 Several of the GovCon industry’s most notable players have aligned with each other — and against each other — in pursuit of a multibillion Air Force program to build a new set of surveillance planes for the service branch.
The Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System Recapitalization competition will pit one team comprising Northrop Grumman, L-3 Communications and General Dynamics’ Gulfstream business aircraft arm against another lineup featuring Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and commercial plane maker Bombardier.
Both JSTARS Recap teams will focus on open systems architecture and commercial-off-the-shelf technology in each of their aircraft proposals, which will be respectively based on business airplanes made by Gulfstream and Bombardier.
A subsequent report from Aviation Week pegs the project’s total value at $4.3 billion and puts the contract’s award date at sometime in late 2017.
Also this week, the Air Force’s top civilian official offered a glimpse into how the service will dole out contract work on the future Long Range Strike Bomber.
USAF Secretary Deborah Lee James said the service branch could decide on the bomber’s prime awardee by August between either Northrop or a Boeing-Lockheed team.
She also said the Air Force will hold a separate competition for work on the bomber’s subsystems.
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James will give the Potomac Officers Club her perspective on “The State of the Air Force” at POC’s July 22 breakfast event in Falls Church, Va. as keynote speaker.
James became Air Force secretary in late 2013 after 11 years executive roles at SAIC.
Air Force Chief Technology Officer Frank Konieczny will also address the GovCon executive audience at the event with many more speakers being lined up.
Topics slated for discussion at the event will include priority programs for the service branch, its current budget posture and the private sector’s role in helping to equip the Air Force.
Prior to that, the Potomac Officers Club will kick off its summer “CIO Speaker Series” for industry and government executives to hear from federal IT leaders on their technology priorities.
Doug Wolfe, the CIA’s chief information officer, will be the first federal CIO to address the POC at a July 16 breakfast event with Pentagon CIO Terry Halvorsen scheduled for August 6 and Transportation CIO Richard McKinney for August 20.
Heidi Shyu, the Army’s chief acquisition official, will address the POC September 2.
Click here to register for these events and to view POC’s full calendar.
THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES |
Several of the GovCon industry’s most notable players have aligned with each other — and against each other — in pursuit of a multibillion Air Force program to build a new set of surveillance planes for the service branch.
Also this week, the Air Force’s top civilian official offered a glimpse into how the service will 
James will give the Potomac Officers Club her perspective on “The State of the Air Force” at POC’s 
Air Force Chief Technology Officer Frank Konieczny will also address the GovCon executive audience at the event with many more speakers being lined up.
