Defense Daily articles from December 2008

Defense Daily archives from December 2008

Defense Watch.(Company overview)
December 1, 2008... The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense Gates Has Fans. President-elect Barack Obama is expected to keep Robert Gates on as defense secretary in January, and that's fine with a good chunk of U.S. voters,...

McHugh, Bartlett, Thornberry Vie For HASC Ranking Member Post.
December 1, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford The race is on for House Armed Services Committee (HASC) ranking member, with three of the committee's five returning GOP subcommittee leaders seeking their party's top spot on the high-profile panel. Republican...

Pentagon To Examine Possible Reunion of Army, Navy Spy Plane Efforts.
December 1, 2008... By Marina Malenic Pentagon officials are looking at the possibility of rejoining the Army's Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) and the Navy's EP-X into a single program, the department's top arms buyer said recently. ACS and EPX are prime...

GAO: New DoE Office Falling Short On Nuke Safety Oversight.
December 1, 2008... By George Lobsenz In a report that has been hotly contested by the Energy Department (DoE), the Government Accountability Office says the Bush administration largely undermined independent safety oversight of the department's high-hazard...

ABL Fires High-Powered Laser Through Beam Control For First Time; New ABL Uses Seen.
December 2, 2008... By Dave Ahearn The Airborne Laser (ABL) scored an important first when it fired a high- powered megawatt class laser weapon through a beam control/fire control nose turret on a highly modified Boeing [BA] 747-400F jumbo jet aircraft, the...

U.S. Division Powers QinetiQ's First Half Results.(Financial report)(Brief article)
December 2, 2008... Britain's QinetiQ last Wednesday posted strong six month financial results driven by the company's United States-based division, which is benefiting from supplying ground robots and armored products to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and from...

International Interest Strong in U.S. Army's Future Combat System.
December 2, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt Australia and Canada early next year are likely to have service personnel at Ft. Bliss, Texas, to learn about the U.S. Army's Future Combat System (FCS) and see how it might apply to work being done at home, according to...

Lawmakers Likely Lost Fight For Advanced Buy of 20 F-22s Before Obama Arrival.
December 2, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford The Pentagon looks to have won the battle with powerful lawmakers who charged it scaled back congressional plans for buying parts for future F-22 Raptor jets before the change in presidential administrations. As...

Obama Confirms Gates Will Remain SECDEF; No Word On Deputy.(Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates)
December 2, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford President-elect Barack Obama confirmed yesterday Defense Secretary Robert Gates will stay on the job in the next administration, capping off negotiations with Gates over just what type of role he will have in the new...

Homeland Security Pick Napolitano Widely Praised.(Janet Napolitano)
December 2, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker President-elect Obama yesterday announced that he will nominate Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) to be his Secretary of Homeland Security, a selection that was expected and praised. Sen. Joseph Lieberman...

Industry Readying For Navy's Release of SEWIP Block 2 RFP.
December 2, 2008... By Geoff Fein Several teams are partnering for a planned request for proposal (RFP), expected by the end of the year, for the Navy's Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 2 upgrade to the current shipboard...

Navy Awards Lockheed Martin $500 Million For Presidential Helicopter Work.
December 2, 2008... Lockheed Martin [LMT] was awarded a $500 million modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract to provide additional funds for engineering development efforts in support of the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) of...

Gates Plans 'Hard Look' At Pentagon Procurement System Under New Administration.
December 3, 2008... By Marina Malenic Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday that one of his priorities as he continues on in his capacity in the Obama administration will be to reexamine how his department goes about purchasing big-ticket weapon...

AIA Touting Aerospace And Defense Sector To New Administration, Congress.
December 3, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) yesterday began an outreach campaign targeted at the incoming Obama administration and Congress touting the importance of the aerospace and defense industry to the nation's...

Lockheed Martin Gains $1.09 Billion GOES-R Weather Satellite Contract.
December 3, 2008... By Dave Ahearn NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded a $1.09 billion contract to Lockheed Martin [LMT] to produce Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES-R), NASA said yesterday. ...

Report Provides New Administration Plans For Implementing Cyber Security In Private Sector.
December 3, 2008... By Geoff Fein The most pressing cyber security issue facing the defense industry is a near existential threat from state-sponsored foreign intelligence services who have the capability to tap into company networks, accessing sensitive...

ManTech Acquires IT Services Provider.
December 3, 2008... ManTech International [MANT] on Monday said it has acquired information technology (IT) services provider EWA Services, Inc., formerly a subsidiary of Electronic Warfare Associates, Inc., adding to its customer and capability base for the...

Benefits of Implementing Open Architecture Reach Beyond Military's Efforts.(dialogue with Andy Blumenthal)(Interview)
December 3, 2008... By Geoff Fein While the Navy is working to incorporate open architecture (OA) into its surface ships, aviation assets and electronic systems, other federal agencies are also migrating toward the concept in hopes of increasing...

Pentagon Eyeing $1.5 Billion Request To Hill For New All-Terrain MRAP Effort.
December 3, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford The new mine-resistant-vehicle competition the Pentagon is preparing to launch next week could cost $3 billion, a price tag that would be supported by an expected $1.5 billion request to Congress early next year,...

Chambliss Senate Win Seen As Boost To F-22 Fight For Survival.
December 4, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford Georgia Republican and Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. Saxby Chambliss' Tuesday reelection victory ensures the F-22 stealth fighter maintains a diehard backer in Congress as the aircraft's future is...

Pentagon Releases Tougher Rules For Weapon Development and Purchasing.
December 4, 2008... By Marina Malenic The Defense Department's outgoing acquisition czar has officially signed off on tough new guidelines for developing and buying weapons. In the first major change to the Pentagon's acquisition rules in over five...

First VH-71 Pilot Production Arrives For Testing At NAS Pax River.
December 4, 2008... The first production VH-71 presidential replacement helicopter arrived last month at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Md., and will undergo two months of tests before systems installation work begins, according to prime contractor...

WMD Prevention Report Sees Risk From Use of Bio-Weapons By 2013.
December 4, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker The world faces the haunting prospect that somewhere a weapon of mass destruction, most likely one based on a biological threat, will be used within the next five years in a terrorist attack, according to a bipartisan...

Aerojet Completes Delivery of TOW Bunker Buster Warhead Assemblies.
December 4, 2008... Aerojet [GY] recently announced it has completed production and delivery of 3,178 Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wireless (TOW) Bunker Buster Warhead Assemblies to Raytheon [RTN] Missile Systems. Raytheon's TOW missile family is the...

Oshkosh Defense To Deliver First Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT).(Missouri National Guard)
December 4, 2008... The Missouri National Guard's 1438th Multi-Role Bridge Company today will be the first Army unit to receive the brand new Light Equipment Transporter vehicles from Oshkosh Corp. [OSK]. The M983A2 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck...

Lockheed Martin Modernizing Final Part of Apache M-TADS System.
December 4, 2008... Lockheed Martin [LMT] yesterday said it has been awarded a $16.9 million contract to begin modernization of the final portion of the Army's Apache helicopter Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight (M-TADS) system. Under the...

Former Army Secretary To Lead White House Military Office.
December 4, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt President-elect Barack Obama announced today that former Army Secretary Louis Caldera will serve as Director of the White House Military Office. "Louis has served his country with distinction in uniform and in...

Thales To Provide Ground Mission Products For IAI's Amos-4.
December 4, 2008... Thales Alenia Space last week said it signed a contract with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the development, the delivery and the installation of elements in the Amos-4 Ground Segment. Slated for launch in 2012, Amos-4 will also...

Canada Contracts Lockheed Martin For CP-140 ASLEP.
December 4, 2008... Lockheed Martin [LMT] last week said it received a $156 million contract to provide the P-3 Aircraft Service Life Extension Program (ASLEP) for the Canadian Forces' CP-140 aircraft fleet. "Lockheed Martin Life Extension Kits will give the...

Gates Not Seen As Primed To Clash With Obama On Missile Defense.
December 5, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford As President-elect Barack Obama and Democratic lawmakers scrutinize Bush administration missile-defense plans, observers predict holdover Defense Secretary Robert Gates will not clash with Obama over keeping systems...

Dozens of Nations Sign Cluster Bomb Treaty, U.S. Begins Upgrading Related Technology.
December 5, 2008... By Marina Malenic A total of 93 nations signed a treaty this week to ban the use and stockpiling of cluster munitions completely, with China, Russia and the United States abstaining from the strictest international agreement on the...

Kforce Acquires Government IT Provider dNovus.
December 5, 2008... Kforce, Inc., this week said it has acquired government information technology (IT) services provider dNovus RDI for $38 million in cash in a deal designed to expand Kforce's customer base as a prime contractor in the federal space. ...

NNSA Faulted On Warhead Safety, Production Issues.(National Nuclear Security Administration)
December 5, 2008... By George Lobsenz Despite a 2003 commitment to fix the problem, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) still cannot assure that it is carrying out corrective actions to address nuclear warhead anomalies that may significantly...

