Lockheed Martin Corp., in Manassas, VA received a $750 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price, labor-hour, cost-plus-fixed fee, and cost-reimbursable contract. This Defense Message System (DMS) Sustainment acquisition is for the sustainment of the current DMS, made up of versions of Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes, and other email and directory services with additional security features and integration. Some observers have questioned the use of technologies not built for security from the outset as potentially problematic, especially given the steady stream of security vulnerabilities associated with Exchange et. al.
The resultant contract will provide for: uninterrupted integration and engineering services supporting DMS technology enhancements; focus on sustainment of fielded system; provide maintenance releases to keep pace with technology; hardware components for purchase, system software for purchase, integration, and maintenance, technical support desk, system maintenance and support services. Solicitations began September 2005, negotiations were complete March 2006, and work will be complete April 2007. Nine one-year options will follow. The Headquarters Operations and Sustainment Systems Group at Maxwell Air Force Base, GA issued the contract (FA8771-06-D-0001).
Small business qualifier Oregon Iron Works, Inc. in Clackamas, OR won a $25 million not-to-exceed, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity Phase III Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program contract for Topic N04-044: “Airdroppable High Speed, Low Signature Craft.” DID has covered the SBIR process before, and explained that Stage III is one step below full commercialization and procurement.
The SBIR Q&A associated with this subject is very interesting. SeaScout is a mixed UAV-USV (unmanned surface vessel) flying boat design, though a Q&A excerpt for the program reads:
From combat sims to simulated combat, Britain’s urban warfare training center at Salisbury Plain continues to be involved in innovation. Britian recently concluded a three-week trial for new equipment at the Copehill Down training village on Salisbury Plain and looked at battlefield robots (Unmanned Ground Vehicles), improving methods of entry into buildings, and battlefield tracking and identification. The goal is to find items that could potentially be brought into service as “quick win” items should they prove useful and compatible with existing equipment. Britain’s Ministry of Defence has an article covering the results. This item was worthy of especial note, however, as its tenor stood out:
“Cornershot, a novel system to accurately fire a weapon round a corner, was initially considered a gimmick. Putting it to the test in combat scenarios at Copehill Down, however, proved it to be hugely useful, and it is one of the areas that the Department will be looking at closely in the future.”
The U.S. Army Field Support Command, Rock Island, IL recently issued a series of firm-fixed-price contracts for work related to 40mm grenade production. This is a popular ammunition choice used in everything from one-shot M203 launchers slung under infantry rifles, to deadly multiple-shot launchers like Milkor’s M-32, infantry/ light vehicle heavy weapons like the Mk 19 GMG, and even Cornershot’s innovative “round the corner” firing technology.
Recent contracts have totalled over $187.7 million, and included:
Treadwell Corp. in Thomaston, CT received a $12.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for auxiliary cubicles and microprocessor controllers for model 6L16 electrolytic oxygen generators (EOG) which are the primary oxygen producer aboard SSN-688 Los Angeles Class and SSBN-726 Ohio Class submarines. Work will be performed in Thomaston, CT and is expected to be completed by September 2008. The contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, Ship System Engineering Station in Philadelphia, PA (N65540-06-C-0014).
As DID has noted, the Model 6L16 EOG was first introduced in 1965, and variants remain the primary oxygen producers aboard older US nuclear submarines. A program was launched in 1997 to upgrade existing 6L16 EOGs to a digital control system as part of a program to continue upgrading EOG, resulting in extended life, increased reliability and reduced life cycle costs. Treadwell also produces the advanced Oxygen Generation Plants for the new SSN 21 Seawolf submarines.
