ANTARCTIC SUPPORT: Raytheon Co. will continue support services for the National Science Foundation's U.S. Antarctic program under a $546 million contract extensiion, the company said Oct. 18. The extension brings the contract's total worth to nearly $1.2 billion and extends the agreement another five years, to March 31, 2010, Raytheon said.
Enertec Systems 2001 Inc. has successfully completed the installation of automatic test equipment (ATE) at the Boeing plant that will produce and test the second stage of the Arrow missile defense interceptor, the company said last week. The company, a majority-owned affiliate of Lapis Technologies Inc., is a major supplier of ATE for the U.S.-Israeli Arrow system.
The Australian government is issuing a request for proposals (RFP) for Australian shipbuilders to bid on its navy's AU$4.5-$6 billion ($3.3-$4.4 billion U.S.) Air Warfare Destroyers (AWDs) project, the Australian Department of Defence said on Oct. 16. The RFP and its terms were set to be released on Oct. 18, Defence Minister Robert Hill said in a statement.
The U.S. Army is buying AuraGen Vehicle Integrated Primary Electrical Resource (VIPER) mobile power generator systems for $235,000 from El Sengundo, Calif.-based Aura Systems, Inc. for two of its deploying commands, the company said Oct. 18. The Army's Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) made the buy, Aura Systems said. The purchase is the VIPER Operational Field Evaluation portion of $3.5 million approved for the AuraGen VIPER in the FY 2004 Defense Department budget, the company said.
The last two of 10 Stryker variants - the Stryker Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBCRV) and the Mobile Gun System (MGS) - were approved for low-rate initial production (LRIP) by the Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) Sept. 9, the Department of Defense said Oct. 18. Complete LRIP was authorized for the NBCRV and limited LRIP was authorized for the MGS. Until now, the Army has been testing eight MGS engineering prototypes and three NBCRV prototypes.
The U.S. Navy might have trouble performing some important missions if the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and President Bush pass "The Law of the Sea" treaty," according to Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy. "Under the treaty it would be impermissible to collect intelligence in territorial waters, which is something we do all the time," he said. "Also under the treaty, submarines are supposed to transit territorial waters on the surface displaying the flag, which is not the way we operate submarines."
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has completed a key design review of the High Altitude Airship (HAA) and is assessing information it gathered at the two-day event, according to MDA officials. During the Oct. 6-7 critical design review, which occurred in Akron, Ohio, prime contractor Lockheed Martin conducted a series of technical presentations for MDA. The agency plans to evaluate the technical information over the next few weeks before deciding whether Lockheed Martin should receive the go-ahead to build and demonstrate an HAA prototype.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Officials at an intelligence center supporting the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command are doing "a wonderful job," according to Gen. Ralph E. "Ed" Eberhart, who is in charge of both commands. But one consumer of the intelligence, who declined to be further identified, disagrees.
San Diego-based Titan Corp. has been awarded the North American Aerospace Defense Command /U.S. Northern Command's Command Information Sharing, Infrastructure, Architecture, Integration and Implementation and Operations Support contract, the company said Oct 18. The contract could be worth up to $169.9 million if all options are exercised.
An Oct. 8 "People on the Move" item incorrectly listed the location of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. It is in Washington, D.C. An Oct. 15 story headlined "Shipboard Protection Systems start deployment in 2005" misspelled the name of Capt. Paul Cruz, program manager for anti-terrorism and force protection, Navy Littoral Mine Warfare.
Two more countries have received informational presentations on the U.S.-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program in recent months, suggesting they might be interested in buying the Lockheed Martin-built aircraft someday.
AMC-15: SES Americom's AMC-15 spacecraft was launched successfully from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on Oct. 14. Liftoff took place at 5:23 p.m. EDT aboard a Russian Proton rocket provided by International Launch Services (ILS). Ground controllers made initial contact with the Lockheed Martin-built spacecraft at 2:52 a.m. EDT, using the company's satellite tracking station in Uralla, Australia.
RADAR DISPLAYS: Phoenix-based Honeywell has signed an agreement with Marshall Aerospace to provide Multifunction Radar Displays (MRDs) for nine L1011 TriStar tanker aircraft for the United Kingdom, Honeywell says. Deliveries will begin this year and be completed in 2005. The MRDs interface with Honeywell systems and older systems, says Joe Longworth, director of government sales for Honeywell Defense & Space Systems.
PREPARING DSCA: In light of recent U.S. calls for increased international cooperation in missile defense, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) is bracing to receive a growing number of inquiries from nations interested in pursuing such partnerships, according to DSCA's director, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kohler (USAF). To ensure DSCA is prepared to help those countries and "point them in the right direction," Kohler is working to "get a little more information inside the agency" regarding U.S. missile defense plans and policies.
INFORMATION: The government of Finland is extending its use of imagery and data from Canada's RADARSAT-1, according to MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. of Richmond, British Columbia, which distributes the data. Finland also has signed a prelaunch commitment for RADARSAT-2 information, as has ImageOne Co. Ltd. of Japan, which will distribute it to the Japanese commercial market. The total value of the agreements is about Cdn$4.3 million ($3.4 million).
MACH 10: NASA has reviewed the data from the X-43A's captive carry flight Sept. 27 and found "no technical issues" that stand in the way of a Mach 10 (roughly 7,000 mph) free flight attempt in early to mid-November. Project officials are eyeing dates from Nov. 8 through Nov. 15, with the most likely flight date being Nov. 9. The scramjet-powered X-43A and its modified Pegasus booster rocket will be carried to release altitude by a B-52 that will take off from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif.
CHANGES COMING: "Major changes" in defense procurement and planning are on the horizon no matter who wins the presidential election, according to John Kelley, president of Herley Industries Inc., which reported its latest financial results on Oct. 15. "We believe the long-awaited transformation from outdated Cold War policies to defending against today's regional terrorist threats will finally begin to come about," he says.
San Francisco-based BEI Technologies Inc. has acquired Newall Measurement Systems Ltd. of the United Kingdom, BEI Technologies said Oct. 12. Terms of the cash purchase were not disclosed. Newall Measurement Systems manufactures digital readout systems and digital linear encoders for process automation and machine tool markets in Europe, Asia and North America.
NASA is soliciting opinions from industry on its draft requirements for the elaborate video camera system that will be required for the Hubble Space Telescope robotic servicing mission.
MILESTONE REACHED: The RQ-1/MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle recently achieved 100,000 flight hours, San Diego, Calif.-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. said Oct. 14. The milestone was reached on Sept. 27 during a routine combat mission over Iraq with U.S. Air Force Predator number 61, the company said. The Predator has been operational in every U.S. conflict since 1995.
ROBOTIC DISPOSAL: The Navy is ramping up a pilot program for a joint man-transportable robot system for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), says Rear Adm. William Landay, program executive officer, Navy Littoral and Mine Warfare. The Navy is the lead service for the joint technology system, he says.
Defense contractors can access a Web-based, instant reference to U.S. Department of Defense acquisition practices, policies and lessons learned through a newly released Defense Acquisition Guidebook. Approved by Michael Wynne, the acting acquisition undersecretary, the new guidebook is designed to serve as a companion to the revised acquisition policy documents, DOD Directive 5000.1 and DOD Instruction 5000.2, released in May 2003.
Several defense and aerospace companies are slated to release quarterly financial results over the next few weeks. The following companies have announced their reporting plans: * Armor Holdings, Inc., will announce its third-quarter results on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 4:30 p.m. EDT * Honeywell will announce its third-quarter results on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 8 a.m. EDT * Orbital Sciences Corp. will announce its third-quarter results on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 9 a.m. EDT
