Defense Daily articles from October 2008

Defense Daily archives from October 2008

HASC Leaders Write Gates About Army Abrams, Bradley, Stryker Funding.
October 1, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt Top House Armed Services Committee (HASC) members this week expressed their concerns to Defense Secretary Robert Gates about Army funding in fiscal year 2010 for Abrams, Stryker and Bradley combat vehicles, in favor of...

Gates Again Criticizes DoD Bureaucracy for Emphasis on High-End Weapon Buys.(Robert Gates)(Department of Defense)
October 1, 2008... By Marina Malenic The U.S. military and its industrial base must become more responsive to the basic equipping needs of current, low-intensity conflicts instead of building more complex and expensive weapon systems for a war that may...

ATK Completes Successful BTERM Test.
October 1, 2008... By Geoff Fein After months of delays and disappointments, ATK [ATK] on Monday successfully fired its Ballistic Trajectory Extended Range Munition (BTERM), with one of the rounds hitting the target at range, according to the Navy. ...

L-3 Forms Integrated Sensor Systems Group.
October 1, 2008... L-3 Communications [LLL] yesterday said it is realigning its Sensors and Simulation Group to form the Integrated Sensor Systems business to better serve its government and industrial customers. The new group is comprised of the following...

Israel Looks To Spend $15 Billion For CTOL Variant of F-35.
October 1, 2008... The Israeli government is seeking to spend upward of $15.2 billion for 25 Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35 Joint Strike Fighters with an option to purchase 50 additional aircraft, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). ...

Ensuring Continuity of Service Is Prime In Transition To NGEN, Official Says.(next generation enterprise network)(dialogue with Timothy Holland)(Interview)
October 1, 2008... By Geoff Fein The Navy is expecting to issue a request for proposals in spring '09 to develop the Next Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN), the follow-on to the Navy Marine Corps Internet (NMCI). The Navy last week posted responses...

ATK, FNMI, Awarded Crew Served Weapon System.
October 1, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt Alliant Techsystems [ATK] and FN Manufacturing LLC (FNMI) said Sept. 30 they have received a $53.4 million contract to produce Mk19 Mod-3 Grenade Machine Guns (GMG). This will be the first crew-served weapon system...

Marine To Lead New USJFCOM Command At Suffolk, Va.(Joint Forces Command)(Virginia)
October 1, 2008... The new Joint Enabling Capabilities Command (JECC) was officially designated Oct. 1, bringing four U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) organizations together under Marine Brig. Gen. William Beydler to create a new command to deliver specialized...

Performance Based Logistics Awards Announced.(Awards list)
October 1, 2008... Lockheed Martin [LMT], Boeing [BA], Pratt & Whitney [UTX], Raytheon [RTN], General Dynamics [GD] and their military branch partners were recognized Sept. 30 as winners of the 2008 Performance-Based Logistics Awards. The Fourth Annual...

Northrop Grumman Receives Second Navy Fire Scout LRIP Award.
October 1, 2008... The Navy last month awarded Northrop Grumman [NOC] a $32.9 million contract for the second year of low rate initial production (LRIP) of the company's Fire Scout vertical takeoff and landing tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (VTUAV). The...

Defense Appropriations Bill Signed Into Law, Authorization Bill Awaiting Action.
October 2, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford Shortly before fiscal year 2009 began yesterday President Bush signed into law a $487.7 billion defense appropriations bill, which falls $4 billion short of the Pentagon's request but is a 6 percent boost over FY '08...

Obama And McCain Target Government Contracting During Fiscal Crunch.
October 2, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford Presidential candidates Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama are proposing contracting reforms as cost savers in the wake of the U.S. credit crisis, with McCain last Friday calling for an end to cost-plus government...

AAII Wins Court Case, Boeing Continues AF Tanker Work, For Now.
October 2, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt Alabama Aircraft Industries Inc. (AAII) announced Oct. 1 its subsidiary, AAII - Birmingham, has won its case filed June 26 in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims against the Air Force and Boeing [BA]--challenging the Air...

