March 28, 2024

Death-Defying F35 Maneuvers on Display

F-35
Capt. Andrew “Dojo” Olson, F-35 Heritage Flight Team pilot and commander performs a vertical climb in an F-35A Lightning II photo by Senior Airman Alexander Cook – U.S. Air Force

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.

Air Force Times showcases CAPT Andrew “Dojo” Olson, commander of the F-35 Demonstration Team at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, piloting the fighter jet through death-defying maneuvers.

A scathing internal Navy probe into the 2017 Fitzgerald collision that drowned seven sailors details more problems with the crew and superior commands than the service has  publicly admitted, reports Navy Times. The report overseen by RADM Brian Fort was submitted 41 days after the June 17, 2017, collision. Navy officials says it was kept secret in part because it was designed to prep the Navy for potential lawsuits in the aftermath of the accident.

Despite record earnings, defense firms laid off more than 1,400 workers in 2018, reports Defense One. That number will go over 2,000 when SpaceX cuts 577 workers this month. Layoffs announced in 2018 included Lockheed – 500 at a Sikorsky helicopter plant near Jupiter, FL; BAE – 155 when its Mobile, AL, shipyard closes; Raytheon –  52 in Orlando, FL; GDIT – 101 Chester, VA; L3 Technologies – 62 positions in Waco, TX; Northrop Grumman – 138 in Colorado Springs, CO, and 348 in Chester, VA. And the US arm of Italian defense firm Leonardo began phased layoffs of about 90 in Elizabeth City, NC.

More than 17,000 uniformed medical jobs are eyed for elimination, reports Military.com, with plans to re-purpose the physicians, dentists, nurses, technicians, medics, and support personnel billets as war fighters or combat-support skills to increase lethality and size of operational units.

Approximately 172,000 Marylanders are directly impacted by the partial government shutdown — and so are state and local government coffers — according to a new report from the State Comptroller’s Office, reported by Conduit Street. These Marylanders have missed out on an estimated $778 million in wages, resulting in $57.5 million less in state and local income tax withholding and $2.1 million less in sales tax collections.

No pay for Coast Guard members this pay period, reports Military.com. The Coast Guard’s 41,000 active-duty members were not paid Jan. 15 — payday — due to lack of appropriations in the ongoing government shutdown. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz promised that their efforts “have not, and will not, be forgotten,” reports Military Times, and offers some options for financial help if your paycheck is shut down. Coast Guard retirees are also in a bind, reports Military.com. They could miss their Feb. 1 paycheck if the government shutdown is not resolved.

An AV-8B Harrier embarked with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit was heavily damaged after it ingested a refueling strap during maintenance aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship Kearsarge. A military safety brief listed the incident as a Class A mishap, which is defined by the Navy as an accident where an aircraft is destroyed or sustains $2 million or more in damages.

Rep. Anthony Brown (D-MD) launches a local consortium to link small and large aerospace and defense firms and educational institutions in the Pentagon’s backyard, reports Defense News. The Maryland Defense and Aerospace Consortium seeks to spur academic and industry collaboration to to burnish the National Capitol Region’s reputation as an aerospace and defense hub.

Chief of Naval Operations ADM John Richardson met this week with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing. USNI reports they addressed adhering to internationally accepted rules governing maritime operations and reducing the risks associated with interactions between the two navies at sea.

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) takes over as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, giving her broad influence over the financial world — from Wall Street regulations to flood insurance, reports The Washington Post. Waters has served in the House since 1991 and is the first African-American and first woman to lead the committee.

USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Jan. 14, 2019.

Contracts:

Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $9,742,355 modification (P00030) to contract W911QX-16-C-0012 for support of Saturn Arch Aerial Intelligence System for day and night image collection and exploitation of Improvised Explosive Device “hot spot” areas. Work will be performed in Bridgewater, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 16, 2019. Fiscal 2018 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $ 2,062,117 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Valneva USA Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland, has been awarded a maximum $70,051,600, firm-fixed-price contract for the Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 US Code 2304 ( c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a one-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Maryland and the UK, with a Jan. 14, 2020, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DP-19-D-0001). 

