Problems Remain for F-35 JSF Helmet
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Problems still remain for the F-35 JSF’s helmet night-vision camera. Lockheed Martin officials said Friday they are aware of the issue and working to test potential solutions. Improvements to the software in the pricey helmet — at $400,000 each — are underway and will be ready for testing this fall, Marine Corps Times reports.
The US and other allies held a meeting to map out plans for joint operations of the new F-35 stealth jet fighters headed to Europe in the coming years, Reuters reports. The two-day gathering in Germany included officials from Denmark, Israel, Norway, the Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, and Britain.
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Want to sell information technology to the US Army? Lt. Gen. Ostrowski, director of the Army Acquisition Corps, wants people in the industry to let him know, reports Breaking Defense. Here’s his email address: [email protected]. Right now, the Army is reviewing and overhauling its networks, and is planning a series of roundtables with selected companies.
A bill allowing lawmakers to block President Donald Trump from easing sanctions on Russia is likely to move forward despite White House resistance, Politico reports.
Military Times reports CIA Director Mike Pompeo said that Russia has no plans to leave Syria and will continue to try to meddle in US affairs to “stick it to America.”
Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain criticized President Trump last week for “playing right into the hands” of Russian President Vladimir Putin following a report that the president ended a covert program aiding Syrian rebel groups, the Washington Examiner reports. Sen. McCain’s statement came just a few days after he was diagnosed with brain cancer. He said he had been through worse. The Washington Post says he’s been through “much worse” in its article about how the senator repeatedly faced down death as a Navy fighter pilot during the Vietnam War. Sen. McCain earlier this month provided Medium with a list of his favorite all-time books. “I encourage all Americans to pick up a book and read this summer — from fiction to history, you can do no better for your mind than to read,” he said. Among the books on the list are “All Quiet on the Western Front” and “Battle Cry of Freedom.”
DefSec James Mattis believes Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still alive, reports Military Times. The Russian defense ministry in June claimed it had killed Baghdadi in a May airstrike. DefSec Mattis also said the US is winning its fight against ISIS, reports ABC News. “We’re winning. They’re losing. How’s that?” he said last week.
Two veterans have been nominated to head the Pentagon’s personnel and readiness office, reports Military Times. President Trump wants Robert Wilkie to serve as undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness and Anthony Kurta to be his principal deputy.
A trip to the International Space Station takes about six hours. But a trek to Mars is a nine-month ride. Popular Science reports NASA has commissioned six companies to research designs for larger deep space habitats. Lockheed Martin is one of the companies that’s developing a concept for its Deep Space Gateway.
Contracts:
Indyne Inc, (W912DY-17-D-0039), Reston, Virginia; Spectrum Solutions Inc., Madison, Alabama (W912DY-17-D-0041); and Williams Electric Co Inc., Fort Walton Beach, Florida (W912DY-17-D-0040), was awarded a $270,000,000 type 1 contract for personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, non-personal services, and other items necessary to procure, install, service and maintain electronic security systems. Bids were solicited via the Internet with 34 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 20, 2022. US Army Corps of Engineers Support Center, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-17-D-0039, W912DY-17-D-0041, W912DY-17-D-0040).
Concourse Federal Group LLC, Washington, District of Columbia (W9126G-17-D-0027); and O’Brien Engineering Inc., Carrolton, Texas,( W9126G-17-D-0028), was awarded a $40,000,000.00 firm-fixed-price contract for real estate support services to include title research, appraisals, surveys, escrow support and land mapping and research in support of US Army Corps of Engineers projects in the Southwestern US. Bids were solicited via the Internet with six received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 20, 2021. US Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-17-D-0027 and W9126G-17-D-0028).
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia, is being awarded $13,199,944 for modification P00008 to extend the previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract (N00189-15-D-0043) to exercise Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.217-9 for second option year for enterprise management and technical support to the Navy Information Force’s Shore Modernization and Integration Directorate in the areas of: enterprise architecture and operational transition planning; shore network and communications modernization; information technology service management process standardization; cyber security; and information technology portfolio management support. The contract includes a 12-month base year and four 12-month option periods. The exercise of this option will bring the estimated cumulative value of the task order to $39,591,465, and if all options are exercised, total estimated contract value to $66,000,000. Work will be performed in Suffolk, Virginia (88 percent); San Diego, California (11 percent); and Charleston, South Carolina (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by August 2018. If all options on the contract are exercised, work will be completed by August 2020. No funding will be obligated at the time of award. Fiscal 2017 and 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds will be obligated as individual task orders are issued, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This requirement was competitively procured with the solicitation posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is being awarded a $10,330,262 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to contract N00024-15-C-6222 for the procurement of Technical Insertion (TI)-16 Acoustic-Rapid-Commercial-Off-The-Shelf Insertion (A-RCI) systems and pre-cable kits. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $727,931,973. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (95 percent); and Clearwater, Florida (5 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2022. Fiscal 2017 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $10,330,262, will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, District of Columbia is the contracting activity.
