Un-Piloted F35B Lost and Found

US Marine Corps MAJ Zachary Ybarra, F-35B Lightning II pilot, Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT) 501, Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 31, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), performs aerial maneuvers during an airshow demonstration practice at Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, NC, August 21, 2023. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Kyle Baskin)

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 crash site for a Marine Corps F-35B that went missing during the weekend after its pilot ejected was located Monday in rural South Carolina, reports Marine Times. A Marine Corps pilot safely ejected from the F-35 fighter jet over North Charleston on Sunday afternoon and the search for his missing aircraft had focused on two lakes north of North Charleston, military officials said, reports Military Times. The debris field was discovered in Williamsburg County, about two hours northeast of Joint Base Charleston.

The crash of the $100M aircraft leaves questions about why the pilot ejected and how the F35 flew pilotless for 60 miles before crashing. The Marines’ F35B variant is the only one of the three variants that has an auto-eject function on its ejection seat, according to seat manufacturer Martin-Baker. That has raised questions as to whether the malfunction the pilot experienced was the seat itself.

The pilot put the F-35B on autopilot before ejecting, but because the F-35B’s transponder wasn’t working, the US military couldn’t track it. And while it might seem hard to believe, says Military.com, this wouldn’t be the first time zombie aircraft kept going without a human element.

Missing planes do occur, explains Task & Purpose, suggesting that the missing F-35 was living up to its label as a “stealth” fighter by seeming to disappear into thin air. And then posting additional jokes appearing online about the missing $80 million jet. Even Washington Post humor columnist Alexandra Petri helped, announcing on Monday she had found the lost stealthy jet who was just as frightened as any lost pet, and she’d taken it home.

Lockheed Martin says a new five-year deal to sustain the F-35 fleet won’t be reached by the end of this year. The Pentagon says it might not happen at all, reports Defense One.

USNI has posted new images by Ocean Exploration Trust that show in detail the wrecks of USS Yorktown (CV-5) and two Japanese aircraft carriers IJN Kaga and IJN Akagi sunk during the pivotal World War II Battle of Midway.

Veterans Affairs officials are again urging medical center patients and staff to get the latest COVID-19 vaccine booster in response to the latest wave of the illness spreading across America. Military.com reports the VA expects to have the new COVID-19 booster shot, made by Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech, by the end of this week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the new booster for anyone 6 months or older who has not gotten a coronavirus vaccine in recent weeks.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has teed up votes to advance three top military nominees — GEN C.Q. Brown to be Joint Chiefs chair, GEN Randy George to be Army chief of staff, and GEN Eric Smith to be Marine commandant, reports Politico. Schumer filed a procedural motion to end debate on President Joe Biden’s senior picks, spurring a confrontation over Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) blockade of hundreds of military promotions to protest a Pentagon policy allowing leave and travel expenses for abortions.

Tuberville’s hold has left top jobs in the Marine Corps, Army, and Navy filled by acting leaders who also are the deputy leaders of their services, reports Marine Corps Times. GEN Smith, currently acting Marine commandant and assistant commandant, said, “It is not a sustainable thing when the last thing you do is flip your computer off at 11:30 at night and you’re getting up at 5 o’clock in the morning.”

Tuberville told Senate Republicans on Tuesday during their weekly conference lunch that he will attempt to force a one-off vote to confirm Smith as the new commandant for the Marine Corps, while he maintains his blockade on more than 300 other military promotions, reports The Hill.

Senate Democrats released stories of families’ hardships stemming from Tuberville’s hold, including delayed retirements, children without a school to attend, and spouses with lost jobs reports Military.com.

VoteVets, a liberal political action committee founded by veterans, in conjunction with several Democratic senators filled the front lawn of the US Capital on Tuesday with more than 300 posters featuring the generals and admirals caught in Tuberville’s blockade, reports Military.com.

The Hill reports VoteVets is also out with another political ad taking aim at Tuberville. The latest ad, “Tight lips could sink ships,” was released Tuesday and is expected to air nationwide, according to VoteVets.

The chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee is threatening to subpoena the Department of Veterans Affairs for detailed data on its year-old policy of providing abortions to veterans in certain cases. Military.com reports the VA has twice given lawmakers top-line numbers of how many abortions the department has performed. Most recently, in May, the VA said it had done 54 abortions between September 2022, when the policy was implemented, and April 30.

Navmar Applied Sciences Corp., headquartered in Warminster, PA, has agreed to pay $4.4 million to resolve allegations of knowingly double-billing and shifting labor and material costs in a series of contracts with the Navy, reports My ChesCo. Separately, NASC has also agreed to resolve administrative claims of its cost proposals for 2011, 2012, and 2013.

House Republicans released a bill on Sunday based on a tentative agreement between the far-right Freedom Caucus and the center-right Main Street Caucus to temporarily fund government through October 31, reports NBC. But controversial immigration provisions and reduced spending levels are expected to kill the bill in the Democratic-led Senate, which could hasten a shutdown at the end of September rather than prevent one. The deal cuts domestic spending so to pass a defense spending bill also tied up in the Republican split.

But a small gang of hardline House Republicans tanked a key vote for their party’s defense bill on Tuesday, the latest stinging defeat for Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) spending plans, reports Politico. The rare showdown on the floor illustrates that the speaker is trying a new tactic: Forcing holdouts to publicly oppose his fiscal agenda as he searches for the votes needed to keep the government open past September 30.

The US military will keep active-duty troops and a limited number of civilian defense employees at their posts during a federal government shutdown, Pentagon officials have said. But they might have to go without pay until lawmakers reach a budget agreement, says Stars and Stripes.

Russia and Ukraine squared off before the International Court of Justice on Monday regarding claims by Moscow that its invasion of Ukraine was done to prevent genocide. Reuters reports Ukraine brought the case to the UN’s highest court just days after the Russian invasion on February 24 last year. Kyiv argues Russia is abusing international law by saying the invasion was justified to prevent an alleged genocide in eastern Ukraine.

The September 6 missile strike on Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine was one of the deadliest in the country in months, killing at least 15 civilians and injuring more than 30 others. But the attack appears to have been a tragic mishap on the part of Ukraine. Evidence collected, analyzed, and reported by The New York Times, suggests the catastrophic strike was the result of an errant Ukrainian air defense missile fired by a Buk launch system.

Military Times reports six Ukrainian deputy defense ministers were fired Monday following the dismissal two weeks ago of Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov in a corruption scandal amid heavy fighting in the east. Deputy defense ministers including Hanna Maliar, Vitalii Deyneha, and Denys Sharapov, as well as the state secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Kostiantyn Vashchenko, were fired, according to the Telegram account of Taras Melnychuk, permanent representative of the Cabinet of Ministers.

NavSec Carlos Del Toro announced on Sunday during an Emancipation Celebration at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Church Creek, MD, that the Navy will name the ninth John Lewis-class oiler after American abolitionist and social activist Harriet Tubman, reports Navy Times.

The US Army selected a CACI International-owned company to prototype a jammer that soldiers can carry and use on foot to spy on electronic signals. The preliminary deal with Mastodon Design for the Terrestrial Layer System-Brigade Combat Team Manpack effort is worth $1.5 million and runs for nine months, reports C4ISRNET.

Israeli defense companies made drone technology with a vertical-takeoff-and-landing capability a focus at this year’s DSEI defense conference in London, unveiling two new systems with customers already secured, reports C4ISRNET.

The Marine Corps says that three Okinawa V-22 Ospreys that diverted from scheduled flight paths last week due to “caution indications” in the cockpit did not appear to suffer from a clutch issue that has plagued the service’s fleet and caused at least one fatal crash, reports Military.com.

US officials with dementia may pose a national security threat, according to a study funded by the Pentagon. KIMA reports that the study published by RAND Corp., also warns longer life expectancy and more people working later in life are driving increased dementia in the US workforce.

Contracts:

InDyne Inc., Lexington Park, Maryland, was awarded a $152,888,901 cost-plus-award-fee contract for scientific engineering support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2028. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation, Army funds were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91RUS-23-C-0019). 

