March 28, 2024

Hawkeye Crashes Near Md.’s Eastern Shore

A US Navy E2-D Hawkeye crashed last week north of Chincoteague, VA. Crew member LT Hyrum Hanlon was killed. Here, an E-2D Hawkeye, assigned to the “Greyhawks” of Carrier Airborne Command and Control Squadron 120, taxis on the flight deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower while operating in the Atlantic Ocean in March 2021. (US Navy photo)

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.

A US Navy E2-D Hawkeye aircraft crashed Wednesday evening off the coast of Virginia near Wallops Island and Chincoteague, killing one and injuring two others, reports The Hill. The deceased service member has been identified as LT Hyrum Hanlon, reports Fox News. Salvage efforts are being planned to retrieve the aircraft, reports Navy Times. The aircraft was found partially submerged in the water just north of Chincoteague Island, reports Salisbury Daily Times.

An accident involving two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters at Wright Army Airfield in Georgia has left one soldier dead, reports Army Times. Army officials are investigating how the death occurred. The name of the soldier has not been released.

The US Treasury announced it is imposing new sanctions on Russian aerospace, marine, and electronics sectors in a continuing effort to impose severe costs for the invasion of Ukraine, reports UPI. The new sanctions targets include a company that exports more than 50% of Russian microelectronics and is Russia’s largest chip maker.

NavSec Carlos Del Toro said the service plans to name a future ship after late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, reports The Hill.

The Defense Department said it needs another $1 billion to fix the Red Hill water crisis in Hawaii, reports Military Times. The money would address the continuing needs of military families, drain the fuel storage tanks, and provide more cleanup, DoD Comptroller Michael McCord said.

The Army has agreed to pay $1.5 million toward restoring environmental damage done while the now-defunct Fort Wingate operated near Gallup, NM, reports The Santa Fe New Mexican. Established in 1870 as an outpost against Apaches, Fort Wingate became a munitions storage and disposal site in the 20th century and shut down in 1993, leaving behind pollution and other damage. The settlement was reached with the Zuni Pueblo, Navajo Nation, and the state of New Mexico.

Military families continue to face issues with unhealthy living conditions at privatized housing, as well as unresponsive landlords and military officials, reports Military.com. Several military families testified last week before the House Appropriations Committee’s military construction subcommittee.

Seaman Ryan Sawyer Mays is facing charges of “willful hazarding of a vessel” and “aggravated arson” after other sailors testified that they saw him in the area of the USS Bonhomme Richard where the fire started in July 2020, reports Military.com. His trial is set to begin September 19. The dismantling of the amphibious assault ship began in April 2021, after the Navy decided it would take at least five years and $2.5 billion to fix.

Military leaders are being urged to make eligibility and enrollment in the DoD’s new financial assistance program — the Basic Needs Allowance — as generous as possible, reports Marine Corps Times, saying that is needed to “address food and financial insecurity among servicemembers.”

 

 

The National Defense Industrial Association will have a new president and CEO, the Virginia-based association said Thursday. David Norquist is a former deputy defense secretary with 30 years of experience in national security and federal financial management. His appointment will be effective May 1.

The US Air Force’s HH-60W helicopter’s initial operational test and evaluation phase will be carried out at Nellis AFB in Neveda, reports Air Force Times. The last HH-60W left Eglin AFB in Florida at the end of March. This next phase of testing will focus on combat search and rescue capabilities.

The US Army is evaluating what kinds of units it commits to various regions as it sees demand rise for forces, specifically armor, reports Army Times. Currently, the Army has three armored brigade combat teams in Europe, one in Korea, and an armor asset from the Army National Guard in US Central Command.

The US House’s Veterans’ Affairs Committee heard testimony from the veterans community and its advocates about how to prevent disenfranchised or unstable veterans from drifting into extremist ideology, reports Military Times. “This is a small but growing challenge,” William Braniff, director of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at the University of Maryland, told the committee. “We need to have a prevention ecosystem in place now before those numbers continue to rise.”

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei has returned to Earth after spending 355 days on the International Space Station, reports Space.com. This sets the record for the longest single spaceflight by an American astronaut. Vande Hei and his two Russian crewmates, Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov, landed safely in Kazakhstan aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft March 30.

NASA and SpaceX have pushed the Crew-4 mission back one day because of a jam-packed launch schedule, reports msn.com. The launch is scheduled for April 20. Crew-4 mission astronauts include NASA astronauts Bob Hines, Jessica Watkins, and Kjell Lindgren, and Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.

The departments of Commerce and Housing and Urban Development are planning to bring its federal employees back to the office starting April 25, reports Federal News Network. Several other agencies reportedly have sent their office reentry plans to their employees.

Mark Robert Unkenholz, 60, a National Security Agency employee, has been charged with emailing classified national security information to somebody who wasn’t authorized to receive it, reports The Associated Press. A grand jury indicted the Hanover, MD, resident on 13 counts of willfully transmitting national defense information and 13 counts of willfully retaining national defense information.

The Lexington Manor Passive Park on the grounds of the former “Flattops” in Lexington Park hosted the St. Mary’s County Cherry Blossom Festival last month, reports The Southern Maryland Chronicle. The 84-acre park, located across Three Notch Road from NAS Pax River, is in the process of being developed to become a “motorless” park with activities such as walking, jogging, and biking allowed.

