MINNEAPOLIS — The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems a contract to produce multiple types of Vertical Launching System (VLS) canisters with a total lifetime maximum value of $955 million, the company said in a June 11 release.  

The initial contract was awarded in February with $24 million funded, followed by contract modifications of $99 million and $43 million received in March and May, respectively. Options on the contract include additional canister types for future Navy production requirements. 

“These canisters are a key element of the Navy’s Vertical Launching System, and our experience includes 30 years of VLS production, integration and testing to support this world-class capability,” said Brent Butcher, vice president and general manager of the Weapon Systems product line at BAE Systems. 

“The Navy will continue to benefit from our high-quality canisters and lean, efficient operations, which translate into the best possible value for our customers.” 

VLS canisters serve in a multifaceted role as containers for missile shipping and storage as well as launch tubes when loaded into the VLS. They also provide identification and firing support to multiple missile types, including the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, Standard Missile-2, Standard Missile-3, Standard Missile-6, and the Evolved SeaSparrow Missile. 

Under this latest contract, BAE Systems will produce canisters not only for the U.S. fleet but also for allied nations under a foreign military sales program. Deliveries for the initial order are expected to begin in early 2021, and if all options are exercised, the contract could support the production of canisters over a five-year period, with deliveries extending into 2025.  

Work on the new contract will be performed at the BAE Systems production facility in Aberdeen, South Dakota, with engineering and program support in Minneapolis. 

EVENDALE, Ohio — GE Marine has delivered its first new lightweight LM2500 composite gas turbine module to Austal USA for the future USS Santa Barbara, the company said in a release. 

This new module, which was fully certified by the U.S. Navy last year after receiving MIL-S-901D shock qualification, provides a 5,500-pound weight savings (50% wall weight reduction) and 60% quieter enclosure.  

Austal USA recognized the attributes of this new composite module design by bestowing GE Marine with its 2018 Supplier Innovation Award. 

GE is supplying 38 LM2500 gas turbines to Austal USA for Independence-class variants of littoral combat ships up to LCS 38. Like all Austal USA-built littoral ships, the Santa Barbara will be powered by two GE LM2500 gas turbines arranged in a combined diesel and gas turbine configuration with two diesel engines. 

The Module Modernization Program was a four-year collaborative effort with the Navy, Bath Iron Works of Bath, Maine, and GE. GE’s strategic partners in this effort included: RL Industries of Fairfield, Ohio, for help in developing and qualifying the carbon fiber enclosure; and DRS Power Technology of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, which helped satisfy all first article inspection quality requirements and package assembly.  

Changes to the LM2500 system include the composite module, components, and fewer shock mounts for weight reduction, all while leveraging the experience and loadings from previous LM2500 shock tests with running units. Components such as sensors, transducers, ice and flame detectors and the heater also were updated.

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. — Bell-Boeing has delivered the 400th V-22 Osprey to the Defense Department. U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command received the 400th Osprey, a CV-22, on June 2, marking a milestone for the world’s first production tilt-rotor aircraft. 

“The delivery of the 400th V-22 represents the demand for this platform’s unique capabilities,” said Kurt Fuller, Bell V-22 vice president and program director for Bell-Boeing. “It is a testament to the diligence of the men and women from Bell, Boeing and our entire supply chain who build and deliver this incredible aircraft to our customers. For over 30 years, the people who support the Bell Boeing V-22 have been the foundation in bringing tilt-rotor capabilities to the world.” 

The CV-22 is the Special Operations forces variant of the V-22. Its primary mission is to conduct long-range infiltration, exfiltration and resupply missions. 

“It’s been over 20 years since the first production V-22 was delivered, and we are proud to reach another milestone in our 400th delivery,” said U.S. Marine Corps Col. Matthew Kelly, program manager for the V-22 Joint Program Office (PMA-275). “V-22s continue to be in high demand, protecting our country and our allies around the world through combat operations, international training partnerships and humanitarian missions. This platform’s impact can’t be overstated.” 

