ChoicePoint, which provides identification and credential verification services to government and industry, is buying i2, a United Kingdom-based provider of visual investigative and link analysis software for military, intelligence, and law enforcement markets. The transaction includes an initial payment of $90 million, with an additional payment of up to $10 million if some financial performance goals are met, ChoicePoint said Dec. 22. The acquisition is scheduled to close by Jan. 1, 2005.
The U.S. Defense Department's Joint High Power Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) program has delayed demonstrating 25-kilowatt solid-state lasers by about three months because the three teams involved in the effort need more time, according to program officials. Three electrically-driven lasers developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon had been scheduled for laboratory tests in December (DAILY, Sept. 29). But those demonstrations have been moved to March 2005.
The Bell 210 helicopter made its first flight Dec. 18 at the Bell subsidiary Edwards & Associates in Bristol, Tenn., Bell Helicopter Textron said Dec. 21. The flight marked the first in a series of qualification flights as the Bell 210 goes through FAA certification testing. Bell expects to attain FAA certification in the first quarter of 2005, with deliveries following soon after.
Boeing Phantom Works Advanced Support Concepts, which creates innovative technology to support aerospace and defense platforms, is working on new logistics and maintenance technologies, including systems for the Army's Future Combat Systems and the Navy's F/A-18 aircraft, a company official said. Boeing's defense research and development support arm is supporting the modeling and simulation of the FCS' need for network centric logistics, Greg Burton, director of advanced support concepts for Phantom Works, told The DAILY.
BC Fed Group LLC has won a contract to lead role-playing exercises and provide Civilians on the Battlefield (COB) training for the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division, the company said Dec. 21. Financial terms were not disclosed. The training will start in January at Fort Campbell, Ky. The contract runs through September 2005.
United Defense Industries Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., will provide the U.S. Army with 43 tank simulators and related technical support under a $38.2 million contract modification, the company said Dec. 22.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Dec. 22 that a recent test failure by the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system should be viewed as a "learning experience" instead of a source of serious concern. "It's expected that there will be things like that that will occur," since GMD is still in development, Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon press briefing.
Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden Jr. (USMC-Ret.) has been elected to the board of directors, effective Jan. 1. Bolden was commanding general of the Third Marine Aircraft Wing. Robert A. Wolfe is resigning from the board of directors effective Dec. 31.
Germany's procurement agency signed a contract with BAE Systems' Land Systems Hagglunds for 75 Bv206S all-terrain vehicles worth about 23 million pounds ($43.7 million), the company said Dec. 21. Hagglunds will work with Germany's Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH to deliver the vehicles, part of a planned German buy of 200. The vehicles, an armored variant of the Bv206, will be used by the German army's mountain brigade, based in Mittenwald.
The Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) plans to hold a bidder's conference in Arlington, Va. on Jan. 14 to discuss a new broad agency announcement seeking technology to detect improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has chosen 37 projects for funding under its new program to generate revolutionary improvements to warfighting in urban areas. Subject to negotiation, the researchers will receive between $130,000 and $2.7 million for initial six- to 12-month feasibility demonstrations, DARPA said in a Dec. 17 announcement. DARPA spokeswoman Jan Walker, asked if she could supply a breakdown of money going to the companies, said, "Not at this time. We are in the process of negotiating the contract awards."
TANKER STUDY: The Pentagon delayed disclosing the results of a study on U.S. Air Force tanker modernization options because the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), which is reviewing the project, needed more time, a Defense Department spokeswoman said Dec. 21, elaborating on an earlier explanation for the postponement (DAILY, Dec. 20). IDA is conducting a "quality check" of the study, which was done for DOD by RAND Corp. DOD had been planning to brief Congress on the study results the week of Dec. 20, but it now intends to do so in about mid-January.
Northrop Grumman has assembled a prototype payload for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (EHF) military communications satellite program, the company announced Dec. 20. Northrop Grumman is providing the payload for Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the Advanced EHF program. The early integration and testing of the payload, software, satellite interfaces and user terminal simulators will reduce the risks associated with the flight payloads for the first two Advanced EHF satellites, according to Northrop Grumman.
Indianapolis-based Raytheon Technical Services Co. (RTSC) has been awarded a one-year contract option worth up to $98.8 million to continue providing engineering supplies and services to the Naval Air Systems Command, the company said Dec. 21. The supplies and services include systems engineering and software engineering; technical, manufacturing and life-cycle support; overhaul and repair; spares; and integration. They will be provided for navigation systems, aircraft support and mission planning, the company said.
AERIAL SUPPORT: United Kingdom-based FR Aviation Ltd. has been awarded a 140 million pound ($269 million), five-year contract extension to provide aerial support services to the U.K.'s air force and navy, the company said Dec. 20. The contract covers the years 2009 through 2014. The support includes electronic warfare training, threat simulation, and silent target and aerial target towing for various exercises in the U.K. and overseas. FR Aviation is a subsidiary of U.K.-based Cobham plc.'s Flight Operations and Services group.
The crash of a U.S. Air Force F/A-22 Raptor (see related story) could ultimately have implications for another new stealth fighter, the U.S. Defense Department's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. After the accident investigation is completed, DOD's JSF office plans to review the results to see whether it can learn any lessons, program spokeswoman Kathy Crawford said Dec. 21.
The U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman Corp. have successfully demonstrated an airborne capability to collaborate in real-time using Internet "chat rooms," e-mail, and the Web, all within a secure, classified environment, the company said Dec. 21. Known as ICAN (interim capability for airborne networking), the system allows personnel on the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft to communicate to units and command centers on the ground.
Oshkosh Truck Corp. has teamed with Rockwell Collins to build a newer version of its TerraMax unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) with improved software to compete in next year's DARPA Grand Challenge robotic vehicle race, Gary Schmiedel, Oshkosh's director of advanced products and engineering, told The DAILY.
TANK KITS: General Dynamics Land Systems of Sterling Heights, Mich., will produce 125 M1A1 Abrams tank kits for the Egyptian tank co-production program under a $267 million contract modification, the company said Dec. 20. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command. Deliveries will be from 2005 through 2008. The work will be done in Lima, Ohio; Scranton, Pa.; Muskegon, Mich.; Tallahassee, Fla.; Anniston, Ala.; and Imperial Valley, Calif.
HELO UPGRADE: Bulgaria's Ministry of Defense has chosen Elbit Systems and Lockheed Martin to upgrade the country's helicopter program, Elbit Systems said Dec. 20. The companies will upgrade 12 MI-24 combat helicopters and 6 MI-17 transport helicopters to make them comply with NATO standards. Financial terms were not disclosed. Haifa, Israel-based Elbit Systems will be the prime contractor. A contract must still be signed with the Bulgarian government.
NASA's Galaxy Explorer (GALEX) telescope has discovered several dozen "newborn" galaxies that provide an unprecedented close-up look at galaxy formation, NASA announced Dec. 21.
NEAR-SPACE: Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper and Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) head Gen. Lance Lord met Dec. 21 to discuss the future of "near-space" military systems, according to an Air Force spokeswoman. Jumper recently gave AFSPC responsibility for exploiting near-space, which is roughly defined as altitudes between 65,000 and 350,000 feet.
