The Government Accountability Office has found that orders placed under indefinitely-delivery contracts accounted for approximately 40 percent of the Defense Department’s contract obligations between fiscal years 2015 and 2017.

GAO said in a report published Thursday it found that DoD awarded about three-quarters of indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts to a single vendor in the past three fiscal years.

The congressional watchdog evaluated IDIQ contracts and found that the Pentagon added ordering provisions that considered competition for succeeding orders.

“However, nearly all of the contracts we reviewed contained provisions that, while not explicitly limiting competition, may have the potential, under certain circumstances, to reduce the number of contractors who are eligible to compete for the orders,” GAO noted.

The agency evaluated DoD’s use of indefinite-delivery contracts in compliance with the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has tested a hard dock and recovery system as part of a program that aims to demonstrate an airborne platform to launch and recover multiple unmanned aerial systems.

DARPA said Wednesday the separation and captive flight tests occurred at Yuma Proving Ground and marked a key step for the agency’s Gremlins program.

Dynetics received a $32.5 million contract for the production and demonstration of an in-flight launch-and-recovery system under the program’s third phase.

The agency aims to conduct flight tests of the platform in late 2019 and looks to test multiple sensor packages before the project concludes.

DARPA’s program team also explored risk reduction methods through modeling and simulation activities, as well as examined how current aircraft platforms could leverage “gremlins” in high-risk missions.

Gremlin UAS is designed to accommodate up to 150 pounds of sensors and function for up to 20 uses during its lifetime.

Scott Wierzbanowski, program manager at DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office, said the C-130 military transport aircraft will serve as the Gremlins demonstration platform.

Wierzbanowski added that service branches could modify the Gremlin system for potential use with another transport aircraft platform or a weapons system.

The House Armed Services Committee on Thursday voted 60-1 to approve the House panel chair’s markup of a defense policy bill that would authorize $716 billion in funds for fiscal 2019, Defense News reported Thursday.

The proposed fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act would allocate at least $35 billion in funds to update military aircraft; $25.5 billion for equipment replacement and maintenance parts; and $18.5 billion for Army equipment replacement efforts.

The measure would support the Trump administration’s plans to buy 77 new F-35 fighter aircraft, modernize approximately 3,400 joint light tactical vehicles and purchase two more Virginia-class submarines and littoral combat ships.

The NDAA would fund the addition of approximately 16,000 service personnel to the armed forces and authorize a 2.6 percent military pay increase by January 2019.

Lawmakers also approved an amendment to retain the Test Resource Management Center and a plan to establish a new commission to assess physiological episodes and mishaps in military aviation.

The report said the full House is expected to vote on the proposed legislation later this month.