Grunley Construction Co. Inc., Rockville, Maryland, was awarded a $129,412,000 firm-fixed-price contract for design and build services. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Washington, DC, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 1, 2027. Fiscal 2023 Capitol Police Buildings and Grounds, Architect of the Capitol funds in the amount of $129,412,000 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting authority.

BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland, is awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification (P00019) in the amount of $66,974,244 to a previously awarded and announced contract (N00030-22-C-6001) to exercise fiscal 2024 options to provide support services for the US Trident II D5 Strategic Weapon Systems program, the Attack Weapon System program, and the Nuclear Weapon Security program. This contract award also benefits a foreign military sale to the United Kingdom. Work will be performed in Rockville, Maryland (58.2%); Washington, DC (23.8%); Saint Marys, Georgia (3.3%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (2.3%); Rochester, United Kingdom (1.7%); Bremerton, Washington (1.3%); Portsmouth, Virginia (1.0%); and various other locations (less than 1% each, 8.4% total). Work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2024. This action is awarded subject to the availability of funds. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole source acquisition pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1)(4). Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

Norfolk Dredging Co., Chesapeake, Virginia, is awarded a $9,810,396 firm-fixed-price contract for dredging. Work will be performed at Degaussing Station Range; and the waterfront area of Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia, and will be completed by July 2024. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,810,396 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the sam.gov and Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment website, with five offers received. Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-23-C-0037).

Hensel Phelps Construction Co., Tysons Corner, Virginia (N40080-23-D-0030); Balfour Beatty, Falls Church, Virginia (N40080-23-D-0026); Grunley Construction Co. Inc., Rockville, Maryland (N40080-23-D-0029); Clark Construction Group LLC, Bethesda, Maryland (N40080-23-D-0027); and Consigli Construction Co. Inc., Washington, D.C. (N40080-23-D-0028), are awarded a $950,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award, design-build/design-bid-build contract for large general construction projects located primarily in the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Washington area of responsibility. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by November 2025. Fiscal 2019 military construction (MILCON) contract funds in the amount of $29,060,167; and fiscal 2023 MILCON contract funds in the amount of $14,720,278, for a total of $43,780,445, are obligated on this award, of which $29,060,167 expires at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Contract Opportunities (sam.gov) website with 19 proposals received. NAVFAC, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

Long Wave Inc., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was awarded a $112,600,000 firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/definite-quantity contract for High Frequency Global Communications System – Antenna Program Support III. This contract provides program depot maintenance and installation activities for high power, high frequency antenna and antenna subsystems in support of strategic military command and control communications. Work will be performed at Joint Base Andrews (Davidsonville and Brandywine), Maryland; Ascension Island Auxiliary Field, Royal Air Force Croughton, Diego Garcia; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; Guam (Barrigada and Finegayan), Hawaii (Lualualei and Wahiawa); Lajes (Cinco Picos and Villa Nova); Offutt Air Force Base (Elkhorn and Scribner), Nebraska; Puerto Rico (Isabella and Salinas); Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy; West Coast (Dixon and Lincoln); and Yokota Air Base (Tokorozawa and Owada), Japan, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 19, 2030. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and two offers were received. No funds are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (FA8102-23-D-0001).

Loyal Source Government Services LLC, Orlando, Florida, was awarded an $11,007,051 modification (P00009) to contract W9133L-19-C-2014 for specimen collection, packaging and on-site management. Work will be performed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of March 28, 2024. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance, defense-wide funds in the amount of $11,007,051 were obligated at the time of the award. The National Guard Bureau’s Directorate of Acquisitions, Operational Contracting Division, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Modern Technology Solutions Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, was awarded a $16,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Digital Material Management model based engineering and automation effort. This contract provides for systems engineering and technical assistance to The Air Force Research Laboratory for integrating and employing digital methodologies across the entire Air Force Research Laboratory Technology Integration Division mission area. Work will be performed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 24, 2028. This contract was a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2023 research, development, and test and evaluation funds in the amount of $520,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin AFB, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8651-23-D-A009).

Greenland Enterprises Inc., Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $23,718,772 firm-fixed-price contract to replace a steam boiler. This contract provides for a steam system replacement at the Steam B plant. Work will be performed at Naval Support Facility Indian Head, Maryland, and will be completed by July 2026. Fiscal 2023 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $23,718,772 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment website, with two offers received. Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N40080-23-C-0013).

