The Pentagon’ has increased its attention to energy conservation in the wake of a recent Army Corps of Engineers report, as well as its rising outlays for fuel. House Armed Services committee force Projection subcommittee chair Rep. Roscoe Bartlett [R-MD] is looking at current and projected fuel prices, and asking seriously about expanding the use of nuclear power plants in the US Navy. Others are floating technologies like KiteShips. Meanwhile, Inside Defense adds further insights as the breadth of the issue and its implications seep in at the Pentagon:
“A departmental focus on improving energy conservation in weapon systems would represent a change from the current DOD emphasis on reducing energy consumption at its facilities. One observer familiar with the Pentagon’s energy programs says there appears to be “growing recognition” within the department that the energy conservation issue is much broader than facilities.
Five major European naval shipbuilders have formed a “club” to promote synergies in materials procurement as part of broader efforts to reduce costs. Procurement represents approximately 60% of the cost of a typical warship program, and participating shipbuilders will work together cooperating with suppliers, establishing common technical specifications and coordinating purchasing. The Warship European Procurement (WEP) Club was set up by formal agreement among:
United Technologies Corp. subsidiary Pratt & Whitney Military Engines in East Hartford, CT received a $120 million ceiling-priced cost-plus-incentive-fee, award-fee contract for the low rate initial product lot 1 procurement of five F135 jet engines systems for the Air Force Joint Strike Fighter F-35A Conventional Take-Off and Landing Aircraft. In addition, this contract provides for the procurement of associated initial spare engine and spare parts, support equipment, sustainment support, special tooling and test equipment, and technical/financial data.
Work will be performed in East Hartford, CT and is expected to be complete in January 2010. This contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD (N00019-06-C-0292). See also April 28, 2006 corporate release.
DRS Test and Energy Management Inc. in Huntsville, AL received a delivery order of $22.9 million as the initial part of a $34.4 million firm-fixed-price contract for chassis modernization/ embedded diagnostics kits for the Bradley A3 Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Work will be performed in Huntsville, AL; Product deliveries are expected to begin in June 2007 and continue through March 2008. This was a sole source contract initiated on Nov. 15, 2005 by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Rock Island, IL (DAAE20-03-G-0001).
The A3 is the fully digitized version of the Bradley Fighting Vehicles. With respect to these upgrades…
