F-35 Costs Stabilized, says DoD
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economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.
If you don’t include the cost of software upgrades in the coming years, DoD estimates the development and purchase costs of the F-35 have stabilized, reports Bloomberg.
Astronaut Scott Kelly, after a year in space, has different DNA than his identical twin, reports CBS.
Across the next five years the aerospace and defense 3-D printing market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 23.2 percent, reaching $4.76 billion by 2023, reports Defense News. The MarketsandMarkets research firm projection notes significant reductions in maintenance and production costs plus high reliability and performance levels.
The US Air Force slashes access to media embeds, base visits, and interviews, calling the move necessary for operational security. Defense News reports the decision could lead to a broader freeze in how the service interacts with the public.
Capt. Kristen Griest and her Ranger school history-making counterpart Capt. Shaye Haver, some of the Army’s first female infantry officers, recount the chance decisions, hard work, online backlash, and making the move to serve as infantry officers, reports Army Times.
The Army’s new mine detector maps hidden, underground explosives with real-time spatial location tracking and a range of sensors to produce an image of an active IED or unexploded artillery shell, reports International Business Times. The new detector enables a soldier to map potential threats and share that information with fellow comrades or others on the ground.
Who Is Mike Pompeo? Fortune reports on the next apparent US secretary of state.
As the world mourns professor Stephen Hawking, who has died at 76, there has been a particular outpouring of emotion in China, reports BBC news. There, the visionary physicist was revered by scientists, students, the state, and even boy band stars. Many people in China grew up reading Mr. Hawking’s seminal book “A Brief History of Time”. The circulation of the Chinese-language edition is reportedly second only to that of the English, according to Quartz.
Contracts:
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, New York, is being awarded a $46,791,709 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-only modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-17-C-6311) to exercise options for engineering, technical and sustainment services for littoral combat ship mission modules. Work will be performed in Bethpage, New York (35 percent); San Diego, California (18 percent); Mayport, Florida (13 percent); Port Hueneme, California (11 percent); Pittsfield, Massachusetts (8 percent); Washington, District of Columbia (7 percent); Panama City, Florida (4 percent); and various locations at less than one percent each (4 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2019. Fiscal 2018 other procurement (Navy); fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); fiscal 2018 operation and maintenance (Navy); and fiscal 2014 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $5,677,842 will be obligated at time of award, and funds in the amount of $800,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
URS Federal Services Inc. (an AECOM Co.), Germantown, Maryland, is being awarded a $33,735,531 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide responsive and real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support to US Central Command, US Naval Forces Central Command, and Commander Task Force 57 in forward deployed locations to support ongoing overseas contingency operations. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland; and is expected to be completed in March 2021. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $7,250,000 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-18-C-1038).
General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., Norfolk, Virginia, is being awarded a $15,253,370 firm-fixed-price contract modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-18-C-4429) for the execution of USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) docking phased maintenance availability. This effort provides for repair of engine casualties as well as maintenance. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by May 2019. Fiscal 2018 operation and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $7,715,585 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is being awarded a $9,526,424 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-only modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-13-C-5225) to produce Technical Insertion-18 shore sites systems and provide incremental funding in support of the continued development, integration and production of the Navy’s AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Surface Ship Undersea Warfare System. The AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 is the Surface Ship Undersea Warfare (USW) combat system with the capabilities to search, detect, classify, localize and track undersea contacts, and to engage and evade submarines, mine-like small objects and torpedo threats. The contract is for development, integration and production of future advanced capability build and technical insertion baselines of the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 USW systems. Work will be performed in Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania (37 percent); Syracuse, New York (24 percent); Manassas, Virginia (17 percent); Clearwater, Florida (9 percent); Oswego, New York (5 percent); Hauppauge, New York (5 percent); and Tewksbury, Massachusetts (3 percent), and is expected to be completed by June, 2019. Fiscal 2013, 2015 and 2016 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2017 and 2018 other procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funding the amount of $9,526,424 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.
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia, has been awarded a $37,418,102 contract, contract number H9821018F0051, for the Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO) National Language Service Corps (NLSC). This contract provides for administering critical functions of the NLSC, a major activity of the National Security Education Program (NSEP). These functions include recruiting US citizens to become members of the NLSC, collecting and retaining members’ information, providing information to government organizations that are NLSC partners or are interested in becoming partners, assisting in the process of member activation and proficiency certification, providing language acquisition services and other benefits to NLSC members, and ensuring compliance with privacy act regulations. The work is expected to be complete by March 14, 2023. This contract does not involve foreign military sales. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with one solicitation and two offers received. Fiscal 2018, 0100, operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $7,086,565 are being obligated at the time of award. The Headquarters, Defense Human Resources Activity Contracting Directorate, Alexandria, Virginia, is the contracting activity. There is no known congressional interest pertaining to this acquisition.
Panamerica Computers Inc., Luray, Virginia, has been awarded a $9,326,449 firm fixed priced contract, HT0015-18-F-0036. This contract provides information technology hardware for the Defense Health Agency (DHA). This is a one-time purchase of 16,199 small form factor desktops which will support the DHA’s Windows 10 upgrade effort. This contract award differs from a previous contract awarded on March 8, 2018, by type of computer requirement purchased, laptop vs desktop, for enterprise replacement and upgrade. The requirement was competed as a 100 percent HUBZone set-aside and nine contractors responded with quotes. The requirement is funded with both fiscal 2016 and 2018; and fiscal 2017 and 2019 procurement funds. The Contracting Office-Health Information Technology San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (HT0015).
