F-35B Jump Jet Set For Deployment Next Year

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.

Declared operational in July 2015, the F-35B jump jet is scheduled for deployment late next year in the Western Pacific, Navy Times reports. The stealth fighter will deploy aboard an amphibious flattop, enhancing its combat strength. The Marine Corps is planning a powerful escort force to support it.

Flight Global reports that five of six F-35 Lightning IIs were unable to take off during a mock deployment at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. “Problems during startup that required system or aircraft shutdowns and restarts – a symptom of immature systems and software – prevented the other alert launches from being completed,” a Pentagon official said.

The USS Coronado is the first littoral combat ship to use the upgraded MQ-8 Fire Scout mission control system operationally, Military Embedded Systems reports. The hardware and software are built with an open architecture to maximize flexibility and add new technology as needed.

Russia and China are improving their ballistic and cruise missile technologies, The Hill reports. Russia is presenting a challenge in the Baltics region and China in the South China Sea region.

Msn.com reports that the US aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis and other accompanying naval vessels were not given permission to make a port call in Hong Kong. Pentagon officials did not say what prompted the decision by China, but it does come amid increasing tension over disputes in the South China Sea. “We have a long track record of successful port visits to Hong Kong, including with the current visit of the USS Blue Ridge, and we expect that will continue,” a Pentagon spokesman said.

Japan has decided to build its own stealth fighter plane, Motley Fool reports. The country is making the $350 million investment to reduce its reliance on US weapons.

A Doctors Without Borders hospital was destroyed in Syria, The Washington Post reports. Airstrikes conducted on rebel-held areas in Aleppo killed at least 50 civiliams. Syrian officials said it wasn’t immediately clear who carried out the attack. The bombing could spur a change in US policy in Syria.

The Daily Beast reports that US special forces have crippled the Islamic State’s ability to recruit foreign fighters and put pressure on the network responsible for striking Europe.

DefSec Ash Carter and Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr. told lawmakers that the US military strategy in Iraq and Syria is showing results against ISIS, The Washington Post reports. Their remarks were met with some skepticism on Capitol Hill.

A Senate committee learned Thursday that the Pentagon has shifted assets to Libya. Surveillance drones have moved into the skies over Libya to gather intelligence and get a better picture of what’s going on in case additional military strikes against ISIS are authorized, Military Times reports.

Meet history-maker Capt. Kristen Griest. Army Times introduces readers to one of the first women to earn the coveted Ranger tab.

CrossResolve LLC, Morgantown, WV, is being awarded a $17,244,129 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the procurement of basic and applied research of biometric identity operations in support of the Navy Special Surveillance Program. This contract includes advanced contactless/stand-off biometric face, finger, and iris technologies; data analytic tools; and established communication channels. Work will be performed in Morgantown, WV (80 percent); and Patuxent River, MD (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in April 2019. Fiscal 2015 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $50,000 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under a broad agency announcement; one offer was received for this effort. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, NJ, is the contracting activity (N68335-16-C-0171).

Thales Defense and Security Inc., Clarksburg, MD, has been awarded a maximum $7,064,742 firm-fixed-price contract for sonar domes. This was a sole source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. C. 2304(c)(1). This is a 27-month contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Maryland, with a July 31, 2018, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2016 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, PA (SPRPA1-16-C-Y017).

Lockheed Martin, Moorestown, NJ (N00014-16-D-2002); ArgonST, Fairfax, VA (N00014-16-D-2003); Northrop Grumman, Linthicum, MD (N00014-16-D-2004); Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems Advanced Technology Programs, Tewksbury, MA (N00014-16-D-2005); EOIR Technologies, King George, VA (N00014-16-D-2006); SI2 Technologies, North Billerica, MA (N00014-16-D-2007); S2 Corp., Bozeman, MT (N00014-16-D-2008); Sea Corp., Middletown, RI (N00014-16-D-2009); Leidos, Arlington, VA (N00014-16-D-2010); Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, IA (N00014-16-D-2011); Physical Optics Corp., Torrance, CA (N00014-16-D-2012); and TiCom Geomanics, Austin, TX (N00014-16-D-2013), are each being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award contract.  The maximum dollar value for all 12 contracts combined is $800,000,000. The purpose of the Electromagnetic Maneuver Warfare Command and Control program is to identify the study, design, fabrication, integration, and test and evaluation tasks anticipated for the development and demonstration of a set of prototypes, and their component subsystems, that integrate radio frequency (RF) functionality electronic warfare, radar, communications, information operations into a common set of multi-function apertures, electronics and software/firmware through an architecture that is modular, scalable across platforms and open at the RF, electronics and software/firmware levels.  These prototypes will be capable of providing multiple, simultaneous, independent beams which can together perform any of the above functions.  In addition, these open RF systems will be integrated with previously developed Integrated Topside or other RF systems, and with combat and command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.  These integrated systems will enable resource allocation, real time spectrum operations, emissions control, and electromagnetic maneuver to improve the Navy’s ability to achieve information dominance.  These 12 contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. Therefore, the work could be performed in Moorestown, NJ; Fairfax, VA; Linthicum, MD; Tewksbury, MA; King George, VA; North Billerica, MA; Bozeman, MT; Middletown, RI; Arlington, VA; Cedar Rapids, IO; Torrance, CA; and Austin, TX. The work is expected to be completed April 24, 2021. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Future task orders will be funded with fiscal 2016 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds. Funds will not expire at end of current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under solicitation N00014-16-R-0012 titled, “Electromagnetic Maneuver Warfare Command and Control” (EMC2).  Twelve proposals were received in response to the solicitation.  The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, VA, is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Baltimore, MD, is being awarded a $74,644,836 modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-2300) for Freedom variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program core LCS class services, LCS class services, and special studies, analyses and reviews. Lockheed Martin will assess engineering and production challenges, provide engineering and design services, and evaluate the cost and schedule risks from affordability efforts to reduce LCS acquisition and lifecycle costs. Work will be performed in Hampton, VA (31.2 percent); Moorestown, NJ (27.7 percent); Washington, DC (20.6 percent); and Marinette, WI (20.5 percent), and is expected to be completed by May 2017.  Fiscal 2013, 2014, and 2015 ship conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $25,000,000 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, DC, is the contracting activity.