RADAR R&D: The U.S. Army Communication-Electronics Command has awarded Lockheed Martin a $10.2 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for a research-and-development effort to design and develop the tactical reconnaissance- and counter concealment-enabled radar program, the Defense Department said April 18. The contract, awarded April 12, is expected to be finished by Dec. 15, 2009. There were two bids solicited on Dec. 1, 2006, and two bids were received, according to the DOD. Work will be performed in Goodyear, Ariz.
TACTICAL TRUCKS: Stewart & Stevenson Tactical Vehicle Systems L.P. has been awarded a $19 million contract modification to produce the family of medium tactical vehicle trucks, the Defense Department said April 19. The work will be done in Sealy, Texas, and is expected to be finished by Nov. 15, 2008. The U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, Warren, Mich., awarded the contract.
The U.S. Army soon could announce significant contracts toward new Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, favoring a leading joint venture of Force Protection and General Dynamics, as well as major ground-vehicle providers BAE Systems and Oshkosh Truck, according to an industry source.
Japanese military officials are eyeing the F-22 Raptor as an antidote to growing regional missile threats, Aviation Week & Space Technology will report on April 23. The Lockheed Martin-built fighter is expected to become a key element in missile defense because it can detect and destroy small cruise missiles and also evade sophisticated air defenses to bomb ballistic missile launch sites. Whether Japanese law might be interpreted to allow the country's Self Defense Force to use the bombing to defend against ballistic missiles is still an open question.
The head of U.S. Central Command said April 18 that there are no plans in place to intervene if Turkish forces follow up on a threatened incursion against Kurds in northern Iraq. "I certainly hope they don't carry out this threat," Adm. William Fallon, new commander of Central Command told the House Armed Services Committee, adding: "We're trying to convince them that this is not a good idea."
Raytheon has demonstrated new Internet-like Web-portal capabilities through its Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) that the company says should improve information sharing across the military services and intelligence agencies and facilitate closer collaboration.
Buoyed by the ramp-up of work on NASA's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, Orbital Sciences Corp. saw first quarter 2007 revenues rise 19 percent compared to the same period last year, the company announced April 19. Orbital is a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin, the prime for Orion. Orion work was the major contributor to a 21 percent increase in revenues for Orbital's satellites and space segment, according to the company.
JSF APPROVAL: The Pentagon's acquisition chief has approved full funding for two conventional-takeoff-and-landing (CTOL) Joint Strike Fighters and long-lead funding for six more, as well as six short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing variants, the Defense Department said April 19. The two fully funded CTOL JSFs occur under low-rate initial production Lot 1, while the other 12 in the announcement comprise Lot 2. The JSF program is juggling engine, cost, schedule and weight issues.
Democratic Rep. Ellen Tauscher (Calif.), head of the House Armed Services Committee's (HASC) strategic forces subcommittee, said April 19 that "nothing is off the table" and that her panel could significantly alter the Bush administration's $310 million request for establishing a third ground-based midcourse ballistic missile interceptor site in Europe.
Boeing earlier this week made an unsolicited offer of 30 C-17s to the U.S. Air Force to help the service meet its growing air mobility needs and keep the production line open for the aircraft, according to industry and service sources familiar with the program. Boeing's offer was sent to the Air Force April 16, but the company has not provided official comment on the proposal yet. Boeing is "sweetening" the offer by agreeing to limit the cost for the Air Force to a guaranteed $196 million flyaway price for the aircraft only, according to a program source.
The foundation of U.S. military strength, its U.S. Army and Marine Corps ground forces, is crumbling because of a draining war, questionable procurement, ill-suited training and loosening recruitment standards, defense analysts said April 17 during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
The Defense Department spends too much money and time worrying about technology and high-performance fighter jets and needs to focus more on foot soldiers, retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Robert Scales told Senate Armed Services Committee members during an April 17 hearing.
Teams led by Boeing and Argon ST are embarking on an effort sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop technology capable of determining one's position on the Earth based on available terrestrial signals when the Global Positioning System (GPS) is being jammed or blocked. The Robust Surface Navigation (RSN) program seeks to exploit "signals of opportunity" -- such as electronic waves emanating from satellites, cell phone towers or TV transmitters -- to provide precise location and navigation information to ground troops.
Raytheon Missile Systems has been awarded a $32.4 million contract for Excalibur Block IA-1 projectiles, the Defense Department said April 17. The work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., Farmington, N.M., Niceville, Fla., Heraldsburg, Calif., Cincinnati, Ohio, Minneapolis, Minn., Anaheim, Calif., Thousand Oaks, Calif., Williamsport, Pa., Joplin, Mo., Fort Lowel, Mass., Minneapolis, Minn., and Karlskoga, Sweden. It is expected to be completed by June 31, 2009. The contract was awarded by the U.S.
The U.S. Coast Guard commandant promised key senators April 18 that the service's move to take over lead systems integrator (LSI) duties for its massive and troubled Deepwater recapitalization program is significant and represents more than a minor contractual reorganization.
SPACE SUMMIT: Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) is calling on President Bush to convene a bipartisan, bicameral space summit with the White House to address the future of America's space program. "There is no more visible sign of American global leadership than our space program," wrote Mikulski, chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee that oversees NASA, in an April 18 letter. "To lose that position to other countries would be a tragedy... We need a national commitment to our space program to put it on a path for success." Other signatories on the letter included Sen.
Pentagon officials and congressional auditors continue to disagree over elemental budgeting aspects of the ballistic missile defense system (BMDS), adding to a debate that could affect how spending plays out under the Democratic-controlled Congress.
The U.S. Army is seeking about $1 billion via off-budget appropriations through September 2008 to pay for an information technology (IT) effort to account for about $60 billion worth of the Army's goods worldwide, generals told lawmakers April 18. The effort, which is trying to consolidate as many as 800 legacy inventory IT systems to a goal of three or so, comes as key Democratic House defense appropriators expressed concern over what military equipment will be given away or left in Iraq only to some day possibly be used against U.S. forces or allies.