Boeing Team Submits Proposal For Special Operations Forces Support Activity.
October 2, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt Boeing [BA], teamed with Computer Sciences Corp. [CSC], submitted a comprehensive proposal Oct. 2 responding to the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) request for proposals for the potential $5 billion Special...

Apache Unit Equipped With New ISR Data Links To Deploy In Coming Weeks.
October 2, 2008... By Marina Malenic The first AH-64 Apache helicopters equipped with systems that allow aircrews to view streaming video from unmanned aerial systems, as well as Air Force and Navy video from advanced targeting pods on fighter jets, are set...

Rogers Airs Concerns To Army Vice Over Heavy Force Vehicle Funding.
October 2, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) met Sept. 26 with the Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli to air concerns over potential funding reductions in fiscal year 2010, to Abrams, Bradley and Stryker programs while...

Legislation Creating DoD Acquisition Oversight Shop On Hold For Now On Hill.
October 2, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford A congressional proposal to create a new Pentagon director of independent cost assessment is on hold for now, after powerful supporters were not able to attach a provision creating the new post to the recently passed...

ICx Nabs Potential $711 Million Contract For NBC Recon System.
October 2, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker ICx Technologies [ICXT] has received a potential $711 million contract for the development and production for Increment II of the Joint Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Reconnaissance System (JNBCRS 2) program, by far...

Geospatial Intelligence Leader Sees Rising Use of Commercial Satellites For Intel.
October 2, 2008... By Dave Ahearn U.S. intelligence efforts are using huge amounts of civilian space imaging capabilities, and that will continue, Vice Adm. Robert B. Murrett, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, said yesterday. ...

QinetiQ Shows Off New Smaller, Lightweight, Lower Cost Robotic Systems.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... By Geoff Fein QinetiQ Tuesday put on display their latest low-cost, lightweight robotic systems designed for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams. The company had the units on display at the Modern Day Marine expo at Marine Corps...

General Dynamics', Elbit's Skylark UAVs Making Inroads With Army, Marine Corps.
October 2, 2008... By Geoff Fein General Dynamics [GD] and Israel's Elbit Systems' [ESLT] are hoping their Skylark II Long Endurance (LE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will capture the contract for the joint Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical UAS Tier II...

Danzig: Obama Would Examine Army's Future Combat Systems, National Missile Defense.
October 3, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) would not immediately cut defense spending if elected president, but would scrutinize the affordability of acquisition efforts including the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program and...

BAE Hoping Marines Find Next Generation All Terrain Vehicle To Their Liking.
October 3, 2008... By Geoff Fein BAE Systems this week showed off its entry into the next generation of all-terrain vehicles, the BvS10, currently deployed by British Royal Marines in Afghanistan, a company official said. The United States Marine Corps...

Raytheon Gets $10 Million To Develop Air-Launched Boost-Phase Interceptor.
October 3, 2008... By Marina Malenic Raytheon [RTN] is developing a new air-launched missile capable of shooting down ballistic missiles shortly after they are launched. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) awarded the company a $10 million contract for...

BAE Adding Hostile Fire Detection To V-22's Remote Guardian System.
October 3, 2008... By Geoff Fein Next year, BAE Systems is looking to add a hostile fire detection system into its Remote Guardian System (RGS), the all-quadrant defensive weapon system for the V-22, according to a company official. The hostile fire...

DHS, NSF Make $3.1 Million In Academic Awards For Rad/Nuke Detection.(Department of Homeland Security)(National Science Foundation)(radiological and nuclear detection)
October 3, 2008... The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) this week announced $3.1 million in research awards to nine schools and universities to foster leading edge...

Brazil Spending $525 Million For 15 Black Hawk Helicopters.
October 3, 2008... Brazil is looking to spend upward of $525 million for 15 Sikorsky [UTX] UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters as well as associated equipment and services, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). The Black Hawk helicopters...

