development of an advanced networked sensor to detect and identify biological weapons of mass destruction threats in support of the SIGMA+ program. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $9,985,170. Work will be performed in Columbus, Ohio (60%); and Cambridge, Massachusetts (40%), with an expected completion date of June 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,430,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
24 Jan 20. EWR Radar Systems Inc., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $20,705,290 contract for the Portable Doppler Radar (PDR) program. This contract provides for the purchase of 22 PDR systems, with an option to purchase up to an additional 14 systems. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be complete by Jan. 24, 2023. This contract is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 other procurement funds in the amount of $12,662,566 are being obligated at the time of award. The Aerospace Management Systems Division, Digital Directorate, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (FA8730-20-C-0033).
30 Jan 20. General Dynamics Mission Systems, Orlando, Florida, was awarded an $883,000,000 order-dependent contract for the enhancement and maintenance of the Live Training Transformation (LT2) product line, including software architecture, LT2 framework, and individual products associated with the LT2 product line. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2028. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-20-D-0007).
24 Jan 20. Intelligent Waves has won an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract from the US Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) for global satellite communications. The $48m Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS) Global Logistical Services Management Contract (ELOG) has a one-year base with options for four years. EMSS provides global communication services to deployed troops and partnering agencies through a dedicated, satellite gateway that leverages the commercial Iridium satellite constellation. Services and support under the EMSS will include the Distributed Tactical Communication System (DTCS), which is an over-the-horizon, beyond-line-of-sight, ‘netted’ satellite communication capability. This capability employs devices and corresponding systems and allows users to communicate information from unique environments. Under the contract, Intelligent Waves will support the DTCS and the EMSS programme by providing global logistics service management and field service representatives. Additionally, the contract will make sure that operational, engineering and technical requirements are achieved successfully for existing and future devices as technologies within the EMSS portfolio. (Source: army-technology.com)
27 Jan 20. Syracuse Research Corp. Inc., North Syracuse, New York, was awarded a $22,075,156 modification (P000013) to contract W31P4Q-19-C-0005 for a six-month extension for support to the Counter-Unmanned Aerial System, Expeditionary, Low Slow Small Unmanned Aerial System Integrated Defeat System program. Work will be performed in North Syracuse, New York, with an estimated completion date of July 27, 2020. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation; operations and maintenance, Army; and other procurement, Army funds in the combined amount of $22,075,156 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
SEA
23 Jan 20. The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems a prime position on a five-year, $34.9m indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide life cycle sustainment and technical support for the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s (NAWCAD) Special Communications Mission Solutions Division. The contract was awarded through the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Contracting Office. Through this award, BAE Systems will support and sustain variety of C5ISR systems embedded within vehicles, watercraft, and specialized communications platforms in the NAWCAD inventory. The company’s C5ISR efforts will include maintaining and upgrading command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems, integrated and networked to improve the situational awareness of military operators and decision makers. Work on this program will be performed in forward deployed mission locations include Central Command (CENTCOM) and Africa Command (AFRICOM) Areas of Responsibility (AOR). (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
28 Jan 20. Lockheed Martin Corp., Rotary Mission Systems, Liverpool, New York, is awarded a $185,025,000 firm-fixed-price contract for follow-on full rate production of Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program AN/SLQ-32(V)6, AN/SLQ-32A(V)6 and AN/SLQ-32C(V)6 systems. Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) is an evolutionary acquisition and incremental development program to upgrade the existing AN/SLQ-32(V) electronic warfare system. SEWIP provides enhanced shipboard electronic warfare for early detection, analysis, threat warning and protection from anti-ship missiles. AN/SLQ-32(V)6, the latest fielded variant of the AN/SLQ-32, incorporates receiver, antenna and combat system interface upgrades developed under the SEWIP Block 2 ACAT II program and adds the High Gain High Sensitivity adjunct sensor developed under the SEWIP Block 1B3 ACAT II program. Work will be performed in Liverpool, New York (78%); and Lansdale, Pennsylvania (22%), and is expected to be completed by April 2022. This contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $812,062,168, and would be completed by September 2026 if all options are exercised. Fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) (9%); and fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) (91%) funding in the amount of $185,025,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website with two offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-20-C-5503).
AIR
28 Jan 20. NASA has placed an order for three H135 helicopters, marking the first-ever partnership between the U.S. space program and Airbus Helicopters. The order was announced today at the Airbus booth at the Heli Expo Trade show in Anaheim, California. The H135s will be operated out of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a variety of missions, including rocket launches, security, emergency medical services, and passenger transport. Two of the helicopters are scheduled for delivery later this summer, with a third planned for early 2021. As part of a fleet replacement initiative, NASA will acquire the aircraft through Davenport Aviation, an SBA-certified woman-owned small business and HUBZone contractor specializing in the supply of aerospace equipment to federal, state and local government agencies.
