Interns Tackle Challenges in the UAS Field
University of Maryland UAS Research and Operations Center summer interns Christian Jordan, left, Ian Wright, and Ben Falco test their Counter UAS system at a site in Southern Maryland. (UMD photo by Lauren Bacon)
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Five University of Maryland UAS Research and Operations Center interns — Ben Falco, Christian Jordan, Jacob Safeer, Amadou Wade, and Ian Wright — have spent the summer fleshing out solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in the UAS field, such as Counter UAS, Navigation without GPS, and Vertical Takeoff and Landing, reports the UMD A. James Clark School of Engineering. While designing, building, and testing are the bread and butter of UROC’s program, the interns are also responsible for project management tasks, such as setting budgets and timelines. The interns report on their progress each week by delivering quad chart presentations to UROC’s staff of engineers and pilots.
The 2024 Student Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS) Competition was held last month at the St. Mary’s County Regional Airport, reports RoboNation. Thirty-six teams from universities all over the world competed. A team of students from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals in Saudi Arabia took first place. The SUAS Competition brought together more than 400 university and high-performing high school students from nine countries across four continents. Since its inception in 2002, the competition has inspired countless students to pursue careers in the rapidly expanding UAS industry. Find the list of 2024 teams and rankings here.
WalletHub says that Maryland has the third best school system in the United States, reports WJZ CBS Baltimore. According to the personal finance website’s report, Massachusetts ranked first, followed by Connecticut in second place. The study analyzed all 50 states and the District of Columbia, comparing a set of 32 metrics to rank the states’ school systems.
Students and faculty from the College of Southern Maryland recently participated in a hands-on scientific initiative to tag horseshoe crabs along the shores of Cape May, NJ, reports The Southern Maryland Chronicle. The trip was part of CSM’s travel study program and allowed students to observe one of nature’s oldest ongoing ecological processes — horseshoe crabs emerging at dusk to lay their eggs during the spring migration. The trip was made possible through funding from the National Science Foundation for S-STEM scholars.
Three Maryland reporters recently stepped into the University of Maryland’s Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel to experience hurricane-strength winds, reports WJZ CBS Baltimore. Built in 1949 with support from aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin, the wind tunnel has been used for decades to test rotorcraft blades and conduct other forms of aerodynamic research and development. Each year, during hurricane season, media are invited to tour the facility and experience the terrifying power of a hurricane — safely.
CNN says that the Atlantic Ocean has been on a nearly three-week-long rest after producing historic Hurricane Beryl, but the basin is about to wake up. “There’s definitely some [tropical activity] coming,” said Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane expert and research scientist at Colorado State University. “It’s coming sooner rather than too much later.”
The US Coast Guard is on track to meet its recruiting goals, reports Federal News Network. The Guard has fallen short of its recruiting targets for the last four years.
US and Canada fighter jets intercepted Chinese and Russian bombers off the coast of Alaska last week, reports The Hill. The North American Aerospace Defense Command said it tracked two Russian TU-95 and two Chinese H-6 military aircraft that were operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone. Watch on Air Force Times as the US and Canadian jets intercept the planes.
DefSec Lloyd Austin said the joint Chinese and Russian aircraft flight near Alaskan airspace was the first time the US has detected a joint flight between the two countries, reports The Hill.
The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Board has recommended the Defense Department establish a new undersecretary of defense to lead international collaboration across the defense industrial base, reports C4ISRNET. In a report released earlier this month, the advisory panel says that the DoD’s international defense cooperation portfolio has been “disjointed” since 2018 — when the department split its acquisition and research and engineering office into two separate undersecretaries.
The US Marines Corps is looking for weapons-mounted gear and ammunition that can detect and blast drones out of the sky with “buckshot-like” capability, reports Defense News. The service posted a request for information on how developers would provide sensing, detection, defensive, and offensive ways to counter drone threats at the Marine squad and platoon-level.
A DoD event in June at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona challenged eight industry teams to down large drone swarms, reports Army Times. The Joint Counter-small unmanned aircraft systems Office, or JCO, held the demonstrations to find solutions to countering large barrages of drone attacks.
A North Korean military intelligence operative has been charged in cyberattacks on bases and defense companies in the US, reports Navy Times. Federal prosecutors said Rim Jong Hyok has been indicted in a conspiracy to hack into American health care providers, NASA, US military installations and international entities, stealing sensitive information and installing ransomware to fund more attacks.
Several military leadership position nominations were announced last week, reports Breaking Defense. They include a new head for the National Guard, US Transportation Command, and US Southern Command. President Joe Biden tapped LTGEN Steven Nordhaus, a former F-16 pilot and current head of the Continental US NORAD region, to lead the National Guard Bureau, replacing Army GEN Daniel R. Hokanson. Nordhaus, who joined the Ohio National Guard in 1998.
Nordhaus’ nomination is one of several top National Guard jobs that have been languishing for weeks and months, reports The Hill.
Breaking Defense also reports that Thomas Mancinelli, a senior official currently responsible for legislative affairs at the Pentagon, has been chosen to perform the duties of the under secretary of the Navy starting next month when Erik Raven steps down.
NASA officials say they don’t know when a pair of astronauts at the International Space Station could return to Earth in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, reports NPR. The agency said it has made progress in understanding the glitches with the new vehicle’s first test flight with a crew on board.
