Raytheon Co. and the Boeing Co. have finalized a $60.8 million contract for Raytheon's "continued participation" on the Boeing-led P-8A Multimission Maritime Aircraft industry team. Under the system development and demonstration (SDD) contract, Raytheon will provide two upgraded APS-137D(V)5 maritime surveillance radars, contribute to related software design, and provide radar simulation for design labs and program reviews, Raytheon announced July 5. Before the formally negotiated contract, Raytheon worked under a letter contract.
The Titan Corp. announced July 6 that its Sea Fighter (FSF 1), the Littoral Surface Craft Experimental developed by a Titan-led team for the Office of Naval Research, successfully completed sea trials jointly required by the U.S. Navy and the American Bureau of Shipping.
A recent preliminary design review (PDR) for the U.S. Army-led Joint Common Missile (JCM) went smoothly and did not identify a need for design changes, an official at prime contractor Lockheed Martin said July 6. "There were no surprises and no issues that came out of it," said Rick Edwards, vice president for tactical missiles at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "We were very satisfied, and all indications are that our customer was very satisfied as well."
Arianespace's planned launch of a telecommunications satellite atop an Ariane 5 booster has been delayed a "few days" due to an anomaly with some ground equipment used to prepare the launcher, the company said July 6. The booster was to launch Thailand's Thaicom 4, or Ipstar, satellite on July 8, but then it was pushed to July 11 and now has been moved again. Thaicom 4, built by Space Systems/Loral, will be used by Thailand's Shin Satellite to provide Internet access and multimedia services for the Asia-Pacific region.
NEW DELHI - The India-U.S. Joint Working Group has agreed to investigate establishing a ground receiving station in India for the U.S. National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System. The working group, formed last year in Bangalore following a conference on U.S.-Indian cooperation on civilian space projects, also will study the "comparability and complementarity" of data from U.S. Landsat and Indian remote sensing satellites.
ALCATEL ALENIA SPACE, Paris Pascale Sourisse has been named president and CEO. Giorgio Zappa has been appointed chairman of the supervisory board. BEARINGPOINT INC., McLean, Va. Judy Ethell has been named executive vice president of finance and chief accounting officer. FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, Washington Dale G. Goodrich has been appointed executive director of the Next Generation Air Transportation System Institute. KPMG LLP, Tysons Corner, Va.
Any war within two years after the U.S. military finishes operations in Iraq would be "less precise" because military equipment would still have to be reconstituted, Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace told senators late last month. At his confirmation hearing to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Pace said it would take two years just to process worn and used equipment through military depots and contractors to get it to "like-new" status.
Lockheed Martin flew the first F-16 produced for the Chilean air force late last month, the company said July 6. Two flights were accomplished successfully in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 23, with "no discrepancies reported on either flight," the company said. "First flight is a significant milestone and the first of several leading to the planned arrival of the aircraft in Chile early next year," June Shrewsbury, vice president of F-16 programs, said in a statement.
The Organic Air Vehicle II program took another step forward with the selection of Aurora Flight Sciences and Honeywell International to proceed to the next phase. The program, conducted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is intended to develop a prototype unmanned aerial vehicle that can be operated by small Army units. DARPA awarded contracts to Aurora and Honeywell on June 30 to move on to Phase II of the program. BAE Systems, which had also been competing, was dropped.
Telephonics Corp. of Farmingdale, N.Y., will provide radar and identification-friend-or-foe equipment for Canada's Maritime Helicopter Project under a subcontract from General Dynamics Canada. Sikorsky Aircraft won a contract last year to provide 28 H-92 helicopters to Canada, with General Dynamics Canada as part of its team.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency plans to take a slow, deliberate approach to resuming flight-tests of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system to ensure the program does not repeat the kind of glitches that marred recent tests, according to a government source.
Elbit Systems Ltd., in cooperation with Romanian aircraft manufacturer IAR S.A. Brasov, has been awarded two contracts worth $25 million to upgrade Romanian military helicopters, the company said July 3. Under one contract, Elbit Systems will supply enhanced avionic systems and night flight systems for Romanian air force helicopters so they will comply with NATO standards. Under the second contract, Elbit Systems and IAR S.A. Brasov will upgrade Romanian navy helicopters.
The ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), developed by the Boeing Co. and the Insitu Group, successfully completed sea trials aboard the USS Cleveland as part of the Navy-sponsored 2005 Joint Task Force Exercise, Boeing said July 6. The trials verified ScanEagle's shipboard launch and recovery capabilities as the UAV completed four takeoffs and captures, as well as 68 approaches, aboard the Cleveland (DAILY, June 6).
The Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded DRS Technologies Inc. an $8.4 million contract to provide AN/USQ-82(V) Fiber-Optic Data Multiplex Systems on DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The system allows for data and communications between propulsion and power control systems, steering, navigation sensors, weapons systems, alarms, indicators and integrated bridge systems, as well as Aegis combat systems. Product deliveries should begin in October 2006 and continue through April 2007, DRS said July 5.
The Syracuse Research Corp. has been awarded a four-year, $550.5 million contract by the U.S. Army to produce a next-generation capability against remote-controlled roadside bombs called Counter Remote Control Improvised Explosive Devices Electronic Warfare Increment Two (CREW-2), the company said July 6. The firm will also provide time and materials for follow-on training, field support, vehicle installation, maintenance, and system upgrades.
Armor Holdings Inc. of Jacksonville, Fla., has been awarded a $45.2 million contract modification to produce ceramic body armor plates for the U.S. Army, the company said July 5. The work will be done by the Armor Holdings Aerospace & Defense Group in Phoenix, Ariz. The armor will be delivered through January 2006. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.
NASA should begin briefing Capitol Hill staff on studies it is carrying out under new Administrator Michael Griffin later this month, congressional aides have told The DAILY. The briefings, such as on the Exploration Systems Architecture Study and configuration options for the International Space Station, should start to provide a budget road map to get going in earnest on President Bush's space exploration agenda.
Textron Marine & Land of New Orleans will provide the U.S. Army with 724 Armored Security Vehicles under a $258.8 million contract, the company said July 6. The work will start immediately and first deliveries are expected by February 2006, with completion set for June 2007. The company said it has modified its production line, expanded its manufacturing space and hired more than 700 new workers to fulfill the contract. The U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command awarded the contract. There are currently 130 ASVs deployed in Iraq.
The U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has moved to satisfy one of its top priorities, awarding Rolls-Royce Corp. of Indianapolis an $18.9 million contract for Infrared Exhaust Suppressors (IES-47) for the command's MH-47 Chinook helicopters.
Saab subsidiary Saab Training Systems has launched a joint venture with EADS Deutschland of Germany to develop and sell live military training products. Sweden's Saab said July 1 that under the collaboration it will buy 70% of EADS' live combat training center subsidiary in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
NASA's Deep Impact probe, which collided with the comet Tempel 1 on July 4, created an "immense" flash of light which helped two cameras on the mission's mothership capture the high-speed rendezvous.
