Final Deployments for P-3C Orions

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.

The last of the US Navy’s active duty P-3C Orion patrol planes are on their final overseas deployments, reports The Drive. They are being split between bases in Bahrain and Japan. The Navy is preparing to retire its Orions. Their replacements: P-8A Poseidons.

A bipartisan group of 28 House members urged Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson not to alter the service’s blueprint for developing a new generation of rockets to lift US military and spy satellites into orbit, reports Roll Call. But plenty of other lawmakers are pushing for several changes.

AFSec Wilson will be leaving her position at the Pentagon in a few weeks and no names have surfaced to be her replacement. Military.com reports that experts say it might no be easy to find top-notch candidates, as many may be reluctant to step up for the job.

Japanese military officials said that in the months before Japan’s first F-35A stealth fighter jets crashed in the Pacific Ocean, the country’s air force made seven emergency landings of the aircraft, reports UPI.

The CIA has reportedly accused Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei of being backed by China’s state security apparatus, reports The Hill. A spokesperson for Huawei denied the allegations.

The San Francisco Bay Area and Boston are likely at the top of the list of US regions to work for tech job seekers. But for techies interested in building the next generation of autonomous cars or supersonic jets, smaller cities may offer better opportunities, reports Bloomberg. Aerospace engineering jobs are common in Lexington Park, for instance, as are robotics engineering jobs are prevalent in Pittsburgh, PA.

Capt. Christopher Cox assumed command of Naval Air Station Pax River in a change of command ceremony earlier this month, reports The Tester. Cox’s role as NAS commanding officer follows his service, as the base’s executive officer. In another ceremony, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 21 welcomed its new commanding officer at NAS Pax. Lt. Col. John M. Ennis took over the HX-21 command from Cmdr. Christopher W. Gavin.

Hill Air Force Base’s 388th Fighter Wing and 419th Fighter Wing deployed to the Middle East last week, reports Deseret News, marking the first time Hill has sent F-35A fighter jets to support a US mission in the region.

F-35 Lightning II contractor Lockheed Martin reconfigured some of its contracts with its suppliers to lower the aircraft price tag, improve readiness, and control ongoing maintenance costs, reports USNI News.

A Navy P-8A Poseidon and guided-missile destroyer recently joined with the Indian navy’s P8-I Neptune for submarine-hunting drills in the Indian Ocean, reports Stars and Stripes.

Lockheed Martin and MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives announce the creation of the MIT-Lockheed Martin Seed Fund to promote early-stage collaborations between MIT faculty and researchers with universities and public research institutions in Israel, reports MIT News. The fund also will take place in Germany.

America’s first female astronaut candidate, pilot Jerrie Cobb, has died at age 88. She pushed for equality in space but never reached its heights, reports Air Force Times.

A bill signed into law by Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) on Thursday gives Maryland families unparalleled protections against online harassment aimed at their children, a leading lawmaker said, and could serve as a template for national legislation, reports Maryland Matters.

Contracts:

TriStar Air, LLC, Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $121,425,707 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity task order contract for aerial refueling services in support of the Department of the Navy, other Department of Defense agencies, and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work will be performed in Riverside, California (50 percent); Brunswick, Georgia (40 percent); and various locations outside the continental US (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in April 2024. No funds are being obligated at the time of award, funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals as a 100 percent small business set-aside; three offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-19-D-0034).

Burdette, Kohler, Murphy & Associates, Baltimore, Maryland, was awarded a $10,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for architect-engineering services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 41 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of April 17, 2024. US Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W912DR-19-D-0014).

Dhillon Engineering Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, was awarded a $10,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for architect-engineering services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 41 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of April 17, 2024. US Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W912DR-19-D-0017).

Northrop Grumman Technical Services, Herndon, Virginia, has been awarded a $44,395,362 modification (P00040) to previously awarded contract FA8540-12-C-0004 for the production of electronic attack pods. This modification provides for the exercise of Option Three, and brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $200,468,873. Work will be performed in Herndon, Virginia, and is expected to be complete by April 18, 2022. Fiscal 2017 and 2019 procurement funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity.

A.T. Kearney Public Sector and Defense Services LLC, Arlington, Virginia (N00024-19-D-2412); Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia (N00024-19-D-2414); Guidehouse LLP, McLean, Virginia (N00024-19-D-2415); McKinsey & Co. Inc., Washington, District of Columbia (N00024-19-D-2416); MCR Federal LLC, McLean, Virginia (N00024-19-D-2417); PA Defense Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts (N00024-19-D-2418); Technomics Inc., Arlington, Virginia (N00024-19-D-2419); and Tecolote Research Inc., Goleta, California (N00024-19-D-2420), are awarded not-to-exceed $85,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts for the Navy’s System Level Cost Analysis with Total Ownership Cost Analysis initiative. The cumulative total value of all orders under this requirement shall not exceed $85,000,000. The competitive ordering period for both firm-fixed-price or cost-plus-fixed-fee type orders shall not exceed five years. All of the work will be performed at contractor and vendor facilities determined on individual orders and is expected to be complete by April 2024. Fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $24,000 ($3,000 per company) will be obligated at time of award to fulfill the minimum guarantees of the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with nine offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, Marlborough, Massachusetts, is awarded a $28,009,263 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-only modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-5501 to exercise options for Air and Missile Defense Radar AN/SPY-6(V) integration and production support. The work to be performed is the integration and production support for continued combat system integration and test, engineering, training, software and depot maintenance, and field engineering services. Work will be performed in Marlborough, Massachusetts (64 percent); Kauai, Hawaii (18 percent); Portsmouth, Rhode Island (8 percent); San Diego, California (7 percent); Fair Lakes, Virginia (2 percent); and Moorestown, New Jersey (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2019. Fiscal 2017, 2018, and 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $25,018,435 will be obligated at time of award. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Florida, is awarded a $20,238,156 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed fee and cost only contract to provide common engine controllers, engineering services, and support for engineering services for the DDG 51 new construction ship program and DDG 51 midlife modernization program. The engine controllers provide for digital control of the gas turbine engines on the ships. The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $75,196,945. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida (90 percent); and Baltimore, Maryland (10 percent), and is expected to be completed by April 2024. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 other procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $16,279,654 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with one offer received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-4109).