AUSSIES IN: The Australian Department of Defence has joined the Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium (NCOIC), becoming a national member of the group's advisory council and technical teams. "The mantra of NCOIC is to drive the implementation of open standards that underpin the connections between organizations while allowing competition in the development of applications needed to process information," Australian Defence Force commander Jeremy Pickel said in a statement.
As the U.S. Air Force reviews the bids for the $15 billion replacement fleet for its combat, search and rescue (CSAR-X) aircraft, the service is also taking another look at the operational performance of the competitors. That means Boeing's HH-47, Lockheed Martin's US101 and Sikorsky's S-92 will have another stab at convincing the service they are the right helicopters for the mission. Boeing won the first go-around, but lost ground when the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) twice upheld protests by the losing bidders.
President Bush's new directives ordering improved U.S. export control licensing meet almost all of industry's desires - although the changes will call upon a "self-financing" scheme rather than a devoted funding boost via appropriations, State Department officials told reporters Jan. 23. John Rood, U.S. assistant secretary of state for arms control and international security, and Frank Ruggiero, deputy assistant secretary for defense trade and regional security, declined to say that federal officials have decided to go with a user-fee model.
MISSILE DEFENSE: The U.S. is moving "ever closer" to an agreement with the Czech Republic over the placement of an early-warning missile defense radar in that country, Pentagon spokesperson Geoff Morrell said Jan. 22. Talks are also continuing with the Polish government over placing ballistic missile interceptors in Poland. "Hopefully we'll come to an agreement," Morrell said. The Russians should not view the system as a threat, he added.
TRACKING STATION: The European Space Agency (ESA) has inaugurated a new tracking station on Santa Maria island in the Azores that will further expand Europe's ESTRACK network. The 5.5-meter station will provide a large footprint over the Atlantic Ocean, improving ESA's ability to serve new launch systems operating from its Kourou, French Guiana space center - the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), Soyuz and Vega - as well as the existing Ariane 5 booster and the agency's expanding Earth observation satellite system.
The Israeli TecSar/Polaris 1 imaging radar reconnaissance satellite is being prepared to transmit its first images after being launched from India Jan. 21 onboard an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) version with no strap-on boosters.
AIR FORCE Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems of Marietta, Ga., is being awarded a contract modification for $24,839,777. The contract will exercise the option to procure fabrication, support, and assembly of C-5B Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) Group A and Spares for seven aircraft. At this time, $12,419,889 has been obligated. 716th Aeronautical Systems Group, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8625-07-C-6473, P00003).
The British defense industry, already a major player in Australia, is expanding in the country with a series of acquisitions. BAE Systems will buy Australia's privately owned Tenix Defence, whose businesses include one of Australia's two main naval shipyards. The purchase will double BAE's presence in the country to more than 5,500 employees and annual sales exceeding A$1.2 billion ($1 billion).
As it runs through the third revised competition for the $15 billion combat, search and rescue replacement (CSAR-X) helicopter program, the U.S. Air Force appears to be taking steps to ensure a more protest-proof selection process, sources intimately familiar with the process say.
A-10 MODELING: The U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing a $14.9 million contract for systems engineering and modeling services for the A-10 Wing Replacement program. The contract will provide the engineering foundation for the program, allowing for a "paperless engineering package" and ensuring the production wings will be delivered on time, Boeing said. Boeing will perform the majority of the work in St. Louis, with the remaining work done in Salt Lake City, Utah. The contract runs through September 2010.
PARIS - Eurocopter expects to boost helicopter output again this year even as deliveries in 2007 reached a high of 488 rotorcraft, driving revenue to almost 4.2 billion euros. The rotorcraft maker also saw order intake reach a new high of 802 helos, boosting backlog to 13.5 billion euros. And, Eurocopter CEO Lutz Bertling says that doesn't even include some deals announced last year, such as France's purchase of additional NH90 transport helos.
ARMY Global Fleet Sales Inc., Charlottesville, Va., was awarded on Jan. 15, 2008, an $84,220,350 firm-fixed-price contract for police light tactical vehicles and spare parts. The work will be performed in Thailand and is expected to be completed by Feb. 4, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on May 18, 2006, and nine bids were received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity W56HZV-07-D-G002. AIR FORCE
LONDON - The British Defense Ministry is looking at potentially funding the purchase of 14 Boeing Chinook helicopters for its special forces as part of its ongoing spending round. British special forces are heavily committed in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, with available helicopter resources stretched.
PROTOSTAR: Boeing Satellite Systems has landed a contract to supply a 601 HP bus for ProtoStar, a Bermuda-based startup that is forming a constellation to supply direct TV and broadband access throughout Asia. To be launched in 2009, ProtoStar-2 will provide Ku-band beams over southeast and southern Asia, plus an S-band beam over Indonesia. The spacecraft will complement a first satellite already under construction at Space Systems/Loral.
President Bush has ordered new directives that will "advance a more efficient and transparent export licensing process and enhance dispute resolution mechanisms," the White House announced Jan. 22. The moves, which were expected, come as trade groups in Washington have pushed for regulatory and executive-branch changes since last year that would not run a Democratic-led legislative buzzsaw on Capitol Hill (DAILY, Sept. 6, 2007).
Further delays with the troublesome VIIRS sensor will push back the launch of the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP), the precursor mission for the civil/military weather satellite system.
Managers of NASA's Ares launch vehicle project are in early discussions with their space shuttle counterparts over using a shuttle launch early next year to gather flight-test data on a potentially dangerous vibration that ground-test data suggest might occur in the Ares I first stage.
SURGED SPENDING: U.S. and Canadian military efforts to coordinate and modernize their defense agencies and armed branches "spells boom time" for military power suppliers, according to a Frost & Sullivan research service report. "Increased usage of electronics in the battlefield, supplemented by a hike in budget allocation and military spending, has given a substantial thrust to the military power supplies market in North America," analysts said. Heightened focus on military readiness has led to greater use of electronics in military systems.
A Jan. 15 story on Lockheed Martin's Remote Mine-hunting System gave the wrong affiliation for Gary Humes. Mr. Humes is the U.S. Navy's program manager for mine warfare.