Raytheon Appoints Dugle As New IIS President.(appointment of Lynn Dugle)(Intelligence and Information Systems)(Brief article)
December 5, 2008... Raytheon [RTN] yesterday said that Lynn Dugle, currently vice president and deputy general manager of the company's Intelligence and Information Systems (IIS) business, will become the division's next president effective Jan. 1, 2009. ...

MKV Aces Test At Hover Facility.
December 5, 2008... The Multiple Kill Vehicle-L (MKV-L) ballistic missile interceptor system that can take out multiple enemy warheads passed a test, the Missile Defense Agency said yesterday. Multiple warheads are a major challenge. Russia in May...

U.S., Australian Officials Discuss Plans To Strengthen Alliance.(Brief article)
December 5, 2008... To reach a better understanding of U.S. and Australian armed forces training and culture, the Minister for Defence, the Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon, and U.S. Ambassador, Robert McCallum, met yesterday to discuss and exchange documents to amend the...

ATK, Goodrich Get Contract For First ORS Satellite.
December 5, 2008... The Air Force gave Alliant Techsystems [ATK], teamed with Goodrich [GR] ISR Systems Division, a contract to produce the first operational Air Force ORS satellite, designated ORS Sat-1. ATK will provide the spacecraft bus systems to...

Defense Watch.
December 8, 2008... The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense Washington Or Bust. Lawmakers are returning to Capitol Hill this week, though they aren't expected to hold any defense-related hearings or vote on Pentagon issues during...

Northrop CEO Calls On Obama To Invest In Networking For EOS.
December 8, 2008... By Marina Malenic Northrop Grumman [NOC] CEO Ron Sugar wants President-Elect Barack Obama to increase funding for technologies and institutions that can better exploit climate-change data by more effectively linking existing Earth...

L-3 Acquires Firm Specializing In International Development.
December 8, 2008... L-3 Communications [LLL] said on Friday that it has acquired International Resources Group, Ltd. (IRG), a small firm that specializes in international economic relief and reconstruction, in a deal that complements L- 3's existing work...

Ground-based Missile-Defense System Kills Target; Crucial Win With Funding At Stake.
December 8, 2008... By Dave Ahearn The Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system successfully killed a target missile Friday, a brilliant and crucial win that came just as President- elect Obama and a Democratic-led Congress are about to consider the next...

ATK To Supply Ammunition For Afghan National Security Forces.
December 8, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt ATK [ATK], in partnership with Allied Defense Group [ADG], has won an $87 million contract to supply various types of ammunition for the emerging requirements for the Afghan National Security Forces. Under the...

U.S. Joint Forces Command Unveils Potential Future; Implications For Joint Force.
December 8, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) Dec. 4 released Joint Operating Environment 2008 (JOE 2008), a report that examines trends and contexts of the future operating environment and their implication for the future joint...

Los Alamos Names New Deputy Director.
December 8, 2008... In a move with somewhat unusual timing, Los Alamos National Laboratory last week announced the appointment of a new deputy director, saying Isaac "Ike" Richardson--a Bechtel Corp. executive and former nuclear Navy officer--will take over the...

Navy Taking Steps To Alter Downward Trend of Acquisition Workforce.
December 9, 2008... By Geoff Fein The Navy is looking at ways to reverse the downward trend and bolster its acquisition workforce, to recapture much of the activity that has been outsourced over the past decade, according to a service official. "We...

Navy Updates Acquisition Instructions, Adds In Gate Review Process.
December 9, 2008... By Geoff Fein Navy Secretary Donald Winter has signed off on an update to the service's acquisition instructions, adding in the new gate review process as well as aligning them with the Pentagon's regulation. "It's a combination of...

Army Seeks Military Convoy Warning Solutions.
December 9, 2008... The Army is looking for potential solutions to warn civilians that a military convoy has stopped and that soldiers will be directing them. In a FBO Daily published Nov. 24 Request for Information (RFI), the Army Rapid Equipping Force...

New Army Contract Extends EADS N.A. LUH Production Through 2010.
December 9, 2008... EADS North America has received a $207.7 million contract from the Army for 39 additional UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopters, extending production under contract of the twin-engine rotary-wing aircraft through 2010. This latest...

URS-Led Consortium Wins Savannah River Waste Tank Contract.
December 9, 2008... By George Lobsenz In a competition that appeared to have little suspense, the Energy Department announced Monday it had selected a consortium led by URS Corp.'s Washington Division for a minimum six-year contract to begin the mammoth task...

Boeing Completes Purchase of Federated Software.
December 9, 2008... Boeing [BA] said yesterday it has completed its acquisition of Federated Software Group, boosting the company's capabilities in providing solutions to the Defense Department for managing military supply chains and logistics. Federated...

Solar-Powered Zephyr UAV Tops Endurance Mark.
December 9, 2008... QinetiQ's Zephyr, a solar-powered plane funded jointly by the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Pentagon, recently set an unofficial world endurance record for a flight by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), Thales said last week. ...

Group, Including Obama Advisers, Recommends New Cyberwarfare Strategy.
December 9, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford President-elect Barack Obama should create a White House cyberspace office and national-security strategy for protecting public and private Internet users from hackers, and include the Pentagon, Department of Homeland...

Navy Ends MRUUV RDT&E Program.
December 10, 2008... By Geoff Fein The Navy yesterday said it has ceased funding development of the Mission Reconfigurable Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (MRUUV) due to technical and engineering issues. The decision, made by the Office of the Chief of Naval...

Navy Seeks To Demonstrate Autonomous Aerial Refueling For UCAS By 2013.
December 10, 2008... By Geoff Fein The Navy is looking to demonstrate autonomous refueling of its planned Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS), according to a presolicitation notice published earlier this month. According to the Federal Business...

Paper Urges Cutting Zumwalt Destroyers, F-22s And F-35s, Freezing New Programs.
December 10, 2008... By Dave Ahearn New and experimental defense hardware programs should be banned for the next two years, a new paper recommends. Further, the Navy should kill the DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyers procurement program (General Dynamics...

There Is More To Securing Networks Than Just Technical Solutions, Official Says.
December 10, 2008... By Geoff Fein While it might seem that advances in information technology require similar efforts to secure those systems, it is really more about policies and procedures than hardware or software, according to a Navy official. The...

Report Raps Pentagon For Slow MRAP Acquisition.
December 10, 2008... By Marina Malenic Defense Department officials knew of the potential risk to U.S. troops from roadside bombs prior to the hostilities in Iraq, but the department did not begin purchasing Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles in...

Lawmakers To Explain Congress' Missile Defense Views On Overseas CODEL.
December 10, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford A Democratic lawmaker planning to visit Polish, Czech, and Russian officials said she will explain Congress' mandate for not deploying a European missile-defense site without adequate testing while also making clear...

CSIS Researchers Outline Obama's Likely Homeland Security Priorities.(Center for Strategic and International Studies)(Department of Homeland Security)
December 10, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker President-elect Obama has a different worldview than President Bush that will likely mean changes in how the United States approaches securing the homeland and countering terrorism at home and abroad, including more...

Aerospace Sales Moderating But Growth Will Continue, AIA Says.
December 11, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker The United States aerospace industry continues to grow, albeit at more moderate levels, with continued increases in both the commercial and defense sectors and the outlook for 2009 is more of the same, the Aerospace...

Pentagon Gives Go-Ahead For TSAT Program Restructure.
December 11, 2008... By Marina Malenic The Defense Department has instructed the Air Force to move ahead with a multibillion-dollar satellite program restructure, admonishing the service for poorly running the program to date. A first Transformational...

Army UAS Help Turn The Tide In The War On Terror.
December 11, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt Army unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are answering Defense Secretary Robert Gates' call for an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) surge, according to the top Army UAS manager. "We believe we have...

AeroVironment Reports Strong Second Quarter, UAS Demand Is Strong.(Financial report)
December 11, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt AeroVironment, Inc. (AVAV) Dec. 3 reported financial results for its second quarter with revenue of $65.8 million, up 22 percent over second quarter fiscal 2008 revenue of $53.7 million. The revenue increase resulted...

Navy Needs Right Policies And Standards In Place As It Moves To Modular Systems.(Interview)
December 11, 2008... By Geoff Fein As systems for Navy ships, aircraft, and shore facilities get more complex and more dependent on other systems, it is important to have the right policies and standards in place to ensure interoperability, according to a...

Murtha: Upcoming War Supplemental Will 'Set the Stage' For Obama on Defense.
December 11, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford A leading defense appropriator in Congress predicted yesterday that Pentagon spending will drop in the coming years, and that consideration of the next supplemental war-funding bill will "set the stage" for how...

McHugh New HASC Ranking Member.(John McHugh)(House Armed Services Committee)(Brief article)
December 11, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.) was chosen by his House Republican colleagues yesterday to serve as the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) starting in January. Outgoing Ranking Member...

JIEDDO To Fold Funding Request Into FY '10 Base Budget.
December 12, 2008... By Marina Malenic Funding for the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) will likely be requested entirely in the Defense Department's base budget in fiscal year 2010, with responsibility for the organization's...

