Black Hawk Pilot in Crash Was Great Mills Resident

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, MD, was one of three Army soldiers on board the UH-60 Black Hawk that collided with a jet over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport on Wednesday. (US Army photo)

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National Transportation Safety Board investigators say they are intensifying their search into what caused the collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter last week, reports CNN. Recovery efforts continue in the Potomac River.

The Black Hawk that collided with the commercial passenger jet in Washington, DC, on Wednesday was on a training flight along a route central to a seldom-discussed military mission to evacuate senior officials to safety in the event of an attack on the US, reports Reuters on MSN. The crash killed 64 people in the jet and the three soldiers in the helicopter. One of the Black Hawk’s pilots was Andrew Eaves, a resident of Great Mills, MD, reports The Washington Post. He served 10 years in the Navy before joining the Army. The crew chief on the flight was Staff Sgt. Ryan O’Hara.

On Saturday, the third soldier inside the Black Hawk was identified, reports Fox News. Capt. Rebecca Lobach’s identity had initially been withheld after the crash. Her family had asked for her identity to be withheld because of unsubstantiated accusations that DEI was a factor in the crash.

Other Maryland residents were among those who died in the crash, reports Maryland Matters, including several members of the Local Steamfitters Union 602 from Southern Maryland who were returning from a hunting trip in Kansas.

Investigators have recovered the plane’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, reports AP News. The black box from the Black Hawk was also recovered. The helicopter’s data is all held in one black box. It is now at the NTSB headquarters. The NTSB is the independent federal agency responsible for investigating all civil aviation accidents. Here’s what to know about the agency and the investigation into the DC plane crash, reports boston.com.

On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration began restricting helicopter routes in the Washington region following the collision, reports The Hill. The restrictions include the area over the Potomac River around Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, VA, where the crash occurred. Records show that National Airport has struggled to manage helicopter traffic, reports The Washington Post. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Friday that helicopter access to airspace around the airport will be curtailed at least through the preliminary stages of the investigation.

The Pentagon says that some of its small business programs are not part of the pause on grant funding, reports C4ISRNET. The programs include initiatives aimed to make inroads with DoD to incentivize small companies to engage in early-stage research and development. Most notably, the programs are the Small Business Innovative Research, or SBIR, and Small Business Technology Transfer, or STTR. Early last week, the White House had ordered a pause to all grants and loans disbursed by the federal government, The Washington Post reported.

President Donald Trump has ordered a “blanket exemption” for Defense Department employees from the civilian hiring freeze, reports Navy Times. “Normal hiring actions and onboarding may continue,” reads an Army memo obtained by Military Times.

Federally employed military spouses who work remotely for their agencies “should” be allowed to continue to do so, say officials from the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget, reports Navy Times. This guidance is based on the Military Spouse Employment Act. The law includes a provision that authorizes military spouses to telework from remote locations.

DoD will institute a media rotation program for its in-house press corps, which removes several major news outlets from their Pentagon office spaces in favor of other outlets, reports NBC. These include NBC News, The New York Times, National Public Radio, and POLITCO. The new outlets rotating in are One America News Network, New York Post, Breitbart News Network, and HuffPost.

The Defense Department has declared “identity months dead,” reports The Associated Press on MSN. The guidance announced Friday says DoD will “not use official resources, to include man-hours, to host celebrations or events” related to celebrations of the various months. Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and National Disability Employment Awareness Month were among the events listed as now barred.

A US Air Force plane with migrants left Texas for Guatemala late last week, carrying 80 deportees in another deportation flight that reflects a growing role for the armed forces in helping enforce immigration laws, reports Military Times.

DefSec Pete Hegseth said last week that Guantanamo Bay is the “perfect place” to house criminal illegal immigrants whose countries do not immediately take them back, reports Washington Times on MSN. “It’s a smart move. It’s the perfect place,” he told Fox News.