UAV Communications Inc., Newport News, Virginia, was awarded an $8,342,946 firm-fixed-price and cost-reimbursable contract action for the ongoing sustainment, management, development, and network administration of the United Kingdom MQ-9 Reaper Operation Centers. Work will be performed at Royal Air Force Waddington, United Kingdom; and Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2025. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales to the United Kingdom. This contract was a sole-source acquisition. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $8,342,946 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-19-C-2002).

Athena Construction Group Inc., Triangle, Virginia, is awarded a modification for an option year (P00001) valued at $8,000,000 on a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (HQ003422D0021). No funds will be obligated at the time of award. The cumulative total of the contract, including this option year, is $27,010,000. The total amount of this action if all options are exercised is $45,000,000. The purpose of this contract is to procure heavy and civil construction on the Pentagon Reservation for up to 10 years if all options are exercised. The work will be performed at the Pentagon Reservation. The estimated completion date is Sept. 26, 2032. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

CACI Inc.-Federal, Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded an $8,077,248 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for FarPoint Software. This contract provides for the research, development, and tuning of complex models of human distributed command and control decision-making by analyzing the actual behavior of operators in a virtual simulation. Work will be performed in Chantilly, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 17, 2027. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and two offers were received. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $5,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-23-C-B005).

R&K Enterprise Solutions Inc., Newport News, Virginia, is being awarded an $8,593,946 12-month extension of services modification (HT0011-21-F-0086-P00007) for the firm-fixed-price contract (HT0011-21-F-0086) to provide safe, effective, evidence-based health care to Military Health System beneficiaries. The Defense Health Agency will utilize R&K staff expertise to foster a culture of patient safety, reliability, collaborative teamwork, and process improvement. R&K staff will engage in proactive risk assessment, risk mitigation, and process improvement. Work will be performed at various locations inside and outside the continental U.S. Fiscal 2024 operation and maintenance funds will be obligated to exercise and fully fund the extension of Contract Line Items 4001-4005 for 12 months, from Nov. 1, 2023, to Oct. 31, 2024. This modification is being issued subject to availability of fiscal 2024 funds. DHA, Professional Services Contracting Division, Falls Church, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Radiance Technologies Inc., Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $49,731,154 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for aerial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of March 19, 2029. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $49,731,154 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W50NH9-23-C-0016).

QinetiQ Inc., Lorton, Virginia, was awarded an $84,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for first article testing and production of next-generation advanced bomb suits. 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 Sept. 20, 2028. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-23-D-0021).

Amentum Services Inc., Chantilly, Virginia (W912GB-23-D-0026); Continuity Global Solutions LLC, Chantilly, Virginia (W912GB-23-D-0027); and M.C. Dean Inc., Tysons Corner, Virginia (W912GB-23-D-0028), will compete for each order of the $45,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for construction surveillance 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. 1, 2028. US Army Corps of Engineers, European District, is the contracting activity.

Amentum Services Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $15,111,339 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a command and control facility. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed at Command Post Tango, South Korea, with an estimated completion date of May 17, 2025. Fiscal 2019 military construction, Army funds in the amount of $15,111,339 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Far East District, is the contracting activity (W912UM-23-C-0004).

Sauer Construction, Jacksonville, Florida, is awarded a $45,078,384 firm-fixed-price contract for magazine construction. This contract provides for construction of up to five earth-covered, high-explosive magazines and demolition of up to 16 magazines. Work will be performed in Yorktown, Virginia, and will be completed by November 2025. Fiscal 2022 military construction (Navy) funds in the amount of $45,078,384 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 www.sam.gov website, with one offer received. Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-23-C-0052).

CORRECTION: Signature Renovations LLC, Capitol Heights, Maryland, was added as an awardee to the $249,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract (W91247-23-D-9014) announced on Aug. 15, 2023, for maintenance, repair, and minor construction projects. Bids were solicited via the internet with 19 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2028. 419th Contracting Support Brigade, Fort Liberty, North Carolina, is the contracting authority.