Defense Daily International articles from February 2005

Defense Daily International archives from February 2005

Germany To Privatize Certain Army Weapon And Vehicle Maintenance.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... The Germany Bundestag's budget committee decided to put $1.4 billion over eight years in private hands for the maintenance of certain Army vehicles and weapons systems, involving a new company, Heeresinstandsetzunglogistik (HIL). The pilot...

Australian Defense Contractor Launches U.S. Unit.
February 4, 2005... By Ann Roosevelt Australia's Tenix Pty Limited Jan. 31 launched its wholly owned business unit Tenix America, which offers turnkey security solutions for cross-domain work, a company official said. Tenix Pty Limited is Australia's...

Bell/Agusta Aerospace To Move Headquarters To Reston, Va.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Helicopter manufacturer Bell/Agusta Aerospace, a partnership between Bell Helicopter Textron [TXT] and AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, will move its headquarters from Ft. Worth, Texas to Reston, Va., in March. A company...

Israeli Firms Develop Smart Munitions For M203 Grenade Launchers.
February 4, 2005... Israel's Aryt Industries, Israel Military Industries (IMI) and ITL Optronics have developed a smart 40mm munition with a new electronic fuse system designed for urban warfare that is accurate to within 50 centimeters, according to local media...

PAC-3 International Sales Kick Off With Netherlands And Japan.(anti-ballistic missiles)
February 4, 2005... By Ann Roosevelt Lockheed Martin [LMT] received a $532 million contract for 156 PAC-3 missiles for the Netherlands, Japan and the U.S. Army, the first international sales for the battle-proven anti-ballistic missiles. For Lockheed...

Thales UK Continues Work On WATCHKEEPER ISTAR Program.(intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... The U.K. unit of France's Thales has won a contract worth more than $11.3 million from the Ministry of Defence as part of the work towards the main investment decision on the potential $1.5 billion program, the company said last week. The...

U.S. Operates 'Dual Key' System With Afghan National Army, Officer Says.
February 4, 2005... By Ann Roosevelt When the Afghan National Army works on operations with coalition forces it's done via a "dual key" system, a coalition officer said. "The way we command and control is the dual key system," Col. Cardon Crawford,...

German Army Units Deploy FAUST Military Command And Control System.(European Aeronautics Defence & Space Co)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 4, 2005... The European Aeronautics Defence & Space Co. (EADS) said last week that in October, German Army units in Kosovo (KFOR) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) began deploying FAUST, the military command and control system. In a recent Bundeswehr...

Allies Need Interoperable Systems But Costs Could Be Obstacle.
February 4, 2005... By Geoff Fein With more nations coming together on military missions, having interoperable communications systems is imperative, but the associated costs could make some nations unwilling to abandon their legacy systems, according to NATO...

United Defense Nets Pair of Contracts For $29 Million.
February 4, 2005... United Defense [UDI] this week said it was awarded a pair of contracts, the latest including $18.2 million for a M113A1 armored personnel carrier (APC) conversion deal with Jordan, as well as an $11million deal for reactivating a USNS oiler....

U.S., Pakistan Work Together To Defuse Tensions On Afghan Border.
February 4, 2005... By Ann Roosevelt The Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan has provided people and equipment to Pakistan forces to try and defuse tensions, according to a military official. Pakistan is a stalwart ally in the U.S.-led global war on...

Boykin Touts Efforts To Boost Coalition Intel-Sharing.(Combined Enterprise Regional Information Exchange System)(William Boykin)
February 11, 2005... By Nathan Hodge As part of an effort to improve intelligence support to military operations, the Pentagon is planning a series of exercises this year to test its ability to share intelligence with coalition partners. Speaking before a...

75th Successful Atlas Launch Marks End of An Era.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... This week's launch of an International Launch Services [ILS] Atlas III rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., was the record-setting 75th successful flight for the Atlas vehicle and the marks the final Atlas launch from the Florida facilities'...

Elbit Awarded $20 Million For Gulfstream Enhanced Vision System.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... The U.S. subsidiary of Israel's Elbit Systems [ESLT] last week said it has been awarded a follow-on multi-year contract worth about $20 million to supply Enhanced Vision Systems (EVS) for all large cabin models of General Dynamics [GD]...

Another Investigation Called On Finmeccanica Buy of BAE SYSTEMS Unit.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... The U.K.'s Minister for Competition, Consumers and Markets has issued a European Intervention Notice to investigate Italy's Finmeccanica acquisition of parts of the U.K.'s BAE SYSTEMS' military communication and avionics business. Gerry...

Pentagon Picks 18 Foreign Products For Testing.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... By Sharon Weinberger The Defense Department has selected 18 new projects as part of an ongoing program designed to identify foreign products that could help the U.S. military. Since its start in 1980, the Foreign Comparative Testing...

Osprey Test Squadron Returns to Flight.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... By Sharon Weinberger The V-22 Osprey is back in the air a month after the commander of the flight test squadron halted flights to resolve a problem with the aircraft's gearbox. The decision to resume flight-testing was made after...

Russian Federation Seeks Ban On Space-Based Weapons.
February 11, 2005... By Geoff Fein Russia has no designs on placing weapons in space, and therefore sees no justification, by any country, of placing weapons in outer space, said a Russian Federation official at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva,...

L-3 Completes Purchase of CAE's Marine Controls.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... L-3 Communications [LLL] said on Monday it had completed its acquisition of most of the Marine Controls division of Canada's CAE [CGT] and will buy the remaining portion once it receives the required approvals. CAE said last week the...

Indra Wins Tiger Helicopter Work.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... Spain's Indra announced this week it received $142 million in its first contracts to develop in-flight identification and electronic defense systems, simulators and training systems and automatic avionics maintenance systems for the Tiger...

