Defense Daily articles from March 2004

Defense Daily archives from March 2004

Defense Watch.(Stryker force.)
March 8, 2004... The Latest Word On Trends and Developments In Aerospace and Defense Stryker Success Continues. "Stryker is here to stay," says Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker. For the chief, say Stryker and you mean a concept, not a wheeled...

Ship Work, Maintenance, Weapons, LCS Highlight Navy's FY '05 Unfunded Priorities.(Littoral Combat Ship)
March 8, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes Work on new ship classes, maintenance, funding for strike aircraft, weapons and continuing module package work for the future Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) top the Navy's $2.5 billion FY '05 unfunded priorities list. ...

Army's FY '05 Unfunded Requirements List Totals $6 Billion.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes The Army's FY '05 unfunded requirements list totals $6 billion and identifies shortfalls in force protection equipment, vehicles and Rapid Fielding Initiative (RFI) items. The Army figure is the largest of the...

Marine Corps' FY '05 Unfunded Requirements List Totals $1.3 Billion For Ammo, Mods.
March 8, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes The Marine Corps' FY '05 unfunded priorities list includes shortfalls for ammunition, maintenance, modifications to existing combat vehicles and aircraft. One of the largest unfunded priorities in the Marine Corps'...

Army Transformation Has A Window of Opportunity, Chief Says.
March 8, 2004... By Ann Roosevelt FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--The Army has to move out on transforming itself because the window of opportunity for support and funding will face increasing pressure, said the Army's top soldier. "We're in a hurry to get this...

V-22 Team Working Flight Control Fix.(Aircraft industry)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes As the Boeing [BA]-Bell Helicopter Textron [TXT] V-22 tiltrotor program prepares to enter Marine Corps operational evaluation (OPEVAL), it is also working a flight control software and hardware fix that resulted in a...

Air Force Outlines $2.4 Billion In Unfunded Priorities For FY '05.
March 8, 2004... By Amy Butler Despite a $9 billion boost in requested spending for FY '05, the Air Force forwarded a $2.4 billion list of unfunded priorities and an additional $797 million in unfunded construction projects to Congress last month. In...

Rumsfeld Adviser Urges Missile Defense Rollout Strategy.(Donald Rumsfeld)
March 8, 2004... By Sharon Weinberger An adviser to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld urged the defense secretary in a recent memo to come up with a unified strategy for rolling out the missile defense system and to start planning for a long-term strategy...

ManTech Reports Record Sales, Earnings In 2003.(ManTech International Corp.)
March 8, 2004... ManTech International [MANT] last week reported record sales and earnings for 2003, driven by continued strength in the defense and intelligence community markets combined with acquisitions. Organic sales growth for the year was a strong 14...

IAI Signs $1.1 Billion Deal With India For AEW Aircraft.(Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd., airborne early warning)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) said last week it had signed a $1.1 billion contract with the Indian Ministry of Defense for the sale of three airborne early warning (AEW) for the Indian air force aircraft. The agreement was signed last...

Raytheon To Build Army SLAMRAAMs.(Raytheon Aircraft Co.)
March 8, 2004... By Ann Roosevelt The Army awarded a $127 million contract to Raytheon [RTN] last month for the Surface-Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (SLAMRAAM) system. The SLAMRAAM will become part of the Army's future, networked...

Air Force Pauses Funding To Study Long-Term Fix For B-2 Cracks.
March 9, 2004... By Amy Butler Air Force has temporarily waylaid funding for a redesign to portions of the B-2's aft deck and wing edges, both of which are cracking and potentially compromising the stealthy bomber's radar evading qualities. The Air...

Plan For DD(X) Includes Equal Distribution of Contracts Between GD, Northrop.(General Dynamics )
March 9, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes The Navy's construction plan for the future DD(X) surface combatant includes equal distribution of contracts between National Team prime contractor Northrop Grumman [NOC] and National Team participant General Dynamics...

MEADS Demonstration This Month In Italy.(Medium Extended Air Defense System)
March 9, 2004... By Ann Roosevelt FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--At the end of this month in Italy, the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program will be demonstrated for the three international partners, the United States, Germany and Italy, according to...

