STAFFORD, Va. — BAE Systems along with teammate Iveco Defence Vehicles has been awarded a $67
million contract modification by the U.S. Marine Corps to develop new variants
for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) Family of Vehicles, BAE announced in a release.

“The ACV has proven to be a versatile platform capable of numerous
configurations to meet current and future mission requirements,” said John
Swift, director of amphibious programs at BAE. “With this award, BAE Systems
will be able to develop a family of vehicles that will deliver the technology
and capability the Marines require to accomplish their mission in support of
our national security.”

The contract calls for the design and development of command
(ACV-C) and 30 mm medium caliber cannon (ACV-30) variants. The ACV-C variant incorporates
seven workstations to provide situational awareness and control of the battle
space. The ACV-30 integrates a 30 mm cannon to provide the lethality and
protection Marines need while leaving ample room for troop capacity and
payload.

BAE Systems was previously awarded a low-rate initial production
contract last June 2018 for the personnel variant (ACV-P). The Marine Corps
announced the ACV had successfully completed anticipated requirements testing
and would no longer be pursuing an envisioned incremental ACV 1.1 and ACV 1.2
development approach. The program is now known as the ACV Family of Vehicles,
which encompasses the breadth and depth of the vehicle’s capabilities and
multiple variants.

ANDOVER,
Mass. — Mercury Systems Inc. has received an $16 million more orders against
its $152 million five-year agreement to deliver advanced Digital RF Memory
(DRFM) jammers to the U.S. Navy, the company announced in a release.

The orders
were received in the fourth quarter of the company’s fiscal 2019 year and are
expected to be delivered over the next several quarters.

Mercury DRFM
jammers are size-, weight- and power-optimized to meet the requirements of
airborne pod-based solutions and incorporate decades of DRFM technology
development, validated electronic attack techniques and custom RF components.

“Our design
and manufacturing teams remain committed to meeting the growing demands for
mission-critical components for the U.S. military’s electronic warfare (EW)
test and training program,” said Brian Perry, president of Mercury Defense
Systems.

“In addition
to satisfying current requirements for DRFM technology, Mercury is focused on
developing the innovative solutions essential for the next generation of
advanced DRFM capabilities to address broader system requirements and a more
complex [electronic warfare] concept of operations.”

ARLINGTON,
Va. — The Marine Corps’ first operational squadron to fly the F-35C
carrier-capable version of the Lightning II joint strike fighter has retired
its last F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter.

In ceremonies
held June 21 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, Marine Fighter
Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA-314) retired its last Hornet, an F/A-18A++ version.
The Black Knights, as the squadron is known, are now in transition to the F-35C
at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, under the tutelage of the Navy’s
F-35C replacement training squadron, VFA-125.

The Marine
Corps flies both the short-takeoff/vertical landing F-35B version and the F-35C
aircraft carrier version. The Corps currently fields three operational F-35B
squadrons, VMFA-121, -211, and -122.

The Corps is
procuring 67 F-35Cs to equip squadrons that will deploy with Navy carrier air
wings. In recent years the Corps has assigned two VMFA F/A-18 squadrons to
deploy with carrier air wings.

KEY WEST,
Fla. — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk (WMEC-913) returned to their
homeport in Key West following a 90-day counter-smuggling patrol in support of
Joint Interagency Task Force-South and operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean,
the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release.

The Mohawk
crew, along with Coast Guard crews from Tactical Law Enforcement Team-South,
Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron and multiple partner
agencies, interdicted more than 16,500 pounds of cocaine and more than 1,500
pounds of marijuana to counter and disrupt the illegal smuggling operations of
transnational criminal organizations.

The cutter
crew also conducted joint operations with crews from the Costa Rica Servicio
Nacional de Guardacostas, in which they assisted in the rescue of four Costa
Rican mariners. The Mohawk crew also rescued four sea turtles entangled in
fishing gear.

The Coast
Guard increased U.S. and allied presence in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and
Caribbean Basin, which are known drug transit zones off Central and South
America. During at-sea interdictions in international waters, a suspect vessel
is initially located and tracked by allied, military or law-enforcement
personnel coordinated by JIAFT-S. The interdictions, including the actual
boarding, are led and conducted by U.S. Coast Guardsmen. The law-enforcement
phase of counter-smuggling operations in the Eastern Pacific is conducted under
the authority of the Coast Guard 11th District headquartered in Alameda,
California.