Russia's Military Space Program Facing Difficult Transition Period.
February 11, 2005... The problem facing Russia's military space program is not the lack of money or attention, but the military's lack of skills to operate a space program, said Pavil Podvig, of the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford...

EADS Move Step Closer To U.S. Site Selection.(European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co.)
February 18, 2005... By Sharon Weinberger The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. met with U.S. state officials this week to discuss the location of a new North American-based engineering center, a part of the aerospace firm's plans to position itself...

Amid Defense Shift, Japan Planning Ambitious Modernization Program.(The Mid-Term Defense Program)
February 18, 2005... By Nathan Hodge Japan is planning a major military modernization program, including procurement of advanced fighter aircraft, aerial refueling assets, transport helicopters and ballistic-missile defense technology. The plan was first...

Raytheon Says It Has Handle On ASTOR Program Issues.(Raytheon Aircraft Co.)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... By Geoff Fein Raytheon [RTN] took a $55 million charge as a result of "slippage on its British Airborne Standoff Radar (ASTOR) program," a company spokesperson said. In a Feb. 3 conference call on the company's earnings, Bill Swanson,...

DeLauro Pushing Bill To Terminate Lockheed Martin VXX Contract.(Rosa DeLauro's military policy)
February 18, 2005... By Geoff Fein Although Sikorsky [UTX] said it would not contest the Pentagon's awarding a $6 billion contract to a team led by Lockheed Martin [LMT] to build Marine One, the presidential helicopter, efforts are underway in Congress to void...

South Korea To Resume $1.9 Billion EW Aircraft Procurement.(early warning, South Korea. Army)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... South Korea said it planned to resume the stalled $1.9 billion early warning aircraft procurement. In an open competition, the ministry said it would receive bids for the project in late March and select the winner in December. The...

Smiths Group Acquires Irish Technology Firm.(Farran Technology Ltd.)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... Britain's Smiths Group recently said it has acquired Ireland-based Farran Technology Ltd., a developer and producer of millimeter wave and microwave technology, for use in its products to detect hidden weapons and explosives and for other...

TENIX Defence To Upgrade, Refit Australian Tanker.(Delos of Australia. Royal Australian Navy)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... TENIX Defence received a $47 million contract to upgrade and refit a recently acquired commercial tanker that will replace the Royal Australian Navy's aging auxiliary oiler, HMAS Westralia, the government said recently. The work is for...

New Australian Organization Speeds Emerging Capabilities To Troops.(Australia. Department of Defence's contract with Raytheon Australia, Saab-Scania AB, ADI Corp., BAE SYSTEMS PLC and Tenix Defence)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... Australia's Defence Minister has signed contracts with ADI, BAE SYSTEMS, Raytheon Australia [RTN], Tenix and SAAB, to begin operation of the Rapid Prototyping, Development and Evaluation Program (RPDE), announced in August. The RPDE's will...

Bulgarians Signs The Big Cats--Eurocopter Panthers and Cougars.(Eurocopter Group of European Aeronautic Defence And Space)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... Bulgaria signed a contract recently in Sofia with the Eurocopter Group of European Aeronautic Defence And Space (EADS) for 18 helicopters. The helicopters, 12 AS532 AL Cougars and six AS 565 MB Panthers, will be delivered over a three-year...

Elbit Wins IAF Aircraft C2 Contract For $30 Million.(Elbit Systems Ltd. and Israeli Air Force, HeliC3om)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... Israel's Elbit Systems [ESLT] recently said it was awarded a $30 million contract to provide the Israeli Air Force (IAF) with a command and control mission management system for airborne platforms. "We are proud of the Air Force's decision...

BAE SYSTEMS Reports Mixed Results For 2004.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2005... Britain's BAE SYSTEMS yesterday reported a nearly $1 billion net loss due to goodwill and exceptional charges despite a 7 percent increase in sales, driven by growth in most of its segments. Operating profits rose 3 percent to just over...

Raytheon To Submit Proposal For U.K. FRES Technology Demo.(Future Rapid Effect System)(Raytheon Systems Limited U.K.)
February 25, 2005... By Ann Roosevelt FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla.--Last weekend, Raytheon [RTN] submitted its proposal for the U.K. Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) Electronic Architecture Technology Demonstrator Program, (EA TDP), according to a company official...

Boeing 767 Facing Midyear Closure Decision.(Boeing Co.)
February 25, 2005... By Sharon Weinberger Without additional aircraft orders, a decision to close the Boeing [BA] 767 production line could come down midyear, according to the head of the Chicago-based aerospace company. "The 767 line will break when the...

First GE Rolls-Royce STOVL Engine Begins Testing.(General Electric Rolls Royce Fighter Engine Team LLC)(Short Take-off Vertical Landing development engine)
February 25, 2005... The General Electric [GE]-Rolls Royce Fighter Engine Team (FET) yesterday said its F136 Short Take-off Vertical Landing (STOVL) development engine has successfully began testing at a GE outdoor facility in Peebles, Ohio. "Another...

BAE SYSTEMS Receives Helo Countermeasure Contract.(Communications and Electronics Command)(Brief Article)
February 25, 2005... BAE SYSTEMS on Tuesday said it has received a $7.2 million contract from the Army's Communications and Electronics Command (CECOM) to provide additional ALQ-144A Countermeasures Sets for Army and Navy helicopters. "Throughout the war and...

DARPA Announces Consortium For J-UCAS Common Operating System.(Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)(Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems)
February 25, 2005... The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced the formation of a consortium for developing a common operating system for the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS), a program to develop and demonstrate sophisticated...