US Navy Issues Small-Biz Contracts for Ship Alteration Work

Ships, like cars, need maintenance. Some of it is performed onboard by the crew, while other aspects are farmed out to contractors. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division in Philadelphia, PA are the Navy’s experts for maritime technology and naval machinery, providing cradle-to-grave support. That office recently issued a set of multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity cost-plus fixed-fee contracts, covering engineering and technical shipboard alteration services for maintaining the fleet operational and material readiness of hull, mechanical and electrical systems and equipment on U.S. naval vessels.

Work will be performed in Norfolk, VA (30%); Mayport, FL (20%); Bremerton, WA (13%); San Diego, CA (12%); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (9%); Sasebo, Japan (9%); Portsmouth, NH (5%); and the Persian Gulf (2%), and is expected to be completed by November 2013. These contract were competitively procured via Federal Business Opportunities, with 7 offers received, and 5 winners announced to date:

British Eurofighters to Oman?

French Jaguar

Oman has a long history of close relations with Britain, and this carries over into that country’s defense equipment. The al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Sultanat Oman (RAFO) currently has 3 fighter squadrons. RAFO 10 squadron finished its conversion from Jaguar strike aircraft to F-16C/D Block 50/52+ fighters in 2006, but 8 sq and 20 sq continue to operate the old Jaguars [vid. extreme low-level flight video]. All are formally based at Thumrayt in the southwest, near the border with Yemen and away from the entrance to the Gulf. With that said, they have been known to operate from Seeb air base in the northeast, near the capital of Muscat.

In November 2008, Britain’s Financial Times reported that the remaining Jaguars may be next on the replacement block, as BAE Systems is in direct talks with the Omani government to sell them up to 24 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. The deal’s rumored value is GBP 1.4 billion (about $2.08 billion), which is slightly low but not wildly out of line with past Eurofighter purchases. That move would complete the RAFO’s fighter recapitalization, offering it an air fleet that could operate within the Gulf Cooperation Council alongside Bahraini and UAE F-16s, and forthcoming Saudi Eurofighters, while remaining relevant and competitive for many years to come. Financial Times | Agence France Presse.

The discussions come against the backdrop of negotiations over the Eurofighter partner nations’ Tranche 3 purchases…