MQ-25 Stingray Drone Undergoing Series of Drills

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.

New details and photos of Boeing’s MQ-25 Stingray drone are emerging. The Drive reports Phantom Works had painted a large piece of tarmac at Lambert Field in St. Louis in the outline of an aircraft carrier’s deck, and have been executing mock shipboard suitability and deck handling tests. Defense News reports another source indicated that another MQ-25 prototype could be revealed soon.

The US Navy has identified the two aviators killed March 14 when their F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed on approach to Naval Air Station Key West in Florida, reports Navy Times.
Lt. Cmdr. James Brice Johnson and Lt. Caleb Nathaniel King were killed. Both were assigned to the Blacklions of Strike Fighter Squadron 213, based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia. Navy Times reports an eyewitness said aircraft might have exploded in midair.

NATO’s 2017 annual report reveals that after a trend downward in defense spending, there has been, “for the first time in many years,” three consecutive years of increases, reports Defense News.

Taiwan is still interested in the F-35 fighter jet, reports Defense News, possibly as part of an upcoming new round of arms purchases from the US.

A 100-year-old US Navy mystery remains unsolved. The USS Cyclops disappeared in March 1918 while steaming for Baltimore from the Caribbean. A search effort ensued after the ship vanished, but the 540-foot-long coal hauler ship and its 309 crew members were presumed lost at sea, reports Navy Times. Its eerie absence is an enduring mystery, reports The Baltimore Sun, fueling fantastical theories of the Bermuda Triangle, giant squids, and German spies.

The World War II bomber Memphis Belle has been moved into its new home in Dayton, Ohio, after years of restoration work, reports Military Times. The plane won’t go on public display at the National Museum of the US Air Force until May.

Lawmakers say the uncertainty surrounding the Department of Veterans Affairs leadership is now interfering with legislative goals for veterans reforms, potentially hurting a year’s worth of progress on the issue, reports Army Times. VA Secretary David Shulkin, under fire for ethics violations, said last week that he has no intention of leaving his job, reports Military Times.

Contracts:

Gulf Island Shipyards LLC, Houma, Louisiana, is being awarded a $63,560,942 firm-fixed-price and fixed-price with economic price adjustment contract for the detail design and construction of the Towing, Salvage and Rescue Ship (T-ATS). This contract includes options for seven additional vessels which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $522,701,092. Work will be performed in Houma, Louisiana (92 percent); Hampton, Virginia (5 percent); Stord, Norway (2 percent); and New Orleans, Louisiana (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2020. Fiscal 2016 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $63,560,942 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 five offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-18-C-2207).

ECS Federal LLC, Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a $9,529,017 modification (P00003) to contract W911QX-17-C-0045 to provide analysis of large structured and unstructured data sets in order to provide insight to the warfigher on the tactical edge using modern computational and algorithmic techniques through creation of a prototype environment with prototype technologies to uncover key insights with large data sets using robust ontologies created through data science partnership with the Department of Defense research laboratories and universities. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 28, 2019. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $9,529,017 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a not-to-exceed $481,954,000 for firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed fee delivery order 0584 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0020). This order provides for the procurement of initial air vehicle spares in support of the F-35 Lightning II for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy; non-US Department of Defense (DoD) participants, and foreign military sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (24.4 percent); El Segundo, California (9.1 percent); Owego, New York (8.6 percent); Samlesbury, United Kingdom (7.2 percent); Cheltenham, United Kingdom (6.2 percent); Nashua, New Hampshire (5.8 percent); Torrance, California (5.5 percent); Orlando, Florida (4.9 percent); Cedar Rapids, Iowa (3.7 percent); San Diego, California (3.6 percent); Phoenix, Arizona (3.1 percent); Melbourne, Florida (3.1 percent); Irvine, California (2.5 percent); North Amityville, New York (2.4 percent); Windsor Locks, Connecticut (2.2 percent); Baltimore, Maryland (2.2 percent); Papendrect, Netherlands (1.9 percent); Rolling Meadows, Illinois (1.8 percent); and Alpharetta, Georgia (1.8 percent). Work is expected to be completed in June 2022. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy); non-US DoD participant; and FMS funds in the amount of $481,954,000 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This order combines purchases for the Air Force ($163,472,564; 33.92 percent); Marine Corps ($64,737,655; 13.43 percent); Navy ($45,543,621; 9.45 percent); non-US DoD participants ($142,554,368; 29.58 percent); and FMS customers ($65,645,792; 13.62 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Alion Science and Technology Corp., McLean, Virginia, is being awarded a $13,549,993 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for development, integration, testing and evaluation of prototype systems for existing or emerging unmanned vehicles, unmanned weapons and unmanned weapons control systems related to mine warfare, amphibious warfare, surface warfare, diving and life support, coastal and underwater intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and other missions in the littoral and riverine environments. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $72,974,234. Work performance locations will be determined with each order and will be completed by March 2023. Fiscal 2018 Navy working capital funding in the amount of $10,000 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 Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Panama City, Florida, is the contracting activity (N61331-18-D-0007).