At NAS Pax, Take the Pedal Off the Metal
(US Navy photo)
Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River 
economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.
NAS Patuxent River has lowered speed limits on base in an attempt to improve driver, pedestrian, and cyclist safety, the US Navy reports. In most areas where a change has occurred, the speed limit has been lowered to 25 mph. Capt. Derrick Kingsley, NAS Pax River commanding officer, said after months of observing motorists driving “sometimes 30 miles-per-hour over the limit” and several accident “near misses,” base security recommended the change.
The new Defense Department identification cards are finally compatible with TSA security checkpoints at US airports, reports Military.com. For the past two years, those with the new cards have needed to produce an alternate form of identification at many airports, since the IDs’ barcodes were incompatible with the TSA’s scanning system.
Raytheon Technologies said its Joint Precision Approach and Landing System, or JPALS, can work on both land and at sea, helping the Air Force establish austere airfields in conflict zones, reports Air Force Times.
The US Marines Corps said it will invest in the Iron Dome-based missile interceptor technology after recent successful live-fire tests at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, reports Marine Corps Times. “We asked for a wicked solution to a wicked problem, and the [Medium Range Interceptor Capability] provided that to us,” GEN Eric Smith said. The test was part of Operational Fires, which aims to integrate technologies so sophisticated missiles can be fired from trucks.
A former aerial New Hampshire Air National Guard refueling tanker has been refitted with new equipment capable of detecting atmospheric radiation, reports Air Force Times. The WC-135R “nuke sniffer” has been updated with modern “glass cockpit” controls and has the same newer, quieter turbofan engines as the rest of Offutt Air Force Base’s RC-135 reconnaissance fleet stationed in Nebraska.
The Marine Corps is again pausing, “out of an abundance of caution,” all water-based activities of its new Amphibious Combat Vehicle, or ACV, after two were disabled in heavy surf off the California coast last week, reports Military.com. No injuries were reported.
US Army Vice Chief of Staff GEN Joseph Martin told a House Armed Services Committee panel last week that the service will likely be understrength by at least 7,000 soldiers when the fiscal year ends on September 30.
The Pentagon will send four more high-mobility artillery rocket systems to Ukraine as part of the next military aid package to strengthen Kyiv in what’s become a grinding long-range fires duel, reports Defense News.
Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska appealed to the US to provide Ukraine with air defense systems as the conflict with Russia enters its sixth month, reports The Washington Post. Zelenska addressed Congress briefly during her visit to Washington, DC, last week.
Ukraine said its air force needs western fighter jets, and the US is preparing to help, reports Defense News. Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky has repeatedly said his country needs more advanced fighters such as F-15s and F-16s. US Air Force Chief of Staff GEN CQ Brown said there are many possibilities besides US-made fighters — such as the Eurofighter, Swedish Gripen, and French Rafale.
The Czech government will negotiate with the US to buy 24 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, reports Defense News. The aircraft are to replace the 14 Saab JAS 39 Gripens currently operated by the Czech military, making the country the second Eastern European ally after Poland to order Lockheed Martin’s fighters.
The US Navy called its guided-missile frigate Rodney M. Davis back in service for one last mission. The ship was commissioned in 1987 and served faithfully for 28 years before it was retired. On July 12, the frigate participated in a “sink exercise” as part of the Rim of the Pacific, reports Navy Times. It was blasted to the depths of the ocean near Hawaii during the RIMPAC exercise.
A US Air Force MQ-9A Reaper made its debut at RIMPAC, the Navy reports. The presence of the remotely piloted aircraft at the world’s largest international maritime exercise provided an opportunity for combined and joint-force collaboration between units from Australia, Canada, Malaysia, and the US.
Drone activity near a runway at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to stop arriving and departing flights for about a half-hour on Thursday, reports Patch.com.
The Senate Armed Services Committee tells DoD to halt its programs to prevent and root out extremism in the ranks, reports Roll Call. A committee’s report said that “spending additional time and resources to combat exceptionally rare instances of extremism in the military is an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds, and should be discontinued by the Department of Defense immediately.”
A new program to cut child care costs for military families is headed to more states, reports Air Force Times. Gilbert Cisneros Jr., undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood-Plus program will expand to the Miami-Dade County area in September, to Texas in October, and to Colorado in November.
The Navy might be required to serve vegan meat on some bases, reports Navy Times. A provision in the House version of 2023 defense budget bill could require the service to serve up “plant-based protein options” at at least two forward operating bases. Earlier this month, Military Times reported on an amendment in the defense bill that would require DoD to purchase bison meat from Native American tribes and organizations to be served to the troops.
