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The Israeli Ministry of Defense has awarded Haifa, Israel-based Elbit Systems Ltd. a multiyear, $300 million contract to supply advanced electronic systems, the company said Nov. 8. Elbit Systems will supply logistic support and training, command and control systems and airborne systems, the company said. The integration of various systems also is included in the contract, as are homeland security products.
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. has awarded FLIR Systems Inc. of Portland, Ore., a contract to deliver three BRITE Star airborne thermal imaging laser designator systems for Fire Scout vertical takeoff unmanned air vehicles, FLIR Systems Inc. said Nov. 8 Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed. The systems' installation will be part of the system development and demonstration (SDD) phase for the U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship, the company said.
SWIFT SCHEDULED: NASA has scheduled its Swift observatory to launch from Cape Canaveral on Nov. 17 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket, the agency announced Nov. 8. The one-hour launch window opens at 12:09 p.m. eastern time. Swift's primary mission is to observe gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the most powerful explosions observed in the universe. Within roughly a minute of a detected GRB, the entire Swift spacecraft will rotate autonomously so its onboard X-ray and optical telescopes can view the burst.
A U.S. Air Force (USAF) official recently assigned to improve coordination between air and ground forces is seeking to have a voice in weapons purchases. Col. Michael Longoria, director of the Air Force's new Joint Air-Ground Operations (JAGO) office, said on Nov. 8 that he hopes to have influence in deciding the number of Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters that the Air Force buys in the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) configuration.
NASA is planning follow-on tests of an experimental unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to fly on Mars. Known as the Mars Advanced Technology Airplane for Deployment, Operations, and Recovery (MATADOR), the vehicle follows the Aerial Regional-scale Environmental Survey (ARES) project, which was a finalist in NASA's 2007 Mars Scout competition (DAILY, April 25, 2003).
French aircraft motor maker Snecma and French aircraft electronics equipment group Sagem have decided to move ahead with their merger after Snecma's board of directors approved the merger on Nov. 2, Snecma said Nov. 8. Sagem's supervisory board approved the merger on Oct. 28 (DAILY, Nov. 1). The operation will be occur in two stages - Sagem will make a public offer for Snecma and then will absorb the company, Snecma said.
Formation Inc. of Moorestown, N.J., has produced its ToughDisk 7200 hard disks to provide data storage for a ship-based weapons system in development for the Norwegian navy, the company said Nov. 8. Formation Inc. delivered the disks to Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace in Kongsberg, Norway, which chose them for the weapons system. Terms were not disclosed.
BVR Systems of Rosh Ha'ayin, Israel, will supply an Infantry Multi-Weapon Firing Simulation System to Systex Corp. of Taiwan, the company said Nov. 8. The system is a computer-based tactics and infantry combat trainer that enables small arms training, BVR Systems said. The work is being done under a $2.6 million contract.
Helicopter builder and aerospace equipment maker Kaman Corp. reported losses for the third quarter of 2004 and the first nine months of the year, the company said Nov. 8. Kaman reported a net loss of $11.9 million for the third quarter of 2004, compared with net earnings of $1.2 million for the same period in 2003. For the first nine months of the year, the company reported a loss of $12.4 million, compared with net earnings of $18.4 million in 2003.
TRMM OBSERVATION: The El Nino Southern Oscillation is the main driver in changing rain patterns around the world, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission has confirmed. The TRMM satellite, launched in 1997, is a joint venture of NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Maryland-based BAE Systems North America finished its acquisition of Alphatech Inc. on Nov. 5, paying $88.4 million in cash, BAE Systems said. "Alphatech, a provider of advanced information technologies, complements BAE Systems North America's significant presence in the system and subsystem levels in the C4ISR market and enhances the company's position as a leading integrator of information-based systems, emphasizing horizontal integration and fusion," BAE Systems said.
GKN Aerospace of the United Kingdom has now been selected as the prime contractor for both metal and composite wing trailing edge subassemblies for the Airbus A400M military airlifter, the company said Nov. 7. The company was selected in March to provide composite main spar wing components, and under a new, $160 million contract, will provide the shroud box, ribs and panels and other equipment for the wing's trailing edge.