DefSec Lloyd Austin has called for a review of 20 Medals of Honor awarded to US troops for their actions during the Wounded Knee massacre in 1890, reports Marine Corps Times. Soldiers killed and injured between 350 and 375 Lakota men, women, and children. Austin said a panel would investigate “each awardee’s individual actions” and also “consider the context of the overall engagement.”
Since US Space Force personnel may spend more time tracking satellites, space debris, and hostile missiles than engaging in physical combat, the service is encouraging its guardians to take a more holistic health approach to stay in shape, reports Air Force Times.
The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration has issued a new Chesapeake Bay license plate, reports Maryland Matters. The new plate continues the design that was rolled out in 2018, but it now includes a clear reference to the state’s five coastal bays.
Major League Fishing has announced that stage six of next year’s Bass Pro Tour season will take place in Charles County at Smallwood State Park in Marbury from June 26-29, 2025, reports WTOP News. The county’s tourism department is looking forward to hosting the event.
Contracts:
General Dynamics One Source LLC, Falls Church, Virginia, is awarded a $70,691,796 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. This contract procures transitional information technology (IT) and information assurance and cybersecurity services to include program and performance management, enterprise architecture, documentation management, emerging capabilities and requirements implementation, life cycle management, operations and maintenance, enterprise data management, service desk support, IT training, application and software licensure management which are critical to the successful fielding of mission capabilities in support of Virtual Enterprise network and standalone workstations for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia (79.9%); Edwards Air Force Base, California (5.5%); Patuxent River, Maryland (3.7%); Fort Worth, Texas (3%); Eglin AFB, Florida (2.4%); China Lake, California (1.2%); Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio (1.2%); and other various locations within the continental US (3%) and is expected to be completed January 2026. Fiscal 2024 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $37,597,870; fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $5,990,962; fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Air Force) funds in the amount of $256,519; fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $128,260; fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $128,260 and Foreign Military Sales customer funds in the amount $800,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 US Code 2304(C)(1). Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0001924C0057).
Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $191,162,557 cost-plus-fix-fee contract for software sustainment services. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 25, 2029. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W15P7T-24-D-0007).
Intellect Solutions LLC, Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded a $34,996,813 firm-fixed-price task order (HT942524F0213) to provide services and material to support the Uniform Business Office and the Data Quality Management Control office within the Cost Accounting Division, Revenue Cycle Management Branch, Defense Health Agency. The award is the result of a competitive Women-Owned Small Business set aside through the General Services Administration One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services Small Business Pool 1. Place of performance is Falls Church, Virginia. Period of performance is Aug. 1, 2024, to Jan. 31, 2028. The award consists of one six-month period of performance with three one-year option periods. Fiscal year 2024 operations and maintenance funds were obligated at time of award for the base period of performance. The US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity. (Awarded July 19, 2024.)
Continental Tide Defense Systems Inc., Wyomissing, Pennsylvania (N64498-24-D-4018); Delphinus Engineering Inc., Eddystone, Pennsylvania (N64498-24-D-4014); Epsilon Systems Solutions Inc., Portsmouth, Virginia (N64498-24-D-4015); General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., Falls Church, Virginia (N64498-24-D-4016); HII Fleet Support Group LLC, Virginia Beach, Virginia (N64498-24-D-4013); Life Cycle Engineering Inc., North Charleston, South Carolina (N64498-24-D-4019); NDI Engineering Co., Thorofare, New Jersey (N64498-24-D-4020); Q.E.D. Systems Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (N64498-24-D-4017); Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia (N64498-24-D-4021); Valkyrie Enterprises LLC, Virginia Beach, Virginia, (N64498-24-D-4022); and VT Milcom Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (N64498-24-D-4023), are awarded a combined $496,122,397 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement involving hull, mechanical and electrical machinery and systems services in support of surface fleet, submarine, shore-based installations, other federal agency vessels, and select maritime agency vessels and land-based sites. Each awardee will be awarded $500 (minimum contract guarantee per awardee) at contract award. The contracts awarded to the 11 vendors are not to exceed a combined or total value of $496,122,397, over a five-year ordering period. Work will be performed at various locations, including private shipyards, naval shipyards, and military establishments both in the continental US and overseas and will also require work to be performed at the contractor facility. Work is expected to be completed by July 2030. Fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $5,500 will be obligated at the time of award and will 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. This contract was competitively procured utilizing full and open competition via the System for Award Management website, with 11 offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity.
Bering Global Solutions LLC, Anchorage, Alaska, has been awarded a $25,000,000 ceiling increase, firm-fixed-price contract modification (P00014) to previously awarded FA4887-19-D-A005 for the Human Performance Optimization program in support of the Comprehensive Readiness for Aircrew Flying Training program design and support. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract is $80,000,000. Work will be performed at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona; Vance AFB, Oklahoma; Randolph AFB, Texas; Columbus AFB, Mississippi; Laughlin AFB, Texas; Altus AFB, Oklahoma; Pensacola AFB, Florida; Tyndall AFB, Florida; Kirtland AFB, New Mexico; Fort Novosel, Alabama; Langley AFB, Virginia; Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona; Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina; Mountain Home AFB, Idaho; Nellis AFB, Nevada; Barksdale AFB, Louisiana; Holloman AFB, New Mexico; Lackland AFB, Texas; Sheppard AFB, Texas; and Eglin AFB, Florida, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2025. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. The 56th Contracting Squadron, Services Flight, Luke AFB, Arizona, is the contracting activity.