Daniel Driscoll, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Army, said he would prioritize expanding the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program across the country if he is confirmed as the service’s secretary, reports Federal News Network. Driscoll’s Senate Armed Services Committe nomination hearing was held Thursday. The fiscal 2024 defense policy bill mandated DoD maintain between 3,400 and 4,000 JROTC units nationwide, but the program expansion has been slow.

Votes on several of Trump’s Cabinet nominees are expected this week, reports Fox News.

Fox News on MSN reports that more than 50 senior officials at the US Agency for International Development were placed on leave last week amid an investigation into alleged resistance to Trump’s orders.

Trump announced new tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China over the weekend, reports CNN on MSN. The administration said the tariffs are aimed at curbing the flow of drugs and undocumented immigrants into the US, but they could cause price increases for American consumers across an array of common goods. Hours after the tariffs were implemented, Canada and Mexico said that they would implement their own tariffs, reports NBC. China said it would file a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization and enact “necessary countermeasures.”

The St. Mary’s County commissioners rejected a proposal last week for 120 workforce housing units on county-owned land off FDR Boulevard in California, reports informedstmarys.com. The commissioners voted 4-1 to deny the project, with Commissioner President Guy in support.

A new SimplifyLLC study on the Best & Worst States for Entrepreneurs in 2025 ranks Maryland as the No. 42 best state for entrepreneurs in 2025. This marks a fall of four spots compared to last year’s rankings. SimplifyLLC is an independent publication that provides free guides for small business owners. The annual study uses the most recent data from the Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Tax Foundation, and the US Senate.

Personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on the Best & Worst States to Start a Business in 2025, as well as expert commentary, to help people maximize their chances of success by starting in the right location. The overall ranking for Maryland was 46^th. WalletHub compared the 50 US states across 25 key indicators of startup success. The data set ranges from financing accessibility to labor costs to office space affordability.

Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter on Sunday, Groundhog Day, reports Fox News, when he saw his shadow. Phil made his appearance to the crowd at 7:22am.

Contracts:

Lockheed Martin Space, Titusville, Florida is being awarded a $383,139,431 cost-plus- incentive-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00004) to a previously awarded and announced contract (N0003024C0100) for Trident II (D5) Life Extension 2 (D5LE2) SSP Alteration (SPALT) advanced design and development program efforts. Work will be performed in Denver, Colorado (55%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (8%); Magna, Utah (4%); Titusville, Florida (3%); Elkton, Maryland (3%); Culpeper, Virginia (3%); Sunnyvale, California (2%); Orlando, Florida (2%); Clearwater, Florida (1%); and Folsom, California (1%), and locations less than 1% each totaling 18%. Work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2030. Fiscal 2025 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $382,139,431 and Fiscal 2025 Research, Development, Technical, and Engineering (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,000,000 will be obligated on this modification award and no funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is being awarded to the Contractor on a sole source basis under 10 US Code 2304(a)(1) and was previously synopsized on the Systems for Award Management (SAM) website, with one proposal received. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

Rockwell Collins Simulation and Training Solutions, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is awarded a $65,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of a weapons system trainer for the French E-2D aircraft as well as the associated technical data and training (instructor/operator, maintenance and cyber). Work will be performed in Sterling, Virginia (70%); Tampa, Florida (20%); and Lorient, France (10%), and is expected to be completed in July 2028. Foreign Military Sales (France) funds in the amount of $65,000,000 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competed. Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (N6134025C0001).

