With more than 75 first-round nominations, the 2021 Program Excellence Awards now has a list of 45 programs that will move on to Phase II. Upon completion of a submission packet, the programs will be evaluated by program leaders and developing program leaders from across the industry as part of  the Program Excellence initiative’s primary objectives — to accelerate the learning of future program leaders and to identify lessons learned.

Finalists for the Program Excellence Awards will be announced in late August, along with the best practices and lessons learned to be presented during the 2021 DefenseChain Conference and Program Excellence Events. Finalists and winners will be honored during the annual banquet, scheduled for October 20 at the Ritz-Carlton in McLean, Virginia.

See the list of nominees below: 

• Astronautics/Airbus Helicopters, wireless Airborne Communications System (wACS), Chad Cundiff of Astronautics and Yves Royannez of Airbus
• BAE Systems, Limited Interim Missile Warning Systems, Tadg Corkery 
• BAE Systems, F-35 AN/ASQ-239 Production, Christopher Rossi
• Ball Aerospace, Green Propellant Infusion Mission, Christopher McLean
• Bell Flight, Bell Boeing V-22, Kurt Fuller
• Boeing, MQ-25A Engineering and Manufacturing Development, David Bujold
• Boeing, Special Operations MGH-47G Block II Chinook First Delivery, Heather McBryan
• Boeing, Confident Travel Initiative, Michael Delaney
• Boeing, International Space Station Sustainment, John Mulholland
• Collins Aerospace, Mounted Assured PNT Systems, Paul Haag
• Collins Aerospace, E-2D Japan Weapon Systems Trainer Delivery, Nick Gibbs
• Collins Aerospace, International Space Station Regenerable ECLSS Support, Kevin Grohs
• Elbit Systems of America, F-35 Panoramic Cockpit Display, Jill Pearson
• Elbit Systems of America, Squad Binocular Night Vision Goggle, Melissa Kidwell
• Elbit Systems of America, Surveillance Towers (TMST and ARST), Pierre Drolet
• GALAXIE Consortium, Open Architecture Radar Processor Subsystem
• General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, U.S. Air Force Reaper UAS Production, Claudia Mowery
• Honeywell Aerospace, Germ Falcon UV Treatment System, Bob Lenz
• Honeywell Aerospace, A300 Cockpit Upgrade for UPS, Rey Trujillo
• Honeywell aerospace, V11B Software Upgrade, Jon Hymer
• KMC Systems, Navy Ventilator Project, Derek Kane
• L3Harris Technologies, Mars 2020, Tom Fischer
• L3Harris Technologies, Advanced Low Cost Munitions Ordnance, Michael Molohon
• Lockheed Martin, OSIRIS-REx, Elizabeth Buck
• Lockheed Martin, Command and Control Battle Management Communications, Mark Johnson
• Lockheed Martin, PATRIOT Advanced Capability-3, Kurtis Jetsel
• Lockheed Martin, GPS Operational Control Segment Sustainment, Jeffrey Kostelecky
• Northern Plains UAS Site, Ecosystem for UAS Operations, Nick Flom
• Northrop Grumman, 1NG Teaming for Better Performance, Joel Cleveland
• Northrop Grumman, Operational Understanding Through Mission Analysis Technologies for Counter Hypersonics, James Spence
• Northrop Grumman, Mission Extension Vehicle, Joseph Anderson
• Northrop Grumman, E-8C Joint STARS PME-DMS, Henry Cyr
• NUAIR, Drone Delivery Zone and Economic Development, Andrew Thurling
• Parsons Corp. Launch System Integration, Rich Waterman
• Parsons Corp., FAA T-4, Darnell Wagstaff
• Parsons Corp., Houston Airport System Infrastructure, Donna Williams
• Parsons Corp., Los Angeles World Airports Landside Access Modernization, Mark Hawley
• Qioptiq Ltd., F-35 Relay Optics Assemblies Recovery, Stephen Bowes
• Raytheon Technologies, Counter-UAS High Energy Laser Weapon, Brian Plasky
• Raytheon Technologies, SPY-6 v(1) Family of Radars, Mike Mills
• Raytheon Technologies, AN/AWW-13 Data Link Pod, J.D. Hill
• Raytheon Technologies, Standard Missile-3 Blk IIA FTM-44 Event, Roy Donelson
• U.S. Air Force, Jigsaw, Dane Hansen, Tim Niehoff, Roberto Guerrero and Corrie Poland
• U.S. Navy, F-18 Readiness Recovery, RAD Shane Gahagan