March 28, 2024

Pentagon Dismisses Criticism of F-35 Program

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.

Lt. Gen. Eric Fick took exception to recent criticism of the F-35 JSF program by SpaceX founder Elon Musk, reports Defense News. The Pentagon’s head of the F-35 Lightning II JPO countered Musk by saying that the jet will be relevant for decades to come. “I’m happy to see what comes next, be it manned or unmanned, but I think the F-35 is going to be here for a long time,” Lt. Gen. Fick said. Mr. Musk made his remarks at the Air Warfare Symposium in Florida late last month.

An opinion piece in Forbes chalks up Mr. Musk’s comments as a headline-grabbing ploy. “Mr. Musk, keep dreaming. … Make your cars and rockets better and more affordable, but do not forget that you will need a secure pathway to get there,” writes Dave Deptula of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

Lockheed Martin has paused production of the F-35 aircraft in Japan and told employees at an Italian factory to work from home because of concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, reports Army Technology. “I don’t see any other disruptions to the supply chain at this point,” Lt. Gen. Fick told National Defense.

PHASA-35, a 35m wingspan solar-electric aircraft, has successfully completed its maiden flight, reports Aerospace Manufacturing.

US Navy land-attack experts are asking Raytheon to start full-scale development of a blast and penetration warhead to enable the Tomahawk missile to destroy bunkers and other targets, reports Military & Aerospace Electronics.

Australia will sell up to 46 of its air force’s F/A-18A/B Hornets to Air USA, reports Aviation International News. Air USA, based in Illinois, is a provider of training services to various US government agencies and operates a fleet of Aero L-39 and L-59 Albatros, BAE Systems Hawk, Dassault Alpha Jet, and Mikoyan MiG-29 aircraft.

 

 

Serbia will continue to source weapons from “friendly states” despite a looming threat of US sanctions in the event of further such deliveries from Russia, The Associated Press reports.

US Africa Command says it recovered a Hellfire missile that was on an MQ-1 drone that crashed near Agadez, Niger, on Feb. 29, reports Military Times.

The Defense Department is in the middle of a decade-long effort to transform its health care system, and some military’s doctors say the Pentagon’s effort to reorganize the system is turning out to be a “complicated merger of four cultures” and “extremely difficult,” reports Military Times.

The Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23’s year-end award winners for 2019 have been announced, reports thebaynet.com. Among the recipients is Flight Test Engineer of the Year Susan Thompson. The US Naval Test Pilot School also announced its 2019 award winners, reports Southern Maryland Chronicle.

St. Mary’s Del. Brian Crosby sponsored a bill in the Maryland House that would alter the state’s standard time to be Eastern Daylight Time year-round, reports Capital News Service. “We have a whole host of reasons on why we do this daylight savings, but they all seem antiquated in theories. When you start breaking down the data of why to not do it, that far outweighs why we do do it,” he said. As the law stands, a state can decide not to observe Daylight Saving Time, but it cannot choose to make it permanent, reports WTOP News.

As state and federal regulators weigh the fate of two proposed wind energy installations off the coast of Ocean City, a recent poll conducted for one of the wind developers found widespread support for the project — even in and around Ocean City, reports Maryland Matters.

An Annapolis man will attempt to travel the entire length of the Chesapeake Bay on a standup paddleboard, reports Chesapeake Bay Magazine. He plans a stop at Point Lookout.

Contracts:

Tactical & Survival Specialties Inc., Harrisonburg, Virginia (SPE8EJ-20-D-0010); W.S. Darley & Co., Itasca, Illinois (SPE8EJ-20-D-0011); Atlantic Diving Supply Inc., doing business as ADS, Virginia Beach, Virginia (SPE8EJ-20-D-0012); Federal Resources Supply Co., Stevensville, Maryland (SPE8EJ-20-D-0013); Unifire Inc., Spokane, Washington (SPE8EJ-20-D-0014); and Quantico Tactical Inc., Aberdeen, North Carolina (SPE8EJ-19-D-0015), are sharing a maximum $4,000,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPM8EJ-13-R-0001 for special operational equipment. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. These are 365-day bridge contracts. Locations of performance are Virginia, Illinois, Maryland, Washington, and North Carolina, with a March 6, 2021, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE8EJ-20-D-0010).

George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, has been awarded a $320,689,444 cost-type contract for Mobile Unmanned/Manned Distributed Lethality Airborne Network (MUDLAN) accelerated development and demonstrations software and hardware. This contract provides for the enhancement of technologies to be developed under the MUDLAN Joint Capabilities Technology Demonstration program, including digital beam forming multi-beam Common Data Link apertures; directional K/Ku/eKU and W-band systems; MUDLAN multi-functional network controller (MFNC) for connecting multiple platforms while maneuvering; and using the MFNC to recognize jamming and autonomously move to other bands. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Virginia, and is expected to be complete by March 6, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition, and two offers were received. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $650,000 are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-20-C-0555).

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC, Laurel, Maryland, has been awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee $16,769,744 modification (P00009) to task order FA8819-19-F-1003 for deep space advanced radar concept technology demonstration. The contract modification completes the delivery of the technology demonstration project. Work will be performed in Laurel, Maryland; and White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 research and development funds in the amount of $2,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The total cumulative face value of the task order is $45,564,088. The Space and Missile System Center Directorate, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the contracting activity.

