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Memorial Day Blue Angels Air Show at Jones Beach NY

The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement

This Memorial Day weekend, the Navy’s Blue Angels will perform at the Jones Beach NY Air show; however they will not be back next year. The flight demonstration and support team Navy and Marine Corps have been performing for over 70 years with an estimated 11 of million spectators each year.

History of the Blue Angels

In 1946 the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Chester Nimitz of the U.S. Navy came up with an idea to create a flight exhibition team to help boost Navy morale and raise the public’s interest in naval aviation. So how did the Blue Angels get their name you might ask? One of the original team saw the name Blue Angel nightclub in the New Yorker Magazine.  Over the past 72 years the team has changed their home base several times.  Starting at Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, they are currently stationed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola Florida.

The Blue Angels have flown several types of aircraft over the years, the current model being the F/A-18 Hornet. The Support aircraft flown by Marine Corps pilots has been the C-130 since the 1970’s.  It’s used by the team to move personnel and equipment between show sites.  The Marine Corps originally nicknamed the C-130 “Fat Albert”.

Where do they perform and when can I see them?

When the Blue Angel team is not performing at shows they can be found at the National Naval Aviation Museum, NAS Pensacola which has a viewing area for visitors to watch the team practice.

Flight demonstrations, air shows and performances according to the Department of Defense (DoD) assist in recruiting, demonstrate professional capabilities and pride of the Navy and Marine Corps by community outreach.   Every year the Department of Defense, Blue Angels’ Commanding officer, CNO and Navy recruiting command review hundreds of requests per year to hold air shows featuring the Navy Blue Angels.  After several meetings and approval processes the locations and dates of air shows are released.  https://www.blueangels.navy.mil/show/

The Blue Angels Memorial Day weekend Air show is scheduled to be perform next year at Scranton, PA May 25 & 26 2019.

Blue Angels contracting office information:

N30929 -Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron – Blue Angels care of supply officer, Pensacola FL 32508

https://www.blueangels.navy.mil/

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Zerk fitting price increases 1,277% at DOD – They’re seeking new manufacturers

This week a new government solicitation was issued which will result in a Long Term Contract (LTC) for several styles of commonly used grease fittings. These grease fittings otherwise known as lubrication fittings or Zerk fittings are used virtually in anything that moves. The US Military uses them in everything, it’s a common repair part replaced when it fails.  The one most commonly used is the straight one, the National Stock Number (NSN) is 4730-00-172-0010.  In fact DLA purchases over 100,000 units per year.   This NSN 4730-00-172-0010 has the official item name of “Fitting, Lubrication”.  The Department of Defense forecasts an Annual Demand Quantity (ADQ) of 190,625 of these grease fittings.  The government solicitation SPE7MX-18-R-X040 closes June 8, 2018 and the requirement includes 14 other similar styles of lubrication fittings with lower quantities.

A couple factors caught our interest in this solicitation

On December 22nd 2017 a defense contract for the exact same group of 15 NSNs was awarded to Jamaica Aerospace Company (AKA Jamaica Bearings) CAGE code 12516.  The total estimated contract value was listed at $800,000.00.  The Government received only 3 responses to the solicitation SPE7MX-17-R-0085 which resulted in this award to Jamaica Aerospace.  The contract award SPE7MX-18-D-0040 is an IDC – Indefinite Quantity Contract which they are currently delivering product under.  It consists of a three-year base period with two one year option periods.  It was issued by the DLA Land and Maritime, Strategic Material Sourcing Group division.  The new solicitation SPE7MX-18-R-X040 is out of the same office also with a three-year base period with two one year option periods for the same list of items.

The second factor which was interesting is the huge price jump of 1,277 percent of the NSN with the highest volume. After reviewing past procurement history, actual PDF contracts and DLA unit prices back to 1989 pricing for NSN 4730-00-172-0010 remained basically unchanged.  Current DLA unit cost associated to this NSN (based on past activity) is set at $0.22 per unit or $5.50 per package of 25.  Now according to the latest contract awarded to Jamaica Aerospace they now cost $3.03 per unit or $75.70 per package.  These prices are based on government purchases on over 466 packages (per order) as that’s the price break point.  Orders under 466 price out at $5.18 per unit or $129.39 per package of 25.

Overall this is a huge price increase going from $0.22 each unit to $3.03, what happened?

We reviewed procurement history (contract awards) of this NSN as well all the companies CAGE code classifications over the past 10 years. Most all of the companies listed as past suppliers for this grease fitting were distributors or dealers including Jamaica. Many of the companies received contracts for this NSN only to have them cancelled soon thereafter for unknown reasons.

NSN Analysis

First here are some NSN basics – Every NSN is associated to one or more reference numbers along with a CAGE code, these numbers are listed in the Master Cross Reference List (MCRL) section. These reference numbers have various purposes such as defining the number as either a manufacturers part number, specification or drawing number.

