Osprey Flying Again, Yet Its Safety Still in Question

An MV-22 Osprey, attached to the “Titans” of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron 30, takes off from the flight deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt on Oct. 8, 2024. The Carrier Strike Group 9 is underway conducting operations in the Indo-Pacific region. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Richard Tinker)

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.

After being grounded for months following a crash last November that killed eight US service members in Japan, the V-22 Osprey is back in the air. Many question whether it should be. The military says it mitigated the problem with the aircraft, but the families of those killed are not convinced, reports NPR.

Navy Times reports many current and former Osprey pilots — even those who have lost friends in accidents or been in crashes themselves — are some of the aircraft’s greatest defenders.

An Osprey being used to take White House staff and government officials from an event in New York last week was grounded due to a safety concern, reports AP News. A witness had reported flames under the right engine. The officials were put on a second Osprey to continue their trip accompanying President Joe Biden at a event with members of the US Coast Guard in Staten Island.

That same day, three lawmakers sent a letter to DefSec Lloyd Austin asking him to consider re-grounding the military’s fleet of V-22 Ospreys until solutions can be put in place to address safety and design issues, reports Navy Times. The Jan. 25 letter from Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D) and Ed Markey (D), along with Rep. Richard Neal (D), pointed to the “spike in grave safety issues over the past few years that include the need to address mechanical issues at the center of many of the aircraft’s past crashes,” reports The Hill on MSN.

Businessman John Phelan is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be the next secretary of the Navy, reports Navy Times. If confirmed, Phelan would be the first permanent Navy secretary without military experience since 2009, when Donald Winter finished up his three-year term in the role. Unlike Winter, who previously had worked within the Pentagon and on Navy contracts at major defense firms, Phelan has little public connection to the sea service.

The process of how the US military chooses and promotes its generals and admirals could be changing, reports Task & Purpose. Last month, the promotion for Army LT GEN Christopher Donahue was blocked by a Republican senator, and some believe that it is a sign the Trump administration will move forward with a plan to target senior military leaders who were in command during the military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Donahue was the commander in the final days of the military’s withdrawal from Kabul and was up for his fourth star.

Marine Corps Commandant GEN Eric Smith’s Thanksgiving video message on X stated, “I ran my CFT today. If you haven’t completed yours yet, be sure to do so soon. Have a good Thanksgiving. Semper Fidelis.” Smith showed clips of him completing his annual Combat Fitness Test, a series of physical events that every Marine — from privates to four-star generals — must complete every year, reports Task & Purpose. Smith had a near-fatal heart attack in January 2023.

The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin have reached a handshake agreement for two more lots of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, reports Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Unidentified drones were reported over three Royal Air Force bases used by US troops, reports The Hill. The drones were spotted at RAF bases Lakenheath and Mildenhall in Suffolk and Feltwell in Norfolk last month. A criminal investigation has been launched, reports Military Times.

As small unmanned aerial systems proliferate above battlefields, the US Army is focusing on developing and procuring new technology to counter them, reports National Defense Magazine. Army Chief of Staff GEN Randy George told attendees at the recent Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting and exposition that there are four major areas where the service will accelerate in 2025, and counter-UAS technology was at the top of the list.

Service members participating in operations against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are now authorized to receive the Global War on Terrorism Service and Expeditionary Medals, reports Marine Corps Times.

The US Navy ousted the commanding officer Charles Diehl of the Airborne Command & Control Squadron 115 last month, making him the third commanding officer the service has fired in November, reports Navy Times. He was removed from his leadership role due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command.

Chinese warplanes tracked a US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft through the Taiwan Strait, reports Navy Times. China deployed military aircraft and ships to track and monitor the plane.

Two Russian Su-27 fighters intercepted a pair of B-52H Stratofortresses near the Baltic Sea last week, reports Defense News. The B-52s were conducting a training flight when they were intercepted  near Kaliningrad. A defense official said the interception was safe and professional, and the B-52s continued with their planned flight.

NAVAIR’ Security Cooperation Office Junior Personnel Development Program offered undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience while earning their degrees, networking with professionals, and building skills for future employment, reports The Southern Maryland Chronicle via MSN. The SSCO program, established in 2015, has a 75% retention rating. The program brought 46 people on board with federal civilian service, retaining 35 of those individuals in the SSCO community

The US Space Force expects to award as many as 20 contracts over the next two years for private companies to join its Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve, reports C4ISRNET. The contracts will create a mechanism for the military to better leverage commercial capabilities both in peacetime and during a conflict, said Vice Chief of Space Operations GEN Michael Guetlein.

Earth is parting company with an asteroid that’s been tagging along as a “mini moon” for the past two months, reports APNews. The space rock broke off last week. The mini moon will circle the globe for almost 57 days but won’t complete a full orbit. On Nov. 25, it parted ways with the Earth and continues its solo trajectory through the cosmos. It’s expected to pass by again in 2055, according to NASA.