First Deepwater Ship Delivered To Coast Guard.(Integrated Coast Guard Systems)
March 9, 2004... The industry team charged with modernizing the Coast Guard's capital assets on Friday said it delivered the first ship to the service, an upgraded version of the Island-class surveillance and interdiction patrol boats along with a smaller...

Eagle Eye UAV Passes Preliminary Design Review For Deepwater.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2004... The Bell Helicopter Textron [TXT]-developed Eagle Eye unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has successfully completed its preliminary design review as part of the Coast Guard's Deepwater modernization program, demonstrating that the system will full...

Northrop Grumman Tops EADS For German Missile Warning System Contract.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2004... Northrop Grumman [NOC] said yesterday it was awarded a $6.2 million contract by the German government to provide 21 AAR-54(V) missile warning systems and accompanying spares for C-160 transport aircraft. The Northrop Grumman bid topped an...

Justice Department Launches Criminal Probe Into Titan's Foreign Payments.
March 9, 2004... Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Titan [TTN] Friday evening said that the Department of Justice has begun a criminal inquiry into potential bribes made by Titan consultants to foreign officials, a development that may jeopardize Lockheed Martin's...

Defense Business Drives Profit Turnaround At EADS.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2004... The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS), buoyed by stronger operating profits at each of its defense businesses coupled with stable earnings at Airbus, which more than offset lower operating at its space division, swung to a net...

ATK Gets $31.5 Million In Missile Warning, Ammunition Contracts.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2004... Alliant Techsystems [ATK] last week said it has been awarded three contracts worth $31.5 million, one to the Navy for its AAR-47 Missile Warning System and two for ammunition with U.S. allies in the Middle East and Asia Pacific. The $21...

H-1 Upgrade Program Incorporates Tail Boom Fix.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2004... The H-1 Upgrade Program for the Marine Corps incorporated a tail boom fix to current Bell Helicopter Textron [TXT] AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters after developmental testing of the new AH-1Z and UH-1Y aircraft. "Turning the exhaust...

Tetra Tech Acquires Advanced Management Technology Inc.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2004... Tetra Tech [TTEK], a $1.1 billion engineering and technical services company, yesterday said it has acquired Advanced Management Technology, Inc. (AMTI), a $96 million federal service firm based in Northern Virginia. Terms of the deal were...

Lockheed Martin Delivers First C-130J For Denmark.(Brief Article)
March 9, 2004... Lockheed Martin [LMT] said yesterday it had delivered the first of three C-130J transports for Denmark's air force on March 1. According to a Lockheed Martin statement, the arrival of the C-130J at its new base in Jutland coincided with the...

United Defense To Work On Ground-Based Midcourse Canisters.
March 9, 2004... United Defense [UDI] last month won a contract valued at $2.1 million if all options are exercised from Boeing [BA] to refurbish existing canisters and produce new canisters for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system. "We won this...

Boeing's Improper Hiring of Ex-Air Force Official An Isolated Incident, Review Finds.
March 10, 2004... Boeing's [BA] wrongful recruitment of a former senior Air Force acquisition official who had allegedly not recused herself from procurements related to the company while she still worked for the service was an isolated incident and overall the...

Air Force To Fix Troubled U-2 Sensor In April Contract With Raytheon.
March 10, 2004... By Amy Butler After more than a year of tweaks, the Air Force is expecting soon to award a contract to Raytheon [RTN] to deliver the final fixes to earlier upgrades for the U-2's synthetic aperture radar, which unintentionally ended up...

Laser Weapon System Work Could Start This Summer.(Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser)
March 10, 2004... By Ann Roosevelt FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--The U.S.-Israeli Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL), to be built under prime contractor Northrop Grumman [NOC], could move into prototype development with residual capability this summer,...

Correction.
March 10, 2004... A March 8 story incorrectly identified Chris Williams as a lobbyist for Lockheed Martin [LMT]. In addition, the story should have disclosed that Williams, according to the Center For Public Integrity, is a lobbyist for Boeing [BA], which is the...

