SNIPER: The Canadian Forces have placed an order with Lockheed Martin for 36 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods, making Canada the seventh international customer for the system, according to the company. The contract, the value of which was not disclosed, includes spares, support equipment and integrated logistics support until 2020. Deliveries will begin this month.
SHIPBUILDING DEAL: BAE Systems and VT are closing in on a deal that will likely see the two merge their shipbuilding facilities. The move would go some way toward satisfying the British Defense Ministry's desire to use its next-generation aircraft carrier program (CVF) as a prompt for industrial consolidation. The Thales-DCN team designing France's PA2 aircraft carrier is anxiously awaiting conclusion of the merger so it can nail down a development and build a contract with French armaments agency DGA.
After prolonged negotiations, the four Eurofighter countries and industrial consortium have agreed on a $1.6 billion upgrade package to introduce new capabilities to the Typhoon strike fighter. The so-called Phase 1 Enhancements chiefly bolster the Eurofighter Typhoon's air-to-ground weapons delivery capability. The primary additions to its arsenal come through the planned integration of Raytheon Paveway IV and the EGBU-16 laser/Global Positioning System-guided bombs, as well as a laser-designator pod capability.
Defense Department contracts and contract modifications for war-supporting operations continue to lead the list of the Pentagon's accounts for money already spent or about to be spent, according to an Aerospace Daily analysis. Fuel, logistics and wheeled trucks or tractors procurement all were ranked among the top 10 of 2006 contract transactions, according to an analysis of more than 1 million records gleaned from data provided by the National Institute of Computer Assisted Reporting (see charts p. 5-7).
Lockheed Martin is discussing the potential sale of a new, small weapon designed to minimize collateral damage to the U.S. Navy, company officials say. The Navy is experiencing a gap in engaging small targets in urban areas, where damage to buildings is unacceptable, according to Mark Naso, senior business development manager for Lockheed Martin precision-guided munitions.
When the Pentagon next updates the cost information on its major weapon systems, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program will show a roughly 4 percent unit cost increase. The cost growth, to be detailed this month to Congress in the next filing of the Pentagon's selected acquisition reports, is largely the result of a cutback in near-term procurement funding for the Lockheed Martin-led project, according to program officials.
Efforts by NASA and the FAA to promote space tourism and other new commercial space endeavors could run afoul of insurance risk issues, despite attempts by the federal government to write risk out of the contracts, insurers say. Concerns could be heightened by the failure of the second demonstration flight of the Space-X launch vehicle in late March.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is backing an L-3 Communications protest over the loss of a multibillion-dollar linguistics contract, a move that opens the door to a possible re-compete of the work.
April 2 - 3 -- 2007 Search & Rescue The Americas Conference & Exhibition, "Today's SAR Requirements: Dedication, Ingenuity & Commitment," Ritz Carlton, Tysons Corner, Washington, D.C. For more information go to www.shephard.co.uk/sar. April 2 - 5 -- Aeronautical Radio Inc.: 58th Annual Aviation Maintenance Conference; Phoenix. For information call (410) 266-2915; fax: (410) 266-2047.
SHIPBUILDING DEAL: BAE Systems and VT are closing in on a deal that will likely see the two merge their shipbuilding facilities. The move would go some way toward satisfying the British Defense Ministry's desire to use its next-generation aircraft carrier program (CVF) as a prompt for industrial consolidation. The Thales-DCN team designing France's PA2 aircraft carrier is anxiously awaiting conclusion of the merger so it can nail down a development and build a contract with French armaments agency DGA.
The Department of Homeland Security is exploring with Google ways to create a Web-based technology clearinghouse, according to the head of DHS' research and development unit. "Google came to us two weeks ago and said they want to work with us to establish what they want to call S&T Google or SToogle," Jay Cohen, DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology, told a congressional subcommittee March 28.
TRACKING FORCES: NATO problems in Afghanistan mirror those of the U.S. in Iraq. USAF Gen. Lance Smith, supreme allied commander for transformation, who is responsible for NATO defense planning, sees technology gaps. "We showed up in Iraq with seven different blue [friendly] force trackers that didn't talk to one another. So an Army commander knew where his forces were, but wouldn't necessarily know where the Marine forces right next to him were.
RMS ROLLOUT: A rollout ceremony at Lockheed Martin in West Palm Beach, Fla., for the first production Remote Minehunting System (RMS) will be held April 6, U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command says. Gary Humes, program manager for Mine Warfare, says the RMS will be deployed as part of Neptune Warrior exercises with the United Kingdom in May and then will undergo full operational testing in June. The U.S. Navy's first ship deployed with RMS capability will sail this fall, Humes says.
ABJECT LESSON: The record $100 million fine and guilty plea ITT Corp. agreed to for sending classified material to China is the kind of publicity the defense industry doesn't need as it seeks to liberalize U.S. export restrictions. The Aerospace Industries Association has been pushing for years to streamline technology control regulations and review processes. AIA believes it has been making some progress lately in the bowels of the bureaucracy.
Mindful of the tough lessons learned on the troubled NPOESS program, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has restructured its acquisition strategy for the next-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) system to give the government more direct oversight of the effort.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office on March 29 denied the additional protest points raised by losing bidders Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky in their effort to overturn the award of the Air Force's combat, search and rescue (CSAR-X) helicopter contract to Boeing Co. The GAO's Feb. 26 sustainment of one other protest item -- for certain lifecycle costs -- still stands. Air Force officials have said they plan to rebid that particular item, as recommended by the GAO.
ADAPTIVE ENGINE: Air Force Research Laboratory engineers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, have set up a five-year schedule for designing a new, adaptive engine that will let pilots easily shift from high-speed combat maneuvering to fuel-efficient, long-range persistence flight. A broad agency announcement has challenged industry to develop and demonstrate Adaptive Versatile Engine Technology. Goals are to develop inlet, engine and exhaust technologies that optimize performance over a broad range of altitudes and speeds.
The U.S. Army Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) -- the sequel -- promises to be much different from the original program and aircraft, service intelligence and aviation officers said March 29. "A couple of years ago, ACS was pretty much a stand-alone platform," said Col. John Burke, Army deputy aviation director.
DIASTER SIMULATION: The use of unmanned aircraft during a U.S. disaster - an option that was blocked in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina - will be attempted again. That critical capability will be tested during Operation Noble Resolve, April 23-26, when twin disasters will hit the East Coast simultaneously, says Air Force Gen. Lance Smith, who is also chief of U.S. Joint Forces Command.
CRYPTIC ICBMS: Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Systems will receive almost $90 million from the U.S. Air Force for 650 KS-60 Cryptographic devices and their fielding to intercontinental ballistic missiles. The KS-60's will perform encryption and decryption functions to support a mandate from the National Security Agency, according to the Pentagon's March 29 contract modification announcement.
