Soldiers in Iraq say the Stryker combat vehicle is "better than good" despite an Army report detailing numerous shortcomings, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said April 6.
Restructuring the Future Combat Systems' acquisition strategy from an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) to a Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) contract won't slow the program down, add many administrative costs or interfere with the lead system integrators' profit, Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey told reporters April 6. If anything, the reorganization will save money, he said. "We're putting in a provision ... that will give the LSI more incentives to control cost," he said, referring to lead systems integrators Boeing and SAIC.
BRADLEY CONTRACT: United Defense Industries Inc. will rebuild and upgrade 55 fully digitized Bradley A3 vehicles for the U.S. Army under a $143 million contract modification award, the company said April 6. The contract was awarded by the Army's Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM). The work will start immediately at UDI's facilities in York, Pa., Fayette County, Pa. and Aiken, S.C. The vehicles are set for delivery by January 2007.
The U.S. Air Force is modifying software on the F/A-22 Raptor to remove a glitch in the flight control system. New aircraft will receive the revised software when they are built in Marietta, Ga., according to the Air Force and prime contractor Lockheed Martin. Raptors built before the problem surfaced will also get the fix, whose cost was described by the Air Force as "minimal."
The U.S. Air Force is finding new ways to use existing aircraft to support surveillance needs in ongoing military operations, a general said April 5. Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle has been equipped with the Advanced Information Architecture (AIA), which allows ground forces to use portable electronic devices to view images collected by the UAV. The AIA also permits those land troops to distribute Global Hawk imagery to other ground forces.
Rockwell Collins Inc. has completed its purchase of military avionics products and services company Teldix GmbH from Northrop Grumman Corp., Rockwell Collins said April 4. The deal was first announced last month, according to Aerospace Daily & Defense Report affiliate Aviation Week & Space Technology. The transaction is worth $94 million. Rockwell Collins will assume some liabilities and pay $22 million in cash for Teldix, based in Heidelberg, Germany.
JSF TESTING: Northrop Grumman has finished building four pieces of equipment that will be used to test the engine starter on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The four electrical power system (EPS) test consoles were delivered to JSF engine maker Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, Conn., in February.
A pair of C-130 aircraft will be modified into the MC-130H Combat Talon II configuration under a $134 million contract awarded to the Boeing Co. by the U.S. Air Force, Boeing said April 4. The contract is the first phase of a program to provide 10 Talon IIs. The other eight will be delivered under a follow-on production phase worth about $446 million. Deliveries will start in July 2008 and continue through 2011. Lockheed Martin and L-3 Communications will receive subcontracts to help with development and modification, Boeing said.
TANK CONTRACT: General Dynamics Land Systems has been awarded a $13 million contract modification to provide systems technical support (STS) for the Abrams tank, the company said April 4. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, Warren, Mich. The work will be done at General Dynamics Land Systems' headquarters in Sterling Heights, Mich. It is expected to be done by Aug. 31, 2006. STS aims to maintain Abrams tanks at high operational readiness rates.
On April 7 the space shuttle program will begin its debris certification review, one of the key milestones that prompted the Stafford-Covey review panel to postpone its most recently scheduled meeting to await its results. NASA has redesigned the external tank to reduce instances of foam insulation shedding. The final analysis of how large a piece of debris may come loose during launch - and how critical the damage would be if it struck the orbiter - is coming in somewhat later than expected, according to shuttle managers.
AMARILLO, Texas - Although some Connecticut lawmakers plan to try to overturn the U.S. Navy's presidential helicopter award to a Lockheed Martin-led team (DAILY, Feb. 25), officials here are gearing up for more than two decades of high-technology, high-pay, high-visibility work on the $6.1 billion VXX program.
Northrop Grumman and Boeing's Crew Exploration Vehicle will be rounded out by partners Alenia Spazio, Draper Laboratory, ARES Corp. and United Space Alliance, the companies announced April 5. Alenia Spazio brings its expertise in spacecraft design, integration and test, advance composite structures and thermal management systems and analysis, according to Northrop Grumman. Based in Italy, the company has built several modules for the International Space Station (ISS). Autonomous systems
Northrop Grumman Corp. will provide hardware integration support for a passive, anti-submarine warfare sonar system for the U.S. Navy's Virginia-class submarine program under a $42.1 million, seven-year contract, the company said April 5.
Last month the U.S. Army initiated the first phase of its tactical wheeled vehicle recapitalization, Army spokeswoman Maj. Desiree Wineland told The DAILY April 5. "The first phase, for light vehicles, specifically Humvees, recapitalizes approximately 1,300 vehicles - converting them from M998, a 'plain Jane' version, to a M1097R1. This adds a utility shelter, an improved engine (6.2 to 6.5 liter), an upgraded transmission, and a heavier suspension," she said.
NOMINATED: Kenneth J. Krieg has been nominated as undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, to succeed acting acquisition chief Michael Wynne. Krieg is director for program analysis and evaluation in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Current and former U.S. intelligence officials at a symposium here were skeptical about the effect that congressional reform measures will have on the intelligence community, but also said it could result in significant progress.
The U.S. Army is expected to announce April 6 a change to the acquisition strategy for its Future Combat Systems (FCS), which has come under fire from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for operating under an Other Transaction Authority (OTA), which he has complained limits the program's oversight. Army acquisition officials met April 5 with McCain and his staff on the issue, a source familiar with the program told The DAILY. Legislators "saw a sea change" from the Army on its position on the FCS acquisition strategy, the source said.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has chosen 118 prospective Grand Challenge 2005 teams to receive on-site visits by DARPA personnel in May, where they will perform further evaluations of the teams' robotic ground vehicles. DARPA personnel will visit the teams at locations across the United States to assess their vehicles' capabilities on a 200-meter (656-foot) test course. The robots will have to follow waypoints, stay within course boundaries and avoid obstacles.
There is no need at the moment for nuclear testing of the nation's weapon stockpile, but the nation would benefit from new nuclear weapons, the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) told members of a Senate Armed Services Committee panel April 4.
NEW DELHI - India's cabinet has approved talks aimed at buying 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighters from the government of Qatar, an Indian defense official said. The approval comes before a planned mid-April visit to India by Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the aircraft are used, but have 80-85% of their operational lives remaining. India's air force signed a deal in September 2000 to buy 10 new Mirages.
