NAVAIR Hosts CH-53K Test Flight

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 US Naval Air Systems Command says the CH-53K King Stallion flew a 90-minute, first-of-its-kind, orientation test flight Nov. 7 at NAS Pax River for an Israeli Air Force official, reports Rotor & Wing International. The aircraft performed various operational maneuvers, landings, and takeoffs. “This is the first time we have flown an international ally in the CH-53K,” said US Marine Corps Col. Hank Vanderborght, program manager for the H-53 Heavy Lift Helicopters program office, PMA-261, according to a NAVAIR news release.

The US Air Force says that if Turkey moves forward with its plan to buy Russian air defense system, it will not be permitted to plug into NATO technology, reports Defense News, further action might be forthcoming that could affect the country’s acquisition or operation of the F-35.

AFSec Heather Wilson praised a proposed boost in the budget for space programs, reports National Defense, but had little to say when asked about language in the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act that calls for the service to give up some of its power over space programs.

There are now approximately 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan, reports Military Times. The new estimate  is about 3,000 higher than the 11,000 previously reported by the Pentagon.

The Army needs a few years to figure out a new, war-ready communications network to replace its current, fragile systems, the Acting Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy said. There’s no a quick fix: The service is effectively starting over on what it’s long described as its No. 1 priority for modernization, reports Breaking Defense.

The US Navy has apologized after naval aviators drew a penis in the sky over Okanogan County, Washington, Washington Examiner reports. “The Navy holds its aircrew to the highest standards and we find this absolutely unacceptable, of zero training value and we are holding the crew accountable,” Navy officials said.

The Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Ralph Johnson, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, from ship building contractor Huntington Ingalls Industries in a ceremony last week in Charleston, South Carolina, UPI reports.

An Argentine navy submarine with 44 crew members has been missing for several days after the navy lost contact with it off that country’s Atlantic coast, CNN reports. The US Navy planned to help with the search and deploy a P8-A Poseidon maritime aircraft to Argentina on Saturday.

Lawmakers and veterans advocates are demanding more details of a secret White House plan to merge parts of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs and the military’s Tricare health system in an effort to trim billions in federal medical bills, reports Army Times.

John Rood, who is in line to become the next under secretary of defense for policy, sparred with lawmakers over potential business conflicts with his last job as senior vice president at Lockheed Martin, reports Military Times.

Kristina Rickard, a physicist in the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Avionics Department, accepted the 2017 Bright Lights Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship for St. Mary’s County from Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, The Tester reports.

Contracts:

Teletronics, a Curtiss Wright Co., Newtown, Pennsylvania, is being awarded a $45,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of airborne instrumentation data acquisition hardware and associated repair services to support the Naval Air Systems Command’s Air Vehicle Modification and Instrumentation Department (AIR 5.2). Hardware includes data acquisition units, solid state recorders, high speed sampling devices, signal conditioners, power supplies, and other items which come together to form complete airborne instrumentation data acquisition systems for use on F/A-18, P-8, V-22, F-35, C130, Triton, and fire scout aircraft, various helicopter platforms and a variety of other Navy aircraft and Central Test and Evaluation Investment Programs for the Navy. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in November 2022. Funds are not being obligated at time of award, funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-18-D-0007).

Science Application International Corp., McLean, Virginia, is being awarded a $33,125,547 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, multiple award contract for technical and engineering support to include technology insertion, software/hardware and systems engineering, modeling and simulation, installation and testing, and integrated logistics in support of communications, information technology and other command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) efforts. This is one of four multiple award contracts. All awardees will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This two-year contract includes one, three-year option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $84,693,543. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and work is expected to be completed Nov. 15, 2019.  If the option is exercised, work will continue through November 2022. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); operations and maintenance (Navy); and other procurement (Navy) funds. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the Commerce Business Daily’s Federal Business Opportunities website, and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce Central website. Four offers were received and four were selected for award. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-18-F-0173).

