Defense Daily International articles from December 2004

Defense Daily International archives from December 2004

German Parliament Approves New Infantry Fighting Vehicle Production.(Puma)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Rheinmetall AG said yesterday the German Bundestag budget committee approved a $464.4 million low-rate initial production contract for the new Puma infantry-fighting vehicle. The procurement contract will be awarded to Projekt System und...

Australia's Defense Ministry Accelerates Financial Reforms.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The Australian Ministry of Defence plans to accelerate financial management reform and impose greater accountability on senior leaders and middle management, the Annual Report 2003-2004 said. The report, released yesterday, confirms that...

Thales UK, Boeing and QinetiQ Win UK UAV Program.(United Kingdom)(unmanned aerial vehicle)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Thales UK, Boeing [BA] and QinetiQ have signed a contract with the U.K. Ministry of Defense for the Maritime Unmanned Air Vehicle part of the Joint UAV Experimentation Programme (JUEP), Thales said last month. Terms of the contract were not...

Sikorsky Signs $4.2 Billion MHP Contract With Canada.(Maritime Helicopter Program)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes Sikorsky [UTX] said recently it had signed a contract worth $4.2 billion with Canada for the production of 28 H-92 Superhawk helicopters for that country's long-delayed and controversial Maritime Helicopter Program (MHP)...

SACEUR Seeks Transformation In Procurement.(Supreme Allied Commander Europe)
December 3, 2004... By Lorenzo Cortes NATO must be more responsible in the way it spends money and procures assets, according a top alliance military official. "We have to transform the way we use our money, the way we manage the money that we have, the...

New Fast Patrol Craft Enter Operational Service In Israeli Navy.(Super Dvora Mark III)
December 3, 2004... By B.C. Kessner TEL AVIV, Israel--The Israel Navy (ISN) recently introduced the first operational Super Dvora Mark III, built by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Ramta division, and the first Shaldag Mark III, made by Israel Shipyards,...

Pentagon Notifies Congress of AMRAAM Sale To Jordan.(Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The Pentagon last week notified Congress of a possible sale of 50 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) to Jordan, a deal that could be worth up to $39 million. The proposed sale is designed to enhance the air defense...

Canada Would Prefer Domestic-Built Ships, Navy Chief Says.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... By Sharon Weinberger Although Canada is increasingly looking toward foreign sources for many military platforms, the preference for any future ship purchases would be to buy them from home, according to the country's naval chief. "My...

Teledyne Brown To Market, Produce German UAV System.(unmanned aerial vehicle)
December 3, 2004... By Calvin Biesecker A division of Teledyne Technologies [TDY] this week said it has formed an alliance with defense electronics group of Rheinmetall to market and produce two of the German company's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems to...

Tadiran Communications' Quarter Profits Rise But Shares Falling.
December 3, 2004... By B.C. Kessner TEL AVIV, Israel--Israel's Tadiran Communications last week reported increased third quarter profits and sales but local media said its share prices have fallen about 20 percent since control of the company was bought by...

EU Launches Operation Althea, Largest Mission To Date.(European Union)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The European Union (EU) launched its largest even mission, Operation Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina recently. The operation begins as NATO winds down its stabilization force operation by the end of the year, the EU said in a statement....

EADS North America CEO Touts Benefits of Split Tanker Buy.
December 10, 2004... By Sharon Weinberger NEW YORK--Having at least two suppliers of aerial refueling tankers might be a good way for the U.S. Air Force to hold down costs and encourage innovation, according the head of the North American division of the...

Pakistan, India Look To New Foreign Military Sales.
December 10, 2004... By Sharon Weinberger The recent visit of Pakistan's president to the United States and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's upcoming visit to India has renewed talk of highprofile weapons sales to the two South Asian countries. ...

EADS CEO Denies Plans For Thales Merger.(European Aeronautic Defence and Space)(chief executive officer)(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... By Sharon Weinberger NEW YORK--The French head of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) Company denied recent press reports indicating that there might be plans for a possible merger with the French defense firm Thales. ...

Irish Select Bell/Augusta Aerospace Helicopter.(Bell Augusta Aerospace Company)(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... By Ann Roosevelt The Irish military has chosen the AB139 helicopter to fill its utility helicopter requirement, according to the companies developing the helicopter. Bell/Agusta Aerospace Co., a partnership between Bell Helicopter...

Defense Propels Aerospace Sales Record In 2004, Civil Market Rebounds, AIA Says.(Aerospace Industries Association)
December 10, 2004... By Calvin Biesecker Aerospace sales this year are headed for an all-time record in current dollars led by continued strong military spending and a welcome, if only slight, turnaround in civil aircraft revenues, the Aerospace Industries...

Saab Takes Over Gripen Marketing Efforts In Reorganization With BAE.(BAE SYSTEMS)(Saab-Scania AB)(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... Sweden's Saab said this week that it would take over marketing efforts for the Gripen multirole fighter from Britain's BAE SYSTEMS in a reorganization of the Gripen International joint venture. "Saab will take responsibility for Gripen...

