The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Tactical Technology Office has 3 major focus areas. Advanced Platforms does a lot of work in robotics, from load carriers that walk like a dog (LS3) to UAVs designed to stay up for months (Vulture). They also do work in areas like hypersonic vehicles, however, and helicopter rotors that work better by changing their shape. Advanced Space Systems deals with programs like MOIRE flat-lens surveillance, and F6 fractional/clustered satellites. Advanced Weapons Systems covers projects like the naval LRASM missile, the Triple Target Terminator missile for fighters, or guided small-caliber sniper rounds (EXACTO).

In October 2011, US Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR) Atlantic in Charleston, SC issued a multiple-award contract for FY 2012, whose options could drive it to $150 million, and extend work through FY 2014.

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The Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, GA is an outgrowth of the BRAC 2005 process, which consolidated the Army Armor Center and School with the Army Infantry Center and School. In October 2011, they issued a 5-year, maximum $458 million contract among 14 contractors.

Winners will bid on task orders to help the center produce training strategies, doctrine, capabilities, analysis, instruction and products for the current and future force. Per standard procedure, work location will be determined with each task order, during a contract period that will run until Sept 30/16. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 34 bids received by the Mission Contracting Office in Fort Bragg, NC. The 14 winners were:

• The Inspector General of the Department of Defense (DoD) releases Contract Management of Joint Logistics Integrator Services in Support of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles Needs Improvement [PDF]. The report criticizes officials for allowing contractors to perform ‘inherently government functions’ such as disciplining DoD staff. Concerns are also raised that contractors worked with the Joint Program Office to prepare for the follow-on contract.

• As part of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s visit to Iraq, a US Forces spokesman reveals to journalists that ‘improvised rocket assisted mortars’ (IRAM) and ‘explosively formed penterators’ (EFP) used by insurgents originate from Iran.

• The AntiSec online hacking movement claims it has broken into a server run by military contractor Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) and stolen military email addresses and passwords. BAH refused to comment.

• Following the recent announcement that the United States is to suspend $800 million worth of military aid to Pakistan, an official claims that increasingly close military ties with China will allow Islamabad to ‘fill the gap’.

• The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) awards Guident Technologies a $20.2 million contract to provide Data Management, Business Intelligence and additional services for the Defense Commissary Agency.

• HDT Global subsidiary Airborne Systems announces that it has been awarded a joint contract with Zodiac International by France’s Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) to provide its Maritime Craft Aerial Delivery System (MCADS). The product will be used to airdrop Zodiac’s new multi-purpose commando boat (ECUME) [PDF].

• Harris Corporation receives a $12.2 million order to supply the Department of Defense (DoD) with additional Falcon III AN/PRC-117G multiband manpack radio systems.

• Canada signs a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kuwait to provide access to an airport and sea terminal for the transshipment of materiel returning from Afghanistan.

• China may have deployed a communications UAV called Silver Eagle in a recent exercise. The UAV is considered all but identical to the ASN Technology ASN-209 and may be deployed as part of China’s ‘access denial’[PDF] strategy for naval conflict in home waters.

• Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) confirms that the country has been incorporating anti-aircraft carrier strategies in its annual military drills since 2008. The MND refused to confirm if a Chinese aircraft carrier will form part of computer simulated exercises due to start on July 18th.

• Russia to invest $2.6 billion in ballistic missile systems with the goal of doubling production from 2013, says Prime Minister Putin.

• Aviation Week offers an overview of Russia’s planned military helicopter buys over the next few years, and notes an issue with Brazil’s November 2008 attack helicopter buy of Mi-35Ms.

• With the DDG-1000 Zumwalt destroyers ended at just 3 ships, BAE is proposing a 155mm “AGS-Lite” turret swap for their 5”/62 caliber Mk.45 MOD4 gun that now equips DDG-51 Arleigh Burke destroyers. It has no stealth, half the weight of the AGS turret, and less rocket-boosted, GPS-guided 155mm LRLAP ammunition in the magazine. It is offered as an option if the US Navy wants to begin reversing their huge decline in naval fire support capabilities. Meanwhile, Finmeccanica’s Oto Melara offers “Vulcano” [PDF] ultra-long range 127mm/54 caliber rounds with IIR or GPS guidance, compatibility with older 5”/54 caliber Mk.45 MOD2s on ships under DDG 80, and a parent firm subsidiary in the USA’s DRS.

• UK MoD shakes up management at its Defense Equipment and Support organization.

• Ukraine to field Stugna-P laser-guided anti-tank missile systems capable of destroying low-altitude aerial targets as well.

• Pentagon posts documents detailing security measures for a new annex building online.

• Northrop Grumman snags $99 million USAF contract to perform base security operations at overseas US air bases, and a $77.9 million US Army contract to development software for air and missile defense workstations.

• Up to $189.4 million to Booz Allen Hamilton to provide cyberspace technology integration for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific.

• Virtual Corp. gets $49 million contract from DoD to provide disaster recovery software and services.

• Bell Helicopter flies its privately-developed “OH-58 Block II”, a testbed for technologies that could go into their Armed Aerial Scout competition entry – or circumvent AAS entirely via the Army’s proposed “OH-58F” reset & upgrade program.

