The proposed $3 billion sale of satellite operator Intelsat to Zeus Holdings still is likely to go through, despite the Jan. 14 failure of Intelsat's IS-804 spacecraft, according to Futron Corp. Senior Space Analyst Phil McAlister. "There will almost certainly be a [price] renegotiation, and I think both parties want the deal to go through," McAlister told The DAILY.
PROCUREMENT AGENCY: The South Korean government plans to create a defense procurement agency in 2006 to improve transparency in military purchasing, the Korean Information Service says. The agency would take over military procurement now split among eight government agencies, including the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The ministry and JCS would jointly decide on procurement priorities and the agency would allocate funds. To enhance transparency, more than 60% of agency policymakers would be civilians.
DELTA IV: An Air Force/Boeing investigation team expects by mid-February to determine the cause of the premature engine cutoff that marred the first demonstration flight of the Delta IV Heavy rocket Dec. 21. Fault tree analysis so far has ruled out the flight control system, RS-68 main engine, and the basic structure of the rocket as culprits, the Air Force says. Investigators believe the rocket's three common booster cores all shut off prematurely because of localized bubbles of gaseous fuel that fooled the engine cutoff sensors into thinking the fuel tanks were dry.
Requests for proposals for the Class II and III Future Combat Systems unmanned aerial vehicles are scheduled to be released Feb. 11, and contract awards are expected June 17, said FCS lead systems integrators Boeing and Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC). The draft RFPs for the Class II and III UAVs were released Jan. 14.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Taiwan's ministry of defense will have to make do with a procurement budget about NT$200 billion ($6 billion) smaller than the NT$610.8 billion ($18.3 billion) budget for this year that was presented in October.
AWS: Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors will provide three Aegis Weapon Systems under a $209 million U.S. Navy modification to an existing contract, the Department of Defense said Jan. 21. The work is expected to be completed by June 2007. AWS is the main defensive weapons system on Ticonderoga- and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and other ships.
The Boeing Co. has been awarded a $194.4 million delivery order as part of a $223.4 million contract to rebuild 12 CH-47 Chinook helicopters into the MH-47G configuration, the company said Jan. 18. The work will be done in Ridley Park, Pa. It is expected to be completed by July 30, 2006. The U.S. Army Aviation and Applied Technology Directorate, Fort Eustis, Va., awarded the contract.
Lockheed Martin Corp. will deliver a suite of four Virtual Combat Convoy Trainers (VCCTs) to the U.S. Marines Corp's Camp Lejeune, N.C., in April, the company said Jan. 19. Lockheed Martin received a $9.6 million contract from the U.S. Army in June 2004 for eight convoy trainers. To date, more than 4,000 soldiers have been trained. The Marines' VCCTs, produced under a $5.1 million contract, each will occupy a 53-foot, self-contained commercial trailer and use a full-scale Humvee, the Bethesda, Md., company said.
Major technological hurdles await several intelligence-gathering aircraft under development by U.S. military services, a Pentagon office contends in a new report.
The German government has awarded Helicopter Flight Training Services GmbH (HFTS) of Hallbergmoos, Germany, a 488 million euro ($632.6 million) contract to provide the country's military with NH90 helicopter pilot training, the company said Jan. 20.
As part of its work on the Global Positioning System (GPS) III program, Boeing has awarded a study contract to France's Alcatel for work that will ensure compatibility with Europe's upcoming Galileo satellite navigation system. This is the first contractual tie between the European Union and U.S. industry on future satellite navigation, according to Alcatel. "Alcatel Space sees this contract as the first concrete step toward a sound and positive cooperation between Europe and the U.S.," the company said in a statement.
The Pentagon's senior adviser on defense program operational test and evaluation did not approve the test and evaluation plan for the Navy's presidential helicopter replacement program and did not agree with the acquisition strategy, according to a fiscal 2004 annual report.
Two upcoming meetings will help move closer the day when unmanned aerial vehicles will operate routinely in the U.S. National Airspace System, an industry official said. RTCA Inc., a private, nonprofit corporation whose recommendations are used by the FAA and industry as the basis for decisions, is planning a March 8-10 meeting in McLean, Va., to discuss concepts of operating UAVs in U.S. airspace. ASTM International, a large standards development organization, is preparing for a May 16-17 UAV meeting in Reno, Nev.
BAE Systems will maintain and upgrade AN/ALQ-157 infrared countermeasure systems for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps under follow-on Navy contracts worth $12 million, the company said Jan. 19. The systems are designed to protect aircraft by jamming the guidance of heat-seeking missiles. The follow-on contracts increase the number of upgraded systems ordered by the military to more than 350, BAE Systems said. The upgraded systems are known as AN/ALQ-157A(V)1. The upgrade program will continue into 2006, the company said.
Alenia Aeronautica will supply 10 ATR-72 anti-submarine warfare aircraft to Turkey's navy for maritime patrol and surveillance missions, the company said Jan. 20. Negotiations to complete the contract should begin soon, the Finmeccanica subsidiary said. The aircraft will be a variant of the company's commercial ATR 72/500 aircraft, and will be fitted with Thales-built mission systems.
The U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps are facing difficulties with several major tanker and transport aircraft programs, according to a new report released by the Pentagon.
SUB WORK: The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $5.5 million contract modification to manage and support nuclear-maintenance work for submarines ported at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn., the company said Jan. 20. The contract initially was awarded in March 2001 and has a potential value of $89 million over five years.
Although the Stryker Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBCRV) and the Mobile Gun System (MGS) were approved for low-rate initial production (LRIP) in September, the MGS has "demonstrated poor reliability" and the NBCRV sensors "demonstrated poor detection," says the new annual report from the Pentagon's Director of Operational Test & Evaluation.
Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) is preparing to make recommendations to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper on what systems to develop for exploiting near-space altitudes. Jumper asked for the recommendations during a Dec. 21 meeting with AFSPC commander Gen. Lance Lord. AFSPC has the lead within the Air Force for developing capabilities for near-space, roughly defined as 65,000 to 325,000 feet altitude.
The U.S. Marine Corps has demonstrated the M777 lightweight howitzer to local officials at Fort Sill, Okla., contractor BAE Systems said Jan. 20. The M777, designed and developed by BAE Systems, is a joint program between the Army and Marine Corps to replace the M198 towed howitzer. BAE Systems expects to deliver 377 howitzers to the Marine Corps and 273 to the Army. The M777 is a lightweight 155mm howitzer and a critical fire support component of Marine Air Ground Task Forces and Army Brigade Combat Teams and light divisions.
Kidd, the newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, will be christened by the Navy at 10 a.m. Jan. 22 in a ceremony at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems - Ingalls Operations in Pascagoula, Miss., the Defense Department said Jan. 19. The ship honors Medal of Honor recipient Rear Adm. Isaac Campbell Kidd. Vice Adm. Phillip Balisle, the commander of the Naval Sea Systems Command, will deliver the principal address.
COMBAT CONTROL: General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems will provide procurement and engineering activities to support the U.S. Navy's AN/BYG-1 next-generation submarine combat control system under a $14 million contract modification, the company said Jan. 20. The modification includes engineering and technical services for development work on the system's tactical control system.
SUPPLIER: RTI International Metals Inc. of Niles, Ohio, said its RTI Europe Ltd. subsidiary will provide titanium products to BAE Systems for the Eurofighter aircraft through 2009. The company also is supplying its titanium products to EADS for use on Airbus commercial aircraft and EADS military programs.