Space X’s chief Elon Musk and Blue Origin’s owner Jeff Bezos have been locked in a bitter rivalry for supremacy in space exploration. Donald Trump’s return to the White House could boost Musk’s ascent, reports Politico. Musk’s SpaceX is the competition’s undisputed leader: It regularly sends astronauts into orbit, while Bezos’ Blue Origin has yet to launch anyone beyond the outer edge of space.

Contracts: 

Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems Inc., Roseville, California, is awarded a $34,856,449 modification (P00013) to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N0042123C0010). This modification increases the contract ceiling to provide continued non-recurring engineering in support for the XQ-58A Unmanned Aerial Systems mission systems and subsystems integration for the Marine Corps. Additionally, this modification provides for flight tests, spares and materials. Work will be performed in Sacramento, California (25%); Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (50%); China Lake, California (20%); and Patuxent River, Maryland (5%) and is expected to be completed in September 2026. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $22,972,359 will be obligated at the time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract being modified was not competed. Naval Air Warfare Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

CorNic Technologies Inc., Ellicott City, Maryland, is awarded a $12,291,023 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to procure up to a maximum of 75 FURY products and 35 FURY future products and services to include cybersecurity sustainment, compliance upgrades and product sustainment support for the FURY family of systems currently deployed supporting Navy training ranges. FURY is a communication and optical training-based system of systems facilitating the training of aircrew and weapons and countermeasures development to enable efficient sustainment and support to include delivery of both new and/or variants of existing FURY products as specified in individual orders. Work will be performed in Ellicott City, Maryland (80%); Cherry Point, North Carolina (4%); Yuma, Arizona (4%); and China Lake, California (4%), and is expected to be completed in November 2029. No funds will be obligated at the 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. Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity (N6893625D0008).

AT2 LLC, Severn, Maryland, has been awarded an $8,753,774 firm-fixed-price modification (P00049) to previously awarded contract FA4890-18-C-0008 to exercise an option for continued operations, maintenance, and support services. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $111,220,324. Work will be performed at Dare County Range, North Carolina; Poinsett Range, South Carolina; Grand Bay Range, Georgia; Avon Park Range, Georgia; Snyder Range, Texas; Belle Fourche Range, South Dakota; Holloman Ranges, New Mexico; and Mountain Home Ranges, Idaho; and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2025. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $7,606,639 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley‐Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Amentum Services Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $39,317,214 modification (P00002) to contract W58RGZ-25-C-0003 for logistics center and aviation field maintenance support. Work will be performed in Kuwait; Sweden; Slovakia; Kosovo; Germany; Whiteman Air Force Base, Montana; Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Chantilly, Virginia; Fort Liberty, North Carolina; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Hunter Army Air Field, Georgia; US Coast Guard Air Station, Georgia; and Florida Army National Guard, Florida, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2025. Fiscal 2025 Foreign Military Sales (Kuwait, Slovakia, Sweden, and United Kingdom); operation and maintenance, Army; research, development, test, and evaluation, Army; aircraft procurement, Army; and US Coast Guard funds in the amount of $39,317,214 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

Black Construction/Mace International JV, Harmon, Guam (N40084-21-D-0079); ECC Diego Garcia LLC, Burlingame, California (N40084-21-D-0080); JSK Diego Services LLC, Fort Worth, Texas (N40084-21-D-0081); MVL Bromgrove JV LLC, Houston, Texas (N40084-21-D-0082); and PARSONS-COLAS UKP JV, Centreville, Virginia (N40084-21-D-0083), are awarded a combined $99,500,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity modification to their respective previously awarded contracts. This modification provides for additional capacity for commercial and institutional building construction at US Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia. This award brings the total combined cumulative value of all five contracts to $448,000,000. Work will be performed in Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory, and will be completed by September 2026. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are awarded. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Far East, Yokosuka, Japan, is the contracting activity.

Amentum Services Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, is awarded a $98,851,755 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for regional support services in the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Pacific area of operations (AO). The work to be performed provides for support services to Department of Defense components conducting humanitarian and civic assistance, construction projects, contingency efforts, and supporting exercises and other projects. Work will be performed in various locations in the NAVFAC Pacific AO to include Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Oceania, and is expected to be completed by June 2033. The maximum dollar value includes the base period, seven option periods, demobilization, and a six-month extension of services period, is $98,851,755. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,200,000 are being obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment Solicitation module website with two offers received. NAVFAC Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-25-C-3570).

General Dynamics, Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, is awarded an $82,305,918 cost-plus-award-fee modification to a previously awarded contract N00024-24-C-2313 to exercise options for DDG 51 Class lead yard support. Work will be performed in Bath/Brunswick, Maine (99%); and Washington, DC (1%) and is expected to be completed by November 2025. Fiscal 2022 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $22,094,521 (48%); Fiscal 2021 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,722,697 (17%); Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,300,367 (16%); Fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,179,634 (7%); Fiscal 2015 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,703,020 (6%); Fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,578,359 (6%); and Fiscal 2017 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $418,061 (1%) will be obligated at time of award and funds in the amount of $10,425,717 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 US Code 3204(a)(1) (only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements). The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00024-24-C-2313).

