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.
NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense are conducting a pilot program that integrates radio frequency identification (RFID) with sensor technology to manage hazardous materials. The first phase of the pilot, which started about three months ago and is nearing completion, is taking place at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. It integrates DOD's existing Web-based Hazardous Materials Management System (HMMS), sensor-based services from Oracle Corp. and RFID tags and readers from EnvironMax Inc.
The X-45A team successfully transferred control of its aircraft from California to Seattle and back again during a 46-minute flight Dec. 9, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced Dec. 20.
AUSTRALIAN TANKERS: The Australian Government and EADS signed a contract Dec. 20 to supply the Royal Australian Air Force with five Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transports (MRTT). Contract negotiations had been under way since Australia announced in April that it had picked EADS over the Boeing Co. for the $1.5 billion deal (DAILY, April 19). The first aircraft is scheduled to enter service in 2009. The A330 MRTT will be equipped with a new refueling boom system, which EADS plans to begin flight-testing in the second half of 2005.
Sweden's parliament has approved cuts in military units, equipment and personnel as the country switches to a more mobile, high-tech defense force that can better fight serious crime and terrorism, the Swedish Ministry of Defence said Dec. 17. The cuts include the elimination of 3,000 officers and 2,500 civilian workers, the MOD said in a statement. Ten towns will be affected. Financial figures were not disclosed. The Swedish government will help the affected cities cope with the job losses, the MOD said.
BAE Systems Australia will provide Australia's military with 26 high-bandwidth satellite Compact Transmit and Receive Terminals to improve its mobile military communications capability, the company said Dec. 17. The contract, awarded by the Defence Materiel Organisation's Electronic Weapon and Systems Division, is part of the ongoing rollout of the JP2008 satellite-based tactical communications systems program, BAE Systems said.
Armor Holdings Inc. has won a new $50 million contract to provide spare parts for the U.S. Army's up-armored Humvee fleet, the company said Dec. 20. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) awarded the new contract for three years, with quantities to be determined based on the need for replacement components.
United Defense Industries Inc. (UDI) plans to expand in the specialized aerospace containers market by buying EPD Container Solutions of Berthoud, Colo., the company said Dec. 20. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2005.
ARMY Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn., was awarded on Dec. 14, 2004, an $180,778,108 modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for 15 Navy Knight Hawk Helicopters. Work will be performed in Stratford, Conn., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole source contract initiated on Oct. 4, 2000. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (DAAH23-02-C-0006).
AIR FORCE Textron Systems Corp., Wilmington Mass., is being awarded a $115,788,749 firm fixed price contract to provide for 341 Sensor Fuzed Weapons Full-Rate Production (FRP 10) Option Exercise. This effort supports the United States, and foreign military sales to Oman. Total funds have been obligated. This work will be complete by March 2007. The Headquarters Air Armament Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA8677-05-C-0072). ARMY
ECHOSTAR XI: Space Systems/Loral will build EchoStar XI, a new direct broadcast satellite, to serve as a backup for the company's Dish network fleet. The contract is subject to bankruptcy court approval, said Loral, which filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2003. The satellite is scheduled to be delivered in 2007.
The board of directors of ceramic armor maker Ceradyne Inc. has approved a three-for-two stock split in the form of a 50% stock dividend, the company said Dec. 20. Stockholders of record at the close of business on Jan. 10, 2005, will receive the dividend on Jan. 18. Stockholders will get one additional share for every two shares of stock owned on the record date. Instead of fractional shares, stockholders will get a cash payment based on the closing price of the common stock on the record date, as adjusted for the split.
The first five deployable Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptors have been delivered to the U.S. Navy, achieving a key goal in the Defense Department's drive to field a sea-based shield against ballistic missiles, government and industry sources said Dec. 20.
SUB MAINTENANCE: The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat of Groton, Conn., an $11.3 million contract modification to perform routine maintenance work on the USS Dallas, a Los Angeles-class attack submarine, the company said Dec. 17. Electric Boat will do repairs, maintenance work and alterations at the Navy submarine base in Groton between February and April 2005. The contract was first awarded in August 2004 and has a total value of $16.4 million.
Andrews Space Inc. will design, develop and flight-test a variable-drag, hypersonic ballute for NASA under a $599,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract, the company said Dec. 16. Ballutes are pressure-stabilized, inflatable membranes that provide a high-drag surface for aerobraking systems, which use the atmosphere to slow re-entering spacecraft and other systems.
A Dec. 3 test of the Storm Shadow/Scalp long-range cruise missile marked completion of the weapon's integration on France's Rafale combat aircraft, according to missile builder MDBA. The "highly successful" test involved launch from a Rafale M02 in the Gulf of Gascogny in the Atlantic, MDBA, a unit of EADS, said Dec. 17.
CLIMATE CONTROLLED: Two 50,000-square-foot facilities for the B-2 Spirit bomber have been unveiled at Royal Air Force Fairford in the United Kingdom, the U.S. Air Force said Dec. 17. The climate-controlled facilities allow low-observable maintenance to be performed on the aircraft in the U.K. The maintenance calls for applying special coatings that cover the aircraft's composite and metal skin, and must be done in a climate-controlled environment.
DIVIDEND: Engineered Support Systems Inc. of St. Louis has declared a dividend of 1.8 cents per share, the company said Dec. 17. It is payable on Jan. 31, 2005, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Dec. 31. Engineered Support Systems makes military electronics and support equipment and provides technical and logistics services for the U.S. military, homeland security forces, and government and intelligence agencies.