30 Jan 20. The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded an $84,108,947 contract modification (P00007) to the previously awarded contract FA8634-18-C-2698 for the F-15 Advanced Display Core Processor (ADCP) II Low-Rate Initial Production 4. This contract modification exercises an option that provides the production and integration of the ADCP II boxes and related equipment into the F-15 platform. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be completed by July 22, 2022. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2018, 2019 and 2020 procurement and working capital funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $260,932,155. Fiscal 2018, 2019 and 2020 procurement funds in the amount of $74,346,630; and fiscal 2020 working capital funds in the amount of $9,762,318 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Fighter/Bomber Directorate, F-15 Division, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
28 Jan 20. Booz Allen Hamilton has been awarded a contract to modernise the US Government-owned Global Positioning System (GPS). The US Navy’s Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC Pacific) has awarded the contract in collaboration with US Air Force Space (USAFS) and Missile Systems Center (SMC). Valued at $178m, the contract will see the company provide technical engineering services for the GPS systems. The services include system definition, acquisition programme management, requirements synchronisation and capability enhancement. The agreement also includes cybersecurity engineering, platform integration, and testing. This work will support the development and upgrade of GPS via military user equipment, GPS III, and Next Generation Operational Control System programmes. The company is a key partner with NIWC Pacific and SMC. It will continue to modernise NIWC Pacific Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Division’s systems for the US Government and its allies. (Source: naval-technology.com)
30 Jan 20. Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., Lod, Israel, has been awarded a $240,000,000 estimated ceiling indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the acquisition of T-38 Wings. Work will be performed in Lod, Israel, and is expected to be complete by Jan. 2033. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and four offers were received. Fiscal 2020 consolidated sustainment activity group working capital funds in the amount of $34,426,532 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Sustainment Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8208-20-D-0001).
24 Jan 20. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Redondo Beach, California, has been awarded a $13,006,683 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the base period of the Glide Breaker program. This contract provides for the research, development and demonstration of a technology that is critical for enabling an advanced interceptor capable of engaging maneuvering hypersonic threats in the upper atmosphere. Work will be performed in Redondo Beach, California (73%); Mesa, Arizona (21%); Sacramento, California (4%); and Huntsville, Alabama (2%), with an estimated completion date of January 2021. Fiscal 2019 research and development funds in the amount of $13,006,683 are being obligated at the time of award. This contract is a competitive acquisition in accordance with the original broad agency announcement, HR0011-19-S-0008. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR001120C0025).
28 Jan 20. Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) was awarded a $403m System Demonstration Test Articles contract with the U.S. Navy for Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band. The SDTA pods will be delivered to the fleet once developmental and operational testing is complete. NGJ-MB provides significantly improved radar and communication jamming performance and capacity, as well as improved reliability and maintainability, for EA-18G Growler crews. Commanders will use NGJ-MB to deny, degrade and deceive the enemy’s use of the electromagnetic spectrum through advanced jamming techniques. Raytheon delivered the first NGJ-MB pod to the U.S. Navy for testing in July of 2019.
28 Jan 20. Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) will help the U.S. Air Force modernize its missile warning architecture with a new system that will collect and fuse data from an array of sensors to provide a comprehensive picture of launch activity under a 5-year, $197m contract. To help with this mission, Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services has developed a completely open framework — which the Air Force calls the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution (FORGE) Mission Data Processing Application Framework (MDPAF) — that will be capable of processing Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) satellite data from both the U.S. Air Force’s evolving Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) constellation and the future Next Gen OPIR constellation, as well as be capable of processing data from other civil and environmental sensors. This is a significant departure from previous satellite ground control programs. Typically, companies would develop a system that collects and exploits data from specific types of satellites or sensors. FORGE changes this model as it’s able to collect data from nearly any type of satellite or sensor, and then helps operators make sense of that data quickly. One of the key benefits of incorporating new applications is that the system can be used beyond its intended mission. For example, an application could be built that would allow civil agencies to use the same satellite data to help detect forest fires, volcanic activity, agricultural changes, even surges in electric power consumption. Further departing from the traditional ground control development model, Raytheon built the prototype system in less than a year and it’s capable of processing real data today. The company leveraged development work on several past programs, especially its Advanced Weather Integrated Processing System, to design the framework. Raytheon also incorporated its deep experience developing applications using DevSecOps and Agile software development processes to dramatically speed development. Raytheon will work with the Air Force over the upcoming years to further evolve and prove the framework’s capabilities.