The cutter Mohawk is a
270-foot medium-endurance cutter, whose missions include search and rescue,
maritime safety and security, and maritime law enforcement operations, such as
illegal migrant and drug interdiction operations.

PORTSMOUTH,
Va. — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Dependable returned on June 22 to Little
Creek, Virginia, after completing a 62-day Mid-Atlantic fisheries patrol, the
Coast Guard 5th District said in a release.

From New
Jersey to South Carolina, the Dependable’s boarding teams conducted 39
boardings and inspected the catch, gear and lifesaving equipment of U.S.
fishing vessels to ensure they met all required federal laws and regulations.

During the
patrol, the Dependable’s boarding team members identified a variety of
lifesaving equipment concerns on board several commercial and recreational
fishing vessels. The boarding team members helped those mariners fix their
issues on the spot and educated them on the importance of maintaining their
equipment.

“Living
marine resource patrols are vital to ensuring the continued stability of the
multibillion-dollar U.S. seafood industry as well as the stewardship and
sustainability of living marine resources, such as fish, turtles and marine
protected species,” said Cmdr. Rula Deisher, commanding officer of Coast Guard
Cutter Dependable.

“Our boarding
team members ensured that the mariners’ safety and fishing gear were fully
operational and that they were operating within U.S. fishing regulations. We
enjoyed the opportunity to serve the public so close to our homeport.”

The
Dependable is a 210-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Little Creek and
routinely deploys in support of counter-drug and alien migrant interdiction,
living marine resources and search-and-rescue missions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant returned home June 23 to Cape Canaveral after a two-month Caribbean patrol, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release.

The crew’s
patrol focused on enforcing U.S. federal laws by conducting boardings of U.S.
and international vessels throughout the Caribbean basin while working with
other government agencies and international partners to maintain national
security.

While on
patrol, the crew ensured the safe return of 50 Haitian migrants to their home
country after their illegal and dangerous voyage was disrupted by the crew of
the Coast Guard Cutter Robert Yered, a fast-response cutter homeported in
Miami. The crew was also involved in a search for a person reported to be in
the water after falling overboard from his sailing vessel.

The Vigilant
crew interdicted a go-fast vessel illegally smuggling 7,800 pounds of garlic
from Haiti to the Dominican Republic. Garlic smuggling is a global issue on the
rise and has had negative impacts on the agricultural industry in the Dominican
Republic in the last few years.

Upon hearing
of the interdiction, the Dominican navy sent a ship to meet the Vigilant to
take over the case for the prosecution. The contraband was valued at about
$30,000 and was the largest Coast Guard seizure of its kind.

During their
59-day patrol, the crew worked with agencies such as the Jamaican Defense
Force, Royal Bahamian Defense Force, Dominican navy, U.S. Drug Enforcement
Agency and the U.S. Navy.

The Vigilant
is a multimission 210-foot medium-endurance cutter whose missions include
illegal drug and migrant interdiction as well as search and rescue. The
Vigilant patrols throughout the Caribbean basin and Atlantic seaboard to ensure
safety of life at sea and enforce international and domestic laws.

POMPANO
BEACH, Fla. — Point Blank Enterprises Inc. has been awarded a $215.9 million
body armor contract by the Marine Corps Systems Command, the company announced
in a June 24 release.

The Marine
Corps Low Intensity Threat Environment (LITE) body armor insert is a new small-arms
protective insert that is designed to improve the survivability and mobility of
Marines by maximizing ballistic protection at a reduced weight.

“Reducing
Marine burden by providing innovative and lightweight armor solutions along
with our high-quality manufacturing capabilities is our expertise,” said Brian
Kopan, Point Blank’s senior vice president of engineering and technology. “Whether
we are designing armor systems for vehicles or individual protection equipment,
our mission is always focused on saving the life of those that protect us.”

For more than 43 years,
Point Blank Enterprises has provided products and designs engineered to
maximize ballistic protection. Point Blank has shipped body armor solutions to U.S.
servicemen and women, law enforcement, corrections officers, federal agents and
other national and international customers.

WASHINGTON —
A disciplined set of practices by the U.S. Navy’s frigate program office
enabled the planned acquisition timeline for the new ship to be shortened by
six years over what a new warship normally might have taken.