U.K. Restructures Future Utility Vehicle, Disengages With General Dynamics.
December 12, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt To rebalance its equipment programs, the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) yesterday withdrew its provisional selection of General Dynamics [GD] UK's provisional preferred bidder status for the Future Rapid Effect System...

Group With Obama Ties Calls For Ending DoD Programs That Counter 'Bygone Era' Threats.
December 12, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford A think tank with close ties to President-elect Barack Obama is calling for slowing work on the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) modernization effort, pausing development of the ground-based missile-defense system,...

DISA Seeking New Acquisition Efforts To Pace Technology Changes.
December 12, 2008... By Geoff Fein The Department of Defense (DoD) is looking at novel acquisition approaches to enable information systems to keep up with the rapid speed of technology changes, according to a DoD official. DoD not only faces the...

To Improve Security, Iraq Requests As Much As $6 Billion In Arms Sales.
December 12, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt The Defense Security Cooperation Agency Dec. 9 notified Congress of eight potential Foreign Military Sales to Iraq with a combined total value of approximately $6 billion. The sales would allow Iraq to equip new...

GKN Delivers First Future Lynx Airframe.
December 12, 2008... Britain's GKN Aerospace said it delivered the first complete, state-of- the-art, Future Lynx helicopter airframe on schedule Thursday to Finmeccanica's AgustaWestland, the design authority for the program. "Our goal has been to create a...

Defense Watch.(Company overview)
December 15, 2008... The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense Murtha Tanker Talk. House Appropriations Defense subcommittee Chairman John Murtha (D-Pa.) is sticking with the idea of a split buy for the Air Force's troubled aerial...

Army Prepares For DoD Sky Warrior Acquisition Strategy Review Next Month.
December 15, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt A Defense Department acquisition strategy review next month for the Army's Sky Warrior unmanned aerial system (UAS), will likely decide to baseline the platform across the department, according to officials. Sky...

DNDO Surveys Market For Passenger And Baggage Radiation Scanning.
December 15, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker Seeking to further close gaps in the nation's nuclear detection architecture, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for systems that can scan passengers and their...

Levin, DoD Officials Caution Army Vehicle Programs Dependent On Big Three Automakers.
December 15, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) warned his Senate colleagues late last week that national security and, specifically, technology in Army vehicles, are tied to fate of ailing domestic...

General Dynamics Awarded $940 Million For T-AKE-11, 12, Options For More.
December 15, 2008... General Dynamics [GD] National Steel and Shipbuilding Company was awarded a $940 million modification last week to a previously awarded contract for two construction options for T-AKE-11 and T-AKE-12 and two options for long-lead time...

US-VISIT 10-Print Deployment Nearly Complete, Director Says.
December 16, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker The ongoing roll-out of hardware and related software for capturing 10 fingerprints from international visitors entering the United States is nearly complete and upgrades to the database that will store and match...

Need Seen For Early-Stage Applied Research Funding In Navy.
December 16, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford A top naval scientist said yesterday that while he is pleased funding for early-stage science in the Navy has increased under Defense Secretary Robert Gates, he would like to see more resources for initial applied...

U.S. Space Security Seen Threatened, Officials Say.
December 16, 2008... Government and industry leaders mulled responses to rising threats to U.S. space security, and also promised to consider easing curbs on doing business with foreign countries. They spoke at a National Security Space Mission Assurance...

Securing Cyber Systems Requires Private Sector Cooperation, Official Says.
December 16, 2008... By Geoff Fein One of the most pressing needs the nation faces is the need to secure cyberspace and to protect the country's cyber systems and infrastructure, whether it be in the government, military or civilian domains, according to a...

Equipment Costs Account For A Quarter of $900 Billion War Tab, Analysis Finds.
December 16, 2008... By Marina Malenic The United States has spent just over $900 billion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that number is likely to climb to well over $1 trillion by the time those conflicts are concluded, according to a new analysis....

General Dynamics' First International Stryker Vehicle Sales Could Be To Iraq.
December 16, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt The first foreign military sale of General Dynamics' [GD] wheeled, armored Stryker vehicles could be to Iraq. Congress was notified Dec. 9 that Iraq has requested the possible sale of 400 M1126 Stryker Infantry...

Rapiscan Offers Airports, Airlines Cargo Screening Services To Generate Revenue.
December 16, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker Rapiscan Systems is offering airports and airlines a way to find new and additional revenue sources as they and other nodes along the air cargo supply chain figure out how to comply with federal mandates that require...