Northrop Grumman has decided not to bid on the contract to manage Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico after reviewing the request for proposals (RFP) released by the Department of Energy May 18. "The company continues to be committed to helping the U.S. Department of Energy achieve its overall objectives, but has determined that it can best provide that support through other key programs," the company said in a statement. A company spokeswoman said she could not comment further on the company's reasons.
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) seems to have hinted to Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) about the viability of a Florida base if he would go along with the Defense Department's plans to put the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy into early retirement. "In configuring the fleet for 11 carriers, the Navy will ensure that it makes effective use of existing carrier ports," OMB said in a statement of administration policy on the House's version of the fiscal 2006 defense authorization bill (H.R. 1815), which was approved May 25.
The United States has asked Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) to decide by the end of May whether it wants to buy 12 P-3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft from the U.S., a MND spokesman said May 24. If Taiwan does not reply, the aircraft may be sold to other countries, Liu Chih-chien said.
TANK TRANSPORTERS: The Australian Ministry of Defence has awarded an Australian $16 million ($12.1 million) contract to MAN Military Vehicles Systems of Australia to provide 14 Heavy Tank Transporters and repair and maintenance support, Robert Hill, the defense minister, said May 25. The vehicles will allow the country's M1A1 Abram tanks and M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicles to be transported on Australian roads.
In observance of the Memorial Day holiday, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report will not publish on May 30. The next issue will be dated May 31. The next issue of Homeland Security & Defense will appear June 2 and the next issue of NetDefense will appear June 3.
MOVING FORWARD: The Senate Armed Services Committee on May 25 favorably reported the nomination of Kenneth J. Krieg to be undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics to the full Senate, where confirmation is expected. The SASC also favorably moved along 661 nominations in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Krieg, currently director for program analysis and evaluation in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, was tapped by President Bush to replace Michael Wynne, the current Pentagon acquisition chief (DAILY, April 22).
SWITCH MODULES: EDO-Darlington Inc. of Wando, S.C., was awarded a potential $240 million contract for procurement and support of 476 transition switch modules for the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command, the Defense Department announced late May 25. Almost all of the work will be performed in Wando, with the rest in Augusta, Ga., and should be finished by May 2010.
The U.S. Air Force's Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) program is gearing up for several key activities to promote the development of an extended-range version (JASSM-ER) of the stealthy cruise missile.
Lockheed Martin C-130E aircrew training simulators have been given a Level C certification, allowing the Air Force to train pilots on all tasks up to the final check flight, the company said May 25. The simulators are located at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. The certification was given by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command. Simulators are categorized from A to D, with Level D the highest. In a Level D simulator, a pilot can earn a rating without ever flying the aircraft.
ASSEMBLY PARTS: Lockheed Martin Corp. has been awarded a $35.7 million contract to produce night sensor assembly parts for the AH-64 Apache helicopter, the Defense Department said May 25. Seventy-eight percent of the work will be performed in Orlando, Fla., and 22% in Oswego, N.Y. The work is expected to be finished by April 30, 2008. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., awarded the contract.
Establishment of the Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., for the first time allows control of U.S. military space assets by a single entity, according to the Air Force.
The House on May 25 approved a provision to direct the defense secretary to provide Congress by the end of the year a sustainment plan for the existing U.S. Navy MHC-51 class mine countermeasures ships. Lawmakers further agreed to codify the content requirements of the Buy American Act as stated in Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations Supplement Part 225, as well as encourage the Defense Department to buy lithium-ion cells, batteries and associated manufacturing technologies that are made in the United States.
AgustaWestland has been awarded a 194 million pound ($355 million) contract by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence to upgrade its military's Apache AH MK1 helicopter's sighting and targeting system, the Anglo-Italian company said May 25. The upgrade involves Arrowhead, the U.S. Army's Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor. The M-TADS Electronic Display and Control and the Improved Helmet and Display Sighting System also will also be fitted to the U.K.'s 67 Apaches, the company said.
RECAPITALIZATION: Curtiss-Wright Corp. of Roseland, N.J., has completed the recapitalization of its common stock and Class B stock into a single class of common stock, the company said May 25. The company's stockholders approved the recapitalization on May 19. Each share of common stock now has one vote in corporate governance matters. The single class of common stock began trading under the symbol "CW" on May 25 on the New York Stock Exchange.
JAVELIN PRODUCTION: The U.S. Army has awarded a Raytheon-Lockheed Martin joint venture a $95 million contract to produce the Javelin anti-tank weapon system, the companies said May 25. The joint venture will produce 120 command launch units and 1,038 missiles. The Javelin is in full-rate production. The weapon system is being used by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, as well as Australia's military, and has seen extensive use in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The U.S. Navy is looking to award dual contracts to Northrop Grumman Corp. and General Dynamics Corp. to have each build a lead DD(X) destroyer simultaneously in the hopes that the service can compete the shipbuilders for a future round of DD(X) orders. Meanwhile, the Navy also is considering boosting the number of Flight 0 orders for its Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), John J. Young Jr., the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, told reporters at the Pentagon May 25.
Spacehab has entered into a nonreimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA to develop and test a miniaturized mass spectrometer that could help monitor air quality and toxicity levels aboard manned spacecraft, the company announced May 25.