Regan Campbell, program manager for the FFG(X) guided-missile frigate
program, speaking June 20 in Washington at the Technology, Systems and Ships
Symposium of the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE), said the practices
wouldn’t necessarily work in all acquisitions but the frigate program became a
proving ground for early engagement with industry and setting clear
requirements.

Campbell said the program office leveraged previous analyses of
alternatives to accelerate the process and set the stage for clear shipbuilder
requirements. The requirement for bidders to use a parent ship design as a
basis for their proposals greatly shortened the timeline, avoiding the need for
a “clean-sheet” design. A parallel requirements evaluation process instead of a
serial process also saved some time.

By design, the frigate will make use of command mature
government-furnished equipment (GFE), particularly weapons, sensors and combat
systems that already have been developed but will contribute to cost savings by
being common with systems on other classes of ships.

Use of GFE, Campbell said, “allows us to shorten our combat systems
integration time.”

Early engagement with industry also saved time and produced ideas for
the program. Campbell said the Frigate Affordability Board received more than
350 ideas to modify the ship specifications and the Capabilities Definition
Document.

“We accepted over 60% of the industry ideas,” Campbell said.

The Navy released the Request for Proposals for the FFG(X) on June 20.

Four companies are expected to submit bids for the FFG(X) program:
Huntington Ingalls, Fincantieri Marine, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works and
Austal USA. The builder of the Freedom-class littoral combat ship, Lockheed
Martin, participated in the program until recently but dropped out. The competition
is open to other bidders that can meet the requirements.

WASHINGTON
— Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer has announced the newest towing, salvage
and rescue ship will be named Cherokee Nation in honor of the service and
contributions the Cherokee people have made to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps,
the secretary’s public affairs office said in a June 21 release.

“It is my
privilege to announce that the many Cherokee Nation citizens who’ve served
throughout the years will be remembered with the highest honor a secretary of
the Navy can bestow, the naming of a ship,” Spencer said.

This is
the fifth U.S. ship to be named in honor of the Cherokee people.

“The Cherokee Nation is extremely honored that the U.S. Navy is recognizing our tribal nation and the generations of Cherokee men and women who have bravely and humbly sacrificed for our freedom today,” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker said.

“Our
Cherokee people have contributed in every major battle and war ever fought in
this country and continue to serve in the armed forces in some of the highest
rates per ethnicity. Cherokees are a strong, resilient people, and we are
privileged to have a U.S. ship at sea that reflects both our country and
tribe’s history and values.”

Gulf
Island Shipyards was awarded a $64.8 million contract option for the detail
design and construction of the new Ship, which will be based on existing
commercial towing offshore vessel designs and will replace the current T-ATF
166 and T-ARS 50 class ships in service with the U.S. Military Sealift Command.
The Cherokee Nation is the second ship in the new class of towing, salvage and rescue
ships and will be designated T-ATS 7.

The contract
includes options for potentially six additional vessels, and each additional
ship will be named in honor of prominent Native Americans or Native American
tribes.

The T-ATS
will serve as open ocean towing vessels and will additionally support salvage operations and submarine rescue missions. The ship will be
built at the company’s shipyard in Houma, Louisiana, and is expected to be
completed in July 2021.

ARLINGTON,
Va. — The U.S. Marine Corps has awarded BAE Systems a contract to develop two
variants of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) and manufacture one of them.

Marine Corps
Systems Command has awarded “a not-to-exceed [$67 million] modification for
firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the development of
engineering drawings, manufacture and test support for three [ACV] command-and-control
Mission Role Variants (MRVs) and the development of engineering drawings for
the ACV medium-caliber-cannon MRV,” according to a Defense Department release.

BAE Systems
is building the ACV for the Marine Corps as an amphibious troop carrier to
replace the four-decade-old Assault Amphibious Vehicle. The AAV7 is fielded in
several variants, and the Corps plans to field the ACV in variants as well.

The
command-and-control (C2) MRV will be the first variant of the ACV. The C2
variant will be designed for a commander and staff and equipped with computer
displays and communications systems to enable the commander to maintain
situational awareness of the battlefield.

A variant
with a medium-caliber gun atop the ACV will follow.

Work is
expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2022.