TANK SUPPORT: General Dynamics Land Systems has been awarded a $24 million contract to provide systems technical support (STS) for the Abrams tank, the company said Jan. 25. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command. The objective of STS is to keep the tanks running at high operational readiness rates. STS allows the replacement of obsolete parts and keeps the tanks current to their base configuration.
Efforts to install anti-missile countermeasures, such as laser jammers, on U.S. commercial airliners should be postponed due to "significant uncertainties" in their cost and effectiveness while alternatives to reducing the threat of man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) are explored, the RAND Corp. said in a Jan. 26 study.
CACI's Department of Defense-related revenue increased 66% in the second quarter of fiscal 2005 compared with the same period for 2004, largely due to the acquisition of the AMS Defense and Intelligence Group, the company said Jan. 24.
To support NASA's space exploration vision, Honeywell is positioning itself for a major business push that company officials hope might culminate with the company vying to be the prime contractor for a future lunar base.
The Bush Administration's upcoming proposal for a war-related funding package will include money to replenish ammunition stocks and replace military vehicles lost in combat, a defense official said late Jan. 25.
The U.S. Army is asking industry for ideas on development of a nonlethal projectile that would temporarily incapacitate a small group of belligerents. The projectile would be fired from a grenade launcher or shotgun and would work through "electrical area stun effect," according to a Jan. 24 FedBizOpps notice from the Army Research Development and Engineering Command at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. Responses to the presolicitation notice are due Feb. 28.
Raytheon Co. has been awarded $4 million by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to continue developing advanced radar antenna technology for unmanned combat aircraft, the company announced Jan. 25.
The newest version of the U.S. Air Force's Transformation Flight Plan outlines ways to deny sanctuary to adversaries, as well as plans to develop new nonlethal weapons, the promise of machine-to-machine integration, the importance of operations with other services or countries, and new initiatives for homeland defense, the Air Force said.
Modeling simulations show the futuristic CVN-21 aircraft carrier has not yet achieved its sortie-generation rate, one of its highest goals, prompting a Pentagon Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) to plan a "special interest" program review May 5.
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing two contract options, totaling $172.3 million, to produce three new Global Positioning System IIF spacecraft and begin purchasing long-lead hardware for three more. The first award is a $143.9 million contract modification to the existing GPS Block IIF contract, which pays for Boeing to begin building three new satellites for delivery by June 2008. These spacecraft already are in various stages of assembly, integration and test at Boeing Satellite Systems in El Segundo, Calif., according to the company.
NASA is inviting industry comments on its draft request for proposals (RFP) for the Crew Exploration Vehicle, which the agency plans to use to return astronauts to the moon and eventually send them to Mars. The centerpiece of NASA's exploration vision, the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) must be able to transport four astronauts, weigh less than 20 metric tons and provide escape capability for the crew at all phases of flight, according to the RFP.
Responding to press reports that the White House is cutting all funding for a proposed fifth servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, outspoken Hubble supporter Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) has vowed to "lead the fight" to restore the mission and further extend the observatory's life.
Department of Defense research and development spending is expected to increase by 6% during calendar year 2005, says a Battelle Memorial Institute report due out at the end of January. DOD R&D spending will hit $98 billion in 2005, compared with $92 billion in 2004, the nonprofit R&D organization said. The increase follows a flat period in DOD R&D spending during a time when overall DOD spending has seen a significant growth.
Five Hungarian pilots have arrived in Sweden to begin a year of training to become flight instructors for the Gripen JAS-39 fighter aircraft, Sweden's defense procurement agency said Jan. 21. The pilots will receive theoretical training, simulator training and flight training before returning to Hungary to work as Gripen instructor pilots in the Hungarian air force, the procurement agency said. The pilots will be based at the Swedish air force F 7 Wing at Satenas.
Australia's navy officially named the first of a fleet of new patrol boats "Armidale" during a Jan. 22 ceremony, the Australian Department of Defence said. The 61-yard long, all-aluminum monohull was named by Jana Stone, daughter of Ordinary Seaman Donald Lawson. Lawson served on the original HMAS Armidale during World War II. Construction of the Armidale began in May 2004. It was launched on Jan. 5. The Armidale is set to be delivered to Australia's navy in May 2005 at its home port of Darwin.
Dramatic changes in the types of capacity and services implemented over the United States by the satellite communications industry will lead to changes in the roles and relationships of industry players, according to a new report. "Previous market leaders will fall back while others emerge, often from unusual or unsuspected places," said the report, released Jan. 24 by Futron Corp., a technology management consulting firm based in Bethesda, Md.
MOOG POSTS GAINS: East Aurora, N.Y.-based Moog Inc. posted gains in profits, earnings per share and consolidated sales in the first quarter of 2005 compared with a year earlier, the company said Jan. 24. First-quarter profits were $15 million, compared with $12.7 million in the first quarter of 2004, an 18.3% hike. Earnings per share grew 18.8%, to 57 cents from 48 cents, after adjustment for a stock split in February 2004. Consolidated sales rose $23 million to $249 million, a 10% jump over last year, the company said.
SIMPLIFIED: The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence has begun a new support program for its Joint Force Harrier Fleet based at Royal Air Force Cottesmore, BAE Systems said last week. The effort, which replaces four maintenance lines with two simplified lines, will save 44 million pounds ($82 million) over four years and improve aircraft availability, BAE Systems said. The new maintenance lines are "forward," for flying squadrons, and "depth," for all other maintenance, the company said.
Several upgrade efforts for the U.S. Air Force's A-10 Thunderbolt are nearing key milestones, industry officials said Jan. 24. For the precision engagement (PE) program, which will give the A-10 a precision-weapons capability, Lockheed Martin expects to get the first production contract by March, company officials said. Several more production contracts are due to follow in an effort to equip all 356 Air Force A-10s with the upgrade by 2009.
ARMY Structural Associates Inc., Watertown, N.Y., was awarded on Jan. 13, 2005, a $12,971,600 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a Constant Pressure Hydrant Fueling System. Work will be performed at Langley Air Force Base, Va., and is expected to be completed by March 15, 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were 70 bids solicited on Sept. 9, 2004, and five bids were received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (W91236-05-C-0032). NAVY
V-22 WORK: The Bell-Boeing Joint Program Office was awarded an advanced acquisition contract worth $850 million for long-lead work and materials for 11 V-22 aircraft, the DOD said Jan. 24. The aircraft are the fiscal 2006 low-rate initial production lot 10. The work is scheduled to be completed by September 2008.
