Defense Daily International articles from April 2006

Defense Daily International archives from April 2006

Analysts: Eurofighter Gains In More Competitive Combat Aircraft Market.
April 7, 2006... The Air Force's failure last year to overturn cutbacks in the Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-22 program and the Eurofighter consortium's major coup getting Saudi Arabia to sign up for "at least" 24 Typhoon fighters are two main reasons the world...

U.S. Mulls Options For Dismantling Libyan Chemical Weapons.
April 7, 2006... By Michael Sirak The United States is formulating plans for dismantling large quantities of Libyan chemical weapons and expects to have options in hand next month for top-level discussion, senior defense officials said earlier this week....

South Korea Requests Foreign Military Sale For Harpoon Missiles.(Brief article)
April 7, 2006... South Korea is looking to spend upward of $130 million for 42 AGM-84L (air-launched) and 16 UGM-84L (submarine-launched) HARPOON guided missiles as well as associated equipment and services, according to the Pentagon. The sale would also...

Australian Plans Foreign Military Sale of $2 Billion For C-17s.
April 7, 2006... Australia is looking to spend upward of $2 billion for four Boeing [BA] C-17 aircraft, as well as associated equipment and services, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said yesterday. Along with the aircraft, the sale would...

DHS Signals Growing Interest In Hong Kong Container Security Effort.(Department of Homeland Security)
April 7, 2006... By Calvin Biesecker The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is becoming more interested in how it can take advantage of a privately managed maritime container security pilot program underway at a Hong Kong port since 2004 by letting it...

Russian Navy To Fly Seaeye ROV To Sub Disasters.(Remotely Operated Vehicle)
April 7, 2006... British company Seaeye Marine announces it won the contract to provide its Panther Plus underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) that will form the main part of a newly created Russian navy rapid response, air transportable rescue system...

QinetiQ Adding To U.S. Presence With New Acquisition.(Apogen Technologies acquires Ocean Systems Engineering Corp)(Brief article)
April 7, 2006... QinetiQ said yesterday that one of its U.S. subsidiaries, Apogen Technologies, has agreed to purchase Ocean Systems Engineering Corp. (OSEC), a small software and engineering services firm serving several DoD customers, including the Marine...

GD Test Bed Demonstrator Successfully Completes Extended Running Trials.(General Dynamics)
April 7, 2006... General Dynamics [GD] United Kingdom Limited subsidiary announced its Advanced Hybrid Electric Drive (AHED) 8x8 wheeled test-bed demonstrator has successfully completed the second of three planned extended running trials in an 18-ton...

Analyst: Iran's Missile Test Message More Political Than Military.
April 14, 2006... By B.C. Kessner TEL AVIV, Israel--Iran is sending a political and psychological message to the United States with revelations of its recent missile tests, the military significance of which are tertiary, a Middle East expert said here...

AgustaWestland Prepares For Army Discussions On LUH Proposal.(Light Utility Helicopter)
April 14, 2006... By Ann Roosevelt DULLES, Va.--AgustaWestland North America put its US139 helicopter on display here Tuesday. It is the helicopter the company, teamed with L-3 Communications [LLL], has proposed for the Army's potential $2 billion Light...

Thailand Looking To Spend $246 Million For Six MH-60S, Parts.(Lockheed Martin Corp. supplies helicopters)(Brief article)
April 14, 2006... Thailand has requested a possible sale of six Lockheed Martin [LMT] - Sikorsky [UTX] MH-60S helicopters, as well as associated equipment and services, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The total value, if all options...

Southcom Says Grounding of Customs P-3 Aircraft 'Degrades' Military Counter Narcotics Operations.
April 14, 2006... By George Cahlink About half the Customs and Border Protection Agency's (CBPA) P-3 aircraft fleet remains grounded due to cracks in the wings, hurting counter narcotics operations in the military's Southern Command, homeland security and...

Synthetic Training Enables U.S., Coalition Forces To Play In Virtual Missions.
April 14, 2006... By Geoff Fein The Fleet Synthetic Training-Joint Exercise held last month along the Atlantic seaboard brought together U.S., British and German forces, using both simulated and real assets and systems to conduct virtual at-sea...

Lockheed Martin Begins F-16 Deliveries For Poland's Peace Sky.(Lockheed Martin Corp.)(Brief article)
April 14, 2006... The U.S. Air Force contractually accepted the first new Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-16 aircraft bound for the Polish Air Force's Peace Sky program on March 30. "The first delivery is an important milestone in that it demonstrates that the...

Israel Navy Forging Ahead With LCS Plans Despite Budget Uncertainty.
April 14, 2006... By B.C. Kessner TEL AVIV, Israel--With one Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) feasibility study announced this week for the Israeli navy and a second in the works, the service is making every preparation for a potential $600 million, two ship...

