UTC News. United Technologies has appointed Kelly Ortberg, who runs the company’s Collins Aerospace unit, as a special adviser to the Office of the CEO to help support integration planning for the pending acquisition of Raytheon. Ortberg ran Rockwell Collins before its acquisition by UTC, at which point he had responsibility for integrating his former company and UTC Aerospace Systems into Collins Aerospace. UTC Chairman and CEO Greg Hayes, who will lead Raytheon Technologies, praised Ortberg for his leadership at Collins Aerospace where he “achieved better than anticipated cost and revenue synergies while creating new offerings that leverage the advantages of both organizations…The knowledge and insights he will bring to this role will help us to successfully navigate the next steps in our journey as Raytheon Technologies, and undoubtedly set us up for a tremendous future.” UTC named Stephen Timm, who has been serving as president of the Avionics business unit within Collins, as the new Collins Aerospace president.
…Other Corporate News. General Dynamics has elected John Stratton, 58, to its board of directors where he’ll serve on the Finance and Benefit Plans Committee. Stratton spent 25 years with Verizon Communications and its predecessor Bell Atlantic Mobile, with his last role as president of Global Operations at Verizon from 2015 to 2018. “John brings extensive insight into the opportunities and risks associated with rapidly developing new technologies and cyber security that will help General Dynamics continue to deliver reliable products and services to our customers,” said Phebe Novakovic, chairman and CEO of GD. Meanwhile, CACI International has appointed Daniel Walsh as corporate strategic adviser to support strategy for growing defense and homeland security business. Walsh most recently served as White House Deputy Chief of Staff.
Rounds for Reelection. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), the chairman of the SASC Cybersecurity Subcommittee, announced Thursday that he is officially seeking a second term in 2020. He was first elected in 2014, succeeding former Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson, after eight years as state governor from 2003 to 2011.
SDA Funding. The Space Development Agency expects to receive sufficient funding across the FY ’21 FYDP to deliver initial capabilities for its space-based sensor layers, director Derek Tournear said Thursday at the SmallSat Sympsosium in California, several attendees told Defense Daily. Tournear said he expects the agency’s budget to more than double in FY ’21, and then more than double again in FY ’22. The agency expects to begin building and fielding satellites in FY ’23 with the goal of building one satellite per week, he added.
F-35 Spare Parts. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) will spend the next year transferring F-35 government-owned parts from industry facilities to its own warehouses after achieving IOC Jan. 1. “Transfer of inventory from Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney to Defense Logistics Agency facilities co-located with six air logistics and fleet readiness centers has already begun at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex and Ogden Air Logistics Complex at Hill Air Force Base, Utah,” the agency said in a release. “At full operating capability, our intention is to migrate inventory data into DLA systems so we have an accountable property system of record,” said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, director of DLA Logistics Operations’ Sustainment Solutions Division. Data transfer will be a conditions-based transfer and is scheduled for 2021, Davis added in the release.
French KC-130. Lockheed Martin delivered the second KC-130J aerial refueler to the French Air Force Feb. 4, the company said Friday. The handoff took place at Lockheed’s Marietta, Georgia facility. It is the final delivery for the French Air Force’s contract for four Super Hercules aircraft, including two C-130J-30 airlifters delivered in 2017 and 2018, and the first KC-130J refueler was delivered last September.
POTUS Race. Former Rep. Joe Walsh has ended his campaign to challenge President Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, he said Friday. Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld remains the sole Republican challenger to Trump.
Australia Support. Austal announced it entered an Agreement of Boat Repair (ABR) with the U.S. Navy to have its Australian shipyards and service centers eligible to bid and provide support services for U.S. Navy and Military Sealift Command (MSC) ships. The ABR allows those centers to specifically bid to provide emergent repair, maintenance, and sustainment work on deployed ships. “With this approval, Austal can provide a range of vessel repairs, maintenance and in-service support to U.S. Navy and MSC ships operating throughout South East Asia,” Austal Chief Executive David Singleton said in a statement.
LCS-19. Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine delivered the next Freedom-variant future Littoral Combat Ship USS St. Louis (LCS-19) on Feb. 6. Lockheed Martin is the primary contractor while Fincantieri builds the ship in Marinette, Wis. LCS-19 is the 10th-Freedom variant LCS. Before delivery, LCS-19 passed acceptance trials in December. It will be commissioned in Pensacola, Fla., this summer.
G/ATOR Radars. Northrop Grumman has delivered 12 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radars (G/ATOR) to the Marine Corps to date under low-rate initial production, a company official told Defense Daily. Mike Meaney, Northrop Grumman’s vice president of land and maritime sensors, provided the update after the company announced last week it had received an order for two additional G/ATOR radars under the latest full-rate production (FRP) deal. That FRP deal for Lot 2 procurement was awarded in December. The Marine Corps awarded Northrop Grumman a $958 million deal in June 2019 for 30 total systems to move the G/ATOR into full-rate production. Meaney said a deal for eight radars under Lot 3 will be awarded in FY ’21 and the last deal for eight systems under Lot 4 in FY ’22.
Industrial Security. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is soliciting proposals for security capabilities to help manufacturing organizations secure their industrial control systems from cyber threats. NIST’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence plans to enter into a cooperative research and development agreement to “provide products and technical expertise to support and demonstrate security platforms for the ‘Protecting Information and System Integrity in Industrial Control System Environments’ project for the manufacturing sector. NIST seeks to protect against external and internal threats.
Honeywell Contract. The Air Force on Friday awarded a $3.5 billion IDIQ contract for Embedded GPS Inertial Navigation System Modernization (EGI/EGI-M) follow-on production and sustainment. The sole-source contract provides production, sustainment and engineering technical services in support of the EGI/EGI-M system and could include FMS sales. Work will be performed in Clearwater, Florida, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2035. FY 2020 procurement funds in the amount of $1.6 million are being obligated for the first order of EGIs for the F-15 aircraft.