Trump Proposes New Fighter Jet, the F-55

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.

President Donald Trump wants the US military to have a new twin-engine F-35, reports Breaking Defense. “We’re going to do an F-55,” he said during a business roundtable in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday. “That’ll be two engines and a super upgrade on the F-35.” But analysts said that what Trump described would be a highly challenging engineering endeavor. They also questioned the wisdom of spending scarce budget dollars on an advanced F-35 when the newly announced F-47 is already planned. Trump also wants to modernize the F-22.

Trump is receiving more criticism of his plan to accept a Boeing 47-8 plane from the Qatar royal family — this time from some members of his own party, reports USA Today on MSN. “I trust Qatar like I trust a rest-stop bathroom,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) said. “With those guys, trust in God, but tie up your camel.” Other MAGA loyalists have spoken out, too. Senate Democrats want a Defense Department watchdog to weigh in on the move which they believe creates numerous security and ethical issues, reports Air Force Times. Also last week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer put a hold on Trump’s Justice Department appointees over the gift of the $400 million luxury plane from Qatar for Trump’s use, reports Daily News.

There’s the price tag of refurbishing the Qatari plane to be the new Air Force One with top-secret systems – upward of $1 billion, according to some estimates, reports The Independent.

The US Department of Homeland Security wants to buy a new long-range Gulfstream jet to replace an aging one used by Secretary Kristi Noem and top Coast Guard and DHS officials, reports Navy Times. The request for $50 million in funding, to come from the Coast Guard’s fiscal 2025 budget, came up during a House appropriations subcommittee meeting last week. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL) said she was “horrified” to receive a “last-minute addition” to the service’s budget proposal for the jet, noting Noem has another Gulfstream to use.

A traffic-control hotline that was supposed to connect the Pentagon with air traffic controllers at Reagan National Airport has not operated since 2022, reports BBC News on MSN. A Federal Aviation Administration official said the FAA only learned of the problem this month after controllers at the airport had to wave off two flights attempting to land because of a nearby US Army helicopter.

Acting Chief of Naval Operations ADM James Kilby told the House Appropriations Committee last week that the US Navy is looking for new types of munitions to ensure it has enough firepower for future conflicts, reports Navy Times. Kilby said that recent operations in the Red Sea “have highlighted the strain on our munitions industrial base.”

Boeing has been awarded a $243.5 billion contract for up to 210 new wide-body civilian airliners for Qatar, reports The Washington Post. According to a White House fact sheet, the $96 billion agreement would include 130 of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners and 30 of its 777X planes with options for 50 more aircraft. No timeline for delivery was provided. The order is Boeing’s largest ever for wide-body jets, according to a company news release.

The US Navy and Congress are battling with the Trump administration to keep moving forward with a contract award to build the Navy’s next-generation fighter jet, reports Reuters. At the heart of the conflict is the F/A-XX program, intended to replace the Navy’s aging Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet fleet with a new carrier-based stealth fighter to be fielded in the 2030s.

Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman had all been in the running to develop the F/A-XX. However, Lockheed Martin was eliminated from the competition in March 2025 because its proposal “did not satisfy the service’s criteria,” Breaking Defense reported at the time.

The US Air Force’s planned fleet of 26 Boeing E-7 Wedgetail aircraft could be in doubt as the Trump administration reconsiders spending plans, reports Air & Space Forces Magazine. The E-7s are to be the Air Force’s new battle management platform, providing airborne moving target indication as successors to the decades-old E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft.

Germany-based AI company Helsing has unveiled its swarming underwater surveillance drones powered by artificial intelligence for the detection of enemy submarines and ships out at sea for months at a time, reports C4ISRNET. The company’s AI tool Lura is at the heart of the setup, processing data from SG-1 Fathom drones, Helsing said in a news release.

The military parade planned for June 14 – the Army’s 250th anniversary, Flag Day, and Trump’s 79th birthday – will feature dozens of tanks rumbling through the streets of Washington, DC, warplanes overhead and 7,500 soldiers housed in government office buildings downtown, reports USA Today. The total cost of the parade will be roughly $30 million but might increase. Some estimates put the price tag at $45 million.

An investigation has been launched into why a Mexican navy tall ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday night in a collision that snapped the vessel’s three masts, killed two crew members, and left some sailors dangling from harnesses high in the air, reports The Associated Press. The ship was on a global goodwill tour.

