The Pentagon is set to award at least one contract, maybe more, for its satellite communications (SATCOM) Pilot Program Phase 1 within weeksof mid-March, according to a service spokeswoman.
Air Force spokeswoman Capt. Annmarie Annicelli said March 23 in an email that the total value of Pilot Program Phase 1 is $3 million. The number of awards, she said, is not determined at the moment. Air Force Col. George Nagy, chief, space support to operations division, Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for Space, told reporters March 23 at the Pentagon that awards would be made in the upcoming weeks. Aerial view of the Pentagon, Arlington, VA
MIT Lincoln Labs is conducting Pilot Program Phase 1, which is formally known as a Wideband Communications Architecture Study for Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center’s (SMC) military satellite communications (MILSATCOM) directorate. Nagy said Pilot Program Phase 1 earlier in 2017 issued a request for proposals (RFP) for and that Lincoln Labs is assessing responses.
According to industry sources, there are three different programs taking place that are supposed to help inform the Air Force on how to structure its unprotected SATCOM after the current Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) fleet is fielded. One is the Pathfinder series, a series focused on Ku-band. The other is the Pilot Program, which is a “soup to nuts” look at architecture development.
One source said DoD hopes to have this done in time for the Wideband Analysis of Alternatives (AoA), which Nagy said will inform future DoD resource decisions in the coming years. The Wideband AoA is supposed to soon issue a request for information to collect data.
Sources tell sister publication Defense Daily the Pathfinder series seems challenged. Pathfinder 2 sits in the draft RFP phase after the Air Force had an issue trying to use procurement funds. The source said Pathfinder 2 seems to be moving forward now that the Air Force moved it into the research, development test and evaluation (RDT&E) account. Pathfinder 3, the source said, seems in the definitional phase.
One source said the Pilot Program has $10 million in funding for fiscal year 2017. Unfortunately, since the Pentagon is operating under a continuing resolution at FY ‘16 spending levels with no new starts, the Pentagon cannot access that funding and is instead using internal funding for the Pilot Program.
Stakeholders are trying to get more money for the Pilot Program in the FY ‘17 budget, if an appropriation bill is ever signed into law. One source said there will likely be another $10 million if the congressional appropriations committees can get through conference. The extra $10 million was approved by House appropriators, but not Senate appropriators, the source said.
For his part, House Armed Services Committee member Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.) said March 23 in an email that he is looking to get funding for the Pilot Program. This number, he said, will depend on the outcome of the FY ‘17 appropriations bill.
“We need to ensure the pilot program is funded in order to take advantage of transformational technologies like high throughput satellites, low earth orbit (LEO) constellations and increased protection,” Bridenstine said.