This NSN 4730-00-172-0010 lists 50 distinct reference numbers along with 50 different companies and 54 distinct CAGE codes this is more than most NSN’s. The majority of the CAGE codes associated are manufacturers, most of them prime manufacturers like General Motors or Oshkosh Defense.  These companies are ones that would typically use grease fitting in their products and not make them, that’s why you see so many numbers.  The others were listed as non-manufacturers many of them obsolete CAGE codes.  Typically one or more manufacturers are listed in the MCRL section and of this entire list we only found two CAGE codes that possibly specialize in manufacturing grease fittings or Zerk fittings.  They are CAGE 36251 McNeil Ohio Corporation and 0FKM1 Alemite, neither of them are active in the SAM database www.sam.gov or have sold direct to the government in many years.

History on lubrication fittings or Zerk fittings

Alemite LLC a manufacturer of grease guns (lubricating guns) was purchased by the Allyne-Zerk Company back in the year 1924. Oscar U Zerk an inventor designed a new style of lubricating nipples which improved on the previous designs.  October 18, 1932 Oscar U Zerk and assignee Alemite Corporation received patent number 1,883,275 for this new design.  The lubrication nipple or fitting in this patent drawing looks relatively unchanged from the grease fittings we use today some 86 years later. See the Military Specification MS15002-1 and MS15002-2 as a comparison.

McNeil Ohio Corporation purchased Lincoln Industrial in 1955 they also specialized in lubrication and fluid pumping products. Today they operate under the name Lincoln Industrial. Both Lincoln and Alemite operate under the SKF Group which is headquartered in Gothenburg Sweden.  SKF USA Inc. CAGE code 52676 is the only active CAGE code currently selling to the US Government.

Specifications and Drawings

This open solicitation states that the drawings/specifications are available for any bidders. Most are SAE specifications or standards based on obsolete military specs.  We have gathered a few of the mil-specs for you to review here. MIL-F-3541 is the general specification for lubrication fittings; MIL-F-3541 and the actual drawing MS15002 for the most commonly purchased Lubrication fitting. However you will need to obtain the current SAE standards to quote.

Manufacturing of grease fittings

Part of our research included reaching out to a machine shop to gain some professional thoughts.

“A machine shop with a screw machine should be able to produce the grease fitting you described” was the comment from a prototype machine shop we spoke to – Thanks 4M Instrument & Tool LLC.

In conclusion these were our findings based on the available data

  • The US Government for this most commonly used grease fitting has limited manufacturer.
  • A 1,277 percent price hike – from $0.22 cents to $3.03 dollars each means something.
  • Competition for manufacturers of grease fittings is low.
  • Competition for government sales of grease fittings is low, only 3 submitted bids last time.
  • The current government solicitation closes on June 8th 2018, and is for same list of items.

If you are a manufacturer looking for defense contracts this is one item worth looking into.

BidLink has been a leading provider of industry marketing data relating to DoD procurement for the past 18 years.

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U.S. Air Force intends on awarding a contract for TH-1H helicopter fleet maintenance

Air Force ROTC cadets from the University of Southern Mississippi ride in a TH-1H helicopter as part of Pathways to Blue April 7, 2018, on Keesler Air Force Base (U.S. Air Force photo by Andre Askew)

The Vietnam-era UH-1H helicopters commonly known as the Huey were modified into a new configuration the TH-1H, back in December 2004 to be used as a new training helicopter for student pilots. Today the U.S. Air Force is looking for a company to provide helicopter maintenance for the TH-1H fleet over the next 5 years.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) – Special Operations Forces/Personnel Recovery Division at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia issued a sources sought solicitation FA8552-18-R-0004 for Depot Level Maintenance of this fleet. This division provides acquisition and sustainment for all helicopters in addition to depot maintenance, modification, repair, engineering services, and contracting support for all fielded systems.

This Depot Level Maintenance (DLM) Government contract will require extensive knowledge on the Bell helicopter platforms. It will also require purchasing of spare parts, NSNs and finding manufacturers for obsolete parts for the program.

BidLink is an industry leader in providing government procurement data which has been used by DoD and Commercial industries.

Comments? Contact Jim at jimnews@bidlink.net

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Fatigue Technology receives delivery order for $367,680

F-15 Fighter Jet

Fatigue Technology International won a defense contract for $367,680 from the U.S. Defense Department.  The company will provide 32,000 panel fastener inserts at $11.49ea to the Air Force for use in the F-15 fighter jet.  The order, contract # SPM5AY-10-D-0102 was placed on December 2 and is to be delivered by June 20, 2011.   It was placed against a long term contract set to expire on August 23, 2012, with an option to extend from one to three years.

At the time of the original solicitation,  number SPM5AY10R0014, a complete data package for the associated items did not exist.  A market survey was conducted by the Government to several fastener dealers and manufacturers to source these items. Solicitations were also sent directly to Herndon Products, Wesco Aircraft and Fatigue Technology.  It was determined that Fatigue Technology was the only source of supply known to have the capability to provide the required items based on the survey and was awarded a long term contract  on August 24, 2010.

