The U.S. Marine Corps' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle program is preparing for its operational assessment in January 2006 as it continues adjusting to the budget cut levied against it in the Pentagon's December 2004 program budget decision. The PBD cut $1.5 billion from the EFV program through 2011, according to Col. Mike Brogan, the Marine Corps' EFV program manager. The production quantity over that time was reduced from 461 vehicles to 208 vehicles, he said, although the cut vehicles will be produced later in the schedule.
ORION SUPPORT: India is seeking logistics support for two leased P-3C Orion aircraft, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency told Congress Nov. 14. The proposed deal, which would have Lockheed Martin and Logistics Support International supporting the Lockheed-built planes, could be worth up to $133 million.
The first of Australia's Collins-class submarines is about to begin receiving a new tactical combat system and upgraded torpedoes, Australia's defense ministry said Nov. 14. The Replacement Combat System and Heavyweight Torpedo System will be installed over the next 12 months on the HMAS Waller, Defense Minister Robert Hill said. It will be ready to start sea trials in 2007.
NASA's Ames Research Center in California is considering two mission architectures for the first lander mission in the upcoming Robotic Lunar Exploration Program, according to RLEP Program Architect Sylvia Cox. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., has primary responsibility for executing the 2010 lander mission, informally dubbed "RLEP 2" because it is the second in the proposed series of robotic lunar explorers that will precede the return of astronauts in 2018. The first RLEP mission is the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, scheduled for 2008.
RADA Electronic Industries Ltd., which produces avionics systems and electro-optic cameras for military and commercial customers, reported lower revenue and a net loss of $1.8 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2005. The Israel-based company said last week that revenue was $9.2 million, compared with $10.6 million for the same period the year before. The $1.8 million net loss followed a profit of $476,000 for the first nine months of 2004.
Two retired U.S. Navy admirals last week laid out cases for littoral-dominance capabilities in a possible military conflict with Iran or China, adding weight to the importance of the Littoral Combat Ship and other maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance programs under development.
Lockheed Martin officials met with Army acquisition chief Claude Bolton Nov. 14 to present three options the company has come up with for salvaging the $8 billion Aerial Common Sensor program. The Army issued a 90-day stop-work order to Lockheed Martin in mid-September after learning that the company's chosen platform for ACS, the Embraer ERJ-145 business jet, was too small to carry the multiple intelligence-gathering payloads intended for it. The company was given 60 days to come up with alternatives.
SALES, INCOME UP: Reinhold Industries Inc., which manufactures heat-resistant composite components for rocket propulsion, said Nov. 14 that it recorded gains in sales and net income for the third quarter of 2005. The Santa Fe Springs, Calif., company said sales grew to $8.3 million compared with $7.7 million for the same period the year before, while net income improved to $723,000 after a $2.1 million loss the year before. For the nine months ending Sept.
Contract delays and reduced construction work led to dips in net revenue and net income for Versar Inc. in the first quarter of fiscal 2006. The Springfield, Va.-based company, which provides professional consulting services in national defense, homeland defense and other areas, said Nov. 11 that first quarter '06 net revenue was $8.4 million, down 6 percent from $9 million for the same period in FY '05. Net income fell to $116,000, or 1 cent per share, compared with $407,000, or 5 cents per share, the year before.
Orbital Sciences Corp. said it will provide one geosynchronous communications satellite for Malaysia's Measat Satellite Systems. The Measat-1R will be based on Orbital's Star satellite platform and is scheduled for launch in September 2007. The satellite will carry 12 Ku-band and 12 C-band transponders and three antennas, and is to be launched into a 91.5 degrees East longitude orbital slot, where it will provide direct-to-home TV services in Malaysia and Indonesia and other services.
Ozark, Ala.-based US Helicopter has delivered the first TH-1H training helicopter to the U.S. Air Force, the company said Nov. 11. A ceremony was held at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, on Nov. 5 for the delivery. The aircraft is the first of 24 that are expected to be fielded over the next four years for the Air Education and Training Command, which is the center for Air Force helicopter training at Fort Rucker in Ozark.
SATELLITE SPENDING: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) included a provision in the fiscal 2006 defense authorization bill that requires the Defense Department to develop a revised strategy for acquiring commercial satellite communication services, as well as a "complete" spending analysis of its past and current acquisitions. The report would include DOD legislative proposals and account for various methods of combining purchases of satellite services and leveraging Pentagon purchasing power, including the use of multiyear contracts (DAILY, Oct. 6).
Aircraft engine component maker Kreisler Manufacturing said its sales for the quarter ending Sept. 30 were up 33 percent to $4.1 million, and net income jumped from $115,000 in the same period last year to $191,000. Operating income went from $174,000 in 2004 to $295,000 for the quarter, the Elmwood Park, N.J.-based company said.
The U.S. Coast Guard will take over the mission of flying air interception sorties over the nation's capital from the Customs and Border Protection, a Homeland Security Department (DHS) spokesman told The DAILY. While both agencies fall under the DHS, the Coast Guard is an armed service and has a unique civilian relationship with the Defense Department, which is still responsible for combat air patrols. The Coast Guard has until early December to present DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff with a plan for carrying out the mission.
DRS Technologies will upgrade acoustic data recorders and analysis equipment for U.S. Navy P-3C Orion aircraft under a $6.8 million Navy contract, the company said Nov. 14. The Parsippany, N.J.-based company will upgrade more than 70 tape-based AN/AQH-13 ADR and ADR-D configurations to the new, hard-drive based AN/AQH-13B configuration and will replace obsolete parts and other components to increase reliability.
The Senate has agreed to several changes to the Defense Department's procurement policy to try to boost oversight and accountability as lawmakers and defense officials respond to acquisition problems and budget restrictions. The amendments were added to the Senate's fiscal 2006 defense authorization bill by unanimous consent agreements brokered last week by Senate Armed Services Committee leaders Sens. John Warner (R-Va.) and Carl Levin (D-Mich.). The chamber is supposed to finish considering amendments and vote on the final bill Nov. 15.
MORE SHARES: Spacehab said its shareholders have approved an increase in the number of shares of the company's common stock to 70 million shares, which the company has the authority to issue. The Houston-based company builds laboratory modules and cargo carriers for the space shuttle and for resupplying the International Space Station. The company recently reported that space shuttle program delays have hurt its bottom line for the first quarter of 2006 (DAILY, Nov. 10).
South Africa's new Gripen fighter made its first flight in Sweden last week, aircraft marketer Gripen International said Nov. 14. The dual-seat aircraft's basic flight control systems, engine, hydraulics and electrics were validated by two pilots during a one hour and 10 minute flight on Nov. 11.