GD Announces Leadership Changes At Marine, Land Systems.
October 3, 2008... General Dynamics [GD] this week said that David Heebner, who is president of the company's Land Systems division, will succeed Michael Toner as chief of the Marine System division when Toner retires on Dec. 31. Heebner, 63, will be...

Donley Confirmed Air Force Secretary.
October 3, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford Acting Air Force Secretary Michael Donley has been officially confirmed for the post he has held since June 21. The Senate voted to confirm Donley's nomination as air service secretary last night. After...

Defense Watch.
October 6, 2008... The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense Danzig On DDG. What does Richard Danzig, former Navy secretary from 1998 to 2001, think of the service's new path for the next-generation DDG-1000 destroyer? Congress...

Hill Denies Over $500 Million In Omnibus DoD Reprogrammming, Axes Most New Starts.(Capitol Hill)(Department of Defense)
October 6, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford Lawmakers have denied the Pentagon the ability to shift funds to cover six requested "new start" efforts detailed in a lengthy omnibus reprogramming request sent to Capitol Hill in July. The Pentagon last week...

Danzig: Obama Has No Stance On Tanker Battle, Would Level Playing Field.
October 6, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has made no conclusions regarding the heated two-way competition for the Air Force aerial refueling tanker contract, though if elected would want to see a...

Army Releases New Doctrine: FM 3-07 Stability Operations.
October 6, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt Today, the Army releases its new doctrine, FM 3-07 Stability Operations that could be used as a handbook by the military and other government entities so both have a common way to think about those issues, a top general...

International Arena A Growth Area, Boeing Global Services & Support, Exec Says.
October 6, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt Boeing [BA]'s Global Services & Support (GSS) segment plans to expand its efforts worldwide, and part of that is looking at international opportunities, according to the unit's top executive. "As we continue to grow...

Raytheon Counter-IED TF Forges Ahead--Discovers Disruptive Technologies.
October 6, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt Raytheon's [RTN] Counter-IED Task Force, which crosses the breadth of the company, continues to find ideas and technologies to help solve the IED problem, and along the way is discovering some game changing technologies,...

Heavy Force Combat Vehicles Still Vital, BAE Systems Exec Says.
October 6, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt Downward pressures on the defense budgets and concerns about the Army moving funds from current force heavy combat vehicles into Future Combat Systems (FCS) work is part of the current environment, but for a top BAE...

U.K. Seeking $1 Billion FMS To Convert KC-135Rs Into RC-135V/W Rivet Joints.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... The United Kingdom is looking to spend $1.06 billion to convert three U.S. Air Force KC-135R aircraft into RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircraft, as well as associated equipment and services, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) reported....

TSA Taps Accenture To Help Implement Secure Flight.
October 6, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) last month awarded Accenture [ACN] a potential $55.9 million contract to help the agency take on passenger watch list matching currently being done by commercial...

$6 Billion Taiwan FMS Request Includes PAC-3 Missiles, Apache Helicopters.
October 6, 2008... Taiwan is seeking more than $6.4 billion in FMS for Patriot Advanced Capbility-3 (PAC-3) guided missiles, AH-64D Apache helicopters, UGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles, E-2T retrofit upgrades and Javelin guided missile systems, according to...

Coast Guard Expects Construction Costs For Fourth NSC To Rise Sharply.
October 7, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker and Emelie Rutherford Increasing commodity and labor costs coupled to a lesser extent with the weak dollar relative to the euro are likely to send construction costs much higher than expected for the fourth National...

Casey: Tough Decisions Coming.(George Casey)
October 7, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt The Army Chief of Staff said yesterday that the service is in discussions that will lead to some very difficult decisions in the future about modernization and future technologies. "It would be irresponsible of us...

Army's FCS, Other Programs, Trimmed In New DoD Spending Bills.
October 7, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford The Army's massive Future Combat Systems (FCS) modernization program emerged in decent shape from the recently completed budget round, receiving more funding from defense appropriators than the Pentagon requested,...

