Navy strenghtens technical support for Patuxent River in new contract

The Department of Defense (DoD) announced Tuesday that it had awarded Aviation Systems Engineering Company (ASEC) a six-year, $35.3 million Navy contract to provide technical, analytical, administrative, and material support services to the service’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron One.

The news came on the heels of Monday’s $203.7 million contract with ERAPSCO to stockpile 141,500 AN/SSQ series sonobuoys for anti-submarine warfare (ASW). As part of the Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force mission, the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-1 vets the latest ASW and maritime anti-surface warfare (SUW) weapon systems prior to deployment. Recent tests include Northrop Grumman’s newest fixed-wing, intelligence drone, the MQ-4C “Triton,” which entered low-rate initial production last month and is an ASEC-supported aircraft.

The Navy will obligate $635,299 in fiscal year 2017 for research, development, test and evaluation to the Maryland-based company. The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract,  includes terms and conditions for the placement of both cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price task orders.

The specific actions and/or tasks required will be identified on individual task orders issued. Work will be conducted at the Naval Air Station in nearby Patuxent River, Maryland, with an expected completion date of October 2021.

ASEC designs, develops, and maintains systems and sensors for applications in support of manned and unmanned aircraft programs, including the P-8A Poseidon, the RQ-4A BAMS-D, the P-3C Orion, and the signals reconnaissance aircraft EP-3E Aires II. The company also possesses decades of acquisition experience and a commercial drone operation.

Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk Contracting Department, based in Philadelphia, PA is the contracting authority.