MDA AWARD: Computer Sciences Corp. has been awarded an $8 million contract modification by the Missile Defense Agency to provide scientific, engineering and technical assistance for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense Program, the Defense Department said Nov. 10. The total contract could be worth up to $243.1 million.
Citing the likelihood of shrinking Pentagon budgets in the coming years, Rep. Terry Everett (R-Ala.) recommended a series of steps for overhauling the troubled military space acquisition process during a speech in Washington Nov. 10. "We're going to see budgets tighten in the next three years, and we have got to find a way to work around that," Everett said during a luncheon sponsored by the Washington Space Business Roundtable. "Congress is losing confidence in the acquisition system."
PAVEWAY AWARD: Lockheed Martin will develop, qualify and produce the Paveway II Dual Mode Laser Guided Bomb for the U.S. Navy under a $65 million contract that could balloon to $266 million with options, the company said Nov. 8. The program will upgrade the Navy's legacy Paveway II kits by replacing the existing control system with an inertial navigation system/Global Positioning System. The systems will be built at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control's Archbald, Pa., facility.
Italy likely will decide by the end of December whether to join the U.S. Navy's P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) program, according to a program official. Italy has informally expressed interest in taking part in developing MMA but has not yet formally notified the Navy that it wishes to join, said James Lackey, the Navy's deputy team lead for MMA. Lackey said the Italian government is working the matter through its budget process.
Two Nova Scotia companies have each been awarded 10-year contracts worth a combined CAD 961.1 million (USD $809.7 million, $1.19 CAD to the U.S. dollar) to provide support and maintenance services for the Canadian military's fleet of CP-140 Aurora surveillance aircraft, Canada's defense department said Nov. 9.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a possible future Senate Armed Services Committee chairman and presidential candidate, outlined a strategy for Iraq on Nov. 10 that called for a long-term commitment to securing the country, including devoting more money and boosting the size of the U.S. Army. He acknowledged the effort would be a long, hard road and entail more U.S. fatalities. As part of his strategy, McCain said the U.S. "home front" must be won by honest, forthright communication from leaders. "All is not well there," he said.
European defense and aerospace giant EADS reported a 74 percent jump in net income to EUR 1 billion (USD $1.2 billion, $1.17 dollars to the euro) for the first nine months of the year, and raised its outlook for 2005. The company also reported that revenue increased 9 percent to EUR 23.4 billion and earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) was up 41 percent to EUR 2.1 billion.
Australia's military is deploying helicopters, tanker and cargo aircraft along with a medical team to Pakistan to provide health care following the country's devastating earthquake, Australia's defense ministry said. An initial airlift involving an air force B707 tanker/airlift aircraft and a C-130 Hercules cargo plane was set to leave Sydney on Nov. 10 carrying 140 people. They were bound for a base at Dhanni near Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, where the 90-day mission will set up a central medical facility.
Northrop Grumman's Lake Charles Manufacturing Center in Louisiana was back up to full production the day after parish officials reopened the city in the wake of damage from Hurricane Rita, the company said Nov. 10.
A U.S. Defense Department review of weapons has found that the military services have no large shortfalls but do have gaps in "niche" areas, including capabilities to safely destroy biological and chemical weapons, a Pentagon official said late Nov. 10.
The number of companies in the running to win an $805 million contract to produce nearly 200 armored personnel carriers for the Czech Republic's military has been reduced to two, the country's defense ministry said Nov. 9. Patria Vehicles Oy of Finland and Austria-based Steyr Consortium will submit their final proposals by Nov. 14.
Lockheed Martin, which has been reviewing options for fixing the U.S. Army's weight-challenged Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) program, plans to present its findings to the Army on Nov. 14. Army acquisition chief Claude Bolton is expected to be among the officials attending the briefing.
South Korea's air force has successfully test fired an AIM-9L Sidewinder air-to-air missile, the Korean Overseas Information Service said Nov. 9. The missile, fired from an upgraded A-50 supersonic jet trainer, struck an unmanned target 1.5 miles away from the aircraft. The test took place over an air base in Sacheon in South Gyeongsang Province. The AIM-9L is a supersonic, heat-seeking missile equipped with a high-explosive warhead and an active infrared guidance system.
Northrop Grumman Chairman and CEO Ronald Sugar stressed the national importance of space exploration during a speech to the press in Washington Nov. 9, calling it crucial to future U.S. technology pre-eminence.
Commercial space company Spacehab reported a loss of $1.9 million for its first quarter of fiscal 2006 as continuing delays in NASA's space shuttle program hurt its bottom line. Spacehab, which builds modules and pallets that fly in the space shuttle, had reported net income of $7 million for the first quarter of last year. NASA returned the space shuttle to flight this year but promptly grounded the fleet again to deal with more foam issues.
