Tinker units collaborate, produce first 3-D printed engine component. “We haven’t had a 3D printed metal component in Air Force engines before, but in the next 12-24 months, this technology will open the door to more complex and critical components that help to improve our sustainment efforts moving forward.”
PlatformOne: Is Software Eating the Government? “And if Roper and Andreessen are right, then contract management becomes more and more the provision of tech like Platform One—quick and easy access to a cloud-based factory floor for developing code fast, securely, and in direct collaboration with folks delivering the agency mission.”
Troops to test AFRL’s THOR drone killer this fall. “Imagine your wireless router at home, multiplied times a trillion, so instead of giving your cellphone and computer internet, it fries the electronics.”
Army shows first-ever footage of new hypersonic missile in flight and impacting. “The video then moves on to showing a portion of the actual flight of the C-HGB. It was “not a very long flight,” Lieutenant General Thurgood noted.”
China’s new Type-075 amphibious warship kicks off sea trials. “The PLAN began development of the Type 075 in 2011 as a helicopter carrier that would displace about 35,000 tons.”
Why the US can’t break China’s monopoly on rare earth metals. “The introduction of new material availability will lead to a lowering of prices and affect mine operations, most drastically in advanced economies, due to large initial investments and higher operating costs… REE ores continue to be shipped to China for processing into value-added materials, alloys, and finished goods. And here is part 2. “There’s a prevailing belief in the U.S. that defense use of REE components is less than 5% of total use, and that therefore U.S. supply-chain leadership and control isn’t a concern… with REEs there is no “true” free market, due to Chinese subsidies, market manipulation [etc.]”
Air Force moves to enact space acquisition reforms, despite hold up of legislative proposals. ““We’re in the process of figuring out how to implement those actions within the alt-acquisition report that don’t require any legislative change, and of the somewhat less than ten of those specific actions, probably six of them are within the Department of Defense’s ability to get after.”
Space acquisition proposals held up amid DoD-OMB negotiations. ““It’s still not on the Hill. I’m a little frustrated by that, but I think we’re very close with OMB at this point.”
US Air Force tests electronic warfare capabilities with fighter, recon and bomber aircraft. “two-day, $1.4 million exercise that evaluated the F-35 fighter jet’s ability to provide its electronic warfare capabilities to other stealthy reconnaissance and bombing platforms.”
First Japanese V-22 arrives at Kisarazu Air Field.
Rick Dunn speaks with VADM (ret) Joseph Dyer on the 3rd offset, DoD contracting, and the future.
Related: Innovations: imagining a new defense acquisition system based on other transaction authority. “I don’t advocate abolishing FAR-based contracting for executing projects under DOD Instruction 5000.02; instead, I recommend that DOD comply with congressional mandates and implement legal authorities by creating an alternative system based on other transactions (OTs).”
Space Force Chief: DOD must work to ensure strong space industrial base.
Hypersonic ‘Air Force One’? The USAF is looking into it. “This award comes under an Other Transaction For Prototype Agreement Direct to Phase II contract through AFWERX after Hermeus successfully tested a Mach 5 engine prototype in February 2020… the Hermeus team designed from scratch, built, and successfully tested a Mach 5 engine prototype, in only 9 months.”
Columbia SSBN program doing land-based testing to avoid past shipbuilding mistakes. “Lloyd said the Navy is still working its way through that language, which requires that each class of naval vessel have a senior technical authority who is outside the chain of command – and therefore independent from influence for cost or schedule reasons, for example – who would be responsible for signing off on ship designs before they can move into the construction phase, among the senior technical authority’s responsibilities.”
With this new sensor, blackjack drones can monitor an entire city at once. Monitors 5 square miles. “Logos Technologies announced July 28 that it was awarded a $6.7 million contract to deliver two wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) sensor prototypes.” How much would the Navy have paid Lockheed to do the same thing? 10x? Because that’s the cost history Lockheed could justify.
Major federal procurement rule gets first try with DoD and NASA. “The basic concept here is that price or cost is not evaluated at the time of contract award. Right now the laws and regulations require the evaluation of price or cost at the time of contract award. That’s not going to happen here.” Wait… say what?
DHS seeks permanent flexible acquisition authorities. “The DHS other transaction authority that allows the agency to conduct pilot projects outside of the traditional competitive bidding regulations expires at the end of each fiscal year… Similarly, the Commercial Solutions Opening Pilot Program (CSOP) expires at the end of 2022.”
US Department of Defense awards contract to secure sensitive data with blockchain. [Video] “Indiana-based SIMBA Chain received to architect a blockchain proof of concept for securing sensitive research and development (R&D) data.”
An open letter to the Other Transaction Authorities. “This frontage road has a TOLL BOOTH. You need to pay to use it… The only rules that don’t seem to apply to OTAs is the involvement of the end-user in the process.”
Leave a Reply