Lockheed Martin and DRS Technologies Inc. have delivered to the U.S. Navy the 4,000th AN/UYQ-70 (Q-70) Enhanced Control Display Work Station (ECDWS), Lockheed Martin said Nov. 5. ECDWS provides submarine crews with real-time, enhanced processing, secure analysis and target detection capabilities and situation analysis and target motion on one console, Lockheed Martin said.
Nov. 11 - 13 -- Pacific Marine Expo, The West Coast Commercial Marine Marketplace," Washington State Convention & Trade Center, Seattle, Wash. For more information go to www.pacificmarineexpo.com. Nov. 15 - 16 -- ISR Integration 2004, "Enabling Precision Strike," Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, Va. For more information go to www.defensenews.com/conferences/isr.
ONE STOP: The Department of Defense may deem one location accountable for joint command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR), says Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Lt. Gen. Robert Shea (USMC), director for command, control, communications and computer systems on the Joint Staff, is pushing the idea, Myers says. The assistant secretary of defense for networks and information integration most likely would be the one-stop entity in charge of C4ISR, an Army spokesperson tells The DAILY.
The U.S. Army Aviation Missile Command has awarded McLean, Va.-based Innovative Concepts a five-year production contract to produce 682 IDM V304 data modem units, the company said Nov. 4. Financial terms were not disclosed. The IDM V304 is a six-channel tactical modem/router that connects ground and airborne platforms using existing radios and crypto equipment. It also provides the data-link required between ground and Army aviation units and air-to-air transmission of target data between IDM V304-equipped attack aircraft.
SUB CONVERSION: The USS Ohio, the first of four Trident ballistic missile submarines being converted to carry Raytheon-built Tomahawk cruise missiles, is on track to achieve an initial operational capability (IOC) in May 2007, says U.S. Navy Capt. Willy Hilarides, the project's overseer. The USS Ohio is being modified at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash., and is about two-thirds of the way through its conversion.
Raytheon Co. will expand the Airspace Concepts Evaluation System (ACES), which helps develop air traffic management tools for the future National Airspace System, under a $3 million contract from NASA's Ames Research Center, Calif. The contract has two option years worth $3 million each, the company said Nov. 4. "This sets the stage for NASA and Raytheon to continue developing advanced tools and concepts for the future National Airspace System," Bob Eckel, vice president of Raytheon Air Traffic Management Systems, said in a statement.
NASA's Centennial Challenges program on Nov. 5 issued two requests for information (RFI) seeking information on potential support contracts for future prizes and one announcement of partnership opportunity looking for organizations wishing to contribute funding or services to the program.
Raytheon Co. is ahead of schedule in delivering its family of thermal weapon sights (TWS) to the Army, Jon Piatt, manager of Raytheon Soldier Weapon Sensor Systems, told The DAILY. The TWS are used for surveillance, detection and targeting in degraded battlefield conditions. In response to an Army request 11 months ago for Raytheon Systems Co.'s Network Centric Systems to more than double its TWS production from 400 to more than 1,000 systems per month, Raytheon today is producing more than 1,200 systems a month, Piatt said.
The U.S. Air Force is seeking to have the Government Accountability Office (GAO) take over a review of protests by companies contending that the Boeing Co. received preferential treatment in contract competitions handled by now-former Air Force acquisition official Darleen Druyun, a service spokesman said Nov. 5. Because Air Force decisions on the protests likely would cause the losing companies to appeal to the GAO anyway, the Air Force believes it makes sense to "cut to the chase" by having the GAO involved at the beginning.
MISSION PLANNING: The U.S. Air Force says it is consolidating more than 20 separate mission planning contracts into a single contract in hopes of achieving greater system interoperability. BAE Systems Mission Solutions, the Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Corp., Northrop Grumman Defense Mission Systems and TYBRIN Corp. are the recipients of the Mission Planning Enterprise Contract (MPEC) and will compete for each mission planning delivery order requirement.
