MARINE VISION: DRS Technologies Inc. announced Oct. 5 that it won a competition for a potentially $660 million, five-year contract to provide the U.S. Marine Corps with up to 28,000 lightweight, handheld, battery-operated, infrared binoculars. The Tactical Range Thermal Imagers are used by the military for long-range observation and reconnaissance. "This new program establishes DRS as a major supplier of handheld thermal imaging devices," a company statement said. For the initial award, DRS will deliver more than 3,800 systems for $46 million.
The U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems program is moving into a phase of more specific platform-level reviews and prototype manufacturing as it gears up for its overall preliminary design review in June 2006, according to program officials. Following a System of Systems Functional Review in August, the program now is moving more into the building, testing and integration of prototypes for the 18 interconnected ground and air platforms that comprise the core of FCS.
EADS and DRS Technologies have agreed to collaborate on the U.S. marketing and production of EADS' Hellas laser-based obstacle warning system for helicopters. The agreement covers the Hellas-W (warning) system, which is already in use on German police helicopters, and the new Hellas-A (awareness) obstacle warning system being developed for the German military's NH90 helicopters. Hellas-A also has been identified for potential U.S. military use after a 2002-2003 U.S. Foreign Comparative Test evaluation, EADS said.
A British navy mine countermeasure vessel came to the aid of a Dutch trawler that snagged a World War II bomb in its nets, the British defense ministry said. The HMS Hurworth was on routine fishery protection duties in the North Sea on Oct. 4 when it responded to a call from the Onderneming, which said it had pulled the 250-pound bomb onto its deck.
PRAGUE - Defense officials have launched the testing phase of a CZK 20 billion (USD $805 million) tender for armored personnel carriers for the Czech military. Tests began Oct. 4 at Vyskov in south Moravia on carriers produced by three companies: Patria Vehicles of Finland, Rheinmetall Landsysteme of Germany and the Steyr Consortium of Austria.
DELAYED AGAIN: The launch of a Boeing Delta IV rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., has been delayed again due to a potential concern about propellant sloshing during the coast phase of the vehicle's second stage, the Air Force said Oct. 5. Propellant sloshing refers to the movement of propellant inside the fuel tank during flight. Launch teams are conducting a "precautionary technical review and mission analysis" on the situation before launching, Vandenberg said. A new launch date is to be picked after that.
U.S. Army soldiers have begun training to use a new, more capable version of Northrop Grumman's Hunter unmanned aerial vehicle. Troops initially are being familiarized with updated work stations and will start flying the MQ-5B Hunter in January, said Michael Howell, an unmanned systems official at Northrop Grumman.
Bonnie Dunbar, an astronaut, has retired to become president and CEO of the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Jefferson Davis Howell Jr. is leaving his position as director of the Johnson Space Center to join the University of Texas, Austin. Jeffrey T. Jezierski has been appointed deputy chief of staff at NASA Headquarters.
The U.S. Army would keep control of its ongoing efforts to develop tactical unmanned aerial vehicles, especially the Extended Range Multi-Purpose UAV, under a provision that Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) may propose to the fiscal 2006 defense appropriations bill now on the Senate floor.
The U.S. Air Force Oct. 5 released its final request for proposals (RFP) for the Combat Search and Rescue-X (CSAR-X) program, which aims to replace the aging HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter. Responses to the 490-page RFP are due Nov. 21. At least four aircraft could compete: the Bell-Boeing CV-22 tiltrotor aircraft, the Boeing HH-47 helicopter, the Lockheed Martin-AgustaWestland-Bell Helicopter Textron US101 helicopter and Sikorsky's HH-92 helicopter.
James A. Doran has been named interim chief financial officer. Peter W. Harper, Suntron's chief financial officer, is leaving the company effective Oct. 7 to accept a position with another company.