Navy And Army Lift Acceptance Restrictions On H-60 Helos.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes After halting acceptance on the delivery of Sikorsky [UTX] H-60-series helicopters last week, both the Navy and the Army lifted their restrictions and deliveries will resume. The Navy lifted their restrictions on...

Boeing Sees GPS IIF Requirement Growing.
March 10, 2004... By John Robinson LONG BEACH, Calif.--The Air Force's requirement for GPS IIF satellites is likely to increase by four satellites based on recent estimates, according to an official from prime contractor Boeing [BA]. "We are probably...

Raytheon Continues To Preach 'Platform Agnostic' Approach To Systems Integration.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes Reaffirming a position it outlined in the past regarding its approach to system integration, officials from Raytheon [RTN] are taking a "platform agnostic" outlook that does not rely on using one particular system to...

Navy League Aligns With Defense Daily For Sea-Air-Space Exposition Partnership.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... The Navy League of the United States has joined forces with Defense Daily to establish a partnership for the annual Sea-Air-Space Exposition, including the publication of a show daily newsletter during this year's show in April. The SAS...

SOF Troops Killed Iraqi Armor In Debecka Pass With Javelin Missiles.(Special Operations Forces)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes Underscoring the imperative that new weapons systems work properly upon their delivery to the armed services, Special Operations Forces (SOF) troops during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) last year used their then-brand new...

DARPA Director Announces New Focus On Urban Operations.(Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)
March 10, 2004... By Sharon Weinberger In light of the continuing attacks on the U.S. military in places like Iraq, the head of the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced yesterday that urban combat operations are being added...

JSF Electro-Optical Suite Testing Begins.(Joint Strike Fighter)
March 10, 2004... Lockheed Martin [LMT] said last week the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program launched the first phases of flight testing for the electro-optical distributed aperture system (EO DAS) at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md. According to...

Bush Outlines Plans To Dole Out Comanche Funds With Budget Amendment.
March 10, 2004... By Amy Butler President Bush last week forwarded a request to Congress to redirect $1.2 billion worth of research and development funding from the Army's now-defunct Comanche helicopter program. In his March 5 letter to House Speaker...

AML Communications Plans To Acquire Microwave Power.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2004... AML Communications [AMLJ], a small designer and manufacturer of amplifiers for the defense microwave and wireless markets, on Monday said it has signed a letter of intent to acquire Microwave Power, Inc. (MPI). Terms of the deal were not...

TRANSCOM Chief: Pentagon Must Identify New Airlift Requirement.
March 11, 2004... By Amy Butler U.S. Transportation Command chief Air Force Gen. John Handy yesterday told Congress he is "concerned" about a lack of understanding at the Pentagon regarding exactly how much airlift is needed for the command to continue to...

Naval Leadership Makes Major Push For LHA(R) and Future Maritime Ppre-Positioned Force Designs.
March 11, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes Navy and Marine Corps leaders testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee's (SAC) defense panel yesterday indicated their strong support for the LHA(R) future amphibious warfare ship and Maritime Pre-positioned...

Roche Asks To Withdraw Nomination For Army Secretary.
March 11, 2004... By Amy Butler The White House is expected to withdraw its controversial nomination of Air Force Secretary James Roche to take the top civilian post for the Army. The president nominated him for Army secretary July 7. Roche...

DARPA Outlines Future Vision of Littoral Combat Technologies.(Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)
March 11, 2004... By Sharon Weinberger ANAHEIM, Calif.--In line with the Navy's view of future operations focused on combat in the littoral waters, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is outlining a far-reaching vision for the type of...

Zakheim To Leave Pentagon Next Month.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... By Amy Butler Pentagon Comptroller Dov Zakheim said this week he plans to leave his post April 15 for "personal reasons," according to DoD sources. President Bush on Tuesday said he intends to nominate the FBI's chief financial...

