ATV PURCHASE: The Netherlands has agreed to buy 74 BvS10 All Terrain Vehicles worth 43 million pounds ($77.8 million) for its marines from BAE Systems Land Systems Hagglunds, the company said June 1. The ATVs will come in four variants: troop carrier, command, repair and recovery, and ambulance. They will be used as logistics vehicles to carry troops and equipment. Deliveries of the ATVs will begin in January 2006 and be finished by April 2007. The British Royal Marines currently are using the vehicles, and they are being tested by the French and Finnish militaries.
JUNO: NASA announced June 1 that the proposed Juno mission to Jupiter will proceed to a preliminary design. The second mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program, Juno would place a spacecraft in polar orbit around Jupiter to investigate the existence of an ice-rock core and study the planet's atmosphere and magnetic field. To launch before mid-1020, the mission will be capped at $700 million.
JSOW CABLES, HARNESSES: Raytheon Missile Systems has awarded LaBarge Inc. of St. Louis a seven-year contract worth up to $24 million to provide cables and harnesses for Raytheon's Joint Standoff Weapon system, LaBarge said June 1. About $1.65 million will be released under the contract for 2005. The cables send electronic data signals throughout the weapon, which uses Global Positioning System data to find its target and can change its path during flight. The cable assemblies are used to perform tests for JSOW functionality.
MOSCOW - On May 28, RSC Energia shareholders elected Nikolai Sevastianov president of the company, Russia's main contractor for manned space programs. Sevastianov got 53% of the votes from attendees of a shareholders' meeting and about 43% of the total vote. Although he was backed by the Federal Space Agency, which owns about 38% of the company, he was opposed by company management, who wanted to retain Yuri Semyonov in the post (DAILY, May 27). - Dmitry Pieson ([email protected])
NASA did not adequately explore alternatives to the space shuttle for ferrying cargo to the International Space Station, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
Canada wants to purchase up to $34 million worth of U.S. Link 16 terminals and related equipment, according to the Pentagon. If Congress approves the deal, it apparently would be Canada's first buy of the Link 16 Multifunction Information Distribution System (MIDS)/Low Volume Terminals (LVT). They would be used in Canada's F-18 aircraft, and would allow Canadian forces to operate more closely with those of the United States.
SILICON CARBIDE: The Office of Naval Research has awarded Cree Inc. of Durham, N.C., a $12.1 million contract to develop prototype high-voltage switches and diodes using Silicon Carbide. The contracted work will be performed in Durham and is expected to be finished by November 2006.
The U.S. Army is gearing up to reveal plans for a new guided rocket, an effort designed to replace recently canceled work that was led by General Dynamics. The Army intends to release a draft request for proposals (RFP) the week of June 20-24 and hold an industry day the week of July 4-8, said Dan O'Boyle, a spokesman for Army Aviation and Missile Command.
U.S. Defense Department and Air Force agents were involved in the federal government's recent search of Orbital Sciences Corp. facilities, DOD and Air Force spokespersons said May 31. The agents were from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and the Air Force's Office of Special Investigations (OSI). DCIS is the criminal investigative arm of DOD's Inspector General. OSI is the Air Force's main investigative service and reports to the Air Force's Inspector General.
The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded United Defense LP's Armament Systems Division of Minneapolis a maximum $376 million contract to continue working on the Advanced Gun System (AGS) for the DD(X) destroyer program. Most of the work under the contract will be performed in Minneapolis with the rest in Orlando, Fla. It is expected to be finished by September 2010, the Defense Department announced late May 27.
MICROWAVE DEALS: Herley Industries will supply microwave technology for the U.S. Navy's "Coyote" Supersonic Sea-skimming Target Missile, an Air Force air-to-air missile and high-speed commercial communications systems under contracts totaling $3.6 million. The company said it expects order booking to continue "at a healthy pace" for the rest of its fiscal 2005.
A shipbuilding benchmarking study is recommending that the United States establish a five-year, $148.2 million Shipbuilding Industrial Base Investment Fund that would help the two major U.S. defense shipbuilders better design and produce vessels, outsource services and supply and streamline the government's involvement in the shipbuilding process.
Air-breathing hypersonic stages for future launch systems could offer significant benefits in safety and mission flexibility over today's rockets, according to hypersonics engineers at NASA.
ASC Shipbuilder Pty Ltd. will be the in-country shipbuilder for the Australian navy's Aegis-equipped Air Warfare Destroyer program, Australia's defense minister said May 31. Lockheed Martin is providing its Aegis weapon system and will serve as the combat system engineering agent for the destroyer program.
Australia has asked to buy up to 175 Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) Block IIIA missiles and related equipment and services, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress. The deal could be worth up to $315 million, DSCA said May 31. It could include up to 30 telemetry missiles, two SM-2 Block IIIA inert operational missiles, canisters, spare and repair parts, and other equipment and services. Raytheon Systems Co. of Tucson, Ariz., and General Dynamics of Scottsdale, Ariz., would be the primary contractors.
The National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) is kicking off a study of near-space requested by Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) during a meeting at Boeing facilities in Colorado Springs, Colo., on June 6. The study will assess the military potential of near-space, defined as altitudes between 65,000 and 350,000 feet. The study group will be divided into panels on mission utility, the comparative value of near-space missions, integrating near-space into operations and the challenges associated with fielding near-space systems.
U.K. AWARD: Selex Sensors and Airborne Systems Ltd. of Basildon, United Kingdom, has been awarded a contract worth up to $32.3 million for Ground Counter Fire Sensor Systems with spares, technical support, depot maintenance and new equipment training for the U.S. Marine Corps. The work will be done in Basildon and is expected to be completed by May 2010. The contract, announced late May 27, was awarded after a limited-competition source selection by the Marine Corps Systems Command.
