Lockheed Martin Corporation, Orlando, Florida, is being awarded a $21,100,000 ceiling priced modification to previously awarded contract N00019-95-C-0251 for the procurement of three LANTIRN FLIR Targeting Systems and non-recurring efforts associated with the F-14A, F-14B upgrade and the F-14D aircraft. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed by May 1996. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Pratt&Whitney, Government Engines and Space Propulsion, West Palm Beach, Florida, is being awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with a ceiling amount of $28,354,675 for the preliminary design engineering support for the definition and development of the propulsion systems for the Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) Program ground and flight demonstrations. Work will be performed in West Palm Beach, Florida, and is expected to be completed by September 1996. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
The JAST program office yesterday released a draft request for proposal for the projects concept demonstration phase, in which it asked contractors to assume multi-year procurement in establishing their prices. A five-year MYP should be planned for low-rate initial production and two five-year MYPs for production, to be followed by a two-year MYP buy, according to the cost section of the document released by Joint Advanced Strike Technology program office.
The Defense Dept. will have to shave three of the 12 Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) programs previously approved for fiscal year 1996 in order to live with the congressional cut of the year's ACTD budget from $65 million to $39 million, Jack Bachkovsky, deputy under secretary of defense for advanced technology, disclosed yesterday at a Pentagon news briefing.
Longbow LLC, Martin Marietta Millimeter Technologies, Incorporated and Westinghouse Tactical Systems LLC, Orlando, Florida, is being awarded $19,897,596 as part of an $89,098,900 (the balance of this contract action contains options which may be exercised by November 30, 1997) cost plus award fee contract for engineering services and cost reduction initiatives for the Hellfire Modular Missile System FY96-FY98. Work will be performed in Florida (50%), and Maryland (50%), and is expected to be completed by November 30, 1998.
Longbow LLC, Martin Marietta Millimeter Technologies, Incorporated and Westinghouse Tactical Systems LLC, Orlando, Florida, is being awarded a $37,708,210 modification to a firm fixed price contract for 35 missiles and 18 launchers, low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the Longbow Hellfire Modular Missile System. Work will be performed in Florida (50%), and Maryland (50%), and is expected to be completed by August 30, 1998. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source contract initiated on May 18, 1995.
Lockheed Missiles&Space Company, Lockheed Austin Operations, Austin, Texas, is being awarded a $6,127,061 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for Advanced Tomahawk Weapon Control System (ATWCS) software design, development, integration, test and support for the United Kingdom under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Program. Work will be performed in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed by March 1998. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured.
Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), chairman of the House National Security research and development subcommittee, said the Administration argument against the ballistic missile defense portion of the national security authorization bill was "a red herring." The House passed the authorization Friday, and the Senate was expected to take it up today (DAILY, Dec. 18, p. 430).
Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company, Marietta, Georgia, is being awarded a $13,343,257 face value increase to a cost plus award fee contract for various hardware assets (racks and fixtures, power supplies, modules and components, receivers, signal processors) and supplemental hardware and software development in support of the planned Tactical Link 16 effort for the F-22 aircraft. Contract is expected to be completed September 2002. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
UNC LEAR SIEGLER, Oklahoma City, received a $19.3 million increase to an earlier U.S. Air Force contract for 419 direct manning personnel to assist the Royal Saudi Air Force with operation, maintenance and training related to its F-15 aircraft.
The Pentagon's move away from military specifications to progress-oriented work assignments could raise legal problems for contractors, Robert Beyster, CEO of SAIC tells an AIAA-sponsored conference on acquisition reform. Without those specific design goals, he says, "we are going to have a hard time defending against qui tam," or whistleblower law suits.
The two Joint STARS aircraft to be used over Bosnia are at Rhein-Main AB, Germany, after flying from the Northrop Grumman contractor site in Melbourne, Fla., Thursday night, and U.S. Air Force officials said Friday that they would begin operations later this month. As reported, an A and C model with 10 and 18 workstations, respectively, will alternate 10-hour missions every other night. They are capable of 20-hour missions with crew rotation and aerial refueling.
