Lockheed Martin Corp. and Alliant Techsystems said Aug. 8 that they successfully test fired a second-stage booster motor under the Submarine-Launched Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Booster system demonstration for the U.S. Navy. It was the second static test firing conducted this summer under the 16-month, $9.2 million demonstration effort (DAILY, July 18).
DRS Technologies Inc. announced Aug. 8 that General Dynamics Corp. selected it for a new $186 million contract, including options, to design and produce sets of "Integrated Fight Through Power" systems for the U.S. Navy's planned DDG-1000 destroyers, formerly known as the DD(X) class. DRS will provide detailed design, development, qualification and production of advanced-power conversion modules for the DDG-1000 Ship Service Distribution System through March 2016.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Aug. 8 awarded Northrop Grumman $55.4 million for the third and final phase of the government's program to assess the feasibility of installing infrared countermeasures on commercial airliners.
Under a new management plan finalized by the Pentagon, the military's proposed Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) will have centralized funding, engineering and program development authority, which defense officials say should ease tensions between the Defense Department and prime contractor Boeing. Approved by Defense Deputy Secretary Ken Krieg, the plan consolidates authority, direction and control of JTRS by the joint program executive officer through the Navy. The Pentagon released details of the new arrangement on Aug. 8.
General Dynamics Land Systems said Aug. 7 that it has been awarded a $134.6 million contract by the U.S. Army to upgrade 60 M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks to the System Enhancement Package configuration. Sixty additional Abrams could also be upgraded under a $145 million option. The improvements will include better armor, second-generation thermal sights and a new command and control system, the company said.
GUN ASSEMBLIES: General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products said Aug. 8 that it has been awarded a $5.5 million contract to produce receiver assemblies for the U.S. Army's M2HB machine gun. The receiver assemblies form the body of the weapon. They will be used as spare parts for M2HBs in the field and to refurbish machine guns at Anniston Army Depot, Ala. Deliveries will run from January through October 2007. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Tank-automotive Command, Rock Island, Ill.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the U.S. Army will buy at least 37 Longbow Fire Control Radars (FCR) for Apache helicopters in a $125 million deal with Longbow Limited, company officials announced Aug. 8. The UAE will buy 30 FCRs, while the U.S. Army is slated to buy seven with an option to purchase an additional six or more, said Richard Russell, president of Longbow Limited, a limited liability company formed by Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin.
The Defense Department said Aug. 7 that two companies have been awarded delivery orders worth a combined $73 million to provide the U.S. Army with outer tactical vest conversion kits in universal camouflage. Point Blank Body Armor Inc. of Pompano Beach, Fla., has won a delivery order worth $37.2 million as part of a $169.4 million firm-fixed-price contract. The work will be done in Pompano Beach, Fla., and is expected to be finished by Aug. 8, 2008.
Four conservative senators have tried and failed to get the Senate to provide an additional $1 billion to the Homeland Security Department's Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection agencies to accelerate needed air and marine acquisition projects.
Croman Corp. has won another U.S. Navy contract worth $12 million to provide airlift and recovery functions in support of all Hawaiian military ranges, the Defense Department said Aug. 4. The base-year entails 2,510 flight hours of work, which will be based at Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii. It is expected to run through August 2007. Croman received a similar award last October (DAILY, Oct. 19, 2005).
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Directed Energy Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico has tested a Boeing-developed prototype relay mirror for redirecting high-energy laser beams that could one day be carried by airships.
SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS: Raytheon Co. has been awarded a $38.9 million contract modification to provide the U.S. Army with additional long range advance scout surveillance systems and test program sets, the Defense Department said Aug. 7. Work will be done in McKinney, Texas; Melbourne, Fla.; El Segundo, Calif.; Dallas; and several other locations. It is expected to be finished by May 31, 2008. The contract was awarded by the Army Communications-Electronics Command, Fort Monmouth, N.J.
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne signed an agreement at the Pentagon Aug. 7 to strengthen aeronautics research ties between their two organizations. Designed to ensure the free flow of information and reduce duplication of work, the agreement covers areas such as advanced aircraft design, propulsion development, materials development and aviation safety.
Before Iraqi armed forces can even think about getting F-16s or other expensive weapons, they must focus on acquiring platforms to handle logistics and other basic daily needs. That's the view of the Pentagon, which is helping Iraq prioritize the military equipment it wants and needs, said Bryan Whitman, Defense Department spokesman. There's little doubt that the country can afford most military weapons, platforms and equipment.
MARIETTA, Ga. - Africa offers some of the most promise for future C-130J Hercules operations, say officials from Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the tactical aircraft. The combination of growing U.S. military interest in the area with the aircraft's performance in the austere environment is creating a surge in C-130J work that's likely to continue, said Jim Grant, Lockheed director of business development analysis.
After a February failure that stranded a satellite, the Proton Breeze M launch vehicle returned to flight Aug. 5 with the launch of Eutelsat's Hot Bird 8 from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The rocket lifted off at 3:48 a.m. local time Aug. 5, or 5:48 p.m. Eastern time Aug. 4. The mission lasted 9 hours and 11 minutes before Hot Bird 8 was released into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The flight was managed by the U.S.-Russian joint venture International Launch Services (ILS).
After five years of international operations, the Thales Raytheon Systems Ltd. joint venture has established a strong position in the market for command and control systems in the U.S. and Europe as well as in overseas locations.
