Basic Nuclear Propulsion
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Several navies around the world currently use nuclear propulsion in at least some ships and submarines. The USA has had an all-nuclear submarine fleet for over 50 years, a policy that dates back to Adm. Hyman Rickover. Britain’s sale of its SSK Upholder Class to Canada (as the problem-plagued Victoria Class) has made them an all-nuclear submarine fleet as well. China, France and Russia all use naval nuclear propulsion within mixed submarine fleets, India is currently working to join this club via its SSN program, and Brazil is about to launch a program of its own. On the surface, America’s aircraft carriers became an all-nuclear fleet with the retirement of the USS Kitty Hawk [CV 63], and FY 2008-09 spending legislation has been is pushing the US Navy to use nuclear power in its future CG (X) cruisers and new amphibious ship classes. These surface ships are joined by France’s problem-plagued aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle, and Russia’s Kirov Class cruisers.

The saga of the Charles de Gaulle serves as a reminder that adapting nuclear propulsion technology to the small spaces of a submarine, or fitting them to a surface warship, is no trivial feat. Much can go wrong, even in nations that have considerable naval nuclear propulsion experience. On the flip side, advances in design can offer significant benefits. The new nuclear plants in America’s Virginia Class and Seawolf Class fast attack subs, Britain’s new Astute Class fast attack submarines, and the USA’s forthcoming CVN-78 Gerald R. Ford Class aircraft carriers, offer designs that will save billions over the life of each ship by eliminating the standard mid-life reactor refueling.

This Spotlight article currently covers related American nuclear propulsion industrial base contracts since the beginning of FY 2006. The latest includes a $523.5 million contract to Bechtel for naval nuclear propulsion components…

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Solar Farm at Nellis AFB
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The US Army Corps of Engineers signed an agreement with Irwin Energy Security Partners to build a $2 billion, 500-megawatt (MW) solar energy complex at Fort Irwin located in the Mojave Desert, California.

Through an enhanced use lease (EUL) agreement, the Army will lease about 14,000 acres at Fort Irwin to Irwin Energy Security Parnters, a joint venture of ACCIONA Solar Power in Henderson, NV and the Clark Energy Group in Bethesda, MD. The project will be financed and developed by the joint venture partners who will deliver services in kind (e.g., operation and maintenance) to the Army in exchange for the lease of military landholdings. The venture will be able to sell electricity not used by Fort Irwin on the commercial grid via two high-power transmission lines in the vicinity of the base.

The 500 MW project will be the largest DoD solar power project, dwarfing the 14 MW solar farm at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and the 2 MW installation at Fort Carson in Colorado…

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Guyco in Lampasas, TX won a $89.2 million firm-fixed-price contract to renovate 13 VOLAR barracks and a central energy plant at Fort Hood, TX.

The VOLAR, or Volunteer Army, barracks, were built in the 1970s to accommodate the all-volunteer Army, following the end of the draft in place during the Vietnam War.

For the renovation, Guyco will perform engineering analysis, evaluation, and testing of the structures. Then, the contractor will use the findings to resolve mold growth issue, minimize vapor transmission, improve energy efficiency, and seal building envelopes to improve the living conditions for the soldiers stationed there…

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Fill’er Up
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Curtiss-Wright Flow Control Corp. in Farmingdale, NY received a $47.5 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for electric valve operator (EVO) assemblies and associated technical data to replace existing EVO units and manifold bonnet assemblies used on JP-5 jet fuel storage tank manifolds.

The EVO assemblies are automated, sealed solenoid valves that operate the flow of jet fuel…

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Wright Patterson AFB
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The Dayton Power and Light Co. (DP&L) in Dayton, OH won a maximum $175.5 million tariff contract to take over ownership, operation, and maintenance of the electric distribution system at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

The original proposal was Web solicited and through a mailing list with 3 responses received by the Defense Energy Support Center at Fort Belvoir, VA (SP0600-09-C-8251). This contract is regulated tariff rate based for a 50-year contract period. The date of performance completion is July 10/61.

This contract is part of a broader effort to privatize Wright Patterson’s utility infrastructure. In addition to the electrical grid, the base intends to sell off its natural gas and water distribution and wastewater collection systems…

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NAS JRB New Orleans
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Small business qualifier Atlantic Electric in N. Charleston, SC won a $14.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for repair and replacement of airfield lighting at Naval Air Station (NAS) Joint Reserve Base (JRB) New Orleans in Louisiana. Atlantic Electric will demolish and replace runway lights, guidance signs, taxiway lights with LED, transformers/ pads, electrical conduits and circuits, main 5kv feed, control panels, threshold lights, wave off lights, handholds, vaults, helipad lighting system and wind socks.

The proposed construction will also consist of repaving shoulders on Runway 4-22, Runway 14-32, Taxiways A, B, J & K, along with adjacent shoulder areas for the purpose of providing positive drainage runoff. Portions of some runway and taxiway areas themselves will require demolition and replacement.

Atlantic Electric expects to complete the work by April 2011. Funds for this project are provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 4 proposals received by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast in Jacksonville, FL (N69450-09-C-0762).

NAS JRB New Orleans is located 12 miles south of downtown New Orleans…

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The supply of electricity is vital to maintain any modern facility, especially a US military facility. And the Defense Logistics Agency’s Defense Energy Support Center (DESC) ensures that contracts are awarded to companies to deliver that electricity.

DESC recently awarded 3 contracts worth $15.5 million to supply electricity to US military facilities in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. And the winners are…

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Air BP tanker
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Air BP, a division of BP Products North America, in Warrenville, IL won a maximum $112.1 million fixed-price-with-economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for fuel. There are multiple locations of performance.

There were 69 proposals originally solicited with 4 responses received by the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC) in Fort Belvoir, VA (SP0600-09-D-0510). The date of performance completion is March 31/10.

Small business qualifier Petro Star in Anchorage, AK won a maximum $93.3 million fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for fuel. Other location of performance is Valdez, AK.

There were originally 72 proposals solicited with 19 responses. The date of performance completion is Oct 30/10. The Defense Energy Support Center (DESC) in Fort Belvoir, VA manages the contract (SP0600-09-D-0513).

F/A-18Es over Afghanistan
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It’s a seemingly small change. Allow US Navy F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets to cruise between 29,000 and 41,000 feet, where the thinner air would save the US Navy several million dollars per year in fuel costs – $250,000 for each of their qualifying Super Hornet squadrons. Unfortunately, that’s where passenger airliners fly, an altitude band called “Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum” (RVSM) airspace. Even worse, in 2005, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reacted to congestion by reducing RVSM separation, but compensated by requiring dual-altimetry systems to minimize the odds of catastrophic error. That rule neatly eliminated almost all military fighter jets.

A US NAVAIR release describes the 3-year process that led to RVSM airspace certification for the 340 Super Hornets produced in Production Lot 22 and beyond. Certification efforts for other Hornet family aircraft are also proceeding, including the F/A-18F-derived EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, and smaller Navy/USMC F/A-18 A+, C, and D Hornets.