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Military Aircraft Systems, Melbourne, Florida, is awarded $57,360,906 modification (P00096) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N0001918C1037). This modification adds scope for the integration of second-generation Anti-Jam Tactical Ultra High Frequency Radio for NATO capabilities into the Japan E-2D aircraft, as well as procurement of a systems integration laboratory in support of aircraft configuration. Work will be performed in Melbourne, Florida (47.9%); West Chester, Ohio (29.5%); Cedar Rapids, Iowa (11.6%); Woodland Hills, California (5%); McLean, Virginia (1.6%); Falls Church, Virginia (1.1%), and various locations within and outside on the continental US (3.3%) and expected to be completed in February 2030. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $57,360,906 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract modification was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Sechan Electronics Inc., Lititz, Pennsylvania, is awarded an $11,152,002 firm-fixed price modification to previously awarded contract N00024-23-C-5535 for the option exercise of the production of the Nulka MK 53 Decoy Launch System and MK 54 Decoy Launch Message Convertor subassembly. Work will be performed in Lititz, Pennsylvania (79%); and Upper Marlboro, Maryland (21%), and is expected to be completed by January 2027. Fiscal 2024 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,560,868 (41%); fiscal 2025 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,923,628 (26%); fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,637,086 (15%); fiscal 2025 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,015,210 (9%); and fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,015,210 (9%), will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

L3Harris Technologies Inc., Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $76,214,821 modification (P00315) to a previously awarded contract (FA8823-20-C-0004) for the National Space Defense Center and Distributed Space Command and Control System Option Year Six sustainment, including depot-level maintenance, mission software support, hardware modification support, sustaining engineering analysis, cybersecurity support, and technical data management and limited supply support. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $1,191,204,658 from $1,114,989.837. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Vandenberg Space Force Base, California; and Dahlgren, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2026. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $28,837,627 are being obligated at time of award. The Space Systems Center Directorate of Contracting, Peterson SFB, Colorado, is the contracting activity.

Linquest Corp., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a Small Business Innovation Research Phase III indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a ceiling of $970,000,000 for advanced solutions for collaborative engineering and digital development. This contract provides for the operationalization of the digital engineering and decision support techniques required to collect, analyze, and visualize data. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 30, 2035. This contract was a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $4,972 are being obligated at the time of award. The Space Systems Command, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting activity (FA2553-25-D-B001).

Elbit Systems of America, Roanoke, Virginia (SPRBL1-25-D-0003); and L3 Technologies Inc., Tempe, Arizona (SPRBL1-25-D-0004), have each been awarded a maximum $135,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPRBL1-24-R-0013 for monocular night vision device white phosphorous image intensifier spare parts. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses received. These are five-year contracts with no option periods. The performance completion date is Jan. 30, 2030. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2025 through 2030 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.

Agile Defense Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $12,557,977 modification (P00008) to contract W9124P-22-F-0036 for information technology support services. Work will be performed at Redstone, Arsenal, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2027. Fiscal 2025 aircraft procurement, Army funds in the amount of $12,557,977 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

The Pennsylvania State University Advanced Research Laboratory (Penn State ARL), State College, Pennsylvania, was awarded a $25,634,268 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Advanced Innovation in Modeling and Simulation (AIMS) follow-on program. The objective of the Penn State ARL AIMS II project is to accelerate innovations of technologies for the Secure Advanced Framework for Simulation and Modeling program in classified hybrid cloud accredited Modeling and Simulation Integration Environments (MSIEs), as multiple mini MSIE sites or enclaves are established. Work will be performed in State College, Pennsylvania (20%); and Reston, Virginia (80%), with an expected completion date of February 2027. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $5,000,000 are being obligated at time of award. This contract was a sole-source acquisition. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR0011-25-C-0307).

BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services, Rockville, Maryland, has been awarded an increased ceiling modification (P00790) of $1,192,897,112 to a previously awarded contract (FA8214-13-C-0001) for sustaining engineering services. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $3,134,640,338 from $1,941,743,226. Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and is expected to be completed by July 31, 2027. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance funds, research and development funds, and production funds will be obligated with the associated modification. The Air Force Nuclear Weapon Center, Hill AFB, Utah, is the contracting activity.

