Radar Sweep
Space Force Just Received Its First New Offensive Weapon
U.S. Space Force has begun operating a new offensive weapon system, an upgraded version of a ground-based satellite communications jamming system, for the first time in its short history. The first iteration of the Counter Communications System entered U.S. Air Force service in 2004 and the program has now gotten transferred to the newest branch of the American military.
U.S. Space Force Awards $655M Ground Systems Contract to SAIC Following Legal Battle
SAIC was re-awarded a $655 million contract for satellite ground systems services that it originally won in January 2019 and was successfully protested by Peraton. The contract awarded by the U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center is for the program known as EDIS (Engineering, Development, Integration and Sustainment). The contractor will modernize satellite ground systems at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., and Schriever Air Force Base, Colo.
GAO Sides with AFRL in Protest of Spaceflight R&D Contract
The Government Accountability Office has sided with the Air Force Research Laboratory in a protest over its award of a space innovation contract last November. ATA Aerospace filed an initial protest last year after AFRL's space vehicles directorate awarded Millennium Engineering and Integration a task order under its Research and Development Integrated Space Experiments program. GAO sustained the protest in July, and the Air Force re-evaluated proposals, ultimately choosing MEI again. ATAA protested the second award in November, challenging the service's "cost realism" evaluation.
General Officer Assignments
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein announced the new assignments for three general officers.
Bill Would Allow Companies to Use Military Logos on Religious Jewelry
A Florida congressman introduced legislation to change a Defense Department policy that prohibits licensees of its trademarked logos from using them alongside religious symbols.
VIDEO: Watch Two B-2 Spirit Arrive at RAF Fairford
Three B-2A Spirit bombers arrived at RAF Fairford on March 12 for a Bomber Task Force Europe deployment. The first aircraft, 82-1068 “Spirit of New York” arrived in the morning as “MISTY11”, followed, in the afternoon, by 88-0332 “Spirit of Washington” “MISTY 12,” and 82-1070 “Spirit of Ohio” “MISTY 13”. Ben Ramsay of UK Aviation Movies was there and filmed the cool footage that shows the two “black triangles” coming to landing on runway 27.