US military construction money usually flows out from Washington, DC, to various parts of the country and the world. The amounts are often large and can have a major impact on a community’s economy.

However, there has been a growing trend for that same money to go into the communities surrounding the Washington, DC area. Just in the last month, the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Washington has awarded up to $1.25 billion in construction contracts for work in Washington and the Maryland and Virginia suburbs.

In early January 2010, NAVFAC awarded up to $750 million to 5 firms for DC area construction, and on Jan 27/10, 4 small business qualifiers received construction contracts from NAVFAC Washington worth up to $500 million…

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Fire watcher on duty during
USS Carl Vinson overhaul
(click to view larger)

British sailors on wooden warships used to sing a sea-shanty called the “Fire Down Below.” The song – sung while sailors were raising the anchor, pumping out the bilge, or hauling ropes – was about fighting a fire onboard a ship.

Ever since the era of wooden sailing ships, fires onboard ships have been a major concern for the world’s navies. In the era of steel ships, the fire danger might not be as ever-present. But it remains, especially when repair and overhaul work is being done.

That type of work requires the use of welders. And where welders work, there is a risk of fires starting. To monitor the welders’ work during ship overhauls, the US Navy uses fire watchers…

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The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contracts to 3 small business qualifiers to provide advisory and assistance services to MDA’s Quality, Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate. Each contract has an ordering ceiling of $209.6 million.

The contractors will assist the directorate in assessing the engineering, technology, production and programmatic practices/ processes used to develop and operate the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system. MDA is developing a layered BDM system that is designed to destroy enemy missiles by engaging them in all phases of flight (see graphic).

The MDA has come under criticism for the slow pace of BMD development, cost overruns, questionable auditing practices, and repeated test failures. The 3 contracts are part of an effort by MDA to streamline is contracting processes. The winners of the contracts are:

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The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity multiple award design-build construction contracts to 4 small business qualifiers for airfield paving and heavy duty paving for military operations vehicles at US Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma. The maximum dollar value, including the base period and 4 option years, for all 4 contracts is $60 million.

MCAS Yuma serves as a base of operations for Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron-1 and 3rd MAW units, including Marine Aircraft Group-13. With access to 2.8 million acres of bombing and aviation training ranges, MCAS Yuma supports 80% of the USMC’s air-to-ground aviation training.

The winners of the NAVFAC paving contracts are:

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Link 16 Display
(click to see situation)

Jam-resistant Link-16 radios automatically exchange battlefield information – particularly locations of friendly and enemy aircraft, ships and ground forces – among themselves in a long-range, line-of-sight network. For example, air surveillance tracking data from an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft can be instantly shared with fighter aircraft and air defense units. More than a dozen countries have installed Link 16 terminals on over 19 different land, sea, and air platforms, making it an interoperability success story.

While recent advancements may make AESA radars the future transmitters of choice, Link 16 is the current standard. The Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Low Volume Terminals (MIDS LVTs) were developed by a multinational consortium to provide Link 16 capability at a lower weight, volume, and cost than the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS). This free-to-view DID article throws a spotlight on the program, explaining Link 16 and covering associated contracts around the world.

The latest developments include a $340 million request from Taiwan…

• The MIDS-LVT Program [updated]
• Into the Future: FAST & MIDS JTRS/ MIDS-J
• MIDS/ Link 16 Contracts & Events [updated]
• Additional Readings
  
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IOTV: key features
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When reading about modern body armor one often hears about small arms protective inserts (SAPI) or Enhanced SAPI (ESAPI) ceramic plate inserts. While these inserts are more fragile than past generations of inserts, they offer a significant improvement over their 1990s predecessors in terms of both weight and protection. After episodic issues with production ramp-up and quality control, this gear is widely fielded with the US Army and several allied militaries. The US Marines replaced it with the MTV. The Army itself has introduced the Improved OTV. Privately developed body armors like Blackwater Gear are also in theater. Yet all of these designs rely on a “vest and plates” approach that uses a similar set of inserts to give the vests most of their bullet-stopping power.

