Competition Grows for Attack Aircraft
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economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.
There has been interest in the past few years in fleet replacements for the Joint Strike Fighter from countries around the world, many of which might not be in a position to invest in the US fifth-generation alternative, reports Defense News. According to data from Avascent Analytics, the number of ongoing or potential competitions for fighters, bombers, and attack aircraft is 54. Despite this, Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson is vowing to increase the company’s international market share, Flight Global reports.
Since May 2010, Navy pilots have reported 461 physiological episodes in fighter jets and trainer aircraft, an average of more than one every six days, Navy Times reports. The source of the problem remains unclear despite years of study and the recent completion of a 30-day review. The armed services are still unsure why Navy and Air Force pilots are struggling with their Onboard Oxygen Generation System while the Marine Corps has had no problems, USNI News reports. The services all use the exact same systems.
The search ended for seven Navy sailors who had been missing after the destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a merchant vessel off the coast of Japan on Saturday morning after their bodies had been found, the Washington Examiner reports. The crash caused massive damage and flooding aboard the ship.
A General Accountability Office report says the Navy has not been prioritizing maintenance of its fleet, Navy Times reports. As a result, the Navy is experiencing ”declining ship conditions across the fleet and a worsening trend in overall ship readiness,” the article states.
ADM John Richardson, chief of naval operations, told the 68th Current Strategy Forum that the Navy needs to maintain a decisive edge over the enemy. To do that, ADM Richardson said, the Navy must accelerate its operations and how it develops as a service, particularly when it comes to dealing with big data, C4ISRNET reports.
The US Army will feel the benefit of adding 28,000 troops to the active and reserve components by the end of September, Army Times reports, reversing a drawdown that had planned for 980,000 soldiers this year instead of the new goal of 1,018,000 soldiers.
More than 4,000 troops from eight nations gathered in Romania for Noble Jump 17, a training exercise designed to test and refine NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, reports Defense News. The exercise drew troops from the US, UK, Romania, the Netherlands, Albania, Spain, Poland, and Norway.
Arlington National Cemetery is expected to expand, adding about 50,000 spaces, reports Army Times. For several years, military officials tried to negotiate a land swap with Arlington County, Virginia, that would allow the cemetery to expand.
Air Force Gen. Herbert J. “Hawk” Carlisle began his tenure June 15 as the president and CEO for the National Defense Industrial Association, reports Defense News. The general was most recently commander of Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.
New stores joining the Harris Teeter grocery store at St. Mary’s Marketplace in Calfornia include national chains Café Rio, Great Clips, Mod Pizza, and Nail Trix, smdnewsnet.com reports.
Contracts:
Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, is being awarded a $3,013,903,706 fixed-price-incentive modification to a previously awarded competitive contract (N00024-16-C-2427) to exercise options for the procurement of the detail, design, and construction of Landing Helicopter Assault (LHA) Replacement (LHA(R)) Flight 1 Amphibious Assault Ship (LHA 8). Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi (70 percent); Beloit, Wisconsin (1 percent); Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1 percent); Baltimore, Maryland (1 percent); Fort Walton Beach, Florida (1 percent); King of Prussia, Pennsylvania (1 percent); York, Pennsylvania (1 percent); Cincinnati, Ohio (1 percent); and Brunswick, Georgia (1 percent), with other efforts performed at various sites throughout the US (22 percent), and is expected to be completed by January 2024. Fiscal 2016 and 2017 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,154,247,187 will be obligated at award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
Progeny Systems Corp., Manassas, Virginia, is being awarded $7,464,983 for cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-only modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-13-C-6283) to exercise options for efforts involving development and integration of required software applications, hardware components, and overall system-level functionality to achieve manpower reduction aboard submarines and ships of the US. The engineering and technical support services are in support of Small Business Innovative Research Topic No. N05-051 for an integrated shipboard and shore-based maintenance management decision tool. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (45 percent); Groton, Connecticut (45 percent); and various other locations having less than one percent each (10 percent), and is expected to be completed by August 2018. Fiscal 2017 other procurement (Navy); 2012 and 2014 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $6,136,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
Global A 1st Flagship Co., Newport Beach, California, is being awarded a $7,252,721 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to acquire services and material necessary to support and maintain all vessels assigned to the Naval Sea Systems Command Inactive Ship Maintenance Office, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and active vessels assigned to the Guided-Missile Cruiser/Dock Landing Ship Modernization Detachment, Norfolk, Virginia. Services include receipt, inspection, survey, maintenance and disposal of vessels. In addition, the contractor may perform structural, mechanical and electrical repairs. This contract includes a one-year base period and four one-year option periods, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $32,041,630. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (56 percent); and Norfolk, Virginia (44 percent), and is expected to be completed by June 2018. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $2,985,025 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with five offers received via the Federal Business Opportunities website. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-17-C-4100).
Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation – Marine Systems, Sunnyvale, California, is being awarded $7,009,169 for modification P00009 to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00030-16-C-0015) to provide support for technical engineering services, design and development engineering, component and full scale test and evaluation engineering, and tactical underwater launcher hardware production to support the development and production of the Common Missile Compartment. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale, California (55 percent); Ridgecrest, California (20 percent); Cape Canaveral, Florida (10 percent); Bangor, Washington (5 percent); Kings Bay, Georgia (5 percent); Barrow-In-Furness, England (2 percent); New London, Connecticut (1 percent); Quonset Point, Rhode Island (1 percent); and Arlington, Virginia (1 percent), with an expected completion date of Sept. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $7,009,169 are being obligated on this award, none of which expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
CENTRA Technology Inc., Burlington, Massachusetts, was awarded a $61,771,261 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Balanced Survivability Assessments Team Support. This contract provides for assessments to mission survivability of critical US and allied national/theater mission systems, networks, architectures, infrastructures, and assets. Work will be performed at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with an expected completion date of Aug. 11, 2022. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $631,972 are being obligated at time of award. This contract was a competitive acquisition and six offers were received. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia is the contracting activity (HDTRA1-17-C-0065).
IFC Inc. LLC, Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a $29,237,367 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for defense cyber operations research and supporting elements. One bid was solicited and one bid received. Work will be performed in Adelphi, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of June 15, 2020. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation; and other funds in the combined amount of $2,250,327 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Adelphi, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911QX-17-C-0018).