Contracts:

Spalding Consulting Inc., Lexington Park, Maryland, is awarded a $49,726,005 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides program management, software and systems engineering, enterprise architecture, information assurance/network security/cyber security, configuration management, risk management, data/modeling/analytics, database administration, web support, sustainment, education and training reports, and help/service desk support for the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR); Naval Air Warfare Center; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers (COMFRC) headquarters and depots. Work will be performed at Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in April 2027. No funds will be 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 proposal; four offers were received. The Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N6852022D0001).

Smartronix Inc., Hollywood, Maryland, is awarded a $26,798,435 a modification (P00036) to an order (N0042119F0422) against a previously issued a General Services Administration Alliant 2, government-wide acquisition contract (47QTCK18D0007). This modification exercises an option to provide enterprise-wide Information Technology and Cyber Security (IT/CS) services to support the development, planning, execution, monitoring, and life cycle support of IT/CS programs for the Naval Air Warfare Center, the Naval Air Systems Command, and other Department of the Navy components. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in March 2023. Fiscal 2022 working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,465,150 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Raytheon Missiles & Defense, Marlborough, Massachusetts, is awarded a $650,746,530 fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract for hardware production of the AN/SPY-6(V) Family of Radars and associated hardware. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $3,160,609,600. Work will be performed in Andover, Massachusetts (35%); Scottsdale, Arizona (13%); San Diego, California (11%); Stafford Springs, Connecticut (10%); Sykesville, Maryland (8%); Dallas, Texas (4%); Bergenfield, New Jersey (4%); Portsmouth, Rhode Island (4%); Chesapeake, Virginia (3%); Hanahan, South Carolina (3%); Indianapolis, Indiana (3%); Bloomfield, Connecticut (1%); and Huntsville, Alabama (1%), and is expected to be completed by November 2025. If all options are exercised, work will continue through June 2028. Fiscal 2021 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $421,699,574 (65%); fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $175,568,375 (27%); and fiscal 2017 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $53,478,581 (8%) 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 beta.sam.gov website, with one offer received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00024-22-C-5500).

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Rolling Meadows, Illinois, is awarded a $98,360,230 fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract. This contract procures weapon replaceable assemblies hardware to include 304 advanced threat warning sensors; 77 control indicator unit replaceable replacements; 75 Department of the Navy (DoN) Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure (LAIRCM) processor units; 60 Guardian laser transmitter assemblies (GLTAs); 209 GLTA shipping containers; 129 high capacity cards; 94 large aircraft system processor replacement smart connector assemblies; 57 personal computer memory international association cards; and 78 battery kits, as well as associated systems engineering, technical support, analysis and studies in support of integration of the DoN LAIRCM system onto various aircraft for the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and the Air Force Special Operations Command. Work will be performed in Rolling Meadows, Illinois (43%); Goleta, California (21%); Longmont, Colorado (9%); Apopka, Florida (8%); Blacksburg, Virginia (7%); Boulder Colorado (3%); Carlsbad, California (3%); Verona, Wisconsin (2%); Ashburn, Virginia (2%); Salt Lake City, Utah (1%); and Tripp City, Ohio (1%), and is expected to be completed in July 2024. Fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $73,834,503; fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $19,551,314; and fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $4,974,413 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0001922C0042).

Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, is awarded a $28,374,837 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-2427 for the Joint Strike Fighter, and ship’s mast and superstructure engineering change proposals in support of one Amphibious Assault Ship (General Purpose) Replacement (LHA(R)) Flight 1 Ship (LHA 8). Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi (72%); Chesapeake, Virginia (25%); and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (3%). Work is expected to be completed by July 2025. Fiscal 2017 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $28,374,837 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.

Innovative Mechanical Contractors LLC, Westminster, Maryland, is awarded a maximum-value $20,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for design-bid-build wet utilities construction, repairs, and replacement projects at the Naval Research Laboratory and the Naval Surface Warfare Center – Carderock, Maryland. Work will be performed in Washington, DC (40%); Maryland (40%); and Virginia (20%) and is expected to be completed by March 30, 2027. An initial task order is being awarded at $2,000 to meet the minimum guarantee for the contract. Fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,000 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.sam.gov website with eight proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N40080-22-D-0013).

ThunderCat Technology LLC, Reston, Virginia, is awarded a $13,324,416 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for commercial off-the-shelf navigation display hardware manufactured by Leidos. This contract does not include options. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by April 4, 2027. Fiscal 2021 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $463,892, with $500 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract minimum guarantee, will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. All other funding will be made available at the task order level as contracting actions occur. The contract was competitively procured as a small-business set-aside via the beta.sam.gov website, with three offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N64498-22-D-4004).

Creative IT Solutions LLC, Fort Cobb, Oklahoma, has been awarded a maximum $14,632,814 modification (P00007) exercising the first one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SP4704-21-C-0002) with four one-year option periods for information technology operations and maintenance support services. This is a firm-fixed-price contract. Locations of performance are California, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia, with an April 30, 2023, performance completion date. Using customer is Defense Contract Audit Agency. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2022 through 2023 operations and maintenance; and research, development, test and evaluation funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Contracting Services Office, Richmond, Virginia.

Two Six Labs LLC, doing business as Two Six Technologies, Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded a $15,667,286 modification (P00020) to cost-plus-fixed-fee contract HR001118C0134 for additional in-scope work performed under a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency research project. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $33,230,903 from $17,563,617. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of September 2023. Fiscal 2022 research and development funds in the amount of $3,782,565 are being obligated at the time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

 

Leave A Comment