Tapestry Solutions Inc., San Diego, California, has been awarded a $9,290,646 modification (P00007) to a previously awarded contract (FA2860-22-C-0011) for flight dispatch services. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $41,977,632. Work will be performed at Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Facility, Washington DC, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2027. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $9,290,646 are being obligated at the time of award. The 316th Contracting Squadron, Services Flight, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Perini Management Services Inc., Framingham, Massachusetts (W912DY-25-D-0030); Robins & Morton Group, Birmingham, Alabama (W912DY-25-D-0031); StructSure Projects Inc., Kansas City, Missouri (W912DY-25-D-0032); Walsh Construction Co. II LLC, Chicago, Illinois (W912DY-25-D-0033); Valiant Government Services LLC, Fayetteville, North Carolina (W912DY-25-D-0034); ESA South Inc., Cantonment, Florida (W912DY-25-D-0018); Frontline King George JV LLC, Silver Spring, Maryland (W912DY-25-D-0019); G1/ESA South JV LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (W912DY-25-D-0020); Global Engineering & Construction LLC, Renton, Washington (W912DY-25-D-0021); HDD JV, Leesburg, Virginia (W912DY-25-D-0022); Spectrum Solutions Inc., Madison, Alabama (W912DY-25-D-0023); Valiant Construction LLC, Louisville, Kentucky (W912DY-25-D-0023); Centennial Contractors Enterprises Inc., Reston, Virginia (W912DY-25-D-0024); DPR-RQ Construction LLC, Carlsbad, California (W912DY-25-D-0026); Facility Services Management Inc., Clarksville, Tennessee (W912DY-25-D-0027); J&J Maintenance Inc., doing business as J&J Worldwide Services, Austin, Texas (W912DY-25-D-0028); and John C. Grimberg Co. Inc., Rockville, Maryland (W912DY-25-D-0028), will compete for each order of the $259,999,400 firm-fixed-price contract for quick response for medical facility repair, renovation, conversion, alteration, additions, construction, and equipment procurement and installation. Bids were solicited via the internet with 39 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 29, 2032. US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc., Nashua, New Hampshire, is awarded an $88,152,377 modification (P00001) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N0001924C0003). This modification exercises the option to procure 1,540 radio frequency countermeasures in support of the U.S. and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Fighter aircraft. Work will be performed in Nashua, New Hampshire (40%); Elkton, Maryland (16%); Chatsworth, California (7%); Rosamond, California (4%); Dover, New Hampshire (4%); Rochester, New York (4%); Topsfield, Massachusetts (3%); Poughkeepsie, New York (1%); and other various locations within the continental US (21%) and is expected to be completed in February 2028. Fiscal 2023 procurement of ammunition (Navy/Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $11,293,951; fiscal 2024 procurement of ammunition (Navy/Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $9,723,509; fiscal 2025 procurement of ammunition (Navy/Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $8,110,222; fiscal 2025 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $19,877,354; and FMS funds in the amount of $39,147,341, will be obligated at the time of award, $11,293,951 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract modification was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

QED Systems Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (N00189-25-D-0005); JAL Enterprises Inc., Hampton, Virginia (N00189-25-D-0006); and Technico Corp., Chesapeake, Virginia (N00189-25-D-0007), are being awarded a $10,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award contract to provide technical support in the area of professional equipment maintenance for the overhaul, repair, or replacement of galley and laundry equipment associated with Navy Aircraft Carriers and Navy Surface Ships in support of the Commander, US Fleet Forces Command. Each contract will run concurrently and will include a 60-month base ordering period with no options. Work is expected to be completed by January 2030. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia; and Virginia Beach, Virginia. Percentage of work for each contract cannot be determined at this time. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance (Navy) (O&M,N) in the amount of $3,000 will be obligated ($1,000 on each of the three contracts) to fund the contracts’ minimum amount. Funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Subsequent task orders will be funded with appropriate fiscal year O&M, N funds. These contracts were competitively procured with the solicitation posted on SAM.gov, with five offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk Fleet Directorate, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

UPDATE: Maryland Industrial Trucks Inc., Linthicum Heights, Maryland (SPE8EC-25-D-0050, $248,000,000), has been added as an awardee to the multiple award contract for trucks and trailers, issued against solicitation SPE8EC-21-R-0007 and awarded March 18, 2022. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.