G3 Technologies Inc., Columbia, Maryland, is being awarded a $9,578,038 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a five-year ordering period, for wireless communication equipment. The supplies and services to be procured are various cell phone technology upgrades and maintenance support for the outdoor test lab maintained by Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, at the Lake Glendora Test Facility. Work will be performed at Columbia, Maryland (80 percent); and the Glendora Lake Test Facility near Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana (20 percent), and is expected to be completed by July 2022. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $886,000 will be obligated at the time of contract award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured, in accordance with 10 US Code 2304(c)(1) – only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The contracting agency is Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana (N00164-17-D-WQ71).
Oceaneering International Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia, is being awarded a $7,947,605 modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-13-C-6403) to exercise options for technical/maintenance services for the Dry Deck Shelter (DDS) program. This option exercise is for DDS technical services that provide DDS maintenance, configuration change designs, kit up and execution of modifications, initial installations and testing onto host submarines and overall life cycle support of a continuing nature for emergent and planned maintenance repairs. Work will be performed in Chesapeake, Virginia (95 percent); and Kings Bay, Georgia (5 percent), and is expected to be completed by July 2018. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Navy); and fiscal 2017 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $440,050 will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
E3 Federal Solutions Inc., McLean, Virginia, is being awarded a modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for $8,574,811 to provide executive administrative management services to support 38 separate offices headed by senior level individuals within the organization. The expected completion date is Aug. 14, 2021. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance funds are being obligated at the time of the award.Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting office (HQ0034-15-A-0015).
eScience & Technology Solutions Inc., North Charleston, South Carolina (N0003917D0011); IDEAMATICS Inc., McLean, Virginia (N0003917D0012); and Rite-Solutions Inc., Pawcatuck, Connecticut (N0003917D0013), are being awarded a multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the rapid product development and sustainment contract vehicle to support the Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems in the design, development, implementation and sustainment of information technology systems and software supporting enterprise business services, personnel and pay, position management, recruiting and accessions, workforce development and distance support. This multiple award contract has a base five-year ordering period with a cumulative value of $300,000,000. This contract includes three one-year options that will only be exercised if the ceiling is not exhausted. If all options are exercised, the ordering period could continue until July 2025. Work will be performed in North Charleston, South Carolina (34 percent); McLean, Virginia (33 percent); Pawcatuck, Connecticut (33 percent), and is expected to be completed by July 2022. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,000 will be applied to each of the three contracts with an initial task order issued to each contractor at the time of award. Future actions will be issued and funds obligated as individual task orders. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The multiple award contracts were competitively procured by a small business set-aside with numerous proposals solicited via the Commerce Business Daily’s Federal Business Opportunities website and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce Central website, with 20 offers received. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.
Sallyport Global Holdings, Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a six-month service contract for a not-to-exceed amount of $133,864,963. This contract provides base operations support, life support and security services. Work will be performed at Balad Air Base, Iraq, and is expected to be complete by Jan. 30, 2018. This award is the result of sole-source request by the government of Iraq. Foreign military sales funds will be incrementally obligated after contract award as needed. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8615-14-C-6020).
BAE Systems, Rockville, Maryland, has been awarded a $45,177,892 modification (P00205) to the integration support contract to exercise an option on previously awarded contract for Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) integration support. Contractor will provide schedule management, acquisition program documentation, program risk management, strategic planning, quality assurance, logistics planning, business and financial management, data rights, data management, systems engineering, trade studies, technical studies, and integration needs for the GBSD. Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and is expected to be complete by July 23, 2018. Fiscal 2016 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $210,511; and 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $6,162,699 are being obligated at the time of contract modification with the remaining balance to be incrementally funded with 2016, 2017 and 2018 research, development, test, and evaluation funding. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8214-13-C-0001).