A lightning strike during a late morning thunderstorm at Fort Gordon, GA, last week killed one soldier and injured nine others, reports The Associated Press. The soldier, Sgt. 1st Class Michael Clark, was an operating room specialist.
The US Naval Academy identified the midshipman who died earlier this month in Chile during a study abroad program, reports Navy Times. Midshipman 2nd Class Luke Gabriel Bird, 21, was hiking with a Chilean Naval Academy student near the Salto El Agua waterfall in Placilla when he reportedly slipped.
The Federal Communications Commission is cracking down on “auto warranty” robocalls, reports CNN Business. Telecom providers will now be required to block millions of illegal robocalls a day advertising extended vehicle warranties.
Contracts:
KBR Wyle Services LLC, Lexington Park, Maryland, is awarded a $37,962,837 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides technical analysis, engineering solutions, hardware integration, and life cycle services, to include: shipping of systems, components and parts, training and provision of training materials, technical manuals, system support, and technical assistance by phone, email, or on-site — in support of the Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility Air Control Tracking Systems for the Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems Division’s Area Control Systems Branch at Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Webster Outlying Field, Maryland. Work will be performed in St. Inigoes, Maryland (89.7%); Syracuse, New York (6.2%); Stafford, Virginia (1.9%); Twentynine Palms, California (1.8%); and Glendale, Colorado (0.4%), and is expected to be completed in February 2028. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; one offer was received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0042122D0097).
PAE Aviation and Technical Services LLC, Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded a $136,587,880 firm-fixed-price, performance incentive and award fee contract with cost-reimbursable line items for aerial targets operations and maintenance services. The aerial targets mission provides for conducting lethality testing of major weapons systems and munitions programs. Work will be performed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida; and Holloman AFB, New Mexico, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2029. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with five offers received. Fiscal 2022 operations and maintenance funds will be obligated upon award. Headquarters Air Combat Command, Acquisition Management Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA489022C0019).
MN-BMcD ML JV, Norfolk, Virginia, is awarded a $95,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, architect-engineering (A-E) contract for waterfront large project services primarily in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. The work to be performed provides for comprehensive A-E services and design and engineering services for projects ancillary to waterfront projects, such as buildings, roads, parking areas, railroads, bridges, culverts, foundations, retaining walls, and underground structures, etc. Engineering services may include, but is not limited to engineering investigations, failure investigation with destructive and non-destructive testing, seismic evaluation and retrofit, progressive collapse analysis, blast resistant design, civil engineering, survey, and engineering studies. Work will be performed at various Navy and other government facilities within the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Mid-Atlantic area of operations. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of July 2027. Task order 0001 is awarded at $5,000 for the minimum contract guarantee. Fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operation and maintenance or military construction funds. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.sam.gov website with three SF-330s received. NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-22-D-0047).
Fincantieri Marine Systems North America, Chesapeake, Virginia, is awarded a $75,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N40027-22-D-1005) for support of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) engineering and technical support on Littoral Combat Ship Freedom-Variant ships service diesel generators worldwide. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would not increase the cumulative value of this contract above $75,000,000. Base year period of performance will take place from July 21, 2022, through July 20, 2023. Option Year One, if exercised, would have a period of performance from July 21, 2023, through July 20, 2024. Option Year Two, if exercised, would have a period of performance from July 21, 2024, through July 20, 2025. Option Year Three, if exercised, would have a period of performance from July 21, 2025, through July 20, 2026. Option Year Four, if exercised, would have a period of performance from July 21, 2026, through July 20, 2027. No funding will be obligated at time of award. This contract was procured as a sole source via the solicitation posted on the System for Award Management. The Southeast Regional Maintenance Center, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Missile and Defense, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $17,514,310 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00013) to a previously awarded contract (N0001920C0071). This modification adds scope to procure 40 learn to build AIM-9X Systems Improvement Program (SIP) III configured guidance units (GUs) and associated nonrecurring tooling and test equipment to support build and checkout of the SIP III GUs in a production factory environment for the Navy and Air Force. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (52%); North Logan, Utah (10.9%); Saint Albans, Vermont (9.3%); Linthicum Heights, Maryland (5.8%); Murrieta, California (5.72%); Goleta, California (2.53%); Heilbronn, Germany (2.2%); Ann Arbor, Michigan (1.95%); Minneapolis, Minnesota (1.95%); Anaheim, California (1.62%); San Diego, California (1.37%); Midland, Canada (1.22%); and various locations within the continental US (3.44%), and is expected to be completed in July 2024. Fiscal 2022 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,149,730; and fiscal 2021 missile procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $8,149,730 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Bay West LLC, St. Paul, Minnesota (W912DQ-22-D-3017); Cape Environmental Management Inc., Norcross, Georgia (W912DQ-22-D-3018); ECC Environmental LLC, Burlingame, California (W912DQ-22-D-3019); HydroGeoLogic Inc., Reston, Virginia (W912DQ-22-D-3020); Kemron/Arrowhead JV LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (W912DQ-22-D-3021); LATA-CTI Environmental Services LLC, Albuquerque, New Mexico (W912DQ-22-D-3022); SA Environmental Services LLC, Niagara Falls, New York (W912DQ-22-D-3023); ATI Inc., Columbia, Maryland (W912DQ-22-D-3024); EA Engineering, Science, and Technology Inc. PBC, Hunt Valley, Maryland (W912DQ-22-D-3025); Engineering/Remediation Resources Group Inc., Martinez, California (W912DQ-22-D-3026); and TechLaw Consultants Inc., doing business as TLI Solutions, Chantilly, Virginia (W912DQ-22-D-3027), will compete for each order of the $60,000,000 order-dependent contract for environmental remediation services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 17 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 28, 2027. US Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, Missouri, is the contracting activity.