The Marine variant, the MV-22B, provides transportation of personnel, supplies and equipment for combat assault, assault support and fleet logistics. Since 2007, it has been continuously forward-deployed in a range of combat, humanitarian and special operations. The Navy variant, the CMV-22B, is the replacement for the C-2A Greyhound for the carrier onboard delivery mission. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Defense Department has announced five Defense Production Act Title 3 actions that will help sustain defense-critical workforce capabilities in body armor, aircraft manufacturing, and shipbuilding, Lt. Col. Mike Andrews, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a release.   

“These actions will help to retain critical workforce capabilities throughout the disruption caused by COVID-19 and to restore some jobs lost because of the pandemic,” Andrews said. 

The Pentagon signed a $19.5 million agreement with Steel America to sustain critical industrial base capability and capacity for U.S. Navy shaft repair and manufacturing during the pandemic. 

Using funds authorized and appropriated under the CARES Act, this investment at Steel America’s Norfolk, Virginia, headquarters will expand its domestic production capability and capacity to support the Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. 

Steel America will increase core machine shop peak capacity by 200%, build a “rotatable pool” of spare equipment and help reduce dry-dock times, driving time and facilitate cost savings for the government. This will enable Steel America to retain its workforce throughout the pandemic and restore some jobs. 

The Pentagon also has signed a $500,000 agreement with Allied Systems to sustain industrial base capability for manufacturing and service provisioning for cranes and davits for the Navy and Coast Guard during the pandemic. 

This investment at Allied Systems headquarters in Sherwood, Oregon, will address COVID-19 impacts caused by a significant shortfall in CO2 available for welding as well as provide funds to offset disruptions to operations and company orders. DoD and Allied Systems anticipate that it will take three months for initial set-up and support two years of ongoing operations to sustain this capability and capacity. 

DoD also signed a $15 million with Bethel Industries Inc. to increase industrial capacity for specialized laser cutting of laminated nylon fabrics for soldier protective systems. 

The Pentagon also signed a $20 million contract with GE Aviation on June 5 to sustain the industrial base for highly specialized engineering resources. GE Aviation is one of two U.S. suppliers capable of producing large advanced combat engines. 

DoD also allocated $80 million to Spirit AeroSystems Inc. to expand its domestic production capability and capacity for advanced tooling, composite fabrication and metallic machining at Spirit and the supporting lower level supply chain. Spirit AeroSystems designs, develops and manufactures complex structures for the commercial and defense industries. Spirit also makes high-temperature carbon/carbon materials for the Pentagon and defense prime contractors.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy is mobilizing 1,629 Reservists to support aircraft carrier and submarine maintenance at its four public shipyards starting in July, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) said in a release. This mobilization will help reduce the maintenance backlog that has developed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

NAVSEA authorized weather and safety leave for shipyard personnel who fell under the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) “high risk” category for extreme complications tied to the COVID-19 virus. With up to 25% of the production workforce unable to report to their duty location, the shipyards have not been able to execute all their work and have built a backlog of work that, if left unchecked, would result in delays in returning ships to the fleet.  

The Reservists are all part of the Navy’s Surge Maintenance, or SurgeMain, program. Established in 2005, SurgeMain has 2,200 enlisted Reserve Sailors and 240 Reserve officers across 75 units and was created to augment the Navy’s organic civilian shipyard workforce in times of need. 

SurgeMain Sailors have technical and trade backgrounds that allow them to have an immediate impact at the shipyards. 

“Our Sailors are electricians, pipe fitters, sheet metal workers, plumbers, hydraulic technicians, mechanics, machinists, carpenters, welders and more,” said Capt. Michael P. MacLellan, SurgeMain’s national director. “Many of our people have prior experience at the shipyard where they’re being sent, down to the specific shop where they will be working alongside the shipyard’s organic civilian workforce.”  

This is the first time SurgeMain has activated this many Reservists at one time. 

“We’re excited to mobilize and execute the mission for which we’ve been training,” MacLellan said. “This deployment presents a valuable opportunity for our Sailors to hone their skills, contribute to our national defense and allow us to gain valuable lessons you can only learn during mass mobilization.” 

SurgeMain Reservists will start arriving at their respective shipyards in phases starting in early July, with all 1,629 Sailors onsite by September. They will be functioning on one-year mobilization orders that may be extended or curtailed should circumstances change. 

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, will receive 267 Reservists; Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, will receive 486; Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton, Washington, will receive 676; and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, will receive 200. 

“We have been methodical in how we planned this mobilization,” said Vice Adm. Tom Moore, NAVSEA’s commander. “We did not mobilize anyone who already works in the ship maintenance or construction field, and we worked to place people into shipyards where they have previously drilled so there was a built-in comfort factor for both the Reservist and the shipyard personnel.” 

Once mobilized, the Reservists will abide by all Defense Department travel restrictions and protocols tied to minimizing the spread of COVID-19. Sailors are being assigned to their designated Reserve duty location, which is usually the shipyard closest to where they live. 

Once at their designated shipyard, Sailors will abide by all COVID-19 policies. These include conducting a daily self-screening and undergoing a temperature check prior to accessing the shipyard, wearing all required personal protective equipment and following the same social distancing measures as the rest of the shipyard workforce.

ARLINGTON, Va. — President Trump has ordered a review of the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaking polar security cutter (PSC) program, with a focus on exploring options for nuclear power, heavy armament and leasing stopgap icebreakers. 

In a June 9 memorandum from the White House to several federal departments, titled “Safeguarding U.S. National Interests in the Arctic and Antarctic Regions,” Trump ordered “a review of requirements for a polar security icebreaking fleet acquisition program to acquire and employ a suitable fleet of polar security icebreakers, and associated assets and resources, capable of ensuring a persistent United States presence in the Arctic and Antarctic regions in support of national interests and in furtherance of the National Security Strategy and the National Defense Strategy, as appropriate.” 

“Separately, the review shall include the ability to provide a persistent United States presence in the Antarctic region, as appropriate, in accordance with the Antarctic Treaty System,” the memo said. 

The Coast Guard awarded a $745 million contract to VT Halter Marine in 2019 to build the lead PSC and has requested funds to construct a second PSC in the 2021 budget. The lead PSC is scheduled for delivery in 2024. The sea service has a requirement for six new icebreakers, including at least three PSCs. 

The Coast Guard has only one serviceable heavy ice breaker, the Polar Star, which was commissioned in 1976, available. The Polar Star makes an annual voyage to Antarctica to help resupply U.S. facilities on that continent. 

Trump also directed officials to study “the comparative operational and fiscal benefits and risks of a polar security icebreaking fleet that consists of at least three heavy [PSCs].” 

The study is to use the full range of missions that may be executed by medium PSCs so that the optimal number and type of PSCs needed to ensure a persistent presence in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.  

The study also will assess expanded capabilities for the PSCs, including unmanned systems, space systems and sensors to achieve maritime domain awareness; secure communications and data transfer systems; and intelligence-collection systems.  

The study also will evaluate “defensive armament adequate to defend against threats by near-peer competitors” such as China and Russia. 

The PSC is slated to be armed with .50-caliber machine guns for close-in defense, but the Coast Guard has in the past said it is open to the idea up-gunning the armament to include heavier weapons, including cruise missiles. 

The study also will look at the “potential for nuclear-powered propulsion” for the PSC fleet. The study also will identify at least two optimal basing locations and at least two international basing locations for the future icebreaker fleet. 

In recognition of the Polar Star’s condition, the study also will look at options to bridge a potential gap between the end of the Polar Star’s worthiness and the commissioning of the PSC fleet, considering leasing options of commercial icebreakers from partner nations. 

“Further, and in advance of any bid solicitation for future polar security icebreaker acquisitions, the Secretary of State shall coordinate with the Secretary of Homeland Security to identify partner nations with proven foreign shipbuilding capability and expertise in icebreaker construction,” the memo said. 

In the memo, the president directed that the secretary of Homeland Security and the director of the Office of Management and Budget shall ensure that the Coast Guard’s offshore patrol cutter acquisition program “is not adversely impacted.”

ARLINGTON, Va. ― FLIR Systems Inc. has received orders for more than 160 of the company’s Centaur unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) for the U.S. Navy and Army, the company announced. The two contracts totaling $23.5 million include related spares and accessories and are being sourced through the Army’s Man Transportable Robotic System Increment II (MTRS Inc II) program. 

Since March, FLIR has announced orders totaling more than $65 million for nearly 500 Centaur UGVs from the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and now Navy. Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams will use the Centaur to assist in disarming improvised explosive devices, unexploded ordnance and similar hazardous tasks. Operators can attach different sensors and payloads to the robot to support other functions, such as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear missions. 

“With the Navy joining the MTRS Inc II program, it means that all U.S. military forces will now use a common, medium-sized robotic platform for EOD and CBRN operations,” said Roger Wells, vice president and general manager of the Unmanned Systems and Integrated Solutions business at FLIR. 

“In an era of increased joint service operations in combat zones worldwide, having common equipment across EOD units can support more standardized tactics and techniques, plus add new efficiencies in sustainment and training for years to come.  

“Our team is incredibly proud to know all four branches of America’s armed services have chosen Centaur as their mid-sized EOD robot. And, more importantly, that our technology is helping so many warfighters keep out of harm’s way,” Wells said. 

In 2017, the Army selected Endeavor Robotics, acquired last year by FLIR, as its medium-sized robot provider for MTRS Inc II. The company designed Centaur as its MTRS solution. FLIR is delivering robots to the Army under that multi-year program of record, which upon award was valued at more than $150 million, including options. These latest orders fall under the current ceiling. 

Centaur is a medium-sized UGV that provides a standoff capability to detect, confirm, identify, and dispose of hazards. Weighing roughly 160 pounds, the open-architecture robot features an advanced EO/IR camera suite, a manipulator arm that reaches over six feet, and the ability to climb stairs. Modular payloads can be used for CBRNE detection and other missions.  

Deliveries are expected to begin in the third quarter of 2020.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy secretary and chief of naval operations on June 10 announced these flag officer assignments: 

• Rear Adm. Daniel L. Cheever will be assigned as director for plans, policy and strategy, J-5, U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. Cheever served as commander, Carrier Strike Group 4, Norfolk, Virginia. 
• Rear Adm. Thomas E. Ishee will be assigned as director, global operations, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Ishee is serving as director, Undersea Warfare Division, N97, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.
• Rear Adm. Peter G. Stamatopoulos will be assigned as commander, Naval Supply Systems Command, and chief of Supply Corps, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.  Stamatopoulos served as director of logistics, J-4, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany.  
• Rear Adm. (lower half) William J. Houston, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as director, Undersea Warfare Division, N97, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. Houston served as director, plans and operations, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-6th Fleet; deputy commander, 6th Fleet; and commander, Submarine Group 8, Naples, Italy. 
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Anthony C. Carullo is serving as director, plans and operations, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-6th Fleet; deputy commander, 6th Fleet; and commander, Submarine Group 8, Naples, Italy. Carullo served as deputy director, strategic targeting and nuclear mission planning, J-5N, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. 
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Richard D. Heinz is serving as director of logistics, J-4, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany. Heinz served as commander, Naval Supply Systems Command Weapons Systems Support, Philadelphia. 
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Andrew J. Loiselle is serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group 4, Norfolk, Virginia. Loiselle served as commander, Carrier Strike Group 8, Norfolk.  
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Joseph D. Noble Jr., is serving as commander, Naval Supply Systems Command Weapons Systems Support, Philadelphia. Noble served as special assistant for audit readiness, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller), Washington, D.C.  
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Ryan B. Scholl is serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group 8, Norfolk, Virginia. Scholl served as deputy director, plans, J-5, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The most recent U.S. Navy warship to detect COVID-19 among crew members, the amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall has been cleaned and sanitized and awaits a decision to move the crew back on board, according to a Navy spokesperson.