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded $68,933,454 for cost-plus-incentive fee delivery order 0104 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0020). This order provides for the design, development, documentation, integration, and test of upgrades to the U.S. Reprogramming Laboratory to execute the Mission Data (MD) programming and reprogramming mission for the F-35 Digital Channelized Receiver/Technique Generator and Tuner Insertion Program (DTIP) and non-DTIP configurations. These efforts are in support of Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps operational aircraft, as well as all training aircraft within the continental U.S. with MD products. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (65 percent); Baltimore, Maryland (25 percent); and Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in May 2021. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps) funding in the amount of $20,000,000 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This order combines purchases for the Air Force ($34,466,727; 50 percent); Navy ($17,233,364; 25 percent), and the Marine Corps ($17,233,363; 25 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

C4 Planning Solutions, Blythe, Georgia, is awarded a maximum ceiling $45,488,761 firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract with a five-year ordering period and option to extend services up to six months for tactical systems support and professional engineering services for the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity. This contract contains an option, which if exercised, will bring the contract value to $49,999,196. Work will be performed at Camp Pendleton, California (41 percent); Okinawa, Japan (15 percent); Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (four percent); Norfolk, Virginia (four percent); Alexandria, Virginia (four percent); Quantico, Virginia (four percent); New Orleans, Louisiana (two percent); and additional various locations outside the continental U.S. (26 percent), and work is expected to be completed by March 6, 2024. If the option is exercised, work will continue through Sept. 6, 2024. Fiscal 2017 (Marine Corps) operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $515,910; and fiscal 2019 (Marine Corps) operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $146,903 will be obligated under the initial task order immediately following contract award. Although expired, the fiscal 2017 contract funds in the amount of $515,910 are available for this effort in accordance with 31 U.S. Code 1558. The contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contract activity (M68909-19-D-7605).

AECOM Management Services Inc., Germantown, Maryland, is awarded a $35,162,580 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, fixed-price contract resulting from solicitation N00189-18-R-0044 that includes provisions for economic price adjustment to provide third party logistics support services and hazardous material supplies as required by Marine Corp. Pacific and tenant Navy commands in Okinawa, Japan. The contract includes a five-year base ordering period with an option to extend services for a six-month ordering period pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.217-8 which if exercised, the total value of this contract will be $38,965,976. All work will be performed in Okinawa, Japan, and work is expected to be completed February 2024. If the option is exercised, work will be completed by August 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $768,053; fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $1,211,512; and working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $138,000 will be obligated at time of award. Operations and maintenance (Navy and Marine Corps) funds will expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with the solicitation posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. (N00189-19-D-0001)

Global Technical Systems Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia, is awarded an $8,510,970 firm-fixed–price delivery order N00024-19-F-5610 under previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00024-14-D-5213 for the procurement of 15 Common Processing System (CPS) Technical Instruction Twelve Hybrid (TI-12H) water-cooled production units for Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program and two CPS TI-12H air-cooled production units for ship self defense systems. The CPS is a computer processing system based on an Open Architecture (OA) design.  CPS consists of the CPS enclosure assembly and three subsystems: the processing subsystem, the storage/extraction subsystem, and the Input / Output (I/O) subsystem.  It is intended to support the computer requirements of various Navy combat systems.  This contract will provide for production, testing and delivery of CPS (water cooled, air cooled, and air-cooled commercial equivalents), spares, and associated engineering services. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is expected to be complete by October 2019. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $8,510,970 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. (Awarded Jan. 14, 2019)

Lockheed Martin Corp., Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded a fixed-price-incentive firm target modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-18-C-2300 to exercise an option for the construction of one fiscal 2019 littoral combat ship. The specific contract award amount for this ship is 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. Lockheed Martin will perform and oversee all necessary design, planning, construction and test and trials activities in support of delivery of this ship to the Navy. Work will be performed in Marinette, Wisconsin (40 percent); Washington, District of Columbia (7 percent); Baltimore, Maryland (6 percent); Beloit, Wisconsin (2 percent); Iron Mountain, Michigan (2 percent); Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1 percent); Waunakee, Wisconsin (1 percent); Crozet, Virginia (1 percent); Coleman, Wisconsin (1 percent); Monrovia, California (1 percent); and various locations below 1 percent (38 percent), and is expected to be completed by February 2026. Fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding 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. 

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