Austal USA LLC, Mobile, Alabama, is awarded a $156,171,650 fixed-price incentive (firm target) modification to previously awarded contract N00024-21-C-2209 to exercise options for construction of two additional towing, salvage and rescue ships (T-ATS 13 and 14). This contract was originally awarded for the detail design and construction of T-ATS 11-15. The option for T-ATS 12 was exercised in 2021. These additional two options being exercised allow for the first four ships of the planned five ships. This contract includes options for associated support efforts related to the ship design and construction for special studies, engineering and industrial services, provisioned items orders, and pilot house mock-up. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama (54%); Chesapeake, Virginia (20%); Jacksonville, Florida (6%); Boca Raton, Florida (4%); and other suppliers representing less than 1% of contract value (16%). Work is expected to be complete in January 2026. Fiscal 2022 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $156,171,650 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source contract. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.
Bath Iron Works (BIW), Bath, Maine (N00024-22-C-2318); and Huntington Ingalls Inc., Ingalls Shipbuilding (Ingalls), Pascagoula, Mississippi (N00024-22-C-2319), are being awarded cost-plus-award-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and firm-fixed-price contracts for shipbuilder engineering and design analysis in order to produce design products in support of the Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG(X)) preliminary design and contract design. The specific contract award amounts for these requirements are considered source-selection sensitive information (see 41 US Code 2101, et seq., Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 2.101 and FAR 3.104) and will not be made public at this time. BIW work will be performed in Bath/Brunswick, Maine (99%); and Washington, DC (1%), and is expected to be completed by July 2023. Ingalls’ work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi (84%); Avondale, Louisiana (12%); and Newport News, Virginia (4%), and is expected to be completed by July 2023. If all options are exercised, work will continue through July 2028 for each respective contract. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation funds will be obligated at time of award for each contract and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. These contracts were not competitively procured and are awarded without full and open competition per 10 US Code 2304(c)(3), Industrial Mobilization; Engineering, Development, or Research Capability; or Expert Services. The Naval Sea Systems Command Headquarters, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00024-22-C-2319).
Sallyport Global Holdings, Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $127,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee undefinitized contract action to provide base operations support, base life support, and security services in the support of the Iraq F-16 program. Work will be performed at Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih Air Base, Iraq, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 30, 2023. This contract was the result of a sole-source acquisition and involves Foreign Military Sales to Iraq. Foreign Military Sales and Foreign Military Financing Loan Repayable funds in the amount of $62,230,000 are obligated at the time of the award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting Activity (FA8630-22-C-6006).
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum Heights, Maryland, has been awarded a $88,241,950 firm-fixed-price modification (P00067) to contract FA8615-17-C-6047 for Air Force F-16 aircraft Active Electronically Scanned Array radars. This modification is for the exercise of options to include 31 production radars, as well as associated spares. Work will be performed in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, and is expected to be completed July 31, 2025. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $1,217,979,978. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $2,034,480; fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $2,034,480; and fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $84,172,990.00 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8615-17-C-6047 P00067).
Raytheon Co., Raytheon Intelligence & Space Intelligence, Information, and Services, Dulles, Virginia, has been awarded a $28,867,448 modification (P00158) to previously awarded contract FA8730-17-F-0136 to extend the support services of the long-term modification and sustainment contract for a base period of four months. The contract modification is for an extension of services to support the current air operations center weapon system for up to 12 months. Work will be performed in Langley, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by the second quarter of fiscal year 2023. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $86,115,494, inclusive of options. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Kessel Run Detachment 12, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (FA8730-17-F-0136).
