The following are selected defense contracts awarded to San Diego County companies in December and January. They have been announced by the U.S. Department of Defense or by the contractor itself.
The U.S. Air Force awarded Carlsbad-based Viasat Inc. a four-year contract for portable radios that could be worth up to $93 million.
The handheld radios will let troops on the ground communicate with close air support aircraft using the Link 16 network. The radios are called BATS-D, short for Battlefield Awareness Targeting System-Dismounted.
The deal also covers training to special warfare operators as well as maintenance.
The award “demonstrates the value of the AN/PRC-161 handheld Link 16 radio for the unique mission requirements of today’s USAF operators,” said Ken Peterman, president of the Government Systems business at Viasat, in a statement distributed by the company. “Today, nearly 2,500 AN/PRC-161 BATS-D radios have been shipped to U.S. war fighters worldwide, and we continue to see strong demand for its use across multiple military branches, and among coalition partners as it has the proven ability to significantly enhance situational awareness, improve mission coordination and accelerate decision timelines in a multi-domain battlespace.”
Work under the indefinite quantity, indefinite delivery contract will be performed in Carlsbad. The contract was awarded on a noncompetitive basis.
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio awarded the deal, announced on Dec. 16.
Epsilon to Repair Ships in Hawaii
The U.S. Navy awarded San Diego-based Epsilon Systems Solutions two multiple award contracts for ship repair, maintenance and modernization. Under the deals, Epsilon will service non-nuclear surface ships at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Under the indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity multiple award contracts, Epsilon will compete with other contractors for delivery orders. Work will continue through early 2025.
Ships that may receive work include Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, Ticonderoga-class cruisers, a variety of amphibious ships, mine countermeasure ships and littoral combat ships.
Epsilon and the other winning vendors will be responsible for providing the facilities and human resources capable of completing, coordinating and integrating multiple areas of ship maintenance, repair and modernization.
Five contractors in all will split up to $851 million of work. Eight businesses submitted bids for the competition. The Naval Sea Systems Command of Washington, D.C. awarded the work, announced on Jan. 28.
Marine Mammal Deal May Reach $73M
The U.S. Navy awarded Science Applications International Corp. of Reston, Virginia a one-year, $13.9 million contract to provide animal care, training, maintenance and operations associated with the animals participating in the Navy Marine Mammal Program. The Navy uses trained dolphins and sea lions for operations such as locating and marking undersea mines. Some 53% of the work will be performed in San Diego, with 24% in Kings Bay, Georgia and 23% in Bangor, Washington. The Navy may extend the contract for up to four additional years, giving the deal a potential value of $73.3 million. The contract was not competitively procured, as the Navy determined there is only one responsible bidder. The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific in San Diego awarded the deal, announced on Jan. 27.