Aircraft Return As Pax Runway Reopens
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Communities surrounding NAS Pax River might notice, this week, the return of US Navy fixed-wing aircraft over Southern Maryland. Runway 06/24 will re-open. Both Runway 06/24 and Runway 14/32 have been closed for needed repairs. The re-opening allows NAS Pax to resume flights requiring those runways, and, as with all operations, will take precautions to lessen the impact of testing activities on the community. For more information, call 1-866-819-9028.
Stars & Stripes reports a Russian spy ship detected off Hawaii as the US Navy prepared for Rim of the Pacific exercises. The Balzam-class “auxiliary general intelligence ship recently arrived in international waters off Hawaii where exercise Rim of the Pacific is taking place,” Pacific Fleet spokesman Lt. Clint Ramsden told USNI News last week.
Beijing began military drills in the South China Sea last week ahead of a ruling by an international arbitration court on a dispute with the Philippines over the strategic waters, AFP reports. The Chinese Navy carried out combat exercises with live missiles, the military’s newspaper said on its website.
The Pentagon says Islamic State fighters pose a growing threat to US and Iraqi forces by deploying small commercial drones armed with improvised explosives devices or spy cameras that can evade detection, Bloomberg reports.
Lockheed Martin welcomes reports suggesting Canada would open a new competition for replacing its current fleet of aging CF-18 Hornets, instead of simply buying Boeing Co.’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, says Reuters. The company is studying whether to shift work on its multibillion-dollar F-35 fighter jet away from Canadian firms amid the uncertainty over Ottawa’s plans to buy the jet.
A British Ministry of Defence task force is charged with addressing inadequacies identified in a recently released scathing report into its military efforts in the Iraq War, Defense News reports. The inquiry lambasts the conduct of the British government and then-Prime Minister Tony Blair before and after the invasion of Iraq.
The Indian Navy is slated to induct four more Boeing Poseidon 8I Neptune advanced maritime patrol/anti-submarine warfare aircraft into its ranks within the next three years, The Diplomat reports.
Raytheon Co. announces delivery of its first Air and Missile Defense Radar array, or AN/SPY-6(V), to the US Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii ahead of schedule. It is being installed in preparation for first radar light-off in early July. SPY-6(V) is the next-generation integrated air and ballistic missile defense radar for the Navy, filling a capability gap for the surface fleet.
Newsmaker reports that the global vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle market will grow nearly 11 percent from 2016-2020. A market driver is suitability for urban applications; there is increased demand for UAVs in civil-commercial applications. Commercial VTOL UAVs are used for surveying, scanning, aerial photography, 3D mapping, oil and gas pipeline monitoring, wind turbine blade inspection, real estate survey, and many other similar applications.
Boeing is showing off a video of its new ANA Highlight 787-9 Dreamliner, reports dna, the same aircraft due to perform this week at the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom, dnaindia.com reports. The footage was recorded in Washington state, and offers a glimpse of the performance and capabilities of the aircraft.
The death of a Navy SEAL trainee undergoing “Hell Week” training, called “ordinary” by former SEALs, has been ruled a homicide. The death follows a recent suicide by a 23-year-old after dropping out of the SEAL training. The Christian Science Monitor asks “Will recent deaths tame Navy SEAL training?”
The Dept. of Veterans Affairs releases its first actual count of suicides, findings show an average of 20 veterans a day committed suicide in 2014.The trend reflects record high rates among young men fresh out of the military and growing numbers of women taking their lives. MSN News reports that the VA previously estimated suicides, saying in 2010 there was an average of 22 a day. The 2014 data released Thursday is based on a precise tabulation of the 7,403 deaths.
Contracts:
URS Federal Services Inc., Germantown, MD, is being awarded a $24,663,433 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N65236-12-D-4806) for a ceiling increase and period of performance extension of nine months to provide continued services for test and evaluation, engineering, technical, logistics and management support services for the Submarine Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Collaboration and Intelligence (C5I) enterprise “System of Systems” and subsystems; and Submarine Operation Authority, Submarine Shore Nuclear Command, Control and Communication systems. Services will support testing, certification, modernization, repair, refurbishment, overhaul, and logistics support of submarine combat, electronic systems and support systems for all classes of submarines. As a result of this modification, the cumulative ceiling value of this contract will be $129,446,079. Work will be performed in Virginia (59 percent); Connecticut (28 percent); California (8 percent); South Carolina (3 percent); and Hawaii (2 percent), and is expected to continue via award of the follow-on task orders in April 2017. No funds are being obligated on this modification. Funds will be obligated on task orders as they are issued. This contract was previously procured on a competitive basis via the Commerce Business Daily’s Federal Business Opportunities website, and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center e-Commerce Central website, with one offer received. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic, Charleston, SC, is the contracting activity (N65236-12-D-4806).
BAE Systems, Rockville, MD, has been awarded a $29,378,829 modification (P00141) to exercise an option on previously awarded contract FA8214-13-C-0001 for Ground Based Strategic Deterrent integration support. Contractor will provide schedule management, acquisition program documentation, program risk management, strategic planning, quality assurance, logistics planning, business and financial management, data rights, data management, systems engineering, trade studies, technical studies, and integration needs for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent. Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and is expected to be complete by July 23, 2017. Fiscal 2016 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $6,615,849 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill Air Force Base, UT, is the contracting activity.
BAE Systems, Rockville, MD, has been awarded an $11,832,922 modification (P00141) to exercise an option on previously awarded contract FA8214-13-C-0001 for Ground Based Strategic Deterrent flight systems guidance integration support. Contractor will provide advisory and assistance type services to conduct demonstration/validation of technology for a future Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Guidance Set. Support includes system engineering, requirements analysis, performance evaluation, and concept assessment of alternative MGS concepts including assessment of star sensing subsystems and ground test of candidate sensors and systems as required to achieve Ground Based Strategic Deterrent and Minuteman III guidance requirements. Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and is expected to be complete by July 8, 2017. Fiscal 2016 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2,109,203 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill Air Force Base, UT, is the contracting activity.
BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services Inc., Rockville, MD, was awarded $12,893,983 for firm-fixed-price task order modification P00004 previously awarded contract (N00604-16-F-3004) to exercise the first option year for services of operation and maintenance of Navy communication, electronic, and computer systems. This task order includes a seven-month base period and two 12-month option periods. The exercise of this option will bring the estimated cumulative value of the task order to $33,995,856. Work will be performed at various locations on the island of Oahu, HA (94 percent); and Geraldton, Australia (6 percent). The option’s period of performance is expected to be completed by June 2017. If all options on the contract are exercised, work will be completed by June 2018. Fiscal 2016 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,423,495 will be obligated at time of award and funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This task order was competitively procured with proposals solicited from all GSA Alliant awardees via GSA’s eBUY portal with two offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (Awarded July 1, 2016).
Strategic Alliance Business Group, Arlington, VA, is being awarded a $63,080,824 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (including options) for Advisory and Assistance Services for strategic planning in support of technical, engineering, advisory and management support. This contract supports the Missile Defense Agency Chief of Staff Directorate by providing a knowledgeable, well-trained, and cohesive strategic planning management team to efficiently leverage agency organic capability. Work will be performed in Huntsville, AL; the National Capital Region (which includes Fort Belvoir, VA); Colorado Springs, CO; and Dahlgren, VA; with an expected completion date of July 2021. Fiscal 2016 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $2,714,614 are being obligated at time of award. This contract was competitively awarded with 11 offers received. The government selected for award the most advantageous proposal representing the best value to the government. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, AL, is the contracting activity (HQ0147-16-C-0057).
