AFSec: F-35 Is ‘Ready to Go to Combat’
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AFSec Heather Wilson says the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter is ready to go to the Pacific — or any theater — should tensions escalate with North Korea, reports D0D Buzz. “We now just passed 100,000 flying hours with the F-35, and it is doing very well and in any contingency, if there were a problem, they’re ready to go — ready to go to combat,” Wilson said.
Japan and South Korea will be able to deploy more than 100 F-35s by 2021, Business Insider reports. While North Korea works to perfect its intercontinental ballistic missile technology, the US and its allies are putting the finishing touches on the F-35 JSF that will soon be patrolling the Pacific.
Israel has finalized a deal with the US to purchase an additional 17 F-35 fighter jets, JerusalemOnline reports. After receiving the planes, the Israeli Air Force’s fleet of F-35 jets will stand at 50.
Gen. John Nicholson, commander of the NATO-led Resolute Support, said the US will send additional troops to Afghanistan, reports Military Times. “In the coming months, US Forces ― Afghanistan and NATO will increase its train, advise and assist efforts in Afghanistan. And we will increase our air support to Afghan security forces.”
The US Army is progressing in aerial manned-unmanned teaming, reports Army Times. The service was already deep in testing the concept of pairing manned helicopters with unmanned aircraft systems when the service decided in 2013 to restructure its aviation fleet.
Infighting between President Donald Trump and Republicans leaders in Congress has some Pentagon and defense industry officials concerned about the president’s threat to shut down the government, Scout reports. The stage is set for an extended impasse that some observers fear guarantees no funding bills will be passed when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
USNI News reports the USS Coronado fired a Harpoon Block 1C missile off the coast of Guam successfully hitting a surface target beyond the ship’s visual range. An MQ-8B Fire Scout UAS and a MH-60S Seahawk provided targeting data for the Aug. 22 missile shot.
Six F-15C Eagle fighter jets have been deployed by the US Air Force to Iceland to conduct an air surveillance mission to support NATO, reports Air Force Times.
The Philippine government will have six ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicles that can provide surveillance and reconnaissance imagery by 2019, reports Manila Bulletin.
Lockheed Martin’s quadrotor drone will be paired with a Danish system to detect and identify unmanned aerial system aircraft and their pilots, UPI News reports. Lockheed believes the pairing will be useful to protect critical infrastructure.
NAS Pax River Commanding Officer Capt. Scott Starkey will turn over command of the installation to Executive Officer Capt. Jason Hammond on Aug. 31, reports somd.com.
Civilian employees from NAS Pax River’s NAVAIR and the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Research and Engineering and Test and Evaluation departments were honored recently. They were presented with Length of Service Awards and pins, The Tester reports. The awards signify 25 to 45 years of service.
Denise Rohan, a US Army veteran active in the American Legion for 32 years, has been elected as the group’s first female national commander, Military Times reports. The Iowa native and longtime Wisconsinite becomes the public face and most prominent policy advocate of the Legion’s 2.4 million veteran members.
Contracts:
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Greenbelt, Maryland, is being awarded a $16,401,574 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of range facilities safety improvements at Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune. The work to be performed provides for the construction of three low rise range pit houses for target storage, head facilities and sound sheds. Construction includes reinforced exterior masonry walls, brick veneer, reinforced concrete floors, reinforced concrete roof with ballistic protection and cover boards, cast in place concrete wall, wood, vinyl panels, steel columns, and reinforced concrete foundations, demolition of existing concrete pit walls, berms and reconstruction with reinforced concrete, new earthen berms, benches, and a target trench system. This project will also install rubber matting at firing positions and built in equipment includes public address system, benches and rubber matting for firing positions and safety berm, trench, target numbers and benches for the target system. Information systems, mechanical utilities, and electrical utilities are included. This project also includes the demolition of buildings in order to clear the project site for new construction. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and is expected to be completed by May 2019. Fiscal 2017 military construction (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $16,401,574 are obligated on this award; of which $9,460,738 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with two proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-17-C-8317).
Leidos Innovation Corp., Gaithersburg, Maryland, was awarded a $727,689,796 firm-fixed-price contract to provide support for the Afghan Air Force (AAF) and Special Mission Wing (SMW) helicopter/fixed-wing fleets. Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Work will be performed in Kabul, Afghanistan, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2020. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $126,689,243 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-17-C-0058).
United Technologies Corp., Pratt and Whitney, East Hartford, Connecticut, has been awarded a $149,931,292 increase modification (P00197) to a previously awarded contract for F-119 engine sustainment. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Connecticut; Edwards Air Force Base, California; Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Langley Air Force Base, Virginia; Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada; Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas; Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma; and Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Work is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2017. Fiscal 2017 operations, maintenance, research and development funds in the amount of $172,456,322 are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8611-08-C-2896).
General Dynamics Missions Systems Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona, is being awarded a $37,136,744 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the full rate production of the Common Aviation Command and Control System (CAC2S), managed by Program Executive Office Land Systems, Quantico, Virginia. This contract will procure 41 full deployment units and quarterly software maintenance releases. The contract is structured to procure the 41 systems in four lots from fiscal 2017 through 2020, to include the servers, network switches, network routers, radios and ancillary equipment, and assembly of the components into a deployable system. This contract includes three one-year options, which if exercised, will bring the total value to $104,850,491. Work will be performed in Scottsdale, Arizona (94 percent); Fulton, Maryland (4 percent); Huntsville, Alabama (1 percent); and San Diego, California (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by Jan. 26, 2022. Fiscal 2017 procurement (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $30,686,828 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $6,449,916 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with five offers received. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-17-C-0261).
L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Mississippi, is being awarded $24,110,095 for modification P00013 under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost reimbursement, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-15-D-0022) to exercise an option which provides for business jet training services in support of contracted air services basic training, large national exercises, and small, single unit training exercises. Missions include maritime air patrol, low/slow terrorist aircraft, air interdiction training, and air intercept/anti-submarine training. These services support training requirements through air intercept control, anti-submarine tactical attack control, tracking exercises, electronic warfare missions, banner tows and target tows. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia (50 percent); Coronado, California (40 percent); and Kauai, Hawaii (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2018. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,872,415 are being obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