General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia, is being awarded a $31,814,166 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, multiple award contract for technical and engineering support to include technology insertion, software/ hardware and systems engineering, modeling and simulation, installation and testing, and integrated logistics in support of communications, information technology and other command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) efforts. This is one of four multiple award contracts.  All awardees will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This two-year contract includes one, three-year option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $81,997,960. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and work is expected to be completed Nov. 15, 2019. If the option is exercised, work will continue through November 2022. No funds will be obligated at the time of award.  Funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); operations and maintenance (Navy); and other procurement (Navy) funds. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the Commerce Business Daily’s Federal Business Opportunities website, and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce Central website. Four offers were received and four were selected for award.  The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-18-F-0172).

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., Linthicum, Maryland, is being awarded a $30,733,995 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, multiple award contract for technical and engineering support to include technology insertion, software/ hardware and systems engineering, modeling and simulation, installation and testing, and integrated logistics in support of communications, information technology and other command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) efforts. This is one of four multiple award contracts. All awardees will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This two-year contract includes one, three-year option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $78,953,086. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and work is expected to be completed Nov. 15, 2019. If the option is exercised, work will continue through November 2022. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); operations and maintenance (Navy); and other procurement (Navy) funds. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the Commerce Business Daily’s Federal Business Opportunities website, and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce Central website. Four offers were received and four were selected for award.  The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-18-F-0171).

General Dynamics Mission Systems, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is being awarded $14,739,246 for cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification P00016 to a previously awarded contract (N00030-16-C-0005) for sustainment of the U.S. and United Kingdom (UK) SSBN fire control system, the US SSGN attack weapon control system, including training and support equipment.  Also included is the missile fire control for the Columbia-class and UK Vanguard-class Common Missile Compartment Program development, through first unit UK production, and strategic weapon interface simulator. The work will be performed in Pittsfield Massachusetts (90.5 percent); Bremerton, Washington, (3.6 percent); Kings Bay, Georgia (2.7 percent); Dahlgren, Virginia (1.0 percent); Cape Canaveral, Florida (0.9 percent); Portsmouth, Virginia (0.9 percent); and the United Kingdom (0.4 percent), with an expected completion date of September 2023. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $6,824,000; operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,863,000; other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $492,280; and United Kingdom funding in the amount of $4,559,966 are being obligated on this award. Funds in the amount of $2,863,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

Threat Tec LLC, Hampton, Virginia, has been awarded an $8,220,362 firm-fixed-price contract for training support services. Bids were solicited via the Internet with seven received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 24, 2020. Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is the contracting activity (W9124E-18-D-0002).

Spectrum Comm Inc., Newport News, Virginia, has been awarded a $22,431,365 firm-fixed-price, cost-reimbursable, and indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the enterprise contracted logistics support and provides for an enterprise approach to total lifecycle logistics support and specialized global supply chain management for supported command and control intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft weapon systems. Work will be performed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, with an expected completion date of Nov. 30, 2023. This contract was a competitive acquisition and 15 offers were received. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8555-18-D-0001).

IAP Worldwide Services Inc., Cape Canaveral, Florida, is being awarded a $19,370,663 recurring/non-recurring services type contract for base operations services at Naval Support Activity Annapolis. The work to be performed provides for all management, supervision, labor hours, training, equipment, and supplies necessary to perform base operating services to include but not limited to facility investment, service calls, pest control, operation of utility plants, refuse collection, special events, and snow and ice removal. Work will be performed in Annapolis, Maryland, and is expected to be completed July 2018. No funds will be obligated at the time of award.  Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy); and fiscal 2018 Navy working capital funds in the amount of $13,398,781 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the contract period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N40080-18-D-0500).

SIX3 Intelligence Solutions Inc. (CACI), McLean, Virginia, has been awarded a $23,539,305 modification (P00013) to contract W911W4-16-C-0006 to provide services to US Forces Afghanistan. Work will be performed in Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 27, 2018. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $23,539,305 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity.
 
BAE Systems, McLean, Virginia, has been awarded a $21,809,274 modification (P00010) to contract W911W4-16-C-0008 to provide services to US Forces Afghanistan. Work will be performed in Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 27, 2018. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance Army funds in the amount of $21,809,274 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity.