Army

Northrop Grumman Technical Services Inc., Sierra Vista, Arizona, was awarded a $42,694,244 modification (P00041) to contract W58RGZ-13-C-0010 to continue logistical services for the Hunter unmanned aircraft system. Work will be performed in Afghanistan and Sierra Vista, with an estimated completion date of April 28, 2016. Fiscal 2016 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $17,254,000 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

As with the U.S. industrial base, commercial market and defense sector, the cyber threats to U.S. Army networks are increasingly complex and persistent. The service’s chief information officer, Raj Iyer, along with its key communication and network leaders, are positioning the Army’s information technology infrastructure and strategically aligning its cyber posture to protect against future attacks.

Issued a year ago, the President’s Executive Order 14028, Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity, required federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, to enhance their cybersecurity and software supply chain integrity. This order has helped propel digital security, Iyer noted.

The U.S. Army announced on April 19th that it had awarded a 10-year firm-fixed-price follow-on production contract to Sig Sauer for the manufacture and delivery of two Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) variations, including the XM5 Rifle and the XM250 Automatic Rifle, and the 6.8 Common Cartridge Family of Ammunition.

"This award was made following a rigorous 27-month prototyping and evaluation effort that included numerous technical tests and soldier touch points of three competing prototype systems," an Army spokesperson stated.

As U.S. and global telecommunication carriers deploy more and more fifth-generation wireless network infrastructure, or 5G, in America and around the world, U.S. defense officials are examining the use cases for military applications of 5G such as autonomous vehicles; support of deployed warfighters; smart bases, warehouses and logistics; and cloud-related applications.

One feature that may be ideal for Defense Department use is network slicing, experts say. The ability to separate or “slice” a 5G network into subnetworks for designated users at specific security levels could prove to be versatile, explained Neal Ziring, technical director, National Security Agency (NSA), speaking at AFCEA DC’s recent 5G Luncheon.

Novatio Engineering Inc., Belmont, Massachusetts, was awarded a $30,946,185 firm-fixed-price contract for the production and delivery of a family of lightweight tactical power source units and components. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 10, 2027. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W909MY-22-D-0003).

Caelum Research Corp.,* Rockville, Maryland, was awarded a $96,000,000 hybrid (firm-fixed-price and time-and-materials) contract for information technology support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 24 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of January 8, 2027. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-22-D-0002). *Small Business

Agile Defense Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $50,028,195 firm-fixed-price contract to support information technology (IT) systems design/integration/consolidation, IT education/training, systems operation and maintenance, enterprise network support, cyber security, information assurance and information systems security. Bids were solicited via the internet with 34 received. Work will be performed at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2027. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement, Army funds in the amount of $50,028,195 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W9124P-22-F-0036).

As part of its effort to modernize the fires mission thread, the U.S. Army is overhauling two systems critical to providing sensor data to weapon systems to more effectively engage battlefield targets.

Those two systems are the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS) and the Joint Automated Deep Operations Coordination System (JADOCS), which will be replaced by the Joint Targeting Command and Coordination System (JTC2S). The updated systems will provide critical information to weapon systems through the data fabric being developed under the Rainmaker project.

The U.S. Army equipped the I Corps’ 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Field Artillery Brigade, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, with the nation’s first prototype hypersonic ground equipment, the service announced in a press release.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $68,133,496 modification (P00023) to contract W911S0-18-C-0004 to provide mission support for the planning, coordination, and execution of exercises conducted by the Army’s Mission Command Training Program. Work will be performed in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, with an estimated completion date of October 14, 2024. Fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $68,133,496 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Field Directorate Office, Fort Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

The U.S. Army is moving beyond a forward-operating base ideal and is preparing for communications and operations geared instead toward near-peer competition in a contested environment. This winter, the Army’s Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications- Tactical, PEO C3T, will conduct a new pilot program that will begin to identify what kinds of communications and network technologies could successfully be applied to moving armored vehicles to support soldiers in such an environment. The work is part of PEO C3T’s Capability Set 2025 (CS25) iterative effort to harness industry innovation and add tactical communication solutions in two-year sprints.

The RAND Corp., Santa Monica, California, was awarded an $184,246,908 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for research and analysis support. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of September 20, 2030. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-21-D-0025).

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $21,678,810 hybrid (cost-no-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee) contract for the Air and Missile Defense Workstation Block VI. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of September 16, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-21-D-0023).

Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $91,301,276 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract to assess energy vulnerabilities, defining requirements for energy resilience projects and identifying third-party funding sources for energy resilience and security projects. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of July 24, 2026. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $2,808,360 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-21-F-0370).

Collins Aerospace, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been awarded a maximum $15,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for production of radio receivers and radio sets to support Army helicopter tactical navigation and landing systems. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a one-year contract and no option periods. Location of performance is Iowa, with an August 30, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2022 Army working capital funds.

Leidos Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland, was awarded a $20,948,444 modification (P00043) to contract W58RGZ-17-C-0058 for contractor logistics support for Mi-17 and PC-12 aircraft previously supporting Afghanistan forces in over-the-horizon location, United Arab Emirates. Work will be performed in United Arab Emirates, with an estimated completion date of August 31, 2022. Fiscal 2021 Afghanistan Security Forces Funds in the amount of $20,948,444 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

Skyline Software Systems Inc.,* Herndon, Virginia, was awarded an $8,200,000 firm-fixed-price contract for renewal of commercial-off-the-shelf node-locked site license for TerraExplorer Pro with Command and Control/Mission Planning and TerraBuilder 3D Geospatial Viewing and Analysis software. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of September 29, 2026. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W56JSR-21-D-0010). *Small Business

Honeywell International Inc., Tucson, Arizona, has been awarded a maximum $40,954,196 firm-fixed-price contract for Bradly Fighting Vehicle system generators. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Arizona, with an August 24, 2026, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2026 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-21-D-0008).

Soldiers on the battlefield may be using ray guns to defend against airborne threats sooner rather than later. The U.S. Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) is fielding four prototype units of Stryker-mounted laser systems in the Directed Energy Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) effort.

Each of the four systems employs 50-kilowatt-class lasers powered internally by the Stryker using gasoline-fueled generators. The lasers are designed to protect divisions and brigade combat teams against unmanned aircraft systems, rotary- and fixed-wing threats, rocket artillery and mortar rounds, Army officials say.

The U.S. is in the final stages of developing its unified network plans, according to Lt. Gen. John Morrison, USA, deputy chief of staff, G-6.

Gen. Morrison made the comments on the first day of the 2021 AFCEA TechNet Augusta conference in Augusta, Georgia, the organization’s first in-person conference since the coronavirus pandemic.

R.A. Miller Industries Inc.,** Grand Haven, Michigan, has been awarded an estimated $9,720,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Single Channel Ground and Airborne System repair parts. This was a competitive acquisition with five offers received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Michigan, with an August 15, 2026, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2026 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland (SPRBL1-21-D-0002). ** Women-Owned Business

Morse Corporation, Inc.,* Cambridge, Massachusetts, was awarded a $10,861,549 modification (P00003) to contract W911NF-19-C-0101 to develop novel artificial intelligence/machine learning test, evaluation, and algorithmic capabilities. Work will be performed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with an estimated completion date of September 30, 2022. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation, Army funds in the amount of $10,861,549 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. *Small Business

With plans for future U.S. Army soldiers to work with a cadre of autonomous systems, scientists at the Army Research Laboratory are examining the intricacies of communication to support effective operations between groups of soldiers and robotic systems. They are finding ways to measure communication and study conversational processes to understand human-autonomy team performance, trust and cohesion.

Around for several decades, the technology of combined-fiber, high energy lasers are advancing to the battlefield from laboratory or exercise demonstration. The advent of the production of the technology, advanced battery capabilities and higher laser power—along with a mounting unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) threat—are all combining into more demand and use by the U.S. military. The transition of laser weapon systems to the battlefield brings with it concept of operations and tactics, techniques and procedures that will improve warfighting, said Michael Jirjis, lead, Directed Energy Weapons Experimentation, U.S.