The Navy Is 'Shifting Its Weight' To Meet Global Challenges, Admiral Says.
April 14, 2006... By Geoff Fein Under the command of Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Mullen, the Navy is adapting and modifying its capabilities and looking to develop a global network for maritime security, according to the Deputy Chief of...

Air Force Chief Sees U.S. Airpower Supporting Iraq For a 'Long Time'.
April 14, 2006... By Michael Sirak The U.S. Air Force will continue to be a presence in Iraq even after the withdrawal of major portions of U.S. and coalition land forces from there, the service's top military official said yesterday. "I believe that...

Rep. Bartlett Wants 'Nuclear Navy' To Decrease U.S. Dependence On Foreign Oil.
April 14, 2006... By George Cahlink A senior House Armed Services Committee member is pushing the Navy to consider sailing nuclear-powered surface ships rather than diesel fuel vessels because of soaring oil prices. "The higher the price of oil goes...

L-3 Acquires German Propulsion Systems Developer.(L-3 Communications Corp. acquires Magnet-Motor GmbH)(Brief article)
April 14, 2006... By Calvin Biesecker L-3 Communications [LLL] yesterday said it has acquired German-based Magnet-Motor GmbH, a small firm that develops and manufacture electric and energy systems for propulsion for military and commercial applications....

Bental Introduces Power Solutions For Next Generation UAVs.
April 14, 2006... By B.C. Kessner TEL AVIV, Israel--An electronics minimization breakthrough has led Israel's Bental Industries to roll out a family of unified Starter-Generators (SG) for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) that both start an engine and power...

Boeing, Lockheed Martin Submit Bids For Indian Navy Patrol Aircraft.
April 21, 2006... By Michael Sirak U.S. aerospace giants Boeing [BA] and Lockheed Martin [LMT] have submitted bids offering their respective P-8A and P-3 maritime surveillance aircraft to the Indian Navy, meeting yesterday's deadline to enter the...

ATK To Provide MK44 30MM Cannon To Czech Republic.(weapon systems)(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... ATK [ATK] has received a contract valued at about $20 million for Mk44 30mm cannon weapon systems that will be mounted on the Czech Republic's PANDUR II Wheeled Armored Vehicles. The Mk44 will be mounted on the Remote Control Weapon...

Australian Air Force Looking To Buy Strike Weapons, Planes and UAVS.(Royal Australian Air Force)
April 21, 2006... By Geoff Fein The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is in contract negations to buy Boeing's [BA] Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and Lockheed Martin's [LMT] Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASM) for eventual use on that...

BAE SYSTEMS To Upgrade F-16 Radar For Taiwan.(upgrade of hardware and software)(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... BAE SYSTEMS said yesterday Taiwan has bought a $9.3 million hardware and software upgrade for its U.S.-built F-16 fighter aircraft. The upgrade, which runs through 2008, will boost pilots' ability to detect a range of incoming radar...

Lockheed Martin chosen as EO sensor provider for Singaporean F-15s.(electro-optical (EO) sensor)(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... Lockheed Martin [LMT] has been chosen to provide the electro-optical (EO) sensor suite for the Republic of Singapore Air Force's F-15SG multirole fighter aircraft, the company announced yesterday. Boeing [BA], which is building 12 F-15s...

DoD Selects FY '06 Pool of Foreign/Domestic Weapon Systems.(Department of Defense)
April 28, 2006... By Michael Sirak The Department of Defense (DoD) has selected its annual batch of innovative technologies, both foreign and domestic, that it intends to evaluate to see how well they meet U.S. military needs, the department announced...

DoD Says Aluminum, Steel Prices Expected To Level, Even Decline, In 2006.(Defense Department)
April 28, 2006... Increased prices over the past two years for specialty metals, which are used in major Defense Department aircraft systems, are expected to abate and possibly decline this year although a tightening of commercial markets could hinder U.S....

BAE SYSTEMS To Upgrade F-16 Radar For Taiwan.(Military Sales contract)(Brief article)
April 28, 2006... BAE SYSTEMS said last week Taiwan has bought a $9.3 million hardware and software upgrade for its U.S.-built F-16 fighter aircraft. The upgrade, which runs through 2008, will boost pilots' ability to detect a range of incoming radar...

Lockheed Martin chosen as EO sensor provider for Singaporean F-15s.(Brief article)
April 28, 2006... Lockheed Martin [LMT] has been chosen to provide the electro-optical (EO) sensor suite for the Republic of Singapore Air Force's F-15SG multirole fighter aircraft, the company announced recently. Boeing [BA], which is building 12 F-15s...

DRS, Thales Awarded $142 Million For Ship Self-Defense System.(SIRIUS Long-Range Infrared Search and Track Systems system)(Brief article)
April 28, 2006... DRS Technologies [DRS] has been awarded a $142 million contract for its SIRIUS Long-Range Infrared Search and Track Systems (LR-IRST) for both the Canadian Navy and Royal Netherlands Navy to enhance ships' self-defense capabilities by...