SHIPBUILDING: The Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Northrop Grumman Corp. almost $51 million for additional long lead-time materials in support of two Amphibious Transport Dock Ships, LPD 22 and LPD 23. Limited advance construction activities for LPD 22 are also included, according to an Oct. 18 Pentagon announcement. The work will be performed in New Orleans (88 percent) and Pascagoula, Miss., (12 percent), and is expected to be completed by January 2010.
PAVEWAY: Raytheon Missile Systems has been awarded an $18.5 million contract modification for 140 production lot 2 Guided Bomb Unit-28C/B guidance control units and tail kits. The systems give the Air Force an improved aerial delivery capability for the 5,000-pound class BLU-122 warhead, the Defense Department said Oct. 19.
The U.S. Army has begun having a "dialogue" with the Air Force about the possibility of jointly developing intelligence-gathering aircraft, Army Secretary Francis Harvey said Oct. 20.
Three British air force heavy lift CH-47 Chinook helicopters are being sent to Pakistan to help with earthquake disaster relief, the United Kingdom defense ministry said Oct. 19. The first of the aircraft will depart from Royal Air Force Odiham in North Hampshire on Oct. 22. They will be transported on C-17 cargo aircraft to Islamabad before flying into the affected area. A U.K. Operational Liaison Reconnaissance Team already is in Pakistan and will decide what tasks the Chinooks will perform.
Croman Corp. of White City, Ore., beat five other offers to win a one-year, $12.2 million U.S. Navy contract to provide airlift and recovery functions for all Hawaiian military ranges. A story Oct. 19 said the contract was not competitively procured due to incorrect information provided by the Defense Department.
British soldiers test-fired infantry rifles, machine guns and a grenade launcher during an exercise on Oct. 18, the defense ministry said. Among the weapons were a sniper rifle, the SA80A2 rifle and light support weapon, an underslung grenade launcher and the Minimi light machine gun, general purpose machine gun and heavy machine gun. Soldiers from the Infantry Training Centre Catterick fired the weapons at the Infantry Battle School in Brecon, Wales.
Northrop Grumman has selected Federal Equipment Co. of Cincinnati to design and build the advanced weapons elevator for the next-generation CVN 21 aircraft carrier, the company said Oct. 20. The company awarded the $50 million contract after a year-long design competition. Federal Equipment and its technology partner, MagneMotion, of Acton, Mass., now will develop a full-scale prototype elevator for land-based testing.
Jacksonville, Fla.-based Armor Holdings Inc., which produces vehicle armor and security products, reported a 74 percent jump in revenue and a 10.8 percent increase in net income for the third quarter of 2005. Revenue was $447.7 million for the quarter ending Sept. 30, compared with $256.8 million for the same period a year ago, the company said Oct. 20. Net income grew from $23.9 million, or 70 cents per share, to $26.5 million, or 74 cents per share.
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems will supply warheads for the Non-Line-of-Sight Launch Systems's Precision Attack Missile, Raytheon and NetFires LLC announced Oct. 20. The selection was based on an eight-month competition among warhead manufacturers, which included extensive live-fire testing, said Raytheon and NetFires, which is a joint venture of Raytheon Missile Systems and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.
NASA is using the Hubble Space Telescope to search for oxygen-bearing minerals on the moon, which could be critical for sustaining a human presence there. The moon has no atmosphere, but minerals such as ilmenite could be used to generate oxygen for breathing or to power rockets, NASA said Oct. 19.
PARTNERS: Boeing and Korea's NEX1 Future signed a memorandum of agreement on Oct. 20 to partner on Korea's EX airborne early warning and control aircraft program. NEX1, a Korean defense contractor, will supply VHF and UHF radios for Boeing's proposed 737 AEW&C system, Boeing said.
NATO has reduced barriers to military cooperation among its 26 member-countries in recent years, but improvement is still needed in several areas, a key U.S. general said Oct. 20. When it comes to NATO members talking with each other on the battlefield, maritime forces are the "most interoperable" component, and air forces are "the next most interoperable," said Marine Corps Gen. James Jones, head of U.S. European Command. Land forces need "the most work," Jones told The DAILY after speaking to the Defense Writers Group.
An influential voice in anti-terrorism circles said Oct. 19 that local officials, not the federal government, should lead the response to future terrorist attacks and natural disasters in the United States.
(Editor's note: The following is excerpted from written responses by Donald C. Winter, nominated by President Bush to be secretary of the Navy, to written questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee. He testified Oct. 6.) Q: If confirmed, what would your goals be for Navy and Marine Corps transformation? A: ... I would continue the transformation process. The Navy and Marine Corps are well on their way toward capitalizing new technologies, better business practices, and becoming more effective in personnel policies.
Matthew Thear has been appointed customer service manager. Maxim Ivanov has been appointed marketing and business development manager for the Asia Pacific Region for AirBridge Cargo, a company subsidiary. Sagami Katsuhiko has been appointed to head up AirBridge Cargo development in Japan. Alexander Mazilin will be in charge of hub development in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, for AirBridge Cargo. Bart Schellens, finance manager at AirBridge Cargo, will also take the position of regional director of finance, based in Amsterdam.
Australia's defense department has awarded Boeing a contract to provide the Joint Direct Attack Munition for its AIR 5409 Bomb Improvement Program. Australia is seeking an upgraded weapon system for its Boeing-built F/A-18 fighters. Boeing's offer included JDAM guidance kits, integration with the aircraft and operational support.
Honeywell reported an 8 percent increase in third-quarter 2005 sales, which reached $6.9 billion compared with $6.4 billion for the same period in 2004. Sales for the company's aerospace segment were up 6 percent overall, with a 9 percent growth from commercial markets and a 3 percent growth in defense and space sales, the company said Oct. 19.
General Dynamics posted 16 percent increases in both net sales and net earnings in the third quarter of 2005, the company said Oct. 19. Operating earnings also climbed 19 percent, while the company registered net sales gains in its information systems and technology, combat systems, marine systems, and aerospace segments. Those segments, with the exception of marine systems, also bettered their operating earnings compared with the third quarter of '04.
LAST LAUNCH: A Lockheed Martin Titan IV booster - the last one to be launched - successfully carried a National Reconnaissance Office satellite to space on Oct. 19 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. In all, 39 Titan IVs have been launched, 12 from Vandenberg and 27 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
The U.S. Navy captain in charge of developing and fielding the Littoral Combat Ship's modular mission packages said Oct. 19 that starting next year, his office will conduct annual searches for the latest technology to fit into them. The goal is to reach out to several suppliers to make sure the LCS sports the latest technology available in the short term instead of relying on one contractor promising a "silver bullet," said Capt. Walt Wright, program manager for LCS mission modules.
DHS FUNDED: President Bush on Oct. 18 signed the fiscal 2006 appropriations bill funding the Homeland Security Department. The $30.8 billion legislation includes $933 million for the Coast Guard's Deepwater recapitalization program and $400.2 million to the DHS for operations, maintenance and procurement of marine vessels, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and other equipment for the air and marine interdiction program.
