The U.S. Air Force (USAF) recently decided to recompete the lion’s share of a $4 billion contract to update guidance, navigation, communications systems, and cockpit displays for about 670 C-130 Hercules medium transport aircraft. Michael Dominguez, acting secretary of the Air Force, announced his decision in an April 26, 2005 letter to U.S. Comptroller General David Walker, two months after a government agency concluded that the 2001 contract award was tainted by service-acquisition chief Darleen Druyun.
Pentagon officials said on Feb. 14, 2005 that Druyun, who went to work for Boeing in January 2003 and also secured jobs for family members in return for influence over military procurement decisions, may have improperly influenced up to eight contracts.
NATO said it would sign a EUR 20 million ($26 million) contract on Thursday with a transatlantic consortium led by the Melbourne, FL operations of Northrop Grumman and by Europe’s EADS. The consortium beat out a competing group led by Raytheon for the design phase of an “eye in the sky” called the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) System. AGS would be a European version of Northrop Grumman’s E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (J-STARS), but based on an Airbus A321 airframe. In addition to Northrop-Grumman and EADS, the winning Trans-Atlantic Industrial Proposed Solution (TIPS) team included General Dynamics Canada, French defense firm Thales, Spain’s Indra and Italy’s Galileo Avionica.
The initial award proves that the nearly two dozen member nations could agree on funding for the program. NATO is due to decide by early 2006 whether the alliance will go ahead with the full EUR 4 billion ($5.2 billion) program.
L-3 Communications West in Salt Lake City, UT received a $12.5 million firm fixed price contract to provide for Dual Data Link-2 (DDL-2), Pre-Planned Product Improvement (P3I) Program. The Dual Data Link (DDL-II) Program provides the capability to encrypt and transmit Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconaissance data via dual, simultaneous, independent wideband datalinks. This capability can help achieve continuous day or night, high-altitude, all-weather, standoff surveillance of an area in direct support of U.S. and allied ground and air forces.
Battelle in Columbus, OH (FA8633-05-D-2002) and The Boeing Co. in Saint Louis, MO (FA8633-05-D-2003) received indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contracts to provide engineering and technical expertise to support the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC). Specifically, this effort will support NASIC in assessing current, developmental, and projected air, space, electronic, and electro-optical threat systems, subsystems, and technologies. The Air Force can issue delivery orders totaling up to $60 million, although actual requirements may not require the full amount. Solicitation began January 2005, negotiations were completed February 2005, and work will be complete by April 2010. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH issued the contract (FA8633-05-D-2002, 2003).
BAE Systems Information and Electronic Warfare Systems in Nashua, NH, is being awarded a $6.9 million cost-plus fixed-fee contract to provide affordable technologies for “airspace buyback”. This actually involves detecting, locating, identifying, and jamming multiple advanced radars at long range. The idea is to create a receiver technology that will be retrofittable and transitionable to all current and future combat and support aircraft and helicopters with Radar Warning Receiver, Electronic Support Measures, Electronic Countermeasures, or Electronic Intelligence systems.
Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems in Sudbury, MA is being awarded a $6.5 million modification under previously awarded contract (N00024-03-C-5117), to exercise an option for engineering technical services relative to production of the SPY-1D (V) AEGIS Weapon System (AWS) Transmitter Group and MK99 Fire Control System.
National Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, Kailua-Kona, HI received a $6.9 million modification to a previously awarded cooperative agreement for research and development in ocean sciences with the State of Hawaii, via the National Defense Center of Excellence for Research in Ocean Sciences. Work will be performed in Kailua-Kona, HI and will be completed in November 2006. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency issued the contract (MDA972-02-2-0002, P00008).
Airborne Tactical Advantage Co. in Newport News, VA received a $9.7 million ceiling-priced modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite delivery, indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-02-D-3158), exercising an option for airborne threat simulation capabilities. These capabilities will be used to train shipboard and aircraft squadron weapon systems operators and aircrew to counter potential enemy Electronic Warfare (EW) and Electronic Attack (EA) operations by utilizing super and subsonic aircraft. Work will be performed in San Diego, CA (45%); Norfolk, VA (45%), and at various locations across the United States (10%); and is expected to be complete in April 2006. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Md. issued the contract. [DoD, April 28, 2005]
