SUPPORT SERVICES: EDO Corp. said Oct. 14 that it won three contracts totaling $15.4 million for professional services provided to U.S. Marine Corps and Navy programs, including collecting and analyzing data to assess fleet aviation readiness. Other awards were to support the Marine Corps Joint Concept Development and Experimentation office and the Logistics Command and Control component of the Marine Corps Global Combat Service Support System.
ANOTHER REVIEW: The troubled Joint Tactical Radio System Cluster 1 program underwent another review last week by the Pentagon's Defense Acquisition Board, although no major decisions on its fate have emerged yet. Reports had speculated that the meeting would decide whether to cancel Boeing's billion-dollar contract for the program, although now it appears the company has gotten a reprieve at least until the next DAB meeting, scheduled for Nov. 21.
The U.S. Navy's new top military officer intends to have the service conduct an extensive review of its fighter aircraft, helicopter and unmanned aerial vehicle plans.
The U.S. Army has delayed until next month its request for proposals for industry to build and deliver the third phase of the Joint Network Node program, according to Army officials. The reason is that the Army wants the latest JNN version to include technologies that will be part of the service's Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) system, officials said.
The Australian air force's Hawk 127 Lead-In Fighter has reached 30,000 hours of flight time, the country's defense ministry said Oct. 14. The milestone took place on Sept. 12 during a flight from the Williamtown, New South Wales, air base. The fighter, built by BAE Systems, has been invaluable in training "fast jet" pilots, the defense ministry said. The Hawk 127 also provides air support to the army and navy during exercises.
CONCERNS: Senate appropriators are pushing to keep $195.6 million from shipbuilders who make the DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers because of what appears to them as additional costs outside the contract. In its fiscal 2006 defense spending bill, the Senate agreed with the appropriators, who slashed that amount from the Defense Department's request of $225.4 million to close out and shutdown the DDG-51 contract.
France-based shipbuilder Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN) said Oct. 13 that it has been awarded a EUR 127.5 million (USD $153.9) contract to provide through-life support services for the French navy's front-line warships. DCN also won a separate euro 161 million (USD $191.3) contract from the French navy for the refueling and overhaul of the nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarine SSBN Le Temeraire.
The U.S. Navy tentatively plans to award a contract to Raytheon Co. within the next few months to study adding a moving-target capability to Raytheon's Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), company officials said Oct. 14. The study contract is designed to lead to the award of a development contract in late 2006 for the moving target-capable JSOW, known as JSOW Block III, Raytheon officials told The DAILY.
AeroVironment's Raven B unmanned aerial vehicle has beaten out L-3 BAI Aerosystems' Evolution XTS to be the next-generation backpack-portable Small UAV for Army soldiers, according to the service. The Army's Aviation Program Executive Office, in conjunction with Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., has awarded the Monrovia, Calif.-based AeroVironment a $3.1 million, eight-month low-rate initial production contract for the Raven B, according to a spokesman.
The U.S. Army has released a 500-day information technology plan aimed at guiding the service's IT decisions, according to Army officials. The plan, called "Army CIO/G-6 500-Day Plan: Delivering a Joint Net-Centric Information Enterprise," is also part of a larger initiative to help soldiers communicate better in combat, said Army Lt. Gen Steve Boutelle (USA), the service's chief information officer.
SUB COMMISSIONING: The German navy plans to commission two Type 212 new-generation submarines on Oct. 19, the German defense ministry says. It would be the first time that the navy has commissioned two subs at the same time. Vice Adm. Wolfgang Nolting, the fleet commander, and Defense Minister Peter Struck plan to attend the ceremony at Eckernfoerde naval base. The vessels are the most modern conventional submarines in the world, the defense ministry said. Their fuel cell propulsion system will allow them to remain submerged and undetected for long periods.
On Oct. 13 a dual-manifested Ariane 5 rocket placed the French Ministry of Defense's Syracuse 3A communications satellite and PanAmSat's Galaxy 15 high-definition TV satellite in geostationary transfer orbit. Liftoff took place from Arianespace's launch facility in Kourou, French Guiana. Syracuse 3A is the first satellite in France's new third-generation Syracuse III secure military communication system. The 3,700-kilogram (8,157-pound) spacecraft was designed by Alcatel Alenia Space, with Thales Communications in charge of the ground segment.
U.S. Navy officials will craft plans by mid-December to organize and equip a Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, and hope to work closer with the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies, according to Adm. Mike Mullen, the new chief of naval operations.
A high-profile federal prosecutor has suggested that lawmakers and regulators consider new requirements for contractors who support defense agencies and military branches in making acquisition decisions. U.S. Attorney Paul McNulty says no criminal law exists holding those contractors responsible for conflicts of interest that snared former Boeing Co. executive and Air Force official Darleen Druyun and former Boeing CFO Michael Sears, who he prosecuted.
As the U.S. Army moves ahead in its Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle program, the Coast Guard is initiating an SUAV program of its own. A request for information from the Coast Guard's Research and Development Center, Groton, Conn., published in the Oct. 14 issue of FedBizOpps, seeks input on "a small, unmanned aerial vehicle (SUAV) platform to support a 14-day evaluation which shall consist, at a minimum, of one six-hour [mission] each day."
THAAD MISSILE: The first flight-test missile for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is scheduled to be shipped the week of Oct. 17 from its Lockheed Martin assembly plant in Troy, Ala., to the test site at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The test is slated to occur around Thanksgiving. The U.S. Missile Defense Agency is developing THAAD mainly to intercept short- and medium-range ballistic missiles as they transition from the midcourse phase of flight to the terminal phase.
MOBILITY STUDY: The U.S. Defense Department expects to complete a review of its mobility needs within the next few weeks. It is unclear what DOD will be able to say publicly about the Mobility Capability Study, which is classified. The study is expected to guide Air Force purchase decisions for the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III and Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft.
EXPORT CONTROL: The defense and space industries are fighting a proposed internal Defense Department rule that would require defense contracting officers to ensure that DOD contracts identify and note export-controlled information and technology, as well as contractor deference to existing regulations. The Council of Defense and Space Industry Associations says the State and Commerce departments already provide export-control oversight, and the DOD can suspend or debar contractors now.
The first new production MH-60R helicopter to be purchased by the U.S. Navy has arrived at Lockheed Martin in Owego, N.Y., where it will spend the next five months having mission systems installed and integrated, the company announced. The MH-60R was flown from Stratford, Conn., where it was built and put through initial flight-tests by Sikorsky.
Taurus Systems GmbH of Unterschleissheim, Germany, said Oct. 12 that it has been awarded a contract to provide KEPD 350 air-to-ground missiles for the Spanish air force. Financial terms were not disclosed. Under the contract, Taurus Systems will produce 43 missiles and provide mission planning and support. The weapons will arm Spanish F-18 and Eurofighter aircraft. The Spanish Council of Ministers approved the purchase in June. Taurus Systems is a joint venture between EADS/LFK-Lenkflugkorpersysteme and SAAB Bofors Dynamics.
Lockheed Martin has awarded Esterline Technologies' Palomar Products subsidiary a $6.8 million contract to provide aircraft intercommunication systems for the new VH-71 Presidential Helicopter program. Work conducted under the contract will begin immediately and continue through December 2007 at Palomar's facility in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
Raytheon Co. said Oct. 13 that its Joint Standoff Weapon Block II successfully flew its first captive test flight this week at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The test of the precision glide weapon took place Oct. 11 on a U.S. Air Force F-16 aircraft.