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE William Perry last Wednesday signed the charter establishing the Joint Space Management Board, DOD said Friday. Director of Central Intelligence John Deutch also signed off. The JSMB is co-chaired by DOD acquisition chief Paul Kaminski and Deputy Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet. It will try to ensure that defense and intelligence requirements for space systems are met, wherever possible, with existing resources and an integrated architecture, DOD said.
The House Friday approved the compromise fiscal 1996 national security authorization by a 267-149 vote that largely followed party lines with Republicans solidly behind the bill. The measure now goes to the Senate for final congressional approval and then to the White House for an expected veto. The Senate took up the conference report late Friday afternoon and was expected to hold off voting until Tuesday.
American companies have nearly doubled their R&D investments overseas in recent years, but foreign companies are investing in R&D in this country at an even faster pace, according to the Commerce Department's Office of Technology Policy. The office estimates U.S. investment rose from $5.2 billion in 1987 to $9.8 billion in 1993, but over the same period foreign investment rose from $6.5 billion to $14.6 billion. More than 60% of the foreign investment is concentrated in three industries: pharmaceuticals, electronics and industrial chemicals.
A top-level Russian delegation Friday proposed to NASA that the International Space Station be built around the aging Mir station, which would serve as a sort of construction shack to be jettisoned once the new Station modules are installed and working on their own.
Lockheed Martin Missiles&Space Co. believes it has identified the faults that caused the first Lockheed Launch Vehicle to fail last summer and will be able to fly a pair of new NASA satellites next summer as a result.
THE FIRST C-17 AIRLIFTER flying into Tuzla, Bosnia, was foiled by low ceilings and poor visibility. The plane, from Ramstein AB, Germany, was turned away Thursday when the ceiling dropped to 400 feet and visibility to 800 yards. A 600-foot ceiling and 2,400 yards visibility are required for landings without radar assistance.
Although the current consolidation of the defense industry is "imperative...like gravity," Loral Chairman and CEO Bernard Schwartz warned last week that overconcentration may hit hardest among subcontractors, which traditionally have been the source of the industry's technological innovation and entrepreneurship.
Litton's move to purchase PRC should expand the company's horizons beyond its traditional defense electronics and communications base. McLean, Va.-based PRC is the fourth largest federal systems integrator, but is much stronger in commercial than in military markets. The synergism is expected to come from the linkup of PRC with Litton's Data Systems Div., Woodland Hills, Calif.
NASA plans to offer the world a first look tomorrow at data generated by the atmospheric probe it dropped into Jupiter's clouds on Dec. 7 - provided there is funding to open the briefing room at Ames Research Center. Scientists have been studying the most important data relayed by Galileo, now inn orbit around Jupiter, since shortly after the historic encounter (DAILY, Dec. 11, page 393). But the continuing threat of another government shutdown over the budget impasse between Congress and President Clinton made planning for release of the data difficult.
MCDONNELL DOUGLAS received three contracts totaling nearly $432 million for F-18 work: $269.9 million for FY '95 Finish Air Force procurement of 11 F/A-18Cs, $68.2 million for FY '95 U.S. Navy procurement of 24 F/18Cs, and $93.8 million for procurement of 8 F/A-18Ds for the Royal Malaysian Air Force.
The U.S. Air Force released a request for proposal to upgrade the avionics on its T-38 trainers. The winning contractor will have total system performance responsibility and will receive three separate contracts, the Air Force's Aeronautical Systems Center said. The RFP was released Tuesday.
United Technologies Corp. isn't interested in selling its aerospace units, but is looking for future acquisitions, company President and Chief Executive Officer George David said last week.
Industry self-audits could raise other problems, Beyster says. If contractors make a mistake in such audits, he says, government officials are likely to view the error as malicious. Although he endorses reform, Beyster notes "transforming too much is a risky thing for us to get into."