Raytheon Technologies Corp., doing business at Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Connecticut, is awarded an $8,050,161 modification (P00004) to a previously awarded fixed-price incentive (firm target), cost-plus-incentive-fee advanced acquisition contract (N0001923C0030). This modification provides the manufacture, assembly, inspection, and acceptance of affordability initiatives and projects under the F-35 Lot 18-19 contract to include North Berwick Aero Systems (NBAS) Real-Time Process Health Monitoring, NBAS Closed Door Machining Technology, NBAS High Pressure Compressor Super Polish, NBAS Machine Adaptive Control, and Aug Pilot Powdered Metal for the F135 and F-35 variants to support the production and delivery of Lots 18-19 and future propulsion systems for F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in support of the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corp, and non-U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Connecticut (61%) (labor surplus area); Charlottesville, Virginia (20%); and North Berwick, Maine (19%), and is expected to be completed in February 2028. Fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $3,298,498; fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $1,649,248; fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,649,248; and non-US DoD participant funds in the amount of $1,453,166 will be obligated at the time of award, $6,596,994 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract being modified was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland, is being awarded a $17,172,339 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification (P00029) to previously awarded and announced contract N00030-22-C-6001 to provide support services for the U.S. Trident II D5 Strategic Weapon Systems program, Attack Weapon System program, and the Nuclear Weapon Security program. Tasks to be performed include systems engineering and integration, test engineering, data analysis, and safety engineering. This contract award also benefits a foreign military sale to the United Kingdom. Work will be performed in Rockville, Maryland (48.9%); Washington, DC (18.3%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (5.2%); Frederick, Maryland (4.8%); Silverdale, Washington (3.6%); Saint Mary’s, Georgia (2.7%); King’s Bay, Georgia (2.4%); York, Pennsylvania (1.8%); Fort Walton Beach, Florida (1.6%); Rochester, United Kingdom (1.2%); Conway, South Carolina (1.0%); and various other locations less than 1% each (9.5% total). Work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2025. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $244,079; fiscal 2025 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $133,782; and fiscal 2025 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $13,002,464 will be obligated at the time of award. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole source acquisition pursuant to 10 US Code 2304(c)(1)(4). Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

Amentum Services Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $14,880,549 modification (P00001) to contract W58RGZ-25-C-0004 for global aviation maintenance services. Work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas; Tucson, Arizona; Fort Wainwright, Alaska; Fort Cavazos, Texas; Killeen, Texas; South Korea; and the Marshall Islands, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2025. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $14,880,549 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

Amentum Services Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $14,858,153 modification (P00002) to contract W58RGZ-25-C-0004 for global aviation maintenance services. Work will be performed at Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington; Fort Cavazos, Texas; White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii; Fort Wainwright, Alaska; Camp Humphreys, South Korea; Fort Riley, Kansas; and Fort Irwin, California, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2025. Fiscal 2024 aircraft procurement, Army funds, fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance, Army funds; and fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation, Army funds in the amount of $14,880,549 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

PCI Government Services, LLC, Reston, Virginia, is awarded a contract (HTC71125DD003) with a face value of $45,473,805. The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract provides Cloud Optimal DevSecOps Ecosystem (TCODE) services. The period of performance is from 1 December 2024 to 30 November 2029. Transportation Working Capital Funds (TWCF) will be obligated. The US Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott AFB, Illinois, is the contracting activity.

Ipsos Public Affairs LLC, Norwalk, Connecticut, is awarded $9,926,693 for a 12-month, firm-fixed-price contract option (GS-00F-123DA-HT001123F0033) to support the TRICARE Patient Experience Survey effort. This effort is to provide for Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys for the Defense Health Agency of: (a) the recently discharged adult and child inpatient population; (b) the CAHPS Clinician and Group Survey; and (c) the CAHPS Outpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Survey. The contract was awarded on a competitive basis, effective June 1, 2023. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance funding will be obligated at time of award. The period of performance for the second option year is Dec. 1, 2024, to Nov. 30, 2025. Place of performance is Falls Church, Virginia. The Defense Health Agency, Professional Services Contracting Division, Falls Church, Virginia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Nov. 21, 2024)

Textron Land Systems, Hunt Valley, Maryland, was awarded a $10,754,902 modification (P00005) to contract W56HZV-24-C-0029 for the design of one Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle Medium Caliber Autocannon Prototype Vehicle. Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 30, 2026. Fiscal 2025 US Marine Corps research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $10,754,902 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity.

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $9,236,965 firm-fixed-price modification (P00003) to order N0001924F0051 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001921G0006). This modification provides follow-on integrated logistics and engineering support in support of the Harpoon/Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response Missile System and Harpoon Launch Systems for the Navy and various Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in St. Charles, Missouri (91.89%); St. Louis, Missouri (5.47%); and Yorktown, Virginia (2.64%), and is expected to be completed in February 2026. Fiscal 2024 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,472,055; and FMS customer funds in the amount of $6,764,910 will be obligated at time of award, $2,472,055 of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract being modified was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Caelum Research Corp., Rockville, Maryland, was awarded an $11,894,009 firm-fixed-price contract for information management support. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2028. US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W9124P-25-F-0042).