EUROPE
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12 May 21. Rheinmetall Kodiak to be the Bundeswehr’s new combat engineer vehicle – order worth around €295m. Rheinmetall has scored another major success with its Kodiak armoured engineer vehicle. The German Bundeswehr has awarded the Düsseldorf-based technology group an order for new combat engineer systems. On 14 April 2021, the Budget Committee of the German Parliament approved the project. The Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support, or BAAINBw, has now signed a contract to this effect with Rheinmetall for the manufacture and delivery of a total of 44 armoured engineer vehicles, with a gross value of around €295m. The first system is due to roll off the assembly line in 2023, with delivery to be complete by 2029. Furthermore, the order encompasses a number of additional products and services relating to training and logistics necessary for commissioning and in-service support, including training courses and resources, for example
SEA
10 May 21. Elettronica announces the signature of a supply contract with Fincantieri for the Electronic Warfare Suite of the new submarines of the Italian Navy, in the framework of the U212 NFS Programme managed by OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’Armement). The contract includes the provision of two suites for the first batch of platforms and two additional systems as an option for future batches.
Elettronica is already supplier of the Electronic Warfare equipment in the framework of FREMM and PPA Programmes managed by OCCAR and aims to extend the cooperation to EU co-funded projects.
USA
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12 May 21. Bren-Tronics Inc.,* Commack, New York (W91CRB-21-D-0013); Inventus Power LLC, Woodridge, Illinois (W91CRB-21-D-0014); Navitas Advanced Solutions Group LLC, Ann Arbor, Michigan (W91CRB-21-D-0015); and Ultralife Corporation, Newark, New York (W91CRB-21-D-0016), will compete for each order of the $1,253,566,172 firm-fixed-price contract for the Conformal Wearable Battery. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 10, 2030. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
10 May 21. FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) announced that it has received more than $70m in new orders for its advanced ground robots from the U.S. Armed Services. The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps placed orders for nearly 600 FLIR Centaur® robots, including additional spares, antennas, and payload mounting kits. As a result, the U.S. Army awarded FLIR a $31.6m contract increase for its Man Transportable Robot System Increment II (MTRS Inc. II) program. The new award raises the ceiling value of the original MTRS Inc. II contract from roughly $158m to $190m.
12 May 21. GPS Source, a subsidiary of General Dynamics Mission Systems and the only provider a currently fielded Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (APNT) solution available to the U.S. Army, announced today it has received an order for the 1,000th Mounted APNT System (MAPS), Generation I (MAPS GEN I). MAPS GEN I is a mobile modular system that monitors GPS signals for validity and sends the validated data to military devices, even when GPS signals are degraded or denied. This system has been in rapid development, production, and fielding since the recognition of the critical need to protect GPS signals against peer and near-peer adversary electronic warfare attacks. It is the only mounted assured PNT solution allowing warfighters to conduct mobile operations in a GPS-contested environment.
General Dynamics Mounted Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (MAPS) Generation 1 System APNT DiagramThe Army fielded the MAPS GEN I system in the fall of 2019, making it the first APNT solution to market. The Army deployed 62 systems and several systems engineers to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Germany for installation and continued testing. Based on successful installation and performance of these systems and over 40 previously deployed systems, the Army’s Project Manager Positioning, (Source: ASD Network)
11 May 21. Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS, Kongsberg, Norway, was awarded a $499,170,016 modification (P00032) to contract W15QKN-18-D-0135 for the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station system. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 14, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Newark, New Jersey, is the contracting activity. KONGSBERG awarded extension of US Army CROWS frame contract. Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS (KONGSBERG) has been awarded an extension to the CROWS IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity) frame contract with the US Army first announced September 14, 2018. This extension is valued at approximately 500 MUSD and is contingent upon future demand and annual allocations. KONGSBERG continues the development of new, advanced versions of remote weapon station systems as well as serial deliveries to the United States Army, the United States Navy, the United States Marine Corps, and the United States Air Force.
10 May 21. Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $19,783,501 modification (P00030) exercising the fourth one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SP3300-17-C-5003) with four one-year option periods for chemical management services. This is a firm-fixed-price with cost-reimbursement and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. Locations of performance are Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and California, with a May 15, 2022, performance completion date. Using customer is Defense Logistics Agency Aviation. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Distribution, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania.
SEA
12 May 21. Huntington-Ingalls Industries – Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia, is awarded an $115,008,106 cost-plus-fixed fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-15-C-2114 for engineering and technical support for USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79). Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by June 2024. Fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,700,000 (52%); and fiscal 2021 research, development, and testing (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,398,561 (48%) will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
12 May 21. The US Navy has turned to global security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin and enterprise applications company IFS to deliver an intelligent maintenance solution that will help power its digital transformation of multiple legacy systems into a single, fully modernised and responsive logistics information system. The solution will ensure personnel spend more time focused on the mission and less on aircraft and ship repairs. The IFS solution comprises capabilities for planning and executing maintenance, repair, and overhaul of more than 3,000 assets including aircraft, ships, and land-based equipment. The Naval Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (N-MRO) solution combines artificial intelligence (AI), digital twin capabilities and predictive analytics to anticipate and react to potential equipment failures before they happen, which will contribute to the enhanced support of maintenance, supply logistics, real-time fleet management and other business functions for more than 200,000 sailors. Following a comprehensive and competitive evaluation process, the US Navy selected Lockheed Martin together with IFS’s acclaimed industry-specific functionality already used by some of the world’s largest aerospace and defence (A&D) organisations. With the added support of software developer Beast Code, the solution will initially be fielded at multiple US Navy sites to help sailors and Marine Corps maintainers break down operational silos and work towards a common maintenance workflow across all ship and aircraft platforms. The digital transformation of the US Navy’s maintenance systems will see a consolidation of assets and parts data in a central repository visualised to the users through an intuitive, mobile-friendly experience. This initiative will lead to increased data accuracy, streamlined workflows and ultimately less asset downtime and fewer unscheduled maintenance events. Enabling Total Asset Readiness® through N-MRO will ensure information is always readily available to help the US Navy achieve its desired materiel readiness and operational availability objectives. For instance, Navy personnel will be empowered to document faults, request parts, and report work completion at the point of maintenance, thereby reducing asset downtime while increasing data accuracy as an enabler of enhanced planning and procurement.
10 May 21. Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia, is awarded a $14,101,733 non-commercial, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract that will include terms and conditions for the placement of firm-fixed-price task orders for engineering-based cost analysis, logistics support, training and technical services in support of the price fighters department at Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support. The contract will include a five-year base ordering period with no options and is expected to be completed by May 2026. Work will be performed in Herndon, Virginia (75%); and Norfolk, Virginia (25%). Working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $250,000 will be obligated to fund the contract’s minimum amount and funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Individual task orders will be subsequently funded with appropriate fiscal year appropriations at the time of their issuance. This contract was competitively procured with the solicitation posted on Navy Electronic Commerce Online and beta.sam.gov, with three offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department Philadelphia Office, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00189-21-D-Z027).
AIR
11 May 21. Cobham Mission Systems, the U.S.-based world leading design and manufacturer of innovative aerospace safety and survival systems, announced today it has been awarded a new $7.1m prime contract from the U.S. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support. This contract is for production and delivery of Universal Water Activated Release System (UWARS) components to be installed on various Navy and Air Force aerial platforms through 2022. This represents the fourth consecutive annual award by NAVSUP to Cobham Mission Systems for deliveries of its industry-leading parachute release assembly. UWARS is a battery-operated, seawater-activated electro-explosive device that automatically separates the parachute canopy from the aircrew member upon immersion in seawater. It supports various aerial platforms including B-1, B-2, B-52, T-38, F-15, F-16, F-22, A-10 and T7-A. Since 2015, the Cobham Mission Systems team in Davenport has delivered over 16,000 UWARS on time or ahead of plan to military customers around the world with a 100 percent Lot Acceptance Test success rate.
06 May 21. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS), a leading National Security Solutions provider, announced today that it has received multiple awards totaling more than $46m to support Space Domain Awareness (SDA) efforts. Space is becoming increasingly congested, contested, and competitive, driving the need for enhanced SDA, the ability to identify, locate, and track potential threats to on-orbit space systems through a more comprehensive view of the space environment. With the increasing volume and velocity of threats, Kratos is leveraging the technology behind its OpenSpace software platform to help satellite ground systems quickly adapt to changing conditions. The platform’s software-centric architecture used with Kratos’ global monitoring network enables assets to be reconfigured and redeployed virtually, delivering much faster responses to potential threats in space. The OpenSpace platform is designed to make ground stations more adaptable, resilient, and secure. (Source: ASD Network)
10 May 21. The U.S. Army recently awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) a five-year, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract valued at $959.1m for full-rate production of the Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) system. The award follows the U.S. Army’s approval for the Northrop Grumman CIRCM system to enter full-rate production based on design maturity and demonstrated production capability. CIRCM protects against shoulder-fired and vehicle-launched anti-aircraft missiles that home in on the heat signature of an aircraft. The system’s ability to track and rapidly defeat infrared-guided threats has been validated over thousands of hours of rigorous testing in laboratory, flight, and live-fire test environments.
10 May 21. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded Northrop Grumman $13.3m for continued work on a new satellite demonstration known as Blackjack, according to a recent contract announcement. Project Blackjack will demonstrate the military utility of a mesh network made up of small satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO). Using optical intersatellite links, the network will be able to transport data rapidly from on-orbit sensors to war fighters on the ground. DARPA plans to test a vast array of capabilities with its demonstration constellation, including optical and infrared sensors and position, navigation and timing, according to the April 28 announcement. Under the phase 2 contract, Northrop Grumman will continue to develop a PNT payload for the Blackjack constellation. The award notice stated that the company will advance its payload through emulation and critical design review while building the actual payloads for the orbital demonstration. (Source: Defense News)
11 May 21. Northrop Grumman to develop sense-and-avoid solution for Triton. The US Navy (USN) has issued Northrop Grumman with a prototype and risk reduction contract for the development of a sense-and-avoid (SAA) capability for the MQ-4C Triton high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). With the USN having previously sought SAA solutions that ultimately failed to meet its requirements, Northrop Grumman announced this latest contract on 10 May. No timelines or contract values were disclosed. (Source: Jane’s)
10 May 21. Strategic Alliance Solutions LLC,** Fairfax, Virginia, is being awarded a competitive cost-plus-fixed-fee, level-of-effort contract with a three-year base value of $51,418,192, two two-year options, one one-year option, and one six-month option to extend services. The total value of this contract is $215,593,239. Under this new contract, the contractor will provide warfighter operational integration advisory and assistance services. The work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Dahlgren, Virginia; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; Fort Greely, Alaska; Mayport Naval Station, Florida; Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado; Fort Drum, New York; Vandenberg Air Force Base, California; San Diego, California; and other locations as directed with an estimated completion date of January 2030. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the government-wide point of entry website with three proposals received. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $5,675,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting activity (HQ0858-21-C-0012). (Source: Google/https://news.clearancejobs.com/)
10 May 21. The Pentagon has awarded Israeli company Xtend a contract to deliver dozens of small unmanned aerial systems for use indoors and in urban environments by special forces in the Navy, Marine Corps and Army. The department ordered the Skylord Xtender in partnership with the Israeli Defense Ministry. Xtend did not provide the value of the contract. The system is one of several drones produced by Xtend, which also makes the Skylord Griffon UAV meant to destroy other drones — a capability recently demonstrated at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. The system is already operational with Israeli special forces. (Source: Defense News)
TECHNOLOGY
12 May 21. BAE Systems Inc., Burlington, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $7,768,282 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for research and development to cultivate innovative machine learning and fusion algorithms in order to advance automatic target recognition (ATR), machine learning, and multi-level, multi-source fusion technology to improve algorithm performance. Work will be performed in Burlington, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed Aug. 12, 2026. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $600,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-21-C-1158).
10 May 21. On March 25, 2019, John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, was awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (HQ0034-19-D-0006) with a maximum amount of $873,000,000. To date, $678,040,449 has been awarded on seven exercised options. The purpose of the contract is to provide robust end-to-end systems engineering, operational analysis of component architectures across all aspects of the kill chain, technology concept exploration, and analysis and performance assessments in multiple warfare domains areas across regions and theaters of operation. The domains include air, land, sea, space and cyberspace. The warfare areas include air and missile defense; air-to-air combat (including manned and unmanned aircraft); countering unmanned vehicles (in all domains); time-critical target defeat; anti- surface warfare (including small-boats and gun-boats), anti-submarine warfare, and mining; offensive strike; electromagnetic maneuver warfare; electronic attack; negating counter-space capabilities, i.e. command and control (C2) systems, direct satellite attack, hardening, and replenishment; command, control, computers, communications (C4); intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR); counter-integrated air defense systems (IADS); offensive and defensive cyber capabilities; and nuclear systems to include nuclear command, control and communications (NC3) systems. These efforts provide assessments and alternative methods for countering contested environment capabilities. The seven exercised options provide a broad range of services which include engineering, research, development, test and evaluation, and analytic capabilities using operational knowledge of the national defense and security environments for the Office of the Secretary Defense (OSD). The contractor shall provide subject matter expertise, independent, objective system engineering and analysis to conduct studies, and assist OSD in resolving technical issues. The work will be performed in Alexandria, Virginia; and Laurel, Maryland. The work is expected to be completed on March 24, 2024. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
REST OF THE WORLD
LAND
10 May 21. Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ: CMTL), a world leader in secure wireless communications technologies, announced today, that during its third quarter of fiscal 2021, its Space & Component Technology Group, which is part of Comtech’s Government Solutions segment, was awarded a $3.0m order from an overseas agency for ground station maintenance and support. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
SEA
12 May 21. Israel Shipyards Ltd. – a leading shipbuilding and repair company in the Eastern Mediterranean serving naval and commercial marine markets – won a tender to supply an East Asian Navy with its SHALDAG MK V vessel. The Agreement which was signed between Israel Shipyards, the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and the customer includes the transfer of knowledge regarding the construction of the vessel, as well as the preparation of the customer’s shipyard for vessel construction through an upgrade of the shipyard. Israel Shipyards will also conduct training at the customer’s facility regarding construction of the SHALDAG MK V sections as well as maintenance of the vessel.
10 May 21. The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale to Canada of 4 AEGIS Combat Systems made by Lockheed Martin in a deal valued at up to $1.7bn, the Pentagon said on Monday. The Pentagon said the sale of the powerful missile and radar systems to the NATO ally would “significantly improve” network-centric warfare capabilities for U.S. forces operating globally alongside Canada’s. AEGIS systems are primarily used aboard ships though they have been adapted for land use. The package would include four shipsets worth of the AEGIS Combat System and three shipsets of the MK 41 Vertical Launch System as well as support equipment, spares and technical support, the Pentagon said. The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale on Monday. Despite approval by the State Department, the notification does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Reuters)