Industry News

PAE is set to provide maintenance and logistics support services for 44 F-5 aircraft of the U.S. Navy after the service branch cancelled a stop-work order on the company. PAE said Tuesday it began contract transition performance on May 25 and will continue work through a four-year period if all options are exercised. The contract awarded by the […] More

Leidos has conducted a series of initial performance trials on an autonomous vehicle it is developing for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency‘s Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel program. Leidos said Monday its 132-foot trimaran Sea Hunter either met or exceeded speed, maneuverability, stability, seakeeping, acceleration/deceleration and fuel consumption performance requirements under the two-year DARPA and Office of Naval Research […] More

Lockheed Martin and Pilatus Aircraft have conducted an initial production test flight of the first PC-21 training aircraft as part of the estimated $896.8 million AIR 5428 Pilot Training System Program contract signed in 2015. Lockheed said Thursday it will supply integrated ground-based training technologies and pilot training system project management to support future pilots in Australia’s air force, navy and army under […] More

The U.S. Navy has awarded EnergySolutions a potential three-year, $38.7 million contract to process various forms of metal for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. EnergySolutions will also provide shipping containers and brokerage services as well as transport materials from multiple NNPP facilities by truck, rail or barge, the Defense Department said Friday. The company seeks to help the Navy reduce the volume of radioactive […] More

The U.S. Air Force has examined two close-air support aircraft models to perform light attack missions and potentially serve as a short-term replacement for the service branch’s current fleet, FlightGlobal reported Sunday. Leigh Giangreco writes Air Force has investigated Beechcraft’s AT-6 and Embraer’s A-29 Super Tucano as possible short-term replacements to its Fairchild Dornier A-10 fleet and seeks to […] More

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a process designed to encrypt and store sensitive data into a synthetic DNA. Bioengineers George and Marlene Bachand at Sandia Labs used a computer algorithm to encode a summarized version of a letter by U.S. President Harry Truman into a chemically synthesized DNA spotted onto a Sandia Labs […] More

Astronics has received a 24-month, $5 million contract to supply night-vision lighting systems for the F-16 jets of an unnamed country through the U.S. foreign military sales program. The contract calls for Astronics to design and develop a complete lighting system that will work to help pilots fly F-16s with night-vision goggles, the company said Wednesday. Astronics added the system will incorporate exterior and […] More

Tory Bruno, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance, has said he believes the passage of the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act would help pave the way for ULA to further develop the Vulcan rocket, Via Satellite reported Thursday. Caleb Henry writes House and Senate lawmakers work to reconcile through a conference the two versions […] More

An Onvia study has revealed nationwide state, local and educational procurements including bids and requests-for-proposals has declined by 1.4 percent in the second quarter of 2016 from Q2 of 2015. Onvia said Thursday its “State & Local Procurement Snapshot for Q2 2016” report showed the year’s first half showed an 0.6 percent increase compared to the same period in 2015. “Onvia […] More

The U.S. Army plans to issue a solicitation for the research and development of eye protection technology for military personnel. A pre-solicitation notice posted Wednesday on FedBizOpps stated the Army Contracting Command is scheduled to issue a formal request for bids on the Next Generation Eye Protection project by Aug. 3 and could award multiple firm-fixed-price contracts with a 12-month period […] More