$36.9M for Energy Conservation Measures at Ft. Hood Until 2029

Johnson Controls Government Systems, LLC in Washington, DC received a maximum $36.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for acquisition of energy conservation measures for Fort Hood, TX. Fort Hood is famous as the largest active duty armored post in the United States, and is the only post in the USA capable of supporting two full Army armored divisions. While equipping Hood’s fleet of M1 tanks with diesel engines would certainly conserve a great deal of energy, that isn’t what Johnson Controls does.

Instead, they offer control systems that automate a building’s heating, ventilating and air conditioning, as well as its lighting, busilding access, and fire safety equipment. Their Metasys(R) building management system claims to automate a building’s mechanical systems for optimal comfort levels while using the least amount of energy. There were four proposals solicited and four responded. The date of performance completion is October 31, 2029, and the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, VA issued the contract (SP0600-06-F-0801).

$9.6M for Open-Architecture Software to Boost Engineering Information Sharing

Trident Systems, Inc. in Fairfax, VA received a $9.6 million Phase III Small Business Innovative Research indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract with provisions for the issuance of cost-plus-fixed-fee (term and completion) task/delivery orders. their mission? To evolve and apply an Enterprise Collaborative Engineering Environment (ECEE) for open architecture software. The contract will allow for the implementation of an ECEE that provides for the integration, interaction and configuration management of engineering and management tools and data sets used in DoD system acquisitions. The development of an ECEE will enable the collaboration and sharing of engineering information within a tool-neutral environment.

Work will be performed in Fairfax, Va., and is expected to be completed by May 2011. This Phase III (SBIR) is a follow-on to Phase I and Phase II contracts, and was not competitively procured by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, in Dahlgren, VA (N00178-06-D-3023).

ID Theft the Potential Reward for 26.5 million US Veterans

In a shocking illustration of the truism that more integrated databases make for larger and more lucrative honeypots/ disaster magnets, the data of approximately 26.5 million US veterans was stolen recently. A Veterans’ Affairs employee disregarded security protocols and took a laptop with sensitive data home, then the laptop was taken during a burglary at the employee’s residence. Information stolen included the veterans’ Social Security numbers, birthdates and in some cases a disability rating.

Using this information, sophisticated criminals could obtain credit reports, bank and credit card accounts and place of residence information to complete many or all of the requirements for identity theft. That in turn enables all kinds of fraud schemes that can do irreparable damage to individuals’ credit ratings and finances. Identity theft has become a serious problem in the USA, where there are far fewer limits concerning the collection, trade and custody of individuals’ personal data, and little apparent liability for its misuse.

This particular incident has been compounded by questionable official actions…

US Coast Guard Gets GAO Praise, Extends ICGS Deepwater Contract to 2011

The US Coast Guard is currently operating vessels that date from the 1950s and 1960s, and a fleet-wide recapitalization is becoming an urgent priority given its new domestic security responsibilities. That effort is being handled as an integrated, multi-year $25 billion project called Deepwater that encompasses everything from long-range patrol aircraft and UAVs, to new communications and computing backbones, to new ship designs. In August 2005, “U.S. Coast Guard’s Deepwater Acquisition Plan In Deep Water?” covered the GAO’s critical scrutiny of Deepwater’s program structure. A week later, we noted Seapower Magazine’s Deepwater focus issue with a number of interesting and related articles. Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS), a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, is serving as the program’s overall system-of-systems integrator.

After an extensive Coast Guard review of the joint venture’s performance during its first 42 months, and a positive follow-up report from the GAO in April 2006, the U.S. Coast Guard recently announced a 43-month award term extension of ICGS’ performance-based contract…

Sniper XR Pods add ROVER Downlink to Troops

Sniper XR on F-16

Our January 2006 coverage of the ROVER system and its impact on tactical air support mentioned a number of expected future improvements. Including full integration within the Sniper XR surveillance and targeting pods being purchased by the US Air Force and by Norway, Poland, and Singapore.

