NETCENTS: The Centech Group of Arlington, Va.; Multimax of Largo, Md.; NCI of Reston, Va.; Northrop Grumman of McLean, Va.; Booz-Allen Hamilton of McLean, Va.; General Dynamics of Needham, Mass., and Lockheed Martin of Manassas, Va., were awarded a $9 billion contract for the Network Centric Solutions (NETCENTS) program, the Department of Defense said Sept. 13. The work is to be completed by September 2009.
NASA's Gravity Probe B (GP-B) spacecraft has completed its initialization and orbit calibration phase and entered the science phase, the aerospace agency said last week. "This is the moment we have been waiting for," Francis Everitt, the GP-B science principal investigator at Stanford University, said in a statement.
The Department of Defense should take a "holistic approach" to the task of maturing the conceptual thinking and capabilities related to homeland security, according to the Defense Science Board. "Developing an effective capability to protect the homeland is a top national priority," DSB co-chairmen Donald Latham and Adm. Donald Pilling (USN-Ret.) said in a memorandum accompanying the study.
The U.S. Army is looking to industry for new technology to counter improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and to provide affordable combat identification, vehicle antennas, heavy lift rotorcraft technologies, and autonomous robotics, said Tom Killion, Army deputy assistant secretary for research and technology. "We need to support current operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom by accelerating these technologies for the current fight," he said Sept. 13 at the Association of the United States Army's Acquisition Symposium in Falls Church, Va.
September 7, 2004 ARMY McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Co., Mesa, Ariz., was awarded on Sept. 3, 2004, a $6,310,458 modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for conversion of three basic Apache Aircraft. Work will be performed in Mesa, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2006. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole source contract initiated on Oct. 31, 2003. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (DAAH23-01-C-0124).
Force Protection Inc., will produce 15 more Buffalo armored vehicles for an existing customer in an order worth about $10 million, the company said Sept. 10. The Buffalos will be produced at the company's Ladson, S.C., facility and are to be delivered in the first quarter of 2005. The vehicles' configuration will be similar to the 21 Buffalos the company is making for the U.S. Army.
JCM ANTENNAS: EMS Technologies' Space & Technology/Atlanta division will develop antennas for the Joint Common Missile (JCM) under a $5 million contract from JCM prime contractor Lockheed Martin, the company said Sept. 13. The company could also be awarded follow-on production contracts, EMS Technologies said.
The U.S. Army is waiting for a waiver from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) to procure at least 5,000 Microlight pocket-sized radios for Stryker brigades before Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Cluster 5 is scheduled to be deployed, said Brig. Gen. James Moran, commanding general, Soldier Systems Center. Moran spoke Sept. 13 at the Association of the U.S. Army's Acquisition Symposium in Falls Church, Va.
SpaceDev of Poway, Calif., has assembled and shipped the hybrid rocket motors that will be used during SpaceShipOne's upcoming first qualification flight to win the $10 million Ansari X Prize, the company announced Sept. 13. The X Prize will be awarded to the first private team to conduct two manned flights into space within a span of two weeks using the same vehicle. SpaceShipOne's first qualification flight is scheduled for Sept. 29, and its second for Oct. 4 (DAILY, July 28).
The U.S. Army has awarded General Dynamics C4 Systems of Scottsdale, Ariz. a five-year, $30 million contract to provide protective clothing and advanced electronics to Army helicopter aircrew members, the company said Sept. 13. The Air Warrior Block 3 system includes an enhanced voice/data communication capability, upgraded microclimate cooling unit, and an integrated aviator helmet system, the company said.
BAE Systems North America Inc. is purchasing DigitalNet Holdings Inc. in a $600 million deal that will make BAE Systems a leading federal sector information technology provider with revenues of more than $1.2 billion, DigitalNet said Sept. 11.
The first A-10 Thunderbolt upgraded with precision weapons capability is on track to begin flight-testing in December, according to Lockheed Martin. The Precision Engagement (PE) program for the A-10 is adding a targeting pod and Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) data link, as well as integrating the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) on the aging A-10. Most A-10s date back to the late 1970s or early 1980s, and the aircraft is expected to remain in service until 2028.