The Hill reports that the Department of Homeland Security wants 20,000 National Guard troops to help with the administration’s immigration enforcement. It is not clear what role Guard members would take in the immigration crackdown, such as whether they would be involved in rounding up and arresting people for deportation or just transportation or security.

Japan is conducting emergency inspections on nearly 200 military training planes after a T-4 training aircraft crashed, reports The Hill. The plane crashed minutes after taking off from Komaki Air Base in the central Japanese prefecture of Aichi.

The US Army plans to eliminate two Security Force Assistance Brigades to free up the experienced soldiers assigned to them, reports Task & Purpose. The service will close the 4th and 54th SFABs, formations stood up nearly eight years ago to train and advise the militaries of American partners and allies, according to officials.

Retired Air Force COL Richard Anderson, Trump’s nominee for assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, breezed through his hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, reports Air & Space Forces Magazine.

VA leaders said that the veteran disability claims backlog is down to 200,000 cases, reports Navy Times. The backlog of claims last week fell to its lowest mark since the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A federal grand jury has indicted former AMVETS commander Danny Dale Gordon on 15 counts of wire fraud stemming from allegations he embezzled $622,000 from the Dayton, OH, branch of the veteran nonprofit organization, reports Army Times. Gordon, 48, of Kettering, OH, faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine if convicted.

Naval Aviation News has earned first place in the Team Publication category of the Navy Public Affairs Awards for 2024, reports The Southern Maryland Chronicle. The award is presented by the Department of the Navy. The publication is based at NAVAIR at NAS Patuxent River.

Contracts:

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is awarded a $188,584,592 modification (P00014) to a cost-plus fixed-fee contract (N0001924C0005). This modification exercises options to provide continued logistics and test support, and continued field service representatives technical support, as well as supports reach-back engineering support to ensure that the MQ-4C Triton air vehicle are mission-capable for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions in support of the Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Work will be performed in San Diego, California (38%); Patuxent River, Maryland (13.5%); Jacksonville, Florida (6.8%); Apra Harbor, Guam (6.7%); Sigonella, Sicily Italy (5.3%); Whidbey Island, Washington (3.8%); Baltimore, Maryland (3.4%); Chantilly, Virginia (3%); Mayport, Florida (2.2%); Katherine, Australia (2%); Sierra Vista, Arizona (1.6%); Adelaide, Australia (1%); various locations within the continental US (CONUS) (4.2%); and various locations outside of the CONUS (8.5%), and is expected to be completed in May 2026. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,201,834; fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $16,548,352; fiscal 2024 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $50,000; and RAAF Cooperative partner funds in the amount of $6,384,601, will be obligated at the time of award, $16,548,352 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This effort was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Thales Defense & Security Inc., Clarksburg, Maryland, is being awarded a $31,095,570 delivery order (N00383-25-F-ZK01), under previously awarded contract (N00383-22-G-ZK01), for the repair of eight ventilated mounting units, 95 standard equipped helmets, 45 large equipped helmets, 10 processor helmets, 343 Head-U display units, and 255 Head-U display units in support of the H-1 aircraft. All work will be performed in Valbonne, France, and work is expected to be completed by May 2026. Annual working capital funds (Navy) in the full amount of $31,095,570 will be obligated at the time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One company was solicited for this sole-source requirement pursuant to the authority set forth in 10 US Code 2304 (c)(1), with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity.

JJR Solutions LLC, Dayton, Ohio, is being awarded $16,737,418 for a firm-fixed-price task order (N00189-25-F-R077) under a previously awarded basic ordering agreement (FA8003-22-G-0001) to provide program management and other necessary contractor services to enable sustainment, maintenance and enhancement of the Navy’s Naval Autonomous Data Collection System functional and technical capabilities in support of Naval Supply Systems Command. The contract will include a one-year base period with four, one-year option periods, which if exercised, will bring the total estimated value to $62,456,678. Work will be performed in Tysons, Virginia (50%); and Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania (50%). Work is expected to be completed by May 2026; if all options are exercised, the ordering period will be completed by May 2030. Fiscal 2025 other procurement (Navy)(OPN) funds in the amount of $7,157,555; fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,067,902; and fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance (Navy) (OM&N) funds in the amount of $2,016,939, for a total of $12,242,396, will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2025 OM&N funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year; all other fiscal 2025 funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Subsequent task orders will be funded with appropriate OM&N, RDT&E (Navy), and OPN funds. The requirement was solicited for this sole-source procurement pursuant to the authority of 10 US Code 3204(a)(5) as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-5 and one offer was received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department Regional Directorate, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity.

Absher Construction Co., Puyallup, Washington (W9128A-25-D-0030); ContiFederal Services LLC Orlando, Florida (W9128A-25-D-0031); Environmental Chemical Corp., Burlingame, California (W9128A-25-D-0032); Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii (W9128A-25-D-0033); Hensel Phelps Construction Co., Honolulu, Hawaii (W9128A-25-D-0034); Kiewit Infrastructure West Co., Honolulu, Hawaii (W9128A-25-D-0035); Nan Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii (W9128A-25-D-0036); Nordic PCL Construction Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii (W9128A-25-D-0037); Stronghold Engineering Inc., Perris, California (W9128A-25-D-0038); The Haskell Co., Jacksonville, Florida (W9128A-25-D-0039); and The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Towson, Maryland (W9128A-25-D-0040), will compete for each order of the $495,000,000 contract for construction services for the state of Hawaii. Bids were solicited via the internet with 13 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 14, 2030. US Army Corps of Engineers, Honolulu, Hawaii, is the contracting activity.

All Above Pavements Inc., Chatham, Illinois (W9128F-25-D-A002); Applied Pavement Technology Inc., Urbana, Illinois (W9128F-25-D-A003); Pavement Technical Solutions Inc., Broadlands, Virginia (W9128F-25-D-A004); RDM International Inc., Sterling, Virginia (W9128F-25-D-A005); and TR Consulting Services LLC, Fort Collins, Colorado (W9128F-25-D-A006), will compete for each order of the $25,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for architectural and engineering services. Bids were solicited via the internet with seven received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 14, 2030. US Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity.

Norfolk Dredging Co., Chesapeake, Virginia, was awarded an $18,645,765 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance dredging. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Wilmington, North Carolina, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2026. Fiscal 2023 and 2024 civil operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $18,645,765 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington, North Carolina, is the contracting activity (W912PM-25-C-A005).

Atlantic Diving Supply Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (SPRMM1-25-D-MC01); ASRC Federal Facilities Logistics LLC, Beltsville, Maryland (SPRMM1-25-D-MC02); Culmen International LLC, Alexandria, Virginia (SPRMM1-25-D-MC03); Fairwinds Technologies LLC, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland (SPRMM1-25-D-MC04); S&K Aerospace LLC, St. Ignatius, Montana (SPRMM1-25-D-MC05) and SupplyCore LLC, Rockford, Illinois (SPRMM1-25-D-MC06), are sharing a maximum $5,000,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPRMM1-25-R-T001 for various integrated weapons systems equipment and services in support of Virginia-class submarines and active surface ships. This contract vehicle will expedite the procurement process for high-priority requirements, ensuring the timely delivery of essential resources to Virginia-class submarines and active Surface ships. This is a competitive acquisition with nine responses received. These are five-year base contracts with five one-year option periods. Locations of performance are inside and outside the continental U.S., with a March 30, 2029, performance completion date. Using customers are Navy, Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Department, and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2025 through 2029 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $20,595,168 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and cost-reimbursable incentive contract for technical security team support services. This contract provides for program management, end use monitoring, technology security support, food services support, and facilities management support. Work will be performed in Pakistan and is expected to be completed by May 2026. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Pakistan. This contract was a sole source acquisition under the authority of Unusual and Compelling Urgency. FMS funds in the amount of $20,595,168 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Security and Assistance Directorate, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8630-25-C-B014).

LeoLabs Federal Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $14,086,053 firm-fixed-price contract for support to the advanced ultra-high frequency phased array radar. This contract provides for designing, building, and testing an operational ultra-high frequency 3-D pulse doppler direct radiating array radar to augment Space Force space domain awareness sensors. Work will be performed in Chantilly, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by May 22, 2029. This contract is a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,518,918; and fiscal 2025 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $5,159,082, are being obligated at the time of award. The Space Systems Center Directorate of Contracting, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting activity (FA8820-25-C-B004).

PingWind Inc, Annandale, Virginia, was awarded a $16,322,159 fixed-price-level-of-effort contract for IT project management support. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 20, 2030. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W50NH9-25-F-0032).