TECHNOLOGY
28 Jan 20. BAE Systems was awarded a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop the next generation of mixed-signal electronics that could enable new Department of Defense (DoD) applications including high capacity, robust communications, radars, and precision sensors, and lead to solutions that enhance situational awareness and survivability for the warfighter. Recognizing that the DoD has performance demands that far exceed the capabilities of the commercial world in terms of speed, fidelity, capacity, and precision, DARPA created the Technologies for Mixed mode Ultra Scaled Integrated Circuits (T-MUSIC) program to enable disruptive radio frequency (RF) mixed-mode technologies by developing high performance RF analog electronics integrated with advanced digital electronics on the same wafer. The next-generation capabilities that could be made possible with this program include a combination of wide spectral coverage, high resolution, large dynamic range, and high information processing bandwidth. These capabilities, which can cut through the electronic signal clutter, provide leap-forward performance that is mission critical as services rely on electronic sensors in highly congested environments. The new developments could be integrated into electronic warfare, communications, precision munitions, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms. As part of the $8m contract, BAE Systems FAST Labs™ research and development team – working closely with program foundries – will design and develop wafer-scale technology on a silicon foundry platform that can enable U.S.-based production of next-generation DoD electronics. The T-MUSIC contract adds to BAE Systems’ advanced electronics portfolio and is based on many years of investment on various programs with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), U.S. Army, and DARPA, including DARPA’s CONverged Collaborative Elements for RF Task Operations (CONCERTO) and DARPA’s Radio Frequency Field Programmable Gate Arrays (RF-FPGA) programs. Work for the contract will be completed at the company’s facilities in Merrimack, New Hampshire; Lexington, Mass.; and Manassas, Virginia. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
29 Jan 20. Block MEMS has secured a contract for Phase III of Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) programme to detect explosives, drugs and other threats. Under Phase III of the IARPA Standoff Illuminator for Measuring Absorbance and Reflectance Infrared Light Signatures (SILMARILS) programme, Block MEMS will detect and trace bulk quantities of drugs such as fentanyl, explosives, chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and toxic chemicals. With the latest $5.5m Phase III award, the total contract value of the effort now stands at $15.1m. The US Air Force Research Laboratory is executing the contract at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. The Phase III effort is aimed at developing stand-off chemical detection capabilities with automated real-time processing. Vg’ These capabilities are suitable for long-range standoff for distances up to 30m, moving targets to address the need to detect trace chemicals while objects are moving, and close-range that address the need for a compact system. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
24 Jan 20. Huntington Ingalls Industries has secured $954m intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance contract from the US Air Force. The One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) task order was awarded by the US General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM). Under the contract, Huntington Ingalls will provide persistent multi-role operations (PMRO) support to the US Air Force-Europe (USAFE). The contract has a base period of one year with four option years. This order will support airforce requirements in the European and African theatres of operation by providing contractor owned, contractor operated (COCO) manned and unmanned airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). (Source: airforce-technology.com)
REST OF THE WORLD
LAND
28 Jan 20. The Canadian Department of National Defence has announced that it will purchase the C6A1 FLEX General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) from Colt Canada. The purchase of 3,626 C6A1s will replace the current C6 machine gun which has been in service for more than 30 years and is reaching the end of its service life. The system will be acquired under a $96.97m contract, which includes related equipment such as a cleaning and repair kit, spare parts and sling to carry the weapon. The acquisition supplements the 1,148 machine guns that were acquired in 2017, which feature a durable polymer butt stock instead of the current wooden style. The weapons allow soldiers to attach pointing devices and optical sighting systems to help increase operational and tactical effectiveness. (Source: Shephard)
30 Jan 20. Lockheed Martin Corp., Missiles and Fire Control, Dallas, Texas, was awarded a $77,064,274 Foreign Military Sales (Bahrain, Republic of Korea, Germany, Japan, Kuwait, Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, United Arab Emirates) contract for Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target, Advanced Capability-3. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Dallas, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2023. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 aircraft procurement, Army funds in the amount of $77,064,274 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-19-F-0003).
SEA
28 Jan 20. Germany-based company MAN Energy Solutions announced on 23 January that it has won a contract to supply the main propulsion engines for two new 41 m-long patrol vessels for the Royal Thai Navy (RTN). “Each vessel will be powered by two MAN 16V175D-MM, IMO Tier II engines, each rated at 2,960kWm at 1,900 rpm,” said the company in a statement, adding that the vessels, which are being built by Marsun Shipyard in Thailand, are set to be delivered to the RTN by August. Although not specified by the company, the engines are meant to power the latest two T 994-class coastal patrol vessels ordered for the RTN. A keel-laying ceremony for the vessels was held on 14 November 2019 at Marsun’s facilities in Thailand’s Samut Prakan district. As Jane’s previously reported, these two vessels, which will be the fourth and fifth of the class, will be in service as T 997 and T 998 once commissioned, (Source: Jane’s)
AIR
24 Jan 20. India’s DRDO selects Israeli-made EO/IR system. Israel’s Controp Precision Technologies has won a tender to supply its iSKY-50HD electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) system for fitment onto unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) being developed by India’s state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In a 22 January statement the company’s CEO, Hagay Azani, said that the DRDO had shortlisted the iSKY-50HD for procurement following an evaluation process that included several other EO/IR systems. The company stated that its iSKY-50HD system features “highly sensitive gyro-stabilised multi-spectral sensors” fitted with advanced image-processing algorithms for assorted airborne defence applications. No further details were provided about the tender or the UAVs the system is intended to be fitted to. (Source: Jane’s)