House Panel Provides $1.1 Billion For Deepwater In FY '05.
March 11, 2004... As expected, a House authorization panel yesterday provided $1.1 billion in FY '05 for a key Coast Guard upgrade program, an amount that if sustained annually would complete the Deepwater effort in 2017, five years ahead of the original...

CAE Says Canada To Select Bombardier Team For F/A-18 Training Program.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Striking a "Buy Canadian" chord, Canada's CAE [CGT] yesterday said it believes the Canadian government has unofficially selected a competing Canadian firm, "offering primarily U.S. equipment," for a $170 million upgrade training upgrade program...

CACI To Acquire AMS' Defense And Intel Business For $415 Million.
March 11, 2004... CACI International [CAI] yesterday said it has agreed to acquire the defense and intelligence assets of American Management Systems [AMSY] for $415 million in cash, expanding an already strong presence in the national security information...

Army Can Make Budget Ends Meet, Leaders Say.
March 11, 2004... By Ann Roosevelt Top Army leaders yesterday told the House Appropriations Committee defense panel they can make ends meet--with a little help from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). But the chairman of the defense panel,...

Army Orders Vehicles For Fourth Stryker Brigade.
March 11, 2004... The Army has ordered a fourth brigade of Stryker wheeled combat vehicles from General Dynamics [GD], as successes continue for the first of the Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (SBCT) deployed in Iraq. The $282.4 million March 4 order for 212...

General Dynamics Tanks To Outfit Australian Army.
March 11, 2004... Australia chose General Dynamics' [GD] M1A1 Abrams Integrated Management (AIM) main battle tanks for its army over Germany's Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Leopard 2 and British Alvis-Vickers Challenger tanks, the government said yesterday. The 59...

Lockheed Martin Offers What It Calls Low-Risk Orion 21 For MMA Requirement.
March 11, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes By offering its Orion 21 adaptation of the current P-3 maritime patrol aircraft for the Navy's Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) requirement, Lockheed Martin [LMT] believes it is offering the best platform with the...

GD Agrees To Acquire Alvis; Analysts Expect Resistance From BAE.(General Dynamics)
March 12, 2004... By Calvin Biesecker General Dynamics [GD], the largest U.S. combat vehicle supplier, yesterday announced it has agreed to buy British combat vehicle maker Alvis Plc for about $556 million in cash, a deal that would position it to capture a...

NGA Ends Talks With Space Imaging, Likely To Compete Nextview Second Source.(National Geospatial Imaging Agency)
March 12, 2004... By Amy Butler The National Geospatial Imaging Agency (NGA) this week terminated contract negotiations with Colorado-based Space Imaging that would have made the company a second source provider to the government of commercial space-based...

Navy Pursues Next-Gen Sub Ideas, But Focuses on Existing Builds and In-Service Boats.
March 12, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes While the Navy is working on theoretical configurations and hull designs for next generation submarines, it believes it will retain and gain a host of capabilities with in-service types and new builds like the...

Marine Corps Sending Team With I MEF To Close Gap On Lessons Learned.(Marine Expeditionary Force)
March 12, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes The Marine Corps is attaching a team of specialists with I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) as it returns to Iraq to assess requirements in the field and quickly relay lessons learned in the field, according to a top...

DARPA Seeks New Class of Biological Detection Systems.(Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)
March 12, 2004... By Sharon Weinberger ANAHEIM, Calif. -The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is looking at developing optics-based biological agent detectors that are smaller, more reliable, quicker and cheaper than current...

Pentagon's Chief Tester More Positive About Missile Defense.
March 12, 2004... By Ann Roosevelt The Pentagon's director of Operational Test and Evaluation, who has been critical of Missile Defense Agency (MDA) testing for the ground-based missile defense program in the past, told a key Senate panel yesterday he's...

Navy Continues Effort To Re-Center Maritime Patrol Aircraft Back To ASW.(anti-submarine warfare)
March 12, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes The Navy is continuing its efforts to re-center its maritime patrol aircraft fleet back to its core missions of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and maritime surveillance, hoping unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) can handle...

CACI Chief Calls AMS Deal A 'Defining Moment' For Company.(Consolidated Analysis Centers, Inc., American Management Systems)
March 12, 2004... By Calvin Biesecker CACI International's [CAI] proposed $415 million purchase of the defense and intelligence business of American Management Systems [AMSY], the largest acquisition in the company's history, gives it a host of new...

Congressional Group Urges More Funding For Compass Call.(Brief Article)
March 12, 2004... The congressional Electronic Warfare Working Group is urging the Defense Department to fund fully upgrades to the EC-130H Compass Call, according to an issue brief released yesterday. Compass Call is a modified version of the Lockheed...

Marine Corps Warfighting Lab Chief Describes 'Energized' S&T Efforts.(Scientific & Technical)
March 12, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes "Energized" efforts between the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) are bringing new technological solutions forward to the Marines' Operating Forces, according to the lab's...

Defense Watch.
March 15, 2004... The Latest Word on Trends and Developments in Aerospace and Defense Viper Strike Cleared For Combat. The Army approves mounting Viper Strike munitions on the Hunter unmanned aerial vehicle, sources say. A March 8 letter from Lt. Gen....

J-UCAS May Lead To Multiple Air Vehicles.(Joint Unmanned Combat Air System)
March 15, 2004... By Sharon Weinberger ANAHEIM, Calif.--As the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) evolves its concept of the Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS), one of the main areas of long-term focus will be on the ability to...

McCain Redoubles Tanker Attacks.
March 15, 2004... By Sharon Weinberger As the Air Force's once ambitious plan to quickly acquire 100 Boeing [BA] KC-767 refueling tankers enters its third year of turmoil, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is making it clear that he will battle it out to the last...

SAC Defense Chair Wants Competition For BAMS Requirement.(Broad Area Maritime Surveillance)(Senate Appropriations Committee)
March 15, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes As the Navy determines which platform will handle its Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) requirement, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee's (SAC) defense panel wants the service to compete the bid...

Lockheed Martin, Titan Delay Merger; Give More Time To Bribery Investigations.
March 15, 2004... Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Titan [TTN] on Friday said they have put off until next month the closing date for their merger, a move that allows more time to complete internal and government reviews of potential bribes made by Titan consultants to...

United Industrial Swings To Fourth Quarter Profit; Defense Drives Growth.
March 15, 2004... United Industrial Corp. [UIC] on Friday reported net profits in the fourth quarter due to continued growth in its core defense businesses and losses for the year narrowed on the strength of the defense work and a decline in setbacks from...

Northrop Grumman Files Second Protest On DCGS Award To Raytheon Team.(Distributed Common Ground Station)
March 15, 2004... By Amy Butler Northrop Grumman has again filed a protest with the General Accounting Office (GAO), renewing claims of impropriety leading up to a $500 million Air Force award to a Raytheon [RTN]-Lockheed Martin [LMT] team to design and...

Romania, Northrop Grumman To Pursue Defense, Domestic Activities.(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... Romania signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Northrop Grumman [NOC] to pursue a variety of defense and domestic activities, the company said Friday. The memorandum, signed by Ioan Mircea Pascu, Romania's Minister of State for...

Thales Group Wins Contract To Produce K-SAM Tech For South Korea.
March 15, 2004... The Samsung Thales group was awarded a contract recently by the South Korean government worth $573 million to produce the second batch of search and tracking system (STS) orders for Korean Short-range Anti-Air Missiles (K-SAM). The Samsung...

Air Force Prepares New, Higher SBIRS High Cost Estimate.(Space Based Infrared System High )
March 16, 2004... By Amy Butler After funneling more than $2 billion into the Pentagon's next-generation early missile warning system only two years ago, Air Force officials are increasing the estimated cost of the Space Based Infrared System High (SBIRS...

Army Tweaks Projected $6 Billion FY '05 Shortfalls.
March 16, 2004... By Ann Roosevelt Shortfalls in Army force protection items, small arms ammunition, repairing desert damage and Rapid Fielding Initiative (RFI) items continue to hover around $6 billion according to the service's latest projections. As...