That integration is now underway. Lockheed has received a U.S. Air Force cost-plus contract worth approximately $9 million to upgrade its sniper pods with video down link capabilities to Man Pack Rover III ground-based receivers. Sniper pods are currently flying on the U.S. Air Force F-15Es and F-16s, are in developmental flight test on the A-10, and are being integrated on the B-1 bomber. They have accumulated over 20,000 flight hours in more than 3,000 sorties thus far in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

$10M of Clay Delivered to Louisiana

Small business qualifier Information Technology Systems L.L.C. in Lulling, LA received the full delivery order amount of $10 million under its firm-fixed-price contract for supply and delivery of clay material in St. Bernard Parish, LA. Work is expected to be complete by May 14, 2007. Bids were solicited via the World Wide Web on April 29, 2006, and nine bids were received by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans, LA (W912P8-06-D-0066).

GAO Slams F-35 Dual-Engine Program Cancellation

The proposed cancellation of the GE/Rolls Royce F136 engine program threatened to undermine British support for the JSF program, pull GE out of the military jet engines business, and hand Pratt & Whitney a near-monopoly on engines and long-term maintenance for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter via its F135 engine. The US Congress seems decidedly unhappy with ending the F-35′s interchangeable engine program, which may have been an unusually inflammatory version of the classic “Washington Monument” false budget cuts gambit.

Now the USA’s official Government Accountability Office weighs in, in response to a request from Sen. John Warner and Rep. Curt Weldon:

Honeywell Lands FCS Class I UAV Contract

Class 1 MAV Backpack

In “One Small Step for a UAV, One Big Step for FCS Class I,” DID offered in-depth covered Honeywell’s Class I UAV Micro Air Vehicle (MAV), which had an inside track to become the US Army’s Future Combat Systems’ Class I backpackable platoon-level UAV. A $1.7 million order from Honeywell Aerospace in February 2006 for 55 Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) airframes was an indication that things were ramping up – and now Honeywell is very close to its goal.

Future Combat Systems lead integrators Boeing and SAIC have now awarded Honeywell Defense & Space Electronic Systems a $61 million contract to develop the Class I Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System. UPDATE: In August, 2006, Honeywell announced that it was teaming with UAV maker AAI to deliver 20 prototype Class I UAVs.

Honeywell MAV

See DID’s in-depth coverage of FCS Class I-IV UAVs for a review of the various competitors and how the selection process works. In addition to its MAV/Class I activity with DARPA, Honeywell has been working under an FCS systems engineering contract, including gap analysis and early risk mitigation, to ensure MAV technology will meet the full set of FCS Class I requirements. The team recently completed a system functional review verifying that the technology is on track and, following an update to the design to meet all FCS requirements, will be ready to be integrated into the FCS networked system-of-systems. First prototype deliveries and flight tests are scheduled for December 2008, and the Class I UAV is slated as a second-stage early spinout within the FCS program.

UPDATES: See DID’s FOCUS Article re: the MAV mini-UAV, and the FCS Class 1 program.

$63.9M for TALON Anti-IED Robot Spares & Maintenance

TALON II in Iraq

The MTRS program has made hundreds of robots available in Iraq and Afghanistan for use investigating and eliminating IED land mines. QinetiQ subsidiary Foster-Miller Inc. in Waltham, MA received a $63.9 million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for operator and technician training, TALON spare parts, and new robots for the Robotic Systems Joint Project Office. These parts and services are tasked to the Joint Robotics Repair Facilities and embedded repair teams deployed in support of contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in support of the Global War on Terror. The TALON I-IV series is one of two robotic systems funded under MTRS.

Work will be performed in Waltham, MA and is expected to be complete in May 2008. This contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (N61339-06-D-0013).

DefenseShields Headed to Iraq

Prison use version

This is a bit smaller than the contracts we usually cover, but (a) it’s interesting; and (b) it covers an item that is being procured and deployed in theater. Veteran-owned Defenshield Inc. of Syracuse, NY has been awarded a $2 million contract from BAE Systems for its DS-192-P Mobile Defensive Fighting Positions (MDFP) to be deployed in South West Asia in support of the war on terrorism. These mobile, modern tower shields with a slot for returning fire are certified up to NIJ Level III (assault rifles) and NIJ Level IV (30-06 armor piercing), and is certified by the US State Department to Standard 01.01 for resistance to both 5.56mm and 7.62mm NATO rounds. It also offers some blast protection. Deliveries will begin in May 2006, and include the ATV mobility option developed especially for use on unimproved and rough surfaces.

The firm notes that D.C. Hales, II Marine Expeditionary Force Assistant Chief of Staff of Logistics, had good things to say about these systems from his vantage point in Fallujah, Iraq: