Industry News

SpaceX has launched the National Reconnaissance Office‘s classified payload dubbed NROL-76 aboard a company-built Falcon 9 rocket, TechCrunch reported Monday. Falcon 9 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the rocket’s first stage was separated to perform controlled landing at SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral-based landing pad, reported TechCrunch. The company postponed the initial launch attempt on Sunday due to […] More

Newport News Shipbuilding, a Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) subsidiary, has christened the U.S. Navy‘s 16th Virginia-class Indiana submarine at the company’s shipyard in Newport News, Virginia. The christening occurred Saturday and ship’s sponsor Diane Donald, wife of Adm. Kirkland Donald (U.S. Navy, Ret.), former director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion,  performed the traditional honor of breaking a bottle of sparkling […] More

BAE Systems has unveiled the fourth Astute-class attack submarine that the company built for the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy. The nuclear-powered submarine named Audacious was lowered into the dock water at BAE’s Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria site to undergo the next phase of test and commissioning ahead of sea trials in 2018, the company said Friday. Astute-class submarines are equipped […] More

The Energy Department has awarded energy savings performance contracts to 21 companies to help update energy and water infrastructure at federal facilities. DOE said Friday contractors will design, construct, install and provide financing support to energy and water savings projects of federal agencies under the ESPCs. ESPCs will not require initial costs from agencies and contractors will be paid over the term of the […] More

The Defense Department‘s Office of the Chief Information Officer has launched a market research effort to identify qualified industry sources of technical support services under a possible five-year acquisition program. Washington Headquarters Services said Friday in a FedBizOpps notice the DoD CIO looks to procure mission support services through a multiple-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract or a blanket purchase agreement. WHS expects […] More

Mike Gregoire, CEO of CA Technologies, has said federal government agencies should transition from the “built-to-last” concept to the “built-to-change” approach when modernizing information technology systems in an effort to protect IT infrastructure and data from security threats. Gregoire wrote in a Nextgov article published Thursday that the built-to-change concept seeks to help agencies reinvent […] More

General Atomics‘ aeronautical systems division and GKN Aerospace‘s Fokker business have opened a production line of landing gear systems for the General Atomics built Predator B remotely piloted aircraft. Fokker said Tuesday the facility in Helmond, the Netherlands is designed to support “highly automated” processes and will be managed by a program team. Linden Blue, CEO of General Atomics’ aeronautical systems […] More

Nuclear Fuel Services, a BWX Technologies subsidiary, has received $141.7 million in exercised contract options under the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program to provide continued development, decommissioning and fuel manufacturing support for the country’s aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines. BWXT said Thursday that work on the contract options has commenced and the company expects to complete majority of […] More

The Department of Homeland Security has awarded Planck Aerosystems and Asymmetric Technologies separate contracts worth up to $352,000 combined to develop small unmanned aerial systems and related platforms in support of the Customs and Border Protection’s operations. CBP said Thursday San Diego-based Planck Aerosystems will build a truck-based small aerial drone designed to deliver data as well as […] More

LAC Federal has secured a five-year contract to offer professional and health information technology services via the General Services Administration‘s IT Schedule 70 procurement vehicle. The company said Thursday it will provide services to federal, state and local government agencies as a prime contractor in Special Item Numbers (SINS) 132-51 and 132-52. The SINs cover services such as automation […] More

Lockheed Martin has conducted a fifth flight test of its modernized tactical missile system to verify the system’s functions and compliance with performance requirements under an engineering and manufacturing development contract with the U.S. Army. Lockheed said Thursday it equipped the missile with new guidance electronics and a capacity to engage area targets as part of the Army’s TACMS Service Life Extension Program. TACMS […] More