The Air Force on Aug. 26 held a wet dress rehearsal for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle's first West Coast launch - a Boeing Delta IV flight from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., which is scheduled to orbit a National Reconnaissance Office satellite on Sept. 30.
The North American fixed-wing aircraft component of Italian defense company Finmeccanica is drafting plans for dramatic increases to its U.S. footprint and expects a win on the U.S. Army's Future Cargo Aircraft program to lead the way, according to Alenia North America chief executive Giuseppe Giordo.
LINK 16: Lockheed Martin Systems Integration-Owego will integrate Link 16 systems into MH-60R and MH-60S helicopters, including Downed Aircrew Locator systems for the MH-60S, the U.S. Defense Department said Aug. 29. The work, under a $51 million Navy contract, is to be completed in January 2008.
ARMY BAE Systems, Santa Clara, Calif., was awarded on Aug. 23, 2005, a $15,974,000 firm-fixed-price contract for M113A3 Survivability Enhancement Armor. Work will be performed in Santa Clara, Calif., and is expected to be completed by April 30, 2006. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole source contract initiated on Jan. 3, 2005. The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (DAAE07-01-G-M002).
DISARMING MUNITIONS: General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems of St. Petersburg, Fla., said Aug. 29 that it has been awarded a $30 million contract by the U.S. Army Field Support Command, Rock Island, Ill., to disarm munitions. The contract has four option years that would increase its total worth to $191 million. Fifty-four different types of conventional ammunition will be disarmed within six munitions families: cluster bombs, HE bombs, improved conventional munitions, propellant charges, explosive D bombs and pyrotechnics, the company said.
The U.S. Air Force's F/A-22 Raptor began follow-on operational test and evaluation on Aug. 29, said the Operational Test and Evaluation Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. The center will evaluate the F/A-22's air-to-ground capabilities and its suitability for squadron deployment by C-17s, the Air Force said.
Qualtech Systems Inc.'s selection by Pratt & Whitney to supply diagnostic software for the Joint Strike Fighter's F135 engine "is a pretty big deal" for the small Wethersfield, Conn., company, said Somnath Deb, vice president of engineering. Pratt & Whitney chose the Qualtech product over several other offerings earlier this year, but the selection was just announced last week. P&W, meanwhile, has begun assembly of the first flight-test engine in the JSF program (DAILY, Aug. 24).
Northrop Grumman Corp. is building the first RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle in Palmdale, Calif. This photo, taken in late July, shows the UAV's assembly work to be less than 50% complete. As of Aug. 26, the RQ-4B was about 70% assembled, according to a company official. Photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman.
HELO WORK: Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has awarded LaBarge Inc. of St. Louis contracts worth more than $9 million to provide wiring harnesses, printed circuit card assemblies and sensor assemblies for various models of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, LaBarge said Aug. 26. At least two-thirds of the equipment is scheduled to be shipped during LaBarge's current fiscal year. Work has begun at LaBarge's Huntsville, Ark., Joplin, Mo., and Tulsa, Okla., facilities.
Boeing and BAE Systems said Aug. 29 that their teamed effort for the U.S. Air Force's B-52 Stand-Off Jammer program will draw from their work on other electronic warfare programs, including the EA-18G and Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) programs.
Intelsat and PanAmSat have signed a merger agreement under which Intelsat will buy PanAmSat for $3.2 billion, giving the company a combined fleet of 53 communications satellites. Intelsat will either refinance or assume $3.2 billion in debt from PanAmSat and its subsidiaries. Shareholders owning approximately 58% of PanAmSat's shares have agreed to vote in favor of the combination, according to Intelsat. The companies hope to receive regulatory approval and close the merger in six months to a year.
HUMVEE ARMOR: Humvee manufacturer AM General of South Bend, Ind., has awarded Armor Holdings Inc. of Jacksonville, Fla., a $16.2 million contract to provide armor components for two types of the vehicle, Armor Holdings said Aug. 29. Armor for the M1151 and M1152 Up-Armored Humvee will be supplied for both the vehicle manufacturing process and a separate package that can be added later. The work will be done in 2006 by Armor Holdings Aerospace and Defense Group in Fairfield, Ohio.
The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $998,000 contract to help the service integrate intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems in manned and unmanned aircraft, the company said Aug. 29.
C4ISR SUPPORT: Scientific Research Corp. of Atlanta beat out two competitors to provide up to $27.6 million in integrated systems engineering support services over five years to the U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in Charleston, S.C. The company will provide system engineering, software integration, configuration management, test, fleet introduction, product improvement, quality assurance, and life cycle management support for various C4ISR requirements, programs and projects, the Navy announced late Aug. 26.
Of the top six federal entities responsible for two-thirds of all federal contracting - including the military services and the Defense Logistics Agency - only the Air Force and the Army have issued compelling-reason waivers over the past two years to keep doing business with contractors identified for suspension, debarment or lesser administrative agreements.
The Military Sealift Command has decided on Maersk Line Ltd of Norfolk, Va., part of international shipping concern A.P. Moller-Maersk, to operate and maintain the U.S. Navy's eight fast sealift ships, the fastest cargo ships in the world. The $26 million award, competitively procured with more than 50 proposals received, was announced late Aug. 26. With four annual options, the deal could be worth almost $135 million.
DARPA & NGA: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency will hold an industry workshop on Sept. 7 in Arlington, Va., to discuss DARPA/NGA partnerships. The two organizations recently signed a memorandum of agreement "to seek areas where DARPA technology developments could enhance NGA missions," DARPA says. The workshop will focus on the "hard problems" the agencies will tackle together, with associated calls for industry white papers.
The Base Closure and Realignment Commission on Aug. 26 bucked the Pentagon and decided to keep open two targeted air facilities, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., and Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. By a vote of 8-1, the BRAC panel rejected the Defense Department's recommendation to shutter Ellsworth and move its 24 B-1 bombers to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Commissioners said the move would not save any money while leaving the 67-aircraft B-1 fleet more vulnerable since they would all be based at Dyess. Politicians teamed
DOWNBEAT: Demand for satellite transponders for the Asia-Pacific region is "sluggish," says Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings of Hong Kong, which says its sales are down 19% for the first half of the year. Prices have stabilized for major customers, but "there are instances of competitors resorting to giveaway pricing in certain markets," the company says.
Sept. 3 - 5 -- The Cleveland National Air Show, Burke Lakefront Airport, Cleveland, Ohio. For more information call (216) 781-0747 or go to www.clevelandairshow.com. Sept. 5 - 8 -- 9th World Summit for Satellite Financing, Hotel Intercontinental, Paris, France. For more information email euroconsult, [email protected] or go to www.euroconsult-ec.com. Sept. 8 - 9 -- Next Generation Tactical Data Links, "Opportunities and Requirements," Holiday Inn Tysons Corner, McLean, Va. For more information go to www.technologytraining.com.
