March 29, 2024

AH-1Z Undergoing Testing at Pax

AH-1Z

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the Internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River Morning Coffee logoeconomic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.

The US Navy has successfully completed its first joint air-to-ground missile flight test on the AH-1Z helicopter at NAS Patuxent River, reports Naval Technology. The aircrew navigated the missile through a range of operational modes to demonstrate its compatibility with the helicopter and exercised its active seeker to search targets.

The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency is taking heat for mistakenly sending an emergency alert warning of an imminent missile strike that left residents and tourists on the Pacific island shaken, reports the Chicago Tribune.

The Pentagon is preparing to spend more than $900 million in fiscal 2018 to identify and fix problems as part of its first financial audit, reports Army Times. David Norquist, the Pentagon’s comptroller, told the House Armed Services Committee last week that the first steps of the long-awaited DoD audit are already underway.

Lockheed Martin says the company has connected key components of its new long-range discrimination radar with its Aegis Ashore missile-defense system to enhance Aegis’ capabilities, reports Reuters.

Sailors assigned to the US Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, prepare to launch the jets Jan. 11, 2018, during a winter training flight at Naval Air Facility El Centro, California. The Blue Angels are scheduled to perform more than 60 demonstrations at more than 30 locations across the US in 2018, including at the Pax River Air Expo in early June. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel M. Young/Released)

ABC reports the Russian-aligned hackers who penetrated the Democratic Party now have the groundwork for an espionage campaign against the US Senate.

Russia’s Defense Ministry displayed a pair of drones late last week that it said were captured following attacks on two Russian military bases in Syria, reports Army Times, saying the attack required know-how indicating it was carried out with outside assistance. The Pentagon says the drones don’t belong to the US. The Russians noted “strange coincidences” surrounding the terrorist attacks: these included a US P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft on patrol nearby, reports Global Research. The drones were likely purchased on the black market, reports Popular Mechanics.

The US Navy wants to hire drone-maker General Atomics to fly its own unarmed MQ-9 Reapers in support of US Marines in Afghanistan, reports The Drive.

A SpaceX customer spoke up for Elon Musk’s rocket company, pinning the blame for a secret military satellite’s disappearance on Northrop Grumman, reports Bloomberg. Matt Desch, CEO of satellite operator Iridium Communications, said that as the launch contractor, Northrop Grumman deserves the blame for the loss last weekend of the satellite, which is presumed to have crashed into the ocean in the Zuma secretive mission. There is some very interesting speculation about Zuma’s apparent mission, reports Breaking Defense.

The Army’s 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade will make its maiden deployment to Afghanistan in the spring, reports Army Times. The Fort Benning, Georgia-based brigade, which is aligned with US Central Command, will be the first to test out a new unit structure of combat-experienced officers and non-commissioned officers who will train allied local forces.

The VA now posts data on how frequently its doctors prescribe opioids to help with patients’ pain, reports Military Times, in an effort to increase awareness about use of the problematic medications. The move is the latest attempt to broaden transparency at the department. In 2017, for the first time, VA officials began publicly listing information on VA disciplinary actions, hospital wait times, and leadership travel.

The Tester takes a look at the top stories from NAS Pax River in 2017.

New tenants have signed leases at the St. Mary’s Marketplace shopping center on Route 235, reports smnewsnet.com. Among them are Panda Express and a drive-through Starbucks.

Contracts:

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, a university affiliated research center, Laurel, Maryland, is being awarded a $933,798,332 non-competitive, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. Under this contract, the contractor will provide systems engineering and technical support to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). MDA’s mission is to develop and field an integrated, layered, ballistic missile defense system to defend the US, its deployed forces, allies, and friends against all ranges of enemy ballistic missiles in all phases of flight. To meet its mission, MDA requires research, engineering, science and technology, analysis, test and fundamental technology research for state-of-the-art systems, operations, hardware and software, and associated technology creation and transition efforts. The work will be performed in Laurel, Maryland; and Huntsville, Alabama, with a period of performance from Jan. 12, 2018, to Jan. 11, 2023. Fiscal 2018 research and development funds in the amount of $25,000 are being obligated on this award. The Missile Defense Agency, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (HQ0147-18-D-0004).

Sotera Defense Solutions Inc., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $10,271,933 modification (P00012) to contract W911NF-16-C-0005 for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency research and development effort titled “Technology Demonstrations and Assessments Using a Data Science Approach to Situation Understanding for Counter Insurgency Operations (TDA for COIN).” Work will be performed in Herndon, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 20, 2019. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2,276,839 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

GMS Industrial Supply, Virginia Beach, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $17,085,042 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract for shop and maintenance kits. This is a two-year, nine-month base contract with two one-year option periods. This was a sole-source contract using justification 10 US Code 2304(c)(1). Location of performance is Virginia, with a Sept. 30, 2020, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2018 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Columbus, Ohio (SPE7MX-18-D-0043).

Aerial Machine & Tool Corp., doing business as Capewell Aerial Systems, Meadows of Dan, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $7,748,125 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for small and large modular airborne weapons cases. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. Location of performance is Virginia, with a June 14, 2024, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2018 through 2023 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-18-D-0035).

X Technologies Inc., San Antonio, Texas, was awarded a competitive, hybrid firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, with cost reimbursable line items for travel and other direct costs for system engineering and technical support services necessary to strengthen the security postures and technical capability for the Department of Defense public key infrastructure (PKI) and common service provider.  The core services will provide for the review of system engineering documentation and development of software to support PKI. The face value of this action is $7,655,049 funded by fiscal 2018 defense working capital funds. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $38,320,674. Performance will be at facilities in Maryland. Proposals were solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website, and four proposals were received. The period of performance is Jan. 22, 2018, through Jan. 21, 2019, with four-one year option periods. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity (HC1028-18-C-0008). 

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Savannah, Georgia, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $118,281,011 modification to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract FA8106-13-D-0002 to exercise option year five to support the C-20 and C-37 fleet for the Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard, and to fund the uninterrupted continuation of contractor logistics support services. Work will be performed in Savannah, Georgia; Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy; Ramstein Air Base, Germany; Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland; Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii; Marine Corps Base, Hawaii; MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; and Reagan National Airport, Virginia, with an expected completion date of Aug. 31, 2018. Fiscal 2018 Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $38,429,882 are being obligated at the time of the award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity.

Systems & Technology Research LLC, Woburn, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $10,569,653 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for a research project for undersea sensing systems. Fiscal 2017 and 2018 research and development funds in the amount of $3,216,772 are being obligated at the time of award. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut (45 percent); Arlington, Virginia (36 percent); North Falmouth, Massachusetts (10 percent); Reston, Virginia (5 percent); McLeansville, North Carolina (3 percent); and Columbia, Maryland (1 percent). The contract has an estimated completion date of August 2019. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR001118C0004).

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