Operational readiness for the U.S. Air Force's KC-135 aerial tanker fleet has been reasonably steady and corrosion has not been a major contributor in cases where adverse trends have been observed, according to a review by the Center for Naval Analysis (CNA). The findings were part of a summary analysis of the material condition of the KC-135 aerial tankers, which is part of the debate on whether they should be replaced with new Boeing-built tankers or other aircraft.
NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center is planning to develop four new classes of high-altitude/long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicles for research missions over the next 14 years, according to John Del Frate, Dryden's project manager for HALE UAV technology development. Dryden's UAV technology work is moving away from the Joint Sponsored Research Agreement model, on which the center's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) UAV program was based, toward a more traditional competitive approach.
Investigators have concluded that the Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) failed a recent flight test because a "foreign object" in the weapon caused the missile to lose power seconds before it was to hit its target, the U.S. Air Force said Sept. 10. An Air Force failure review board found that the foreign object damaged the missile's warhead fuze, creating the electrical malfunction, the Air Force said in a written response to questions. Air Force officials did not describe the unwelcome object or say how it managed to reach the fuze.
DISTRIBUTION: Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems of Reston, Va., will build two Army Internet Protocol Theater Satellite Broadcast Manager terminals for the Global Broadcast Service program under a $6.5 million contract modification, the Department of Defense said Sept. 10. The program is a satellite-based system for distributing video, imagery and other data files for users around the world, DOD said.
Sept. 13 - 15 - The Air Force Association presents Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition 2004, Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington. Go to www.afa.org for more information. Sept. 13 - 16 -- 10 Annual Flight Simulator Engineering & Maintenance Conference (FSEMC), Adam's Mark, Tulsa, Okla. Contact Roger S. Goldberg at (410) 266-2915, email [email protected] or go to www.arinc.com/fsemc.
BUYING: Koor Industries Ltd., an Israeli investment holding company involved in diversified fields, including defense electronics, says it has signed an agreement to acquire 32.5 percent of military communications manufacturer Tadiran Communications Ltd. for about $141 million. Koor is acquiring the shares from Trefoil Israel Partner II LP, of the Shamrock group, and from FIMI Israel Mezzanine Fund LP.
Northrop Grumman has prevailed over Boeing and Lockheed Martin in the competition to develop the Battle Management Command and Control (BMC2) system for the U.S. Air Force's E-10A Multi-sensor Command and Control Aircraft (MC2A), the Defense Department announced Sept. 10. Northrop Grumman said it expects the BMC2 development effort to be worth more than $300 million, including an initial increment of at least $50 million.
SAVING GENESIS: After taking preliminary peeks into NASA's Genesis sample return canister, scientists are increasingly optimistic that the Sept. 8 crash will not ruin the mission's science yield. "Things are looking much better today than they felt on Wednesday," said Don Sevilla, Genesis payload recovery lead engineer, during a teleconference Sept. 10. One of the major experiments onboard - the solar wind concentrator - appears to be intact, according to NASA.
The Jan. 1, 2005 deadline for compliance with the Department of Defense's (DOD) new Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) regulation has been relaxed under an Aug. 30 Defense Logistics Board Meeting memorandum, according to an Army logistics official.
The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $14.8 million advanced acquisition contract to begin systems integration of eight new MH-60R multi-mission helicopters. The helicopters are the third stage of low-rate initial production (LRIP III). As the MH-60R systems integrator, Lockheed Martin Systems Integration-Owego will equip each aircraft with a cockpit and mission systems to enable them to conduct anti-surface and undersea warfare.
Several companies have been selected to receive delivery orders under a $4.7 billion contract for the Advanced Technology Support Program III (ATSP3), the Department of Defense said Sept. 9.
DELIVERED: Lockheed Martin delivered its third C-130J Super Hercules airlifter to the 146th Airlift Wing at Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, Calif., on Sept. 8, the company said. Eventually, the wing will receive a total of eight C-130Js to replace the current fleet of Vietnam-era C-130Es. The C-130Js are expected to be used for airlift and aerial firefighting.