Bluehawk LLC, West Palm Beach, Florida, was awarded a $32,094,786 labor-hour contract (HHM402-20-C-0019) to provide technology transfer analysis and assessment services. Work will be conducted in Charlottesville, Virginia, with an expected completion date of Aug. 31, 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and management funds in the amount of $2,935,456 are being obligated at time of award. This contract was awarded through a HUBZone set-aside and six offers were received. The Virginia Contracting Activity, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

Abacus Technology Corp., Chevy Chase, Maryland, has been awarded a $21,873,527 firm-fixed-price contract for support services. This contract provides for information technology sustainment support services at several locations. Work will be performed at Al Udeid Air Base (AB), Qatar; Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates; and Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. Work is expected to be complete by March 2025. This contract is the result of a set-aside for small business and five offers were received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,767,312 are being obligated at the time of award. Headquarters Air Combat Command, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA4890-19-R-A018).

AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Maryland, has been awarded a $15,558,008 firm-fixed-price modification (P00003) to a previously awarded contract FA4890-19-C-0002 for the exercise of Option Period Two. This modification provides for force-protection efforts at airfields located within the Air Force Central Command’s area of responsibility, including a non-developmental contractor-owned and contractor-operated unmanned aerial system, intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance solution to perform operational, engineering, and sustainment efforts necessary to effectively execute pre-deployment, deployment operations, post-deployment, and engineering support activities. Work will be performed at Bagram and Kandahar Airfields, Afghanistan, and is expected to be complete by March 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $114,064,396. Headquarters Air Combat Command, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Sabel Systems Technology Solutions LLC, Gainesville, Virginia (M95494-20-D-1001); Targeted Approach LLC, Alexandria, Virginia (M95494-20-D-1002); CANA LLC, doing business as CANA Advisors, Gainesville, Virginia (M95494-20-D-1003); Knowledge Management Inc., Tyngsboro, Massachusetts (M95494-20-D-1004); and Arrow Alliance Industries LLC, Spotsylvania, Virginia (M95494-20-D-1005), are awarded $94,184,597 a hybrid firm-fixed-price and cost only indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award contract (IDIQ-MAC) to provide professional support services to the Assistant Deputy Commandant, Installations and Logistics, Logistics Plans, Policies and Strategic Mobility Division. Work will be performed in Washington, District of Columbia. The IDIQ-MACs have a five year ordering period with a shared maximum value of $94,184,597. These businesses will have the opportunity to compete for individual task orders. Work is expected to be completed March 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $5,000 ($25,000 total) is being obligated under each contract’s initial task order to fund the minimum guarantee and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. These contracts were competitively solicited via Federal Business Opportunities and 18 proposals were received. The Marine Corps Installations Command, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Engility Corp., a SAIC company, Andover, Maine, is awarded an $8,484,786 modification (P00009) to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-reimbursable delivery order (N68936-19-F-0297) against a General Services Administration One Acquisition Solution for integrated services multiple award contract. Work will be performed in Point Mugu, California (90.6%); China Lake, California (1.9%); Fallon, Nevada (1.6%); Whidbey Island, Washington (0.94%); Washington, District of Columbia (0.94%); Laurel, Maryland (0.63%); Irvine, California (0.31%); Las Vegas, Nevada (0.31%); and various locations outside the continental US (1.3%). This modification exercises the option for systems engineering analysis, test and evaluation engineering, interoperability testing and analysis, threat analysis, and tactics development for the AN/ALQ-99 Next Generation jammer pod, USQ-113 communications system jammer, ALQ-218 receiver, ALQ-227 communication countermeasures set, and Intrepid Tiger Pod for the EA-6B and EA-18G aircraft. Work is expected to be completed by March 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $400,000; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $150,000 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, Point Mugu, California, is the contracting activity.

Raytheon BBN Technologies Corp., Arlington, Virginia, is awarded a $7,460,890 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to develop concepts for a heterogeneous underwater network. Work will be performed at contractor facilities in California (5%); Massachusetts (75%); Rhode Island (5%); Virginia (10%); and government test facilities (5%). The work to be performed includes dynamically reconfigurable architecture that leverages advancement in undersea communications and autonomous ocean systems and demonstrate utility at sea with advanced prototypes. The period of performance of the base award is from March 5, 2020, through May 4, 2021. This 15-month contract includes two options which, if exercised, would bring the potential value of this contract to an estimated $37,399,156. The period of performance of the base award is from March 5, 2020, through May 4, 2021. If both options are exercised, the period of performance would extend through Feb. 4, 2024. Funds in the amount of $499,663 will be obligated at the time of award. The type of funding to be obligated will be research, development, test and evaluation (Department of Defense). This contract was competitively procured via a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency broad agency announcement solicitation published on the Federal Business Opportunities website. Seven proposals were received and three were selected for award. The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-20-C-4006).

Tribalco LLC, Bethesda, Maryland, was awarded an $8,863,183 modification (P00012) to contract W912DY-16-D-0021 to provide support and services to manage the complete life cycle of the US Army Corps of Engineers radio communications mission. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 12, 2021. US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

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