This DID spotlight article covers the USA’s purchases in this area. The latest news involves a $12.4 million order for Ceradyne to supply SAPI lightweight ceramic body armor under a foreign military sales requirement….

• ESAPI, Explained
• Contracts & Key Events, 2004 – Present [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  
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Small business qualifier Environmental Management Inc. (dba EMI Services) in Idaho Falls, ID won a combination firm-fixed-price (FFP), indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract for facilities maintenance and repair and heavy equipment repair at US Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, US Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River, and other USMC properties in the eastern North Carolina area.

The maximum dollar value, including the base period, 4 one-year options, and 5 one-year award options, is $187.3 million ($161.5 million FFP and $25.8 million IDIQ).

Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, NC is the home of the USMC’s Expeditionary Forces in Readiness. MCAS New River, also in Jacksonville, is the principal USMC helicopter operating location on the East Coast, and supports aircrew training in the H-53 helicopter…

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Oshkosh Striker
(view in action)

Militaries often issue multiple-vendor contracts, in which multiple winners may compete for specific delivery orders under an already-negotiated set of contract terms. This saves money and also time, which can be a very precious commodity depending on the services being rendered.

US base support and engineering contracts are often issued under these frameworks, and also tend to be awarded by region since the number of bases, the size of the country, and of course political interests make whole-country awards impractical.

In December 2007, the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP) in Philadelphia, PA issued awards by region for 5-year, $800 million indefinite-quantity/ indefinite-delivery, multiple-vendor contracts. They cover “tailored logistics support” involving fire and emergency services on behalf of US military installations, other federal agencies and departments, and other approved customers. In practice, all of the contracts below may involve the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, federal civilian agencies, or even state and local governments as end customers.

These contracts involved a 2-year base contract, followed by three 1-year options. The contracts for the West Region includes US installations in Western states, as well as American Samoa, Guam, Japan, Korea, and the Northern Marianas. The contracts for the other US regions include US installations in the Middle East and Europe.

The base period expired in December 2009, and the DSCP decided to exercise the 1st option year on most of the contracts…

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A160T carries
1,000 pounds
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Recent years have seen a variety of unmanned helicopter options introduced into the market. Boeing’s entry lays a breathtaking challenge before the field: what could the military do with a helicopter-like, autonomously-flown UAV with a range of 2,500 nautical miles and endurance of 16-24 hours, carrying a payload of 1,000-2,500 pounds, and doing it all more quietly than conventional helicopters? For that matter, imagine what disaster relief officials could do with something that had all the positive search characteristics of a helicopter, but much longer endurance.

Enter the A160 Hummingbird Warrior (YMQ-18), which was snapped up in one of Boeing’s corporate acquisition deals. It uses a very unconventional rotor technology, and Boeing’s Phantom Works division continues to develop it as a revolutionary technology demonstrator and future UAV platform. With the Army’s Class IV UAV role and the Navy’s VTUAV locked up by the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout, Boeing’s sales options may seem thin. Their platform’s capabilities may interest US Special Operations Command and the Department of Homeland Security, however, and exceptional performance gains will always create market opportunities in the civil and military space. At least, Boeing hopes so.

This is DID’s FOCUS article covering the A160 program. Recent developments include a contract for its unique FORESTER radar, and consideration by the US Coast Guard…

• The A160T Hummingbird [updated]
• Contracts & Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  
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The US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) awarded a $7.8 million cost-plus-fixed-fee-term contract to small business qualifier Tekla Research in Woodbridge, VA for research and development of electronic systems and embedded software for visible, electro-optic and infrared airborne sensors. The sensors are being developed for a range of aircraft, including the F-18 Hornet fighter and the EA-6B Prowler and EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft.

The contract contains options which, if exercised, will bring the total cumulative contract value to $45.4 million.

NRL is the corporate research laboratory for the US Navy and US Marine Corps and conducts scientific research and technology development…

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