Several crew members tested positive for the novel coronavirus on May 23, at Carter Hall’s homeport, Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Virginia, as the ship prepared for duty as a standby surge force for this year’s Atlantic Coast hurricane season. Under Defense Department policy, the Navy does not report the number of COVID-19 cases detected on specific ships and other units.

Most of the approximately 400 Sailors and Marines assigned to the ship were moved ashore to barracks or hotel rooms at Navy installations in the Norfolk, Virginia, area, according to Lt. Commander Amelia Umayam, a U.S. Fleet Forces Command spokesperson. A portion of the crew remained on board to perform cleaning, maintenance and in-port watchstanding duties.

“The crew has been monitored by medical personnel and are receiving care as necessary. No Carter Hall crewmembers have been admitted to the hospital,” Umayam said in an emailed statement June 9.

She declined to discuss a specific timeline for restoring the Carter Hall to duty but noted “the ship has been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, and we plan to move the crew back aboard the ship as soon as possible.”

While ashore, crew members are being checked daily by their leadership and receiving deliveries of food and essential items. The entire crew, as well as the Marines assigned to the 609-foot, 16,700-ton Carter Hall, have been tested for COVID-19, she said. In addition to crew members, the Carter Hall can carry a complement of 400 Marines and two air cushion landing craft.

MIAMI — The Coast Guard Cutter James crew on June 9 offloaded about 23,000 pounds of cocaine and approximately 6,900 pounds of marijuana, all worth more than an estimated $408 million, in Port Everglades, Florida, the Coast Guard said. 

The drugs were interdicted in international waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America and in the Caribbean Sea, including contraband seized and recovered during 11 interdictions of suspected drug smuggling vessels by four Coast Guard cutters and two U.S. Navy ships: 

• The James was responsible for four interdictions, seizing about 8,400 pounds of cocaine and 3,350 pounds of marijuana. 
• The cutter Mohawk was responsible for one interdiction, seizing about 1,700 pounds of cocaine. 
• The cutter Confidence was responsible for one interdiction, seizing approximately 1,089 pounds of cocaine. 
• The cutter Escanaba was responsible for one interdiction, seizing about 2,200 pounds of cocaine. 
• The Navy’s USS Pinckney was responsible for two interdictions, seizing approximately 9,050 pounds of cocaine. 
• The Navy’s USS Lassen was responsible for two interdictions, seizing about 575 pounds of cocaine and 3,575 pounds of marijuana. 

“The roughly 15 tons of illicit narcotics being offloaded here today and the likely ensuing prosecutions, are the results of extraordinary teamwork and intelligence-driven operations,” Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz said. 

“It is important to note that our fellow citizens aren’t the only ones who benefit from these counter-narcotics efforts. Our Central American neighbors face tremendous strain from drug-fueled violence sparked by transnational criminal organizations. Efforts like this enhanced counter-drug operation significantly disrupt the criminal activity destabilizing the region.” 

The James is a 418-foot national security cutter home ported in Charleston, South Carolina. The cutter Mohawk is a 270-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Key West, Florida. The Escanaba is a medium-endurance cutter homeported in Boston. The Confidence, a 210-foot medium-endurance cutter, is homeported in Port Canaveral, Florida. The Pinckney is a 510-foot Arleigh Burke-class destroyer homeported in Naval Base San Diego. The Lassen also is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer homeported in Naval Station Mayport, Florida.