BOEING AEROSPACE OPERATIONS INC., Cocoa Beach, Fla., won a contract potentially worth $100 million to continue logistics support for the U.S. Air Force's fleet of 14 T/CT-43A aircraft. The contract, a follow-on to an effort underway since 1973, involves aircraft maintenance and the supply of ground support equipment and spare parts. The T-43s (Boeing 737-200s) are based at Randolph AFB, Tex., where 10 support the Undergraduate Navigator Training School; Buckley ANGB, Colo., where two are attached to the U. S.
The Swedish air force has been given approval by the cabinet to begin discussions about the possible purchase of additional JAS-39 Gripen multirole fighters. Last December the cabinet authorized the air force to begin discussions on purchasing an unspecified number of additional Gripen, a spokesman for Sweden's ministry of defense confirmed yesterday. The main area of discussion will be price, he noted.
Led by billion-dollar-plus McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed Martin, 20 companies received prime defense contracts totaling $100 million or more during the first quarter of fiscal 1996. The Pentagon announced major awards ($1 million or more) totaling $13.1 billion during the quarter, of which the Navy accounted for $5.5 billion, the Air Force $4.7 billion and the Army $2.3 billion. The balance was represented by various defense agencies. The top 20 prime contractors received $10 billion, or more than three- fourths of the total.
The Transportation Dept. is launching a program, designated Operation TimeSaver, to reduce daily travel time by 15% in metropolitan areas by creating an intelligent transportation system (ITS) architecture with such advanced technologies as space-based navigation systems and the latest computers, Transportation Secretary Federico Pena announced.
TELOS CORP., Herndon, Va., won a $118.5 million contract Dec. 22 for engineering and technical services to various organizations within the U.S. Army's Communications and Electronics Command's Research, Development and Engineering Center Software Engineering Directorate. Work will be performed at Fort Monmouth, N.J. The Dept. of Defense said 112 bids were solicited and two were received.
VITRO CORP., Rockville, Md., beat four other competitors to win a $7.4 million contract on Dec. 21 for engineering development and technical omnibus support services for the Space and Terrestrial Communications Directorate of the U.S. Army Communications and Electronics Command. Work will be performed in Shrewsbury, N.J., according to the Dept. of Defense.
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP., Fort Worth, Tex., was awarded a $5.5 million requirements contract for engineering technical services in support of the F-16 aircraft. The Dept. of Defense, announcing the contract on Dec. 22, said the effort supports foreign military sales to Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Portugal, Singapore, and Turkey. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Air Force's Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
Both major debt rating agencies downgraded Lockheed Martin's short- term debt and moved to cut ratings on long-term debt as well, troubled by the extraordinary leverage the company will take on to acquire nearly all of Loral Corp.
Two air traffic control radar systems are now operational to support the peacekeeping mission in Bosnia, according to the manufacturer, ITT Gilfillan, Van Nuys, Calif. The U.S. Air National Guard is operating an AN/MPN-14K mobile tactical radar approach control and landing system, while the U.S. Army has deployed an AN/TSQ-71B precision approach landing system.
MCDONNELL DOUGLAS CORP., St. Louis, was awarded a $36 million contract for contractor technical support directed manning personnel in Saudi Arabia in support of the Royal Saudi Air Force's Peace Sun IX program. The Dept. of Defense announced the contract, from the U.S. Air Force's Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, on Dec. 27.
January 4, 1996 Flight Safety Services Corporation, Littleton, Colorado, is being awarded a $9,118,522 face value increase to a firm fixed price contract for FY 1996 operation, maintenance and supply of the Aircrew Training System for the KC-135 aircraft. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah is the contracting activity (F33657-91/C-0072, P00065).
Following through on the recommendation of top national security advisers, President Clinton on Saturday signed the fiscal 1996 authorization bill for the intelligence community. Clinton's approval was widely expected since Director of Central Intelligence John Deutch and Secretary of Defense William Perry supported the legislation.
The Army and Navy under collected nearly $22 million in surcharges due from foreign military sales (FMS), according to an audit report of the Defense Dept. Inspector General's office, which recommended changes in the services' accounting methods.
House-Senate conferees are setting in motion plans for a quickie fiscal 1996 defense authorization conference that would strip out missile defense provisions that led President Clinton to veto the $264.7 billion bill, congressional sources said yesterday.
Based on another lesson learned in Desert Storm, the Army is using a logistics system in which all the containers of supplies have attached radio frequency tags that can be queried by hand-held interrogators to determine their contents.
Wall Street sees Loral Chairman Bernard L. Schwartz' $9.1 billion move this week to sell his defense electronics and systems integration operations to Lockheed Martin as a signal that returns on defense businesses may be headed down.
January 3, 1996 Boeing Defense and Space, Seattle, Washington, is being awarded a $15,684,764 firm-fixed-price contract to provide logistics support for the E-6A aircraft. Work will be performed at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and is expected to be completed by October 1996. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00019-96-C-0010).
January 2, 1996 Rockwell International Corporation, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded an $11,776,206 face value increase to a firm fixed price contract for seventeen Class 2/2H Terminals applicable to the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System. Contract is expected to be completed September 1998. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Electronic System Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (F19628-95/C-0055, P0005).
Lockheed Martin said its Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser completed its first free-flight test two months early. For the test from an F-16, a tactical munitions dispenser was fitted with a WCMD guidance tail kit at Eglin AFB, Fla. The test demonstrated release from the platform, fault-free fin deployment and free flight, Lockheed Martin said Monday in a prepared statement. Test data validated the system's safe separation aerodynamic characteristics and will be used to assess performance on other aircraft.
