A consortium has been formed to develop the common operating system for the Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) program, which will be capable of seamlessly functioning with both Boeing and Northrop Grumman's J-UCAS aircraft.
The private sector can help U.S. homeland defense by providing quick, commercially available software for information sharing and situational awareness, as well as near space-based sensors for tracking maritime security threats, the combatant commander in charge of U.S. homeland defense, Adm. Timothy J. Keating, said Feb. 23. But Keating, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the U.S. Northern Command, also said it is "naive" to think that answers to information sharing and situational awareness simply can be bought.
The United Arab Emirates has awarded Rheinmetall Marine Systems of Germany a 4.5 million euro ($6 million) contract to supply and install its multi-ammunition softkill system (MASS) on four Baynunah-class multi-purpose missile corvettes that are under construction, the company said. The first MASS delivery is set for 2006. Each corvette will have a two-launcher MASS. MASS is a countermeasures system with decoys that protects ships from guided missiles.
Australia will spend $35 million on equipment to improve the fighting capability and safety of its army's infantry battalions, the Department of Defence said Feb. 22. The project is part of the army's Project Wundurra to monitor emerging technologies. The equipment is set to be delivered within 18 months.
NO SALE: NASA has canceled the proposed public sale of tires and main landing gear that have flown on the space shuttle. The agency had planned to make the items available for inspection at Kennedy Space Center in Florida later this month and open bidding on March 15. Instead, the sale is "cancelled due to withdrawal of property by NASA headquarters for future exhibits," NASA said.
Barbara R. Smith has been appointed chief financial officer. Simon Raab will begin sharing his CEO duties with President and Chief Operating Officer Jay Freeland in March 2006.
The Canadian government has awarded the Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Sperry Marine business unit a $9.7 million contract to supply advanced inertial navigation systems for its four Victoria-class submarines, the company said Feb. 22. Charlotte, Va.-based Sperry Marine will supply MK49 ring laser gyro (RLG) systems and new-generation navigation distribution systems for the subs. The systems will be installed in 2005 and 2006.
A group of congressmen is sponsoring legislation that directs nine federal agencies, led by the Labor Department, to form a task force for developing strategies to expand public and private aerospace job training programs. The Aerospace Industries Association on Feb. 23 endorsed the proposal, saying it would ask the federal government to address a "looming shortage of qualified workers in the sector." The average age of U.S. aerospace employees is older than 50, AIA said. In 2008, 27% of aerospace workers will become eligible for retirement.
Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) has reached an agreement with China Telecommunications Broadcast Satellite Corp. (ChinaSat) regarding the SS/L-built ChinaSat 8 spacecraft, whose delivery has been held up since 1998 by U.S. export licensing restrictions.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Air Force Space Command is eyeing the possibility of moving the satellite-tracking Space Control Center from its current location in Cheyenne Mountain to the command's headquarters at nearby Peterson Air Force Base, an Air Force spokeswoman said. "We're looking at options to meet new requirements, the best way to do business, and right now it's a proposed plan," Capt. Angie Blair said.
The Boeing Co. will host an official rollout of the first KC-767 advanced aerial refueling tanker for the Italian Air Force on Feb. 24, the company said. It will take place at the Boeing-Wichita Development and Modification Center in Wichita, Kan. The rollout marks the completion of essential structural modification in preparation for flight-testing and certification, the company said.
GOGGLES: The Italian Ministry of Defense has awarded Cincinnati-based Sensor Technology Systems Inc. a $15.3 million contract to provide 900 advanced AN/PVS-21 Low Profile Night Vision Goggles (LPNVG), the company said Feb. 22. The contract follows an $8.9 million order in 2004 for about 500 LPNVGs. Italian Special Forces will use the LPNVGs in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as for other counterterrorism and paramilitary operations. The goggles will be delivered from now through 2006, the company said.
NAVY IT: BAE Systems, Science Applications International Corp., Computer Sciences Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp. and Anteon International Corp. each won contract awards to perform information technology engineering, scientific, technical, and analytical services for the U.S. Navy's Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) in Monterey, Calif. The multiple-award contract, awarded by the General Services Administration, is valued at $100 million over a five-year period, BAE Systems said Feb. 22.
LAUNCHERS: The Lockheed Martin Corp. has been awarded an $8.7 million contract modification to provide the U.S. Army with 13 launchers for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, the Defense Department said Feb. 22. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala. Fifteen percent of the work will be done in Grand Prairie, Texas, and 85% in East Camden, Ark. It is expected to be finished by Feb. 28, 2007.
COUNTERMEASURES: BAE Systems received a $7.2 million contract from the U.S. Army to provide more AN/ALQ-144A countermeasures sets to protect Army and Navy helicopters from infrared-guided missile threats, the company said Feb. 22. The order came under two $90 million contracts to produce countermeasures systems for the services' helicopters.
MTC Technologies of Dayton, Ohio, posted records for revenue, net income and earnings per share for the fourth quarter and full year of 2004, the company said Feb. 22. The company provides the Defense Department with system engineering, intelligence, information technology, and program management products.
The initial operational version of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (Aegis BMD) system will undergo its first flight-test as early as Feb. 24, according to U.S. Missile Defense Agency officials. During the test, the USS Lake Erie, an Aegis cruiser stationed off the coast of the island of Kauai, Hawaii, will fire a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) to try to shoot down a short-range ballistic missile target launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility.
Jennifer Pollino has been named senior vice president, human resources. Brian Brandewie has been appointed president of the Aircraft Wheels & Brakes division.
The Indian navy's purchase of MiG29K naval fighters from Moscow's Russian Aircraft Corp. is moving ahead, RAC MiG director Gen. Alexey I. Fedorov said. India's navy ordered 12 single-seat MiG-29Ks and four 29KUB two-seat combat trainers, with an option for 30 more, a year ago as part of a $1.5 billion package in which the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya is being retrofitted in Russia. The Vikramaditya is the former Admiral Gorshkov, which India bought from Russia. MiG29K deliveries are set to begin in 2007.
MAINTENANCE CONTRACT: The U.S. Navy has awarded Marine Hydraulics Inc. of Norfolk, Va., a $43 million, multiship/multioption (MS/MO) contract for nondocking maintenance availabilities on Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in Norfolk and Mayport, Fla. It is the second MS/MO contract awarded for maintenance on East Coast-based Navy ships. Marine Hydraulics will team with Jacksonville, Fla.-based Atlantic Marine Inc. to complete work in Mayport.
