USAID Seeks ‘Novel’ STEM Contractors

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 US Agency for International Development wants federal contractors to help develop “novel ideas” to launch new professional Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fellowships, reports FCW. USAID wants to award contracts for a program in late summer 2023, with the agency hosting the first set of fellows sometime next year.

A crucial test for the F-35 program is in danger of slipping further, perhaps into fiscal 2024, reports Defense News. An array of simulation tests leading to final testing anticipated this spring or early summer, has now slipped to August 2023. With testing falling further behind, production could be pushed into the next fiscal year.

Artificial intelligence can be used to do some pretty terrible things. Military Times lets you decide if rendering “The Muppets” as soldiers in America’s famous wars is one of them. Or just some great lampooning.

The Biden administration is poised to approve sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, reports Defense News, as international reluctance to send tanks to the battlefront begins to erode. It could take months or years to deliver them.

The German government is expected to also announce its decision to support Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks, Defense News reports on media reports in Germany.

The Navy’s special warfare community is offering fat paydays to senior-enlisted SEALs and special warfare boat operators to keep them in the service, reports Navy Times. Those eligible for the retention bonuses must be an E-7 or above and have 20 to 28 years of active-duty service, according to the January 10 NAVADMIN, which you can read here.

Al Jazeera reports Russian warship armed with hypersonic cruise weapons will take part in exercises with the Chinese and South African navies in February, according to Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency.

Britain has taken delivery of the first of two undersea surveillance ships tasked with helping protect vital cables and pipelines from sabotage, reports Defense News. The 6,000-ton ship will become operational starting this summer after the vessel, previously an oil rig support ship, has undergone a series of minor military modifications at the Cammell Laird yard at Birkenhead in northwest England.

 

 

Greece has announced its first domestically built combat drone, the Grypas, with the initial scaled aircraft expected by 2025, reports Defense News.

It is not napalm in the morning after all, which recalls the scent of military life, it is jet fuel, reports Military.com. And now Land O Lakes, Florida-based Billington Farms has produced a candle that replicates the smell of jet fuel.

A Marine who said he was waiting for “Civil War 2″ and two other active-duty members of the military have been charged with participating in the riot at the US Capitol, reports Marine Times. Micah Coomer, Joshua Abate, and Dodge Dale Hellonen were arrested this week on misdemeanor charges after their fellow Marines helped investigators identify them in footage of the January 6 Capitol riot.

United States and Israel began a massive joint military exercise in Israel on Monday to show adversaries like Iran that Washington is not too distracted by the war in Ukraine and the threat from China to mobilize a large military force, reports NBC News.

The Army might be on track to meet its bullish recruiting goal this year after last year saw the service struggle to find recruits, reports Military.com. Since the start of the new fiscal year, which began in October, the Army has recruited some 18,500 new soldiers and has roughly another 13,000 in the pipeline in various stages of the recruiting process.

Phoenix area airports are even urging reservations for drop-and-go pick-ups and drop-offs for Super Bowl LVII on February 12, reports Aviation Week. Reservation program will be in effect for inbound and outbound traffic at Phoenix-area airports from February 8-13 for overnight parking and passenger pickup and drop-off. Similar reservation times and requirements are also planned for Las Vegas-area airports.

Contracts:

Alutiiq Solutions LLC, Anchorage, Alaska, is awarded an $8,003,045 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00008) to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N0042120D0007). This modification exercises an option to provide research and analysis, strategic initiative, executive leadership management, administrative, operational, and technical program support for the Command Strategic Leadership Service Team in support of the Commander, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and direct reporting teams, the NAVAIR Corporate Operations Group Business Financial Management Competency, the Joint Strike Fighter front office, and the NAVAIR Washington Liaison Office. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (60%); and Arlington, Virginia (40%), and is expected to be completed in February 2024. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

KBR Wyle Services LLC, Lexington Park, Maryland, is awarded a $29,386,496 cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, cost reimbursable modification (P00021) to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N0042118D0001). This modification exercises options to provide installation, systems integration, test and evaluation, in-service engineering logistics, repair and validation, training, lab maintenance, quality assurance, and technical management services for the Multi-Mission Datalink support system in support of the Airborne Systems Integration Division of Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Webster Outlying Field. Work will be performed in St. Inigoes, Maryland (50%); Norfolk, Virginia (11%); San Diego, California (11%); Everett, Washington (5%); Mayport, Florida (5%); Yokosuka, Japan (5%); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (4%); Rota, Spain (2%); Bath, Maine (2%); Pascagoula, Mississippi (2%); various locations outside the continental US (CONUS) (2%); and various locations within the CONUS (1%), and is expected to be completed in January 2025. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, is awarded a $33,782,230 cost reimbursable modification (P00010) to a previously awarded, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N0042118D0017). This modification increases the contract ceiling to provide engineering support, to include multi-discipline, integrated technical baseline evaluations, developmental progress assessments, cost, schedule, emerging technology, and maturity of design assessments for all Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) acquisition programs in support of the NAVAIR Systems Engineering Department. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (95%); various locations within the continental U.S. (CONUS) (4%); and various locations outside the CONUS (1%), and is expected to be completed in April 2024. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Sallyport Global Holdings, Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $235,608,052 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00003) to previously awarded contract FA8630-22-C-6006 for base operations support, base life support and security services in support of the Iraq F-16 program. The contract modification is for an additional 12 months of service being provided under the basic contract. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract $360,780,574. Work will be performed at Martyr BG Ali Flaih Air Base, Iraq, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 30, 2024. This modification involves foreign military sales to Iraq. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $235,608,052 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, is the contracting Activity.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a not-to exceed $320,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee undefinitized modification (P00020) to a previously awarded advanced acquisition contract (N0001920C0009). This modification adds scope to provide non-recurring engineering in support of the production of one F-35A, one F-35B, and one F-35C new flight science test aircraft to replace aging flight science test aircraft for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and non-U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (30%); El Segundo, California (25%); Warton, United Kingdom (20%); Orlando, Florida (10%); Nashua, New Hampshire (5%); Nagoya, Japan (5%); and Baltimore, Maryland (5%), and is expected to be completed in December 2027. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $11,083,062; fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force) funds in the amount of $11,083,058‬; and non-U.S. DOD funds in the amount of $4,882,683 will be obligated at the time of award, $22,166,120‬ of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

UPDATE: Atlantic Diving Supply Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (SPE2D1-23-D-0001, $98,615,757), has been added as an awardee to the multiple award contract for medical equipment and accessories for the Defense Logistics Agency Electronic Catalog, issued against solicitation SPE2DH-21-R-0002 and awarded Feb.10, 2022.