GAO Says Pentagon Needs New 'Business Case' For F/A-22 Number.(General Accounting Office)
March 16, 2004... A new GAO report on Lockheed Martin's [LMT] F/A-22 fighter program said the Pentagon needs a new business case that determines the need for F/A-22 and the number of aircraft it will require to fulfill both air-to-air and ground attack missions....

Analyst: Spanish Elections Accelerate Drift Toward European Defense Technologies.
March 16, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes Last weekend's victory by the Socialists in Spain's elections will likely accelerate the trend of that country buying defense technologies from European companies, according to an analyst. Spanish defense spending was...

GE To Acquire InVision Technologies To Boost Security Business.(General Electric Co.)
March 16, 2004... Making a further push into the homeland security market, General Electric [GE] yesterday said it plans to acquire InVision Technologies [INVN], a pioneer in the development of explosive detection systems in the aviation industry, for $900...

Deepwater Team Goes With Turbomeca For New HH-65 Engines.
March 16, 2004... By Calvin Biesecker The Coast Guard and the industry team charged with modernizing the service's capital assets have decided to reengine the fleet of twin-engine HH-65 Dolphin search and rescue helicopters with powerplants built by...

Smiths To Acquire Engine Components Maker DGT.(Smiths Group PLC)(Dynamic Gunver Technologies)
March 16, 2004... By Calvin Biesecker Britain's Smiths Group yesterday said it has agreed to acquire a small U.S. company that makes turbine engine components, primarily for U.S. military aircraft, in a $102 million cash deal that would allow it to provide...

Defense Brief.(Brief Article)
March 16, 2004... Lockheed Martin [LMT] said last week it was awarded an extension from the Navy for the performance based logistics contract worth $17.1 million between this year and 2006 for the Mk 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS). According to a Lockheed...

Sidestepping Sole-Source To Northrop Grumman, Navy To Compete BAMS Work.(Broad Area Maritime Surveillance)
March 17, 2004... By Amy Butler Navy acquisition executive John Young yesterday said he has opted to conduct a full competition for the sea service's future Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned aerial vehicle contract, opening the door to...

CS First Boston Downgrades Defense Sector On Looming Federal Debt Woes.(Credit Suisse)
March 17, 2004... Defense stocks took a hit on Wall Street yesterday after Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) late Monday issued a report downgrading the sector, mainly due to increasing levels of federal debt, which "have historically been unsustainable" and...

Singapore Signs On To JSF; Last Partner To Join.(Joint Strike Fighter)
March 17, 2004... By Sharon Weinberger Singapore yesterday said that it had signed the formal document required to join the Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, making it the last of 10 countries to join the international fighter...

JASSM Program Still Awaiting Formal FRP Decision.(Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile)(full-rate production)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes A week after the Air Force was supposed to announce its formal full-rate production (FRP) decision on Lockheed Martin's [LMT] AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), the service is awaiting a final Office...

Fincantieri Group Touts Performance Of Engines Onboard Mine Countermeasures Ships.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes The Virginia-based Isotta Fraschini/FDGM group of Italy's Fincantieri is touting the improved performance of upgraded non-magnetic diesel engines aboard USS Avenger (MCM-1)-class and USS Osprey (MHC-51)-class mine...

Annual Report To Congress Find Defense Industrial Base Sound, With Exceptions.
March 17, 2004... By Sharon Weinberger The congressionally mandated annual assessment of the U.S. defense industrial base asserts the military production capabilities are sound, although the report points to some possible problem areas, particularly for...

U.S. Special Operations Command Refocuses R&D.
March 17, 2004... The U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is refocusing its research and technology (R&D) activities to reflect a more proactive role in the global war against terror, according to top officers. "Our near term objective is to continue to...

Raytheon Hosts New Tech Forum, Opens New SLAMRAAM Office in Alabama.(Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2004... Raytheon's [RTN] Integrated Defense Systems hosted an emerging technologies forum Monday at its new Surfaced Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (SLAMRAAM) office in Huntsville, Ala. The forum focused on emerging technologies...