Despite greater use by Iraqi insurgents of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, the overall IED casualty rate has declined since the formation of a Pentagon group intended to counter them, the Army said. There has been a 45% drop in the rate of casualties caused by the homemade bombs since April 2004, and 30-40% are found and rendered safe before they can be detonated, the Army said.
ARMORED VEHICLE: The Wolf light armored vehicle was accepted into operational service by the Israeli Defense Force during a recent ceremony hosted by its builder, Rafael Armament Development Authority. The Wolf is a multipurpose light armored vehicle that can be modified for use as an ambulance, rescue vehicle, logistics or command vehicle. The Israeli defense ministry is paying Haifa, Israel-based Rafael $20 million for the vehicles, which will enter service in the next few days. Israeli Gen.
The industry team leading the embattled DD(X) destroyer program said it successfully completed an initial critical design review and that the program is ready for the flag-level review in September and is "complete, stable and mature enough to enter detail design." The team - led by Northrop Grumman and Raytheon and including General Dynamics, BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin - made the announcement July 18, a day before the House Armed Services Committee's projections forces subcommittee began two days' worth of hearings into the program (DAILY, July 18).
Air Force Gen. T. Michael "Buzz" Moseley said July 18 that Air Force needs in Iraq and Afghanistan are driving plans to develop additional unmanned aerial vehicle capacity, and that the military will need domestic bases such as Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., to host long-range, high-flying UAVs. Moseley, testifying before the independent Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission, also said Grand Forks could be the base for a future family of tanker refueling aircraft.
Space shuttle managers say July 26 is the earliest possible date for Discovery's launch as they continue to grapple with an elusive problem that is causing one of the shuttle's four liquid hydrogen fuel sensors to perform erratically. NASA has 12 troubleshooting teams analyzing the sensor issue, which caused the agency to scrub Discovery's first launch attempt on July 13. The sensor, which sends a signal to turn off the main engines if fuel in the external tank gets too low, occasionally has been showing false "wet" readings.
Two Super Dvora Mark-III Fast Patrol Craft became operational for the Israeli navy during a recent commissioning ceremony. The ceremony took place at Israel's Ashdod Naval Base. The ships were designed and produced by the Ramta Division of Israel Aircraft Industries, based in Beer Sheva, Israel. The ships have successfully completed all sea trials and system checks. They will be used to control and protect Israel's maritime approaches and commercial sea lanes in the eastern Mediterranean, the company said.
Selex Sistemi Integrati, owned by Italy's Finmeccanica, has been awarded a 30 million euro ($36.1 million) contract to build an automated radar surveillance system for Poland's coastal waters, the company said July 18. Selex will represent a temporary consortium consisting of a number of local companies.
The U.S. Army says it is investigating why contractors eyeing two helicopter competitions possessed documents they were not supposed to have. For the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program, a contractor told the Army's Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) in April that it had come into possession of LUH requirements documents and other papers that it believed it should not have, AMCOM said in a statement released late July 18. The statement did not identify the contractor.
DAMAGE CONTROL: The Joint Unmanned Combat Air System program has awarded a contract to Athena Technologies of Warrenton, Va., for technology that will allow unmanned combat aircraft to adapt to physical damage sustained during flight. The system will autonomously assess any damage incurred and immediately alter the aircraft's flight control system to compensate for it. The technology could be applicable to all military combat aircraft, Athena said.
The program offices for six U.S. weapon systems have concluded that they would benefit from pursuing a new, more flexible approach to logistics known as performance-based logistics (PBL), according to the Defense Department.
Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Launch Systems Group, which builds rockets for space launch and missile defense missions, has awarded four companies its supplier achievement awards.
CANISTERS: United Defense will provide MK 13 and MK 25 canisters for the U.S. Navy and several foreign governments under a $17 million contract modification, the Department of Defense said July 18. The MK 13s store, transport and enable the loading of Standard Missile-2 Block II/III configurations into the vertical launching systems on DDG-51 and CG-47-class U.S. Navy ships. The MK 25s store, transport and enable the loading of Evolved SeaSparrow Missiles into the launching systems on DDG-51-class U.S. Navy ships. The work is to be completed by September 2007.
HELMET CUEING: The U.S. Naval Inventory Control Point has turned to Vision Systems International LLC of San Jose, Calif., for $10.4 million worth of various line item spares for the F/A-18 E/F Joint Helmet Mounting Cueing System. This contract, announced late July 14, was not competitively procured, the Navy said.
Australia's army has received its first Australian-made Tiger reconnaissance helicopter as the government announced it is investing $25 million Australian dollars ($18.8 million) to expand Australian Aerospace's Brisbane production facility where the Tiger is produced. The new generation Tiger was delivered on time and on budget, opening the way for the military's new MRH-90 troop lift helicopter to also be produced in Brisbane, Australia's defense department said July 18. Australian Aerospace is a subsidiary of Eurocopter and EADS.
Michigan Aerospace Corp. will demonstrate its light detection and ranging (LIDAR) atmospheric wind measurement technology under a $2.1 million contract from the University of New Hampshire, the company said July 18. The one-year contract, part of a larger grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will allow use of the LIDAR system on a high-altitude balloon platform called BalloonWinds, giving wind measurements from 100,000 feet down to the ground, Michigan Aerospace said.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Euro Machinery Specialists Inc., Menomonee Falls, Wis., is being awarded a maximum $15,323,194 firm fixed price contract for complete installation of whole machining line for the Marine Corps Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle. Work also will be performed in Germany. The performance completion date is Dec. 20, 2007. The contractor will be paid in fiscal 2009. There were six proposals solicited and four responses. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Richmond, Richmond, Va. (SP0490-05-C-6048). ARMY
Brazil has bought 12 used Mirage 2000 combat aircraft from France for 85 million euros ($102.4 million), the French government said July 18. Previously flown by the French air force, the aircraft are fitted with RDI pulse-Doppler radar and include ground support equipment. The agreement was reached during Brazilian President Lula da Silva's official visit to Paris, where he was the guest of honor for Bastille Day celebrations.
MOSCOW - RSC Energia, Russia's prime contractor for its manned space program, has announced a number of appointments following a leadership change in May. Nikolai Sevastianov, elected president on May 28, has also assumed the position of general designer. Sevastianov, 44, who was managing the Gascom satellite communication company, replaced 70-year-old president Yuri Semyonov following "critical" financial problems at the firm (DAILY, May 13).
NEW CNO: Navy Adm. Mike Mullen will relieve retiring Adm. Vern Clark as chief of naval operations during a ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., on July 22. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Navy Secretary Gordon England, who also is the acting deputy defense secretary, will speak at the event, the Pentagon announced July 18.