Raytheon To Upgrade Canada's Phalanx System.(Raytheon Aircraft Company)
December 10, 2004... Raytheon [RTN] said this week that it had won a contract from Canada's Department of National Defence for $32 million to repair, overhaul and upgrade 16 Phalanx systems for the Canadian Navy. "Canada has made a significant commitment to...

Winner of VXX Duel To Clinch Global Marketplace, Says Sikorsky Official.(vertical lift aircraft)
December 10, 2004... By Amy Butler STRATFORD, Conn.--Officials at Sikorsky [UTX] said during a briefing this week with reporters that the increasingly heated competition with a Lockheed Martin [LMT]-led team for the prestigious contract to build the future...

Lockheed Martin To Acquire U.K. Communications Firm.
December 17, 2004... By Calvin Biesecker Sticking with its plan of acquiring niche businesses that enhance its core capabilities, Lockheed Martin [LMT] Dec. 13 said it has agreed to acquire a $40 million British company called STASYS Ltd. that specializes in...

Pentagon Reaffirms Lack of Foreign Dependency Threat.
December 17, 2004... By Sharon Weinberger In a new report to Congress, the Pentagon's Office for Industrial Policy again emphasized that the U.S. military is not overly dependent on foreign countries for military equipment, and in those cases where the United...

United Defense Becomes Prime Contractor For U.S. BONUS Munitions.(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... United Defense [UDI] said Dec. 13 that with its wholly owned subsidiary Bofors Defence AB it has signed a teaming agreement with France's Giat Industries to lead the 155mm BONUS precision munitions program for the U.S. artillery munition...

Israel Launches $200 Million Digital Army Program.
December 17, 2004... Israel's Elbit Systems [ESLT] Dec. 13 said it signed a contract with the Israel Defense Ministry worth about $200 million for the Digital Army Program (DAP) over the next 10 years. "We are proud that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has...

GD Appoints New Managing Director For British Operation.
December 17, 2004... General Dynamics [GD] said Dec.15 it had appointed A.D. Wilson as president and managing director of GD United Kingdom, Ltd. Wilson follows Larry Johnson, who is retiring. "Sandy has demonstrated management abilities and great insight to...

United Kingdom Announces Details of Radical Army Restructuring.
December 17, 2004... United Kingdom Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon Dec. 16 announced radical changes in the future army structure (FAS). "The move to larger, multi-battalion regiments that these changes bring about is the only sustainable way in which to...

LIC Continues To Drive IDF C4I Requirements.(low-intensity conflict, Israel Defense Forces)
December 24, 2004... By B.C. Kessner TEL AVIV, Israel--Four years into the latest intifada here, low-intensity conflict, or LIC, remains one of the primary drivers of the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) C4I requirements, according to the head of the C4I...

British Firm To Acquire U.S. Defense Services Company.(Resource Consultants Inc. and Serco Group PLC)
December 24, 2004... Britain's Serco Group said last week it has agreed to acquire Resource Consultants Inc. Holdings Corp., a Virginia-based firm that provides professional services to DoD and other parts of the federal government, in a $215 million cash deal that...

Official Offers Carrot To Allies That Join U.S. In Missile Defense Programs.
December 24, 2004... By Sharon Weinberger Allies that cooperate with the United States on missile defense will get the chance to have access to U.S. technology and possible influence over the shape of a future system, according to a senior State Department...

Japan, U.S. Sign Missile Defense Cooperation Agreement.(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... The United States and Japan last week signed a new memorandum of understanding, or MoU, on missile defense cooperation, according to the Japanese Defense Agency. Japan already cooperates with the United States in several key areas of...

Koreans Accept Delivery of First F-15K Engine.(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... Boeing [BA] said last week that South Korea had accepted the first F110 engine for its fleet of F-15K multirole fighters. According to a company statement, the Korean firm Samsung Techwin is producing the engines for the F-15K program. General...

Australians Sign WTanker Contract ith EADS.(European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co.)(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... Australia's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said last week it signed a contract worth more than $1 billion with the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) for five A330 tanker-transport aircraft. "The new aircraft, to be known as Multi...

Australia Takes Delivery of First Tiger Helos.
December 24, 2004... Australia's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said last week it accepted delivery of the first pair of 22 Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters (ARH) produced by the Eurocopter group of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS). "The...

Lapis Technologies To Produce Rugged Computers For IAI Vehicles.(Israel Aircraft Industry )(Brief Article)
December 24, 2004... Lapis Technologies's [LPST] Enertec Systems 2001, a majority-owned affiliate company, announced last week it has booked its first mission computer order for $120,000 from Israel Aircraft Industry (IAI) for combat vehicles. Enertec will...

Bell, SAGEM, Rheinmetall Team To Offer Eagle Eye UAV In Europe.
December 24, 2004... Bell Helicopter Textron [TXT], France's SAGEM and Germany's Rheinmetall Dec. 22 said they signed a strategic agreement to offer Bell's Eagle Eye Vertical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to European expeditionary forces. The agreement finalizes...

Cobham To Acquire REMEC's Defense Division.(REMEC Inc.)(Cobham PLC)
December 24, 2004... By Calvin Biesecker Britain's Cobham Group said recently it is acquiring the defense and space division of REMEC, Inc. [REMC] for $260 million in cash, a deal that further expands its presence in the U.S. defense market and gives it...