FLIR Aims to Expand Military Market Share, Announces $125.3 Million Navy Sensor Contract.
October 7, 2008... By Marina Malenic FLIR Systems [FLIR], a manufacturer of thermal imaging and stabilized camera systems, has received a U.S. Navy contract worth just over $125 million for its BRITE Star II sensor systems, company executives said...

B-2 Bomber Fleet to Get Digital Makeover By 2013.
October 7, 2008... By Marina Malenic Northrop Grumman's [NOC] effort to upgrade the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber's computer and electronics systems is well under way, the company said recently. "We've never had a processor upgrade," Dave Mazur, vice...

ATK, Raytheon Receive Army Contracts For Excalibur 'Smart' Shell Development.
October 8, 2008... By Marina Malenic Raytheon [RTN] and ATK [ATK] have each received an 18-month Army development contract to compete to produce the next increment of the Excalibur 155mm precise artillery round, company representatives said this week. ...

OSD, Army Consider ARH Alternatives.(Office of the Secretary of Defense)(Bell Helicopter Textron Inc.)(armed reconnaissance helicopter)
October 8, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt The fate of the Army's Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH), produced by Bell Helicopter Textron [TXT], is in the hands of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and both the service and OSD analysts are examining...

Army Accelerates Lockheed Martin Radar Procurement.
October 8, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt The Army has exercised $152 million in contract options to accelerate the fielding of the new Lockheed Martin [LMT] Enhanced AN/TPQ-36 Counterfire Target Acquisition radar. The EQ-36 radars will detect, classify,...

Coast Guard Acquisition Chief Suggests $2 Billion Needed For Recapitalization.
October 8, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker The Coast Guard needs an annual appropriation of about $2 billion for acquisition projects to properly recapitalize its assets, the service's acquisition chief said last week. "We probably need close to $2 billion...

Taylor Says He'll Support Naval Fires Support Study.(Gene Taylor)(Interview)
October 8, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford The initial congressional response appears positive to the Navy and Marine Corps' planned study of the role of naval surface fires support in expeditionary operations, a capability previously envisioned for the...

Northrop Grumman Closes Deal For 3001 International.
October 8, 2008... Northrop Grumman [NOC] last week said it has completed its acquisition of geospatial data solutions provider 3001 International, Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Northern Virginia-based 3001 has about 300 employees. 3001...

Meeting Requirements In Cost Effective Way A Challenge, Industry Official Says.
October 8, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt Assisting the military to meet its programmatic requirements over the next 10-15 years in a cost effective way is a big challenge, according to an industry executive. "Engagement of the force for 10-15 years out is...

Marinette Marine Protests Coast Guard's FRC Award To Bollinger.
October 9, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker Shipbuilder Marinette Marine on Tuesday protested the Coast Guard's potential $1.5 billion award to Bollinger Shipyards to design and construct the Fast Response Cutter (FRC) patrol boats. The protest was filed...

Navy Needs Ships It Can Evolve To Meet Growing Ballistic, Cruise Missile Threats, Official Says.
October 9, 2008... By Geoff Fein The Navy has to move toward an open systems environment in its surface combatants if it wants to avoid retiring ships too early and to keep pace with the burgeoning ballistic missile threat, a top Navy official said. ...

Army Plans To Move From Energy Consumer To Producer.
October 9, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt The Army this week launched a new energy initiative announcing five major energy projects as the initial effort, according to a senior official responsible for the effort. "The goal is to take the Army from a net...

Obama, McCain Welcome News of Possible Arms Sale To Taiwan.
October 9, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford The major presidential candidates are welcoming word of a possible Pentagon-brokered $6.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan, with Sen. John McCain (R- Ariz.) calling for the deal to include even more weapons systems and Sen....

DHS Making Strides In Information Security, IG Finds.
October 9, 2008... The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is making progress in complying with federal security regulations for information security, although component agencies are still not implementing all of the department's policies, according to the...

Speakes: Potential 'MRAP Lite' Effort Won't Clash With JLTV.
October 9, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford A senior Army official said while it's not known yet if the Pentagon will order more Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles for troops in Afghanistan, he does not see a potential follow-on effort for lighter...

