Major technological hurdles await several intelligence-gathering aircraft under development by U.S. military services, a Pentagon office contends in a new report.
Kidd, the newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, will be christened by the Navy at 10 a.m. Jan. 22 in a ceremony at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems - Ingalls Operations in Pascagoula, Miss., the Defense Department said Jan. 19. The ship honors Medal of Honor recipient Rear Adm. Isaac Campbell Kidd. Vice Adm. Phillip Balisle, the commander of the Naval Sea Systems Command, will deliver the principal address.
Alenia Aeronautica will supply 10 ATR-72 anti-submarine warfare aircraft to Turkey's navy for maritime patrol and surveillance missions, the company said Jan. 20. Negotiations to complete the contract should begin soon, the Finmeccanica subsidiary said. The aircraft will be a variant of the company's commercial ATR 72/500 aircraft, and will be fitted with Thales-built mission systems.
The U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps are facing difficulties with several major tanker and transport aircraft programs, according to a new report released by the Pentagon.
The first two American-made SAMA CH2000 light air surveillance aircraft were delivered to the Iraqi air force's 70th Squadron on Jan. 17, Multinational Force-Iraq said. Iraq's air force will receive two CH2000 airplanes a month. Final deliveries in the $5.8 million purchase are set for the spring of 2005. An option to buy eight more of the two-seat, single-engine prop aircraft has not yet been exercised.
SUB WORK: The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $5.5 million contract modification to manage and support nuclear-maintenance work for submarines ported at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn., the company said Jan. 20. The contract initially was awarded in March 2001 and has a potential value of $89 million over five years.
Northrop Grumman has begun testing the first of four new workstations for the company's Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) Systems Integration Laboratory in San Diego, the company announced Jan. 20.
Lockheed Martin Corp. will deliver a suite of four Virtual Combat Convoy Trainers (VCCTs) to the U.S. Marines Corp's Camp Lejeune, N.C., in April, the company said Jan. 19. Lockheed Martin received a $9.6 million contract from the U.S. Army in June 2004 for eight convoy trainers. To date, more than 4,000 soldiers have been trained. The Marines' VCCTs, produced under a $5.1 million contract, each will occupy a 53-foot, self-contained commercial trailer and use a full-scale Humvee, the Bethesda, Md., company said.
SUPPLIER: RTI International Metals Inc. of Niles, Ohio, said its RTI Europe Ltd. subsidiary will provide titanium products to BAE Systems for the Eurofighter aircraft through 2009. The company also is supplying its titanium products to EADS for use on Airbus commercial aircraft and EADS military programs.
Two upcoming meetings will help move closer the day when unmanned aerial vehicles will operate routinely in the U.S. National Airspace System, an industry official said. RTCA Inc., a private, nonprofit corporation whose recommendations are used by the FAA and industry as the basis for decisions, is planning a March 8-10 meeting in McLean, Va., to discuss concepts of operating UAVs in U.S. airspace. ASTM International, a large standards development organization, is preparing for a May 16-17 UAV meeting in Reno, Nev.
The Pentagon's senior adviser on defense program operational test and evaluation did not approve the test and evaluation plan for the Navy's presidential helicopter replacement program and did not agree with the acquisition strategy, according to a fiscal 2004 annual report.
The German government has awarded Helicopter Flight Training Services GmbH (HFTS) of Hallbergmoos, Germany, a 488 million euro ($632.6 million) contract to provide the country's military with NH90 helicopter pilot training, the company said Jan. 20.
BAE Systems will maintain and upgrade AN/ALQ-157 infrared countermeasure systems for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps under follow-on Navy contracts worth $12 million, the company said Jan. 19. The systems are designed to protect aircraft by jamming the guidance of heat-seeking missiles. The follow-on contracts increase the number of upgraded systems ordered by the military to more than 350, BAE Systems said. The upgraded systems are known as AN/ALQ-157A(V)1. The upgrade program will continue into 2006, the company said.
REFIT: The United Kingdom's Vanguard-class submarine HMS Victorious has arrived at Naval Base Devonport for a major refit, which will be managed by Devonport Management Ltd., the U.K. Ministry of Defence said. The submarine left its home port of Faslane, Scotland on Jan. 13 and arrived at Devonport on Jan. 16. The Royal Navy operates four Vanguard-class subs, each of which can carry 16 Trident missiles.
The Boeing Co. has been awarded a $194.4 million delivery order as part of a $223.4 million contract to rebuild 12 CH-47 Chinook helicopters into the MH-47G configuration, the company said Jan. 18. The work will be done in Ridley Park, Pa. It is expected to be completed by July 30, 2006. The U.S. Army Aviation and Applied Technology Directorate, Fort Eustis, Va., awarded the contract.
COMBAT CONTROL: General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems will provide procurement and engineering activities to support the U.S. Navy's AN/BYG-1 next-generation submarine combat control system under a $14 million contract modification, the company said Jan. 20. The modification includes engineering and technical services for development work on the system's tactical control system.
Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) is preparing to make recommendations to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper on what systems to develop for exploiting near-space altitudes. Jumper asked for the recommendations during a Dec. 21 meeting with AFSPC commander Gen. Lance Lord. AFSPC has the lead within the Air Force for developing capabilities for near-space, roughly defined as 65,000 to 325,000 feet altitude.
Although the Stryker Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBCRV) and the Mobile Gun System (MGS) were approved for low-rate initial production (LRIP) in September, the MGS has "demonstrated poor reliability" and the NBCRV sensors "demonstrated poor detection," says the new annual report from the Pentagon's Director of Operational Test & Evaluation.
As part of its work on the Global Positioning System (GPS) III program, Boeing has awarded a study contract to France's Alcatel for work that will ensure compatibility with Europe's upcoming Galileo satellite navigation system. This is the first contractual tie between the European Union and U.S. industry on future satellite navigation, according to Alcatel. "Alcatel Space sees this contract as the first concrete step toward a sound and positive cooperation between Europe and the U.S.," the company said in a statement.
United Defense Industries Inc. has won a U.S. Army contract for the delivery and testing of the cannon-fired Bonus precision munition system, the company said Jan. 19. United Defense will manage Bonus, developed by Bofors Defence of Sweden and GIAT Industries of France, at its Minneapolis facility. Bonus consists of a 155mm spin-stabilized projectile that enhances cannon artillery precision by dispensing two sensor-fuzed munition submunitions designed to attack and destroy tanks and other armored combat vehicles, United Defense said.
To benefit its own aviation industry, the South Korean government has decided to use domestic technology to develop 300 new transport helicopters as part of a multibillion dollar project to purchase 500 new military helicopters, the Korean Information Service reported Jan. 18.
This year NASA is considering releasing a third major broad area announcement (BAA) related to its space exploration plans, according to officials with the agency's Exploration Systems office. The new BAA would include the three major areas, according to Jim Nehman, the office's deputy associate administrator for development programs: exploration systems research and technology, biological and physical research, and space nuclear power and propulsion.
The U.S. Army is moving ahead with plans to acquire a multifunction sensor for its Extended Range/Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) unmanned aerial vehicle. Responses to a request for proposals for the system development and demonstration (SDD) phase of the sensor program are due Feb. 28, according to a Jan. 18 FebBizOpps notice from the service's Communications-Electronics Command, Fort Monmouth, N.J.
