CH-53K Could Get Shorter Test Schedule

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.

NAVAIR is considering a shorter test schedule for its Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion helicopter program in an effort to save money, Flight Global reports. The program is now in limited-rate production ahead of the start of full-rate production, IHS Jane’s 360 reports.

South Korea’s foreign minister said that her country and the US stand at a “critical juncture” in their alliance in the face of the growing threats from North Korea, Yonhap News Service reports. She voiced confidence that Seoul and Washington will achieve their shared goal through its strong alliance and joint defense posture.

Chinese scientists claim to have made a major breakthrough in magnetic detection technology that could bring unprecedented accuracy to the process of finding hidden metallic objects, South China Morning Post reports, from minerals to submarines.

Howard County, Maryland, government websites were hacked Sunday with an anti-President Donald Trump, pro-Islamic State message, The Washington Post reports. Ohio state government websites, including Gov. John Kasich’s, also were hacked.

Nine sailors from Navy Air Station Oceana will face disciplinary actions after allowing nearly 100,000 gallons of jet fuel to spill into the base, Navy Times reports.

While the debate continues on whether the Air Force should create a separate Space Corps that could help the military better answer threats in space, Air Force Times is conducting a poll. Click here to weigh in on the idea.

The US State Department is expected to clear the sale of 22 MQ-9 drones to India, Defense News reports. The unarmed MQ-9B Guardian is produced by General Atomics.

The Associated Press reports a technical sergeant has been released from a hospital after an Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 left the runway and flipped over after landing during preparation for an air show in Ohio late last week.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is the first military installation to earn the Bee City USA designation, Dayton Daily News reports. The Bee City designation marks an national initiative to shore up the pollinators ecosystem to reverse the decline of bees, which are essential to pollinate plants.

The Navy has made some changes to uniform changes for women, Navy News Service reports. Women are now allowed to wear a hair bun through the rear opening of a command or Navy ball cap and they can wear white pearl or white synthetic pearl earrings with their dress uniforms and round cut white diamonds or white synthetic diamonds with dinner dress blue and white jacket uniforms.

It was a successful space launch for SpaceX on Sunday. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California carrying 10 satellites, Space.com reports. It was the second launch in three days for SpaceX.

Contracts:

American Systems Corp., Chantilly, Virginia (N00174-17-D-0031); Applied Technologies Inc., King George, Virginia (N00174-17-D-0032); Applied Research Associates, Arlington, Virginia (N00174-17-D-0033); and Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Virginia (N00174-17-D-0034), are being awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts for non-lethal weapons and research and development. This requirement is for the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program (JNLWP) and other Department of Defense non-lethal weapons (NLW) programs entities to pursue NLW research and development across a breadth of technology and capability functional areas. American Systems Corp. will be awarded a $9,143,847 contract that includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $47,503,331. Applied Technologies Inc. will be awarded a $9,167,211 contract that includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $47,550,278. Applied Research Associates will be awarded a $10,299,107 contract that includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $54,401,394. Booz Allen Hamilton will be awarded $9,398,210 contract that includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $48,813,436.  Work under the American Systems Corp. contract will be performed in Chantilly, Virginia. Work under the Applied Technologies Inc. contract will be performed in King George, Virginia.  Work under the Applied Research Associates contract will be performed in Arlington, Virginia. Work under the Booz Allen Hamilton contract will be performed in McLean, Virginia.  Work at all locations is expected to be completed by February 2022. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $40,000 ($10,000 per contract) will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The total value of all task orders issued under these multiple award contracts, when combined, shall not exceed the value of the highest proposal received. The guaranteed minimum for each contract awarded will be $10,000. These contracts were competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with 11 offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division, Indian Head, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

LB&B Associates Inc., Columbia, Maryland, has been awarded a maximum $34,723,155 modification (P00002) exercising the first one-year option period of a one-year base contact (SPE600-16-D-0943) with four one-year option periods for fuel transportation services. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $68,731,371 from $34,008,216. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Locations of performance are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, California, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, with a June 30, 2018, performance completion date. Using customer is Defense Logistics Agency Energy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2017 Warstopper funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Maryland, is being awarded a maximum $30,000,000 modification for a non-competitive, single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for mid-endurance unmanned aircraft systems (MEUAS 2.0-B) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance services at multiple locations worldwide.  This contract is being extended for a period of up to 12 months for a maximum not-to-exceed value of the contract to $105,000,000. The extension is required to mitigate a gap for critical services while transition to the MEUAS III contract is implemented. This award action includes both firm-fixed-price and cost-reimbursable line items. The redacted justification and approval will be posted to Federal Business Opportunities in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.305. This contract will be funded via delivery/task orders with operations and maintenance appropriations. The extension is valid for up to one year. This is not a multiyear contract. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance  funds in the amount of $3,833,022 are being obligated at time of award. US Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity (H92222-16-D-0032).