Pentagon Begins Constituting Special Operations Command To Support AFRICOM Efforts.
October 9, 2008... By Marina Malenic The Pentagon has begun creating a theater Special Operations command to support its sixth and newest regional command, its top general said yesterday. "We're going to stand up a theater Special Operations command...

ITT Gains Telemetry, Tracking And Command Contract Worth Up To $1.26 Billion.(United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
October 9, 2008... NASA selected ITT Corp. [ITT] to perform telemetry, tracking and command services for near-Earth missions under the Space Communications Network Services contract worth up to $1.26 billion, NASA said yesterday. ITT Advanced Engineering...

Correction.(Correction notice)
October 9, 2008... The Coast Guard estimates the total cost--including long lead materials, construction, test and evaluation, and program management--for the fourth National Security Cutter (NSC) will be about $100 million more than the total cost for the...

Army Studying MRAP Engineering Fixes To Address Rollovers, Other Theater Issues.(Conference notes)
October 10, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford The Army has been working on engineering changes to Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAP) to address issues troops have encountered--including rollovers, power-line snags, and jammed doors--a...

Air Force Scraps Plans For Cyber Command In Favor of New Nuclear Organization.
October 10, 2008... By Marina Malenic The Air Force will not to go through with plans to create a Cyberspace Command dedicated solely to computer network defense and attack, service officials said this week. Service leaders, meeting at a "Corona" at the...

TSA Proposes Security Rules For Business Jets, Large GA Planes.
October 10, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) yesterday announced a proposed rule that would require operators and pilots of large general aviation aircraft, typically business jets and turboprops, to meet a range...

AoA Should Help Navy And Marine Corps Find Best Options For NSFS Gap, Official Says.
October 10, 2008... By Geoff Fein The Navy is optimistic a new Joint Expeditionary Fires Analysis of Alternatives (JEF AoA) will help them and the Marine Corps find a solution that meets the requirement at an affordable price, a top Admiral said. Vice...

Chemring To Acquire Mine Detection Firm NIITEK.
October 10, 2008... Britain's Chemring Group PLC this week said it has conditionally agreed to acquire Non-Intrusive Inspection Technology, Inc. (NIITEK) for $30 million in a deal that would further expand its presence in the United States and position it in...

Korean Shipyards Demonstrating Significant Production Rates, Official Says.
October 10, 2008... By Geoff Fein South Korean shipyards are achieving significant production rates, upward of a ship per week, and there are no signs the facilities are planning to slow down, according to Navy Secretary Donald Winter, who recently returned...

NNSA Closes No Weapons Sites Under Final Downsizing Plan.
October 10, 2008... By George Lobsenz In a downsizing plan that effectively maintains current warhead production capacity, the National Nuclear Security Administration said yesterday it plans to significantly shrink the operating footprint of the Energy...

Defense Watch.
October 14, 2008... The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense Waiting On The Defense Bill. President Bush had not yet signed (or vetoed) the fiscal year 2009 defense authorization bill as of Defense Daily's deadline last Friday. He...

SOCOM, JIEDDO Exploring New Army Radar System For Finding Hidden Targets.
October 14, 2008... By Marina Malenic A new Army radar system that can "see" through foliage is attracting the interest of U.S. Special Forces Command (USSOCOM), as well as the Pentagon organization responsible for fielding technologies to defeat roadside...

Coast Guard Begins Seeking Industry Input For New Medium Endurance Cutters.
October 14, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker The Coast Guard last week asked industry information on "proven" offshore patrol vessel designs and related technology as it begins taking steps to eventually buy replacement craft for its current fleet of Medium...

Reps. Taylor & Bartlett: LCS, CG(X), DDG-51, EFV Big Naval Issues Next Session.
October 14, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford The heads of a naval panel in Congress said they expect to remain focused next session on ensuring more Navy ships are nuclear powered, hammering out the service's destroyer-building plans, and examining the design...

iRobot Moves Ahead With New Warrior Platforms.
October 14, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt iRobot [IRBT] is moving forward with a larger, powerful and rugged robot, the multi-mission, modular iRobot Warrior 700 that is very different from the more familiar PackBot and Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV) also...

Raytheon 'Quiet Eyes' Stirs Service Interest.
October 15, 2008... By Ann Roosevelt The services are interested in Raytheon's [RTN] Directed Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM) system laser-pointer-tracker known as "Quiet Eyes," that is designed to provide aircraft self-protection against infrared threat...

Boeing Gains $30 Million For Further Advanced Tactical Laser Tests.
October 15, 2008... The Air Force gave Boeing [BA] a contract worth up to $30 million to continue testing the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL), the company said yesterday. ATL involves a high-energy chemical laser, aimed by a beam control system, mounted in a...

Air Force Orders 18 Refurbished Italian Transports For Afghan Air Corps.
October 15, 2008... By B.C. Kessner ROME--Italy's Finmeccanica recently said its Alenia North America subsidiary won a $287 million Air Force contract for 18 G222 tactical transport aircraft bound for the Afghanistan National Army Air Corps (ANAAC). ...

DCNS Automatic System Lands UAV On Underway French Frigate.
October 15, 2008... French naval defense contractor DCNS recently landed a rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aboard the French navy frigate Montcalm while the vessel was underway in the Mediterranean Sea, DCNS said yesterday. The company said the...

Smiths Upgrading Checkpoint X-Ray To Distinguish Innocent From Threat Liquids.(Smiths Detection)
October 15, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker ATLANTA--In its own testing Smiths Detection has demonstrated that its HI-SCAN 6040aTiX X-Ray system can distinguish between innocent liquids and "liquids of interest" as part of its plans to deliver on the promise of...

Air Force Lab Issues Long-Term BAA For Cyber Defense Research.
October 15, 2008... The Air Force Research Laboratory yesterday issued a long-term Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) seeking research proposals in six focus areas related to cyber defense. Despite the fact that the Air Force leadership has decided not to...

Congress Ignores Navy's Carrier-Reducing Request, Rep. Taylor Seeking More Data.(Gene Taylor)
October 15, 2008... By Emelie Rutherford The Navy's request to dip its aircraft carrier fleet from 11 to 10 was not granted by Congress in the recently passed fiscal year 2009 defense authorization bill, though a key lawmaker said he remains open to the...

PEO LMW Reaching Out To Small Business, Wants To Rapidly Field Capabilities.(program executive officer)(littoral and mine warfare)
October 15, 2008... By Geoff Fein The new program executive officer for littoral and mine warfare (PEO LMW) is looking to bring small businesses into the fold to take advantage of their product lines, in particular for unmanned systems. Ann Sandel, who...

Thales Targets U.S. Market With New Lightweight UAV-Launched Missile.
October 16, 2008... By Marina Malenic Thales is developing a lightweight multirole missile (LMM) to offer a low-cost precision-strike capability for a variety of air-, land- and sea-based platforms, but particularly for unmanned air vehicles (UAV). "The...

SAFRAN To Acquire Motorola's Biometric Matching Business.
October 16, 2008... By Calvin Biesecker France's SAFRAN Group yesterday said it has agreed to acquire the biometrics business of Motorola [MOT] in a deal that would expand its already robust fingerprint matching business in the United States and globally....

Curtiss-Wright Acquires Embedding Computing Firm VMETRO.(Brief article)
October 16, 2008... Curtiss-Wright [CW] yesterday said its Controls business unit has acquired Norway-based VMETRO for $72 million, boosting its position in embedded computer products for aerospace, defense, industrial, communications and medical markets. ...

Navy Teams With Army For $30 Million Lakota Helicopter Buy For Test Pilots.
October 16, 2008... The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Patuxent River, Md., is working to join the Army's contract with European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. (EADS) North America, and spend about $30 million to buy five new H-72 Lakota helicopters for...