BidLink.net is a provider of defense industry information for contractors worldwide.  This data includes millions of defense contracts, procurement history, part numbers and vendor details.  This unique combination of resources allows BidLink to monitor and extract important information for the defense contracting industry.  BidLink.net, based in Washington, D.C., provides bid consolidation, searching and notification services, as well as part number (NSN) lookup to many military activities and thousands of private companies around the world.

Panel fastener, flush flange; NSN 5325-01-561-9824
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Demand for Unmanned Aircraft Systems continue to grow in the U.S.

MQ9 Reaper
The MQ9-Reaper Unmanned Aircraft

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are a hot topic for both the U.S. Military and the FAA. According to the FAA there are some 100 U.S. companies, academic institutions, and government organizations developing over 300 UAS designs. This unmanned aircraft industry is in its infancy; currently the majority of the users of these systems are military. Unmanned aircraft systems are part of the larger group of unmanned systems which include unmanned ground systems, unmanned maritime systems and their related technologies. The Department of Defense is aggressively developing unmanned systems and technologies and has slated plans out till the year 2034.

Unmanned aircraft systems have experienced an explosive growth within the DoD, providing highly capable intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). While DoD is currently the primary user of these systems interest is growing within federal agencies, state and local governments. Potential uses such as law enforcement, firefighting and commercial real estate photography just to name a few. Sizes of current UAS’s range from only few inches to over 250 feet long, some can remain aloft for 30 hours or more.

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MQ-9 Reaper – Unmanned Aircraft System

The U.S. Air Force has procurement requests planned for 48 units per year over the next 5 years until 2015. The total budget request for UAS in fiscal year 2011 is $1,079,595,000 dollars. This procurement cost includes all components of the MQ-9 weapon system.

The MQ-9 Reaper is a fully operational UAS consisting of the aircraft, sensors, ground control station, (GCS) satellite link, spare equipment along with operations and maintenance crews for deployed locations.  A typical crew consists of a rated pilot to control the aircraft and command the mission and an enlisted aircrew member to operate sensors and weapons plus a mission coordinator, when required.

MQ9-Reaper_controls
MQ9 Reaper Control Room

The MQ-9 baseline system carries a robust suite of sensors for targeting including infrared sensor, laser-guided munitions, and synthetic aperture radar; color/ monochrome camera, laser designator and a laser illuminator.  Each MQ-9 aircraft system can be disassembled and loaded into a single container, transported in the C-130 Hercules or larger aircraft, for deployment worldwide.

This past May (May 27, 2010) the Army recognized a milestone of 1 million hours of flight for unmanned aerial systems.

Based on the numbers and reports it looks like unmanned aircraft systems are here to stay, providing opportunities to companies both large and small.

* Writers are free to paraphrase or re-publish this article as long as they credit bidlink.net and link back to the original.

Photo credit: MQ-9 Reaper_081103-F-8477M-991|Capt. Sam Allen operates the controls of a battlespace simulator in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Fundamentals Course’s laboratory. Captain Allen is an instructor with the 563rd Flying Training Squadron and the UASFC director at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Rich McFadden)

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Air force requests over 100 new aircraft for FY 2011

Beale Global Hawk deploys for first time
Beale Global Hawk deploys for first time

The U.S. Air Force requests for over 100 new aircraft with 13 different models in their Fiscal Year 2011 Budget.

On the top of the list by volume is the MQ-9 Reaper an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) with a total request of 48 units.  The basic MQ-9 system consists of the aircraft, sensors, a control station, communications equipment, weapon kits, support equipment, simulator and training devices, initial spares and training. The total cost for all 48 units is just over one billion dollars. The prime contractor is General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems Inc.

The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) F-35 is second with a requested quantity of 23 aircraft at a total cost of  4.5 billion dollars. The F-35 is the much talked about next generation strike fighter with Lockheed Martin as prime contractor, while Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems are principal partners in the project.

Air Force FY2011 Aircraft orders (top 6 by quantity)
Air Force FY2011 Aircraft orders (top 6 by quantity)

The Light Mobility Aircraft program is third with a requested quantity of 15 and a total program cost of 65 million dollars.  This program plans to acquire Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) aircraft to satisfy the USAF light mobility mission requirement. The new program has  no chosen manufacturer as of yet.  According to Government data there are currently 22 interested vendors.

The USAFA Powered Flight Program is requesting a quantity of 12 Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) aircraft for the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs, CO.  with a program cost of about 4 million dollars.

The RQ-4 Global Hawk is an unmanned aircraft system with a total procurement cost of just over 1 billion dollars for 4 units.  This aircraft is fully autonomous with a range of over 9000 nautical miles.

The CV-22 Osprey also on the list for a quantity and a cost of just over 500 million dollars for 5 complete systems.  The CV-22 is a Special Operations Forces (SOF) variant of the V-22 vertical lift, multi-mission aircraft.

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