John J. Chino has been named deputy of the Electronic Systems sector and vice president and general manager of enterprise excellence. George B. Hull has been appointed to the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board.
BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. have completed the installation of the vertical tails for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a major milestone for the program, BAE Systems said. The tails were designed, built and assembled by BAE Systems in Samlesbury, England. The installation marks the final stages of JSF structural component assembly. Photo courtesy BAE Systems.
With a third round of targeted buyouts under way to prune unneeded personnel, NASA is becoming more optimistic that it may be able to avoid layoffs, according to Toni Dawsey, acting assistant administrator for human capital management. "We're feeling that reduction in force [RIF] may not be necessary now," Dawsey told the NASA Advisory Council during a meeting in Washington Nov. 30. The latest buyouts hopefully will help bring the "uncovered capacity" at NASA's 10 field centers down to 500-600 full-time equivalent positions, she said.
The Australian military's Chinook helicopter fleet will undergo an AUS 25 million (USD $18.4 million) upgrade that includes electronic warfare and ballistic protection and advanced communications, the country's defense department said Nov. 30. "This equipment will improve the safety and survivability of the aircraft, as well as its ability to work closely with coalition forces if needed," Defense Minister Robert Hill said in a statement.
The Navy awarded Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Newport News, Va., unit a nearly $2 billion award to refuel and overhaul the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. The contract took a congressional act because Congress has not finalized its FY '06 defense authorization and appropriations bills (DAILY, Nov. 21). Lawmakers warned that up to 1,700 workers could have been furloughed until the delayed contract was signed.
Venezuela has agreed to purchase 12 transport aircraft and eight patrol vessels worth more than $1.5 billion from two Spanish companies, Spain's defense ministry said Nov. 29. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez signed the agreement with Spanish firms EADS CASA and Navantia during a ceremony in Caracas on Nov. 27 attended by Spanish Defense Minister Jose Bono. Venezuela will receive maritime surveillance planes, ocean patrol boats and coastal patrol vessels.
Adm. Robert Natter (USN Ret.) and Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III (USA Ret.) have been appointed to the board of directors. Natter was commander of Fleet Forces Command and the Atlantic Fleet. Peay was vice chief of staff for the U.S. Army and commander in chief for U.S. Central Command.
FORT WORTH, Texas - Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. says the Defense Department should buy roughly $10 billion worth of additional F/A-22 Raptors in coming years to boost the DOD's tactical air overhaul, as well as assure that 48,000 U.S. workers are employed in between Raptor production and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's ramp-up.
Raytheon will continue to build improvised explosive device (IED) countermeasure equipment (ICE) systems under a $15.5 million contract modification from the Army Research Laboratory, the company said Nov. 30.
Paula Hartley has been named director of Safety and Product Assurance. Wanda Sigur has been appointed vice president, External Tank Project. Ron Wetmore has been named vice president, Shuttle Derived Launch Vehicles, and deputy general manager for Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Michoud Operations.
RFID: Savi Technology announced that its Savi SmarChain Consignment Management Solution is available, a hardware and software system that "enables military consignments in real-time as they pass through their own RFID [radio frequency identification] networks or through the interoperable RFID networks of allied forces." Allied forces engaged in joint, multinational deployments can use each other's RFID networks to "provide seamless, real-time visibility of consignments from the factory to the foxhole," the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company said.
NASA's 2008 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is switching from its originally intended Delta II launch vehicle to a larger rocket, according to Scott Horowitz, head of NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. NASA is making the switch because the Delta II rocket is spin-stabilized, and the design of LRO turned out to be "not really compatible" with such a scheme, Horowitz told the NASA Advisory Council during a meeting in Washington Nov. 29.
South Korea is in the early stages of considering buying the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS), an industry official said Nov. 30. Dave Nagy, vice president of the Joint STARS program for prime contractor Northrop Grumman, said that South Korean defense planning documents contain a requirement for a Joint STARS-type capability and that Northrop Grumman has had preliminary talks with South Korea about a potential sale.
Adm. Thomas Collins, U.S. Coast Guard commandant, has selected Rear Adm. Gary T. Blore to be the next program executive officer of the service's $24 billion, 25-year Deepwater recapitalization program, beginning in spring 2006. Previously he was special assistant to the president. Trained as a helicopter pilot, he has been deployed to the Caribbean, as well as to the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada said Nov. 29 that it has been awarded a CAD 60.3 million (USD $51.3 million) contract to provide 50 RG-31 Mine Protected Vehicles to Canada's military. The contract includes an option to produce 25 additional vehicles. BAE Land Systems OMC of South Africa will manufacture the vehicles and General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada will provide program management, engineering and logistics support. Deliveries will take place from February to April 2006.
Robert Song has been appointed regional director and area manager for Asia Pacific. Peter Yap is being replaced by Song and will retire at the end of January 2006.
The new head of U.S. Transportation Command said Nov. 30 that he needs new tanker aircraft with the flexibility to carry cargo or passengers as well as fuel. Air Force Gen. Norton Schwartz, who took the command's reins in September, said the Air Force should buy new multi-mission tankers "without delay" to replace aging Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft. Some industry officials have been predicting that cargo capacity might emerge as a key requirement, which would give the budget-constrained Air Force more bang for its tanker buck.
The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps led all federal departments in awarding information technology (IT)-related prime contracts in fiscal 2005, according to market research company Input, of Reston, Va. The Navy awarded more than half of all prime federal contracts mainly due to its Seaport-enhanced program, also known as Seaport II, which accounted for $54 billion of its total of $63 billion in awards. While the Navy also led in awards for FY '04, the dollar value of Navy contract awards increased 72 percent in FY '05.
