US, Russia Warships Nearly Collide

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The US and Russia are pointing fingers at each other after a near collision between warships Friday in the East China Sea, reports Newsweek. Russia’s Pacific Fleet said the USS Chancellorsville can within 165 feet of its destroyer, reports Reuters. The US is accusing the Russian ship of “unsafe and unprofessional” conduct, reports The Washington Post.

Acting DefSec Patrick Shanahan said the US will issue a formal diplomatic protest to Russia objecting to the behavior of a Russian destroyer, Politico reports.

The US Navy has one aircraft carrier — the USS Abraham Lincoln — able to deploy with F-35C Lighting IIs, reports USNI. Other carriers will need upgrades to deploy the jets.

The US Navy has four potential plans for how it will scrap the Enterprise, the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, reports Military Times. It could become the first Navy vessel of its kind to be scrapped by a commercial breaker, if the Pentagon gets its way. A GAO report last year estimated it could cost between $1 billion and $1.5 billion to dispose of the carrier, Navy Times reported.

Lt. Gen. David H. Berger was confirmed last week to be the next commandant of the Marine Corps, reports Marine Corps Times.

Lockheed Martin flew its Optionally Piloted Vehicle technology aboard a Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter for the first time, reports IHS Jane’s 360.

The US Army plans to take part in joint hypersonic weapon testing next year, reports Army Times. Soldiers will do loading and off loading canisters and use the command and control systems, which are similar to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, launchers and the Patriot systems, according to an Army release.

Lockheed Martin will close its Sikorsky helicopter facility in Coatesville, PA, by the end of this year, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer. The company plans to relocate production to other Sikorsky sites due to the multi-year slump in the rotorcraft industry and the need to balance footprint and workforce with customer and requirements, according to a spokeswoman.

Leo Wynne, a supervisory engineering technician with Naval Facilities Engineering Command Washington’s Facilities Engineering and Acquisition Division at NAS Patuxent River, has been named the NAVFAC Washington Supervisor of the Year, reports dcmilitary.com.

The Baynet reports Barb Gordon, US Naval Test Pilot School rotary instructor, was the Navy’s first to receive the Army’s Broken Wing Award. The ceremony was held June 6 at NAS Pax River.

Contracts:

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded a $958,049,562 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 30 full-rate production Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar units under the portfolio management of Program Executive Officer Land Systems, Quantico, Virginia. This procurement also includes spares parts and retrofit kits. Work will be performed in Linthicum, Maryland (37 percent); East Syracuse, New York (28 percent); Stafford Springs, Connecticut (7 percent); Tulsa, Oklahoma (6 percent); Syracuse, New York (4 percent); Valencia, California (3 percent); San Diego, California (3 percent); Richardson, Texas (3 percent); Farmingdale, New York (2 percent); St. Paul, Minnesota (2 percent); Gilbert, Arizona (1 percent); Phoenix, Arizona (1 percent); Lowell, Massachusetts (1 percent); Littleton, Colorado (1 percent); and Durham, North Carolina (1 percent), and is expected to be complete by Jan. 13, 2025. Fiscal 2019 procurement funds (Marine Corps) in the amount of $194,748,327 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract award was not competitively procured in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 and 10 US Code § 2304(c)(1). The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-19-C-0043).

Exp Federal, Chicago, Illinois (W912GB-19-D-0013); Stanley COWI JV, Muscatine, Iowa (W912GB-19-D-0014); Black & Veatch, Overland Park, Kansas (W912GB-19-D-0012); and WSP USA Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (W912GB-19-D-0015) will compete for each order of the $36,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for general architect and engineering services. 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 June 6, 2024. US Army Corps of Engineers, Wiesbaden, Germany, is the contracting activity.

Copper River Technologies, Anchorage, Alaska, has been awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity with a maximum amount of $21,000,000. The contract is to provide professional-level analytical, communication, event management, and logistics services as well as administrative-level general and executive services to provide continuous process improvement, business process reengineering, and organizational efficiencies support services to Facilities Services Directorate (FSD), Space Portfolio Management Division, other FSD Divisions and satisfy Department of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Washington Headquarters Services requirements. Work performance will take place in Arlington, Virginia. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,322,696 are being obligated at time of award. The expected completion date is June 6, 2024. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HQ0034-19-D-0015).

The Raytheon Co., Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland, has been awarded a $14,983,835 firm-fixed-price modification (P00001) previously awarded contract FA8634-19-C-2700 to exercise two options. This modification provides for the retrofitting the F-15 fleet with Mode 5 capable Identify Friend or Foe units, including 196 F-15C/D APX-114, and 196 F-15 C/D APX-119 retrofit units, which provide National Security Agency approved cryptography and robust anti-jam interrogation and reply encryption capabilities. Work will be performed at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, and Largo, Florida, and is expected to be complete by December 2021. Fiscal year 2019 procurement 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 $36,170,547. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity.

Systems & Technology Research, LLC, Woburn, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $7,043,368 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00007) to previously awarded contract HR001118C0004 for a research project for undersea sensing systems. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $19,273,602 from $12,230,234. Work will be performed in Woburn, Massachusetts (8%); Arlington, Virginia (8%); Groton, Connecticut (81%), Middletown, Rhode Island (1%); and Seattle, Washington (2%) with an estimated completion date of March 2020. Fiscal 2019 research and development funds in the amount of $7,043,368 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.