• DCNS mates the fore and aft halves of its 1st Gowind Offshore Patrol Vessel, finishing the hull. The OPV is being built under a private development contract, followed by a service agreement with the French Navy for 3 years of operations. The goal? Endorsement and operational success, to boost export sales for the scalable OPV/ Corvette family.

• Booz & Co.’s strategy + business magazine on “Crafting Best-in-Class Business Intelligence.”

• A governmental commission is investigating whether Russia’s GEO-IK-2 satellite – designed to gather gravitational data to improve guidance of ballistic missiles and launched Feb 1/02 aboard a Rokot rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome – is stranded in a useless orbit.

• Russian parliament ratifies military supply agreement with Belarus.

• New report [PDF] examines US reliance on China as a near monopoly supplier of rare earth metals, which are used in high-tech weapons such as radar, night vision devices, and smart bombs.

• Todd Shipyards gets a 5-year US Navy contract worth up to $80 million to provide drydocking of surface combat ships homeported at Naval Station Everett or visiting the Puget Sound area.

• Telos gets task order to design and build an enterprise-level information transport system at 10 Air National Guard (ANG) locations under the $9 billion NETCENTS contract vehicle.

• Booz Allen Hamilton gets $10.7 million contract to provide IT services to the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.

As cyber-security becomes a greater focus for militaries around the world, contracts are following. The US Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific in San Diego, CA recently issued a set of multiple award contracts aimed at shaping the USA’s cyber-defense and cyber-warfare infrastructure.

Note that these are multiple-award contracts, hence not cumulative. The highest figure below is the highest possible total for the entire program, under circumstances that are basically impossible. These are 2 year contracts running to Jan 30/13, plus 3 more 12-month option periods. The contracts were competitively procured via publication on the Federal Business Opportunities website and posting to the Space and Naval Warfare Systems e-Commerce Central website, with 14 offers received. The 4 winners, and their terms, were:

$18M to Alion for Special Ops mobile repair systems under WSTIAC contract. (Nov 22/10)

The US Department of Defense’s Information Analysis Centers (IACs) are research and analysis organizations operated by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC). Chartered by the DoD to help researchers, engineers, scientists and program managers, IACS offer specialized research staff to DoD agencies and military services.

The mission of the IACs is 2 two-fold: (1) IACs provide access to worldwide scientific and technical information to improve the productivity of personnel in the defense science and technology communities. The IACs accomplish this mission by collecting, analyzing, synthesizing, and disseminating relevant information in clearly-defined and structured subject areas; (2) IACs serve their respective fields by providing technical services and solutions…

• List of IACs
• CBRNIAC
• IATAC
• MSIAC
• RIAC
• SNIM
• SURVIAC
• WSTIAC
  Continue Reading… »

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) awarded 4 contracts worth up to $1.5 billion to provide financial management services in support of the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) program.

The MDA is expected to spend more $100 billion over the lifetime of the BMD program. The agency has come under criticism from the GAO for its lack of transparency and accountability.

“MDA’s flexible acquisition approach has limited the ability for DOD and congressional decision makers to measure MDA’s progress on cost, schedule, and testing…MDA’s baselines have been inadequate to measure progress and hold MDA accountable. However, GAO also reported that new MDA initiatives to improve baselines could help improve acquisition accountability.”

To help it improve financial accountability, the MDA is turning to 4 contractors:

Keep ‘em runing…

At the beginning of FY 2002, Honeywell won a support contract for the USAF’s Satellite Control Network (AFSCN). The SCN contract consolidated development, systems engineering, integration and support functions into one contract that has the potential to reach $1.22 billion, and run to FY 2017.

Under this contract, Honeywell will replace existing communications technologies that make up the AFSCN’s ground network and tracking systems with improved components and antenna systems. Honeywell’s team includes TRW, L-3 Communications, Booz-Allen and Hamilton, SPARTA Corporation, Integral Systems, Inc., and IITC…

• The AFSCN
• Contracts & Key Events
• Additional Readings
  Continue Reading… »

• PricewaterhouseCoopers: Asia-Pacific aerospace and defense market is predicted to grow 70% over the next 20 years.

• Corruption in Afghanistan: it isn’t just a problem for the government’s forces…

• Frost & Sullivan: DoD is expected to offset a dip in C4ISR research and development spending with an increase in C4ISR supplies, services, and deployed technologies.

• Going Public: Carlyle Group looks to raise $300 million by selling shares in defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton through an IPO.

• Insourcing provisions in the 2011 defense authorization bills sparks concern by government contractors’ trade group.

• USAF developing MEDEVAC (aeroMEDical EVACuation) procedures for its new short-field C-27Js, which are set to become a key link in that chain.

• Donaldson wins order for no-moving-parts, no maintenance air filtration in new EQ-36 counterfire radars.

• Hurt Locker: RELYANT gets a $49 million US Army contract to provide unexploded ordnance removal and mine clearance in southern and western Afghanistan.

• Here Comes the Sun: Ascent Solar Technologies wins DARPA contract to develop portable photovoltaics for battlefield power systems.

• Night Vision: The UK Ministry of Defence is placing a $53 million order with ITT to buy head-mounted night vision systems (a variant of the Generation III AN/PVS-14 monocular goggle).