DoD Plans Multi-Year F-35 Buys in FY21

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.

DoD reveals plans for cost-saving, multi-year procurement contracts to buy nearly 2,000 F-35s starting in fiscal 2021, reports Flight Global from a Selected Acquisition Report released in late March.

DoD is making a ray gun to stop truck attacks, reports Defense One. The direct energy weapon uses high-powered microwaves to stop cars in their tracks without damaging the vehicle, its driver, or anyone else.

An F-16 from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona crashed Tuesday morning, reports Air Force Times. The pilot tried to land at Lake Havasu City Municipal Airport in Arizona, but ultimately ejected safely.

USNI reports a fallen Vietnam Marine received the Silver Star this week for heroism in the jungles of Vietnam 51 years ago.

Air Force chief joins the other three service chiefs and tells Congress he was not aware of any negative effects from transgender personnel serving, reports Military Times.

Turkey awards multibillion-dollar contract for the Altay tank, reports Defense News, that nation’s first indigenous, new-generation main battle tank in the making.

Afghan military trainees in the US keep going AWOL, reports Military Times, at a 6 percent rate compared to 0.07 percent of trainees from other countries. As of February, nine of the more than 150 Afghan trainees in the US remain unaccounted for.

The Navy accepts delivery of the Zumwalt-class destroyer Michael Monsoor from Bath Iron Works, Maine, with 2020 the target date for its combat system activation, according to a schedule obtained by Defense News.

A third federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration’s campaign to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for undocumented immigrants, ordering the administration not only to continue processing applications but also to resume accepting new ones, reports NBC News.

Bad blood persists between Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, a Democrat, and the Democrat hierarchy, reports Maryland Matters.

Trump voters were anxious not poor, The Atlantic reports on a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences adding to a growing body of evidence that the 2016 election was not about economic hardship.

The Tax Policy Institute reports the debt picture only to get worse after recession and tax cut adjustments are made.

Contracts:

Alutiiq Harbor Offshore JV, Anchorage, Alaska (N39430-18-D-2045); GPA Technologies Inc., Ventura, California (N39430-18-D-2046); Makai Ocean Engineering Inc., Waimanalo, Hawaii (N39430-18-D-2047); Marine Ventures International Inc., Stuart, Florida (N39430-18-D-2048); PCCI Inc., Alexandria, Virginia (N39430-18-D-2049); Sound & Sea Technology Inc., Lynnwood, Washington (N39430-18-D-2050); and Truston Technologies Inc., Annapolis, Maryland (N39430-18-D-2051), are each awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award contract for capital improvements ocean facilities projects located within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command and Expeditionary Warfare Center area of responsibility. The maximum dollar value including the base period and one option for all seven contracts combined is $245,000,000. The work to be performed provides for ocean engineering services in support of projects involving ocean cable systems, ocean work systems (i.e., shipboard load handling systems and undersea work systems), waterfront facilities, offshore structures, moorings, and ocean construction equipment. Work will be performed at various locations worldwide. The term of the contract is not to exceed 66 months, with an expected completion date of October 2023. Fiscal 2018 Navy working capital funds in the amount of $70,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operations and maintenance (Navy); working capital funds (Navy); research, development, test and evaluation; and other procurement (Navy). This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with seven proposals received.  These seven contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command and Expeditionary Warfare Center, Port Hueneme, California, is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $38,499,420 modification to the previously awarded F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter advance acquisition contract (N00019-17-C-0001). This modification provides additional funding for the low-rate initial production of long lead materials, parts, components, and effort for economic order quantity increases for the Navy (Lot) 12; and the government of Italy (Lots 13 and 14). Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (30 percent); El Segundo, California (25 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (20 percent); Orlando, Florida (10 percent); Nashua, New Hampshire (5 percent); Nagoya, Japan (5 percent); and Baltimore, Maryland (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2019. Fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement (Navy); and non-Department of Defense(DoD) participant funds in the amount of $38,499,420 are obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Navy ($28,499,120; 74 percent); and non-DoD participants ($10,000,000; 20.03 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $9,057,278 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-15-C-6222) to exercise options for the procurement of Technical Insertion 16 acoustic rapid commercial off-the-shelf insertion systems spares. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (95 percent); and Clearwater, Florida (5 percent), and is expected to be completed by February 2020. Fiscal 2018 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $9,057,278 are 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.

DynCorp International, Fort Worth, Texas has been awarded a $59,636,368 modification (P00019) to previously awarded contract FA8617-17-C-6210 for continued contractor operated and maintained base supply support. This modification provides for the exercise of an option to extend services, and brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $247,013,876.  Work will be performed at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi; Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas; Randolph Air Force Base, Texas; Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas; Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma; Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida; Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Florida; Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas; Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland; and Army Flight Test Directorate, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. Work is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2018.  Fiscal 2018 Air Force operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $13,846,971; Navy operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $12,890,966; Navy test and evaluation funds in the amount of $224, 215; Navy Defense working capital funds in the amount of $115,207; and Army operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $99,573 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Training Aircraft Division, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.

OBXtek Inc., Tysons Corner, Virginia, has been awarded a $23,037,750 firm-fixed-price task order for Advisory and Assistance Services. This contract provides for specialized expertise to complement the Secretary of the Air Force, Acquisition organization, other Program Executive Officers as directed, and other Headquarters Air Force organizations inherent resources. Work will be performed at the Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia, and is expected to be complete by Aug. 5, 2023. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and nine offers were received. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,158,569 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity (FA7014-18-F-5018).

Leidos Innovations Corp., Gaithersburg, Maryland, was awarded a $64,515,461 firm-fixed-price contract to provide enterprise-wide information management/information technology services in support of the Army Corps of Engineers. Bids were solicited via the Internet with four received. Work will be performed in Vicksburg, Mississippi, with an estimated completion date of April 25, 2019. Fiscal 2018 revolving funds in the amount of $63,315,463 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-18-F-0153).