Defense Daily International articles from March 2006

Defense Daily International archives from March 2006

Australia Selects JASSM As Next-Generation Cruise Missile For F/A-18s.(Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile)
March 3, 2006... By Michael Sirak Australia has chosen Lockheed Martin [LMT]'s AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) as its next-generation long-range cruise missile, beating out bids by Boeing [BA] and EADS-Saab, the country's defense...

Deputy Defense Secretary Praises UAE's War Support, Warns Against Blocking Port Deal.(United Arab Emirates)
March 3, 2006... By George Cahlink Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England warned lawmakers last week that blocking a deal to allow a Dubai company to run terminal operations at several U.S. ports could harm relations with a key Arab ally. "They...

GD To Acquire Canadian Ammo Maker SNC Technologies.(General Dynamics)
March 3, 2006... General Dynamics [GD] recently said it has agreed to acquire SNC Technologies, a Canadian-based developer and supplier of small, medium and large-caliber ammunition and related products, for $275 million in cash. SNC Technologies, a...

BAE Systems Reports Increased Sales, Profits In 2005.
March 3, 2006... Britain's BAE Systems last week reported higher sales and earnings in 2005 led by growth in its work for U.S. and United Kingdom defense departments. Sales increased 17 percent to $27 billion from $23.1 billion while net profit increased...

GD's Steyr Czech Army Win Brings $120 Million Systems Deal For RAFAEL.(General Dynamics)
March 3, 2006... By B.C. Kessner TEL AVIV, Israel--When the Czech Republic last week selected the Austrian Steyr-Daimler-Puch subsidiary of General Dynamics' [GD] European Land Combat Systems for an $865 million award to supply its PANDUR II Wheeled...

Lawmaker Pushes For Submarine Sales to Taiwan, Hurdles Remain.
March 3, 2006... By George Cahlink A key backer of submarine builders is trying to end an impasse over selling U.S. submarines to Taiwan, but several political and financial obstacles still have to be overcome. Rep. Robert Simmons (R-Conn.), a member...

Boeing Awarded Logistics Support For U.K. Chinook Helicopters.
March 3, 2006... Boeing [BA] has been awarded a 34-year logistics support contract valued at about $347.6 million for the first five years for the United Kingdom's Chinook cargo helicopter. The contract, encompassing the service fleet of 40 Boeing-built...

DHS Awards Helo Contract To EADS.
March 3, 2006... By Calvin Biesecker The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) has received a potential $75 million contract from the Department of Homeland Security after being selected for the award over a year ago. The initial...

GD Selling Quarry Business.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... General Dynamics [GD] recently said it has agreed to sell one of its two remaining non-core businesses, Material Service Corp., which operates 13 quarries, to Britain's Hanson PLC for $300 million. The aggregates business, which GD has...

Oshkosh To Market Australian Armored Vehicle In North America.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... By Calvin Biesecker Oshkosh Truck Corp. [OSK] recently said it has signed a licensing agreement with ADI Limited to market, manufacture and support the Australian firm's Bushmaster armored vehicle for potential customers in North America...

Bulgaria Signs For Five C-27J Transports.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... Italy's Finmeccanica recently said the Bulgarian ministry of defense signed an agreement to buy five C-27J tactical military transport aircraft produced by the company's Alenia Aeronautica subsidiary and Lockheed Martin [LMT]. "The...

U.K., France, Sign MoU To Cooperate On Aircraft Carriers.
March 10, 2006... Defense ministers from France and the United Kingdom March 6 signed a landmark Memorandum of Agreement (MoU) to cooperate on aircraft carriers. Under the terms of the agreement, the United Kingdom and France will cooperate on the...

Dynamit Nobel Defence To Produce New U.K. ASM Infantry Weapon.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... Dynamit Nobel Defence will deliver the Anti-Structures Munition under a $69.4 million contract announced Feb. 6 by the U.K. Minister for Defence Procurement. The ASM is a new shoulder-launched weapon allowing British infantry to defeat...

PACOM Wants More Ties With China, Recommends Cautious Approach.(United States. Pacific Command)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... By George Cahlink Adm. William Fallon, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, believes the United States must work more closely with China, but urged caution in building that relationship. "Of course we are going to have to be cautious...

U.K. Airport Group Awards OSI Systems Contract For High-Throughput EDS.
March 10, 2006... OSI Systems, Inc. [OSIS] said it has received a $7 million contract from Britain's Manchester Airport Group to secure delivery in about two years of a new Computed Tomography (CT)-based Explosives Detection System (EDS) that can screen...

Airbus Leads EADS To Record Results In 2005.
March 10, 2006... By Calvin Biesecker The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) this week reported record financial results for 2005 led by increased commercial aircraft deliveries, easily offsetting flat sales in its defense and space...

Commander Sees Large Bill For Replacing Depleted War Reserves In Europe.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... By George Cahlink The commander of NATO forces recently warned the Pentagon faces a massive bill for replacing war reserve equipment throughout Europe that has been sent to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. "The stocks will be rebuilt,...

MDA, Japanese Defense Agency, Navy, Conduct Successful Aegis BMD Test.(Missile Defense Agency )
March 10, 2006... The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announced late Wednesday that the agency in cooperation with the Japanese Defense Agency and the U.S. Navy successfully completed a cooperative flight test mission at the Pacific Missile Range facility...

Rolls Royce Wins $73 Million Air Force Contract.
March 10, 2006... Rolls-Royce said this week it signed a $73 million contract to support the propulsion system on U.S. Air Force transport planes, the fourth recent engine services agreement. "This new agreement provides a foundation for a long-term...

Italian Air Force Receives First AgustaWestland HH3F With New Avionics Suite.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... Finmeccanica's AgustaWestland announced this week it delivered the first HH-3F helicopter to the Italian air force with a new integrated avionics suite. The upgrade is part of a multiyear program to improve the operational capabilities...

QinetiQ Named Preferred Bidder For U.K. CATS Program.(Combined Aerial Target Service)(Brief article)
March 17, 2006... QinetiQ announced March 16 it has been named the preferred bidder over the Serco/EADS Firecats consortium to provide a Combined Aerial Target Service (CATS) for air defence training and test and evaluation for U.K. armed forces for the next...

Plan For Single JSF Engine Could Impact Cost, Foreign Relations, Lawmakers Say.
March 17, 2006... By Geoff Fein Eliminating competition for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) engine program could result in higher costs for relying on a single engine, severely impact JSF operations should engine problems result in a stand-down, and...

Esterline Acquiring Countermeasures Businesses From Cobham.(Brief article)
March 17, 2006... By Calvin Biesecker Esterline Technologies [ESL] recently said it has acquired a U.S.-based military countermeasures business and agreed to acquire a United Kindgom-based countermeasures business, both from Britain's Cobham plc. The...

RTS 6400 Radar Tracker Commissioned Aboard South African Corvettes.
March 17, 2006... The South African Reutech Radar Systems (RRS) joint venture between Reunert Limited, European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) and Kgorong Investment Holdings last month said its RTS 6400 Optronics Radar Tracker was fully commissioned...

Tadiran Communications Unveils New Military Cellular Mobile Network.
March 17, 2006... Israel's Tadiran Communications recently introduced its latest end-to-end military and homeland security cellular mobile network solution for encrypted communications called MobileNet. The compact, portable MobileNet system, is a...

New Congressional U.K. Caucus Will Promote Defense Ties With Key Ally.
March 17, 2006... By George Cahlink Lawmakers recently formed a Congressional United Kingdom Caucus that will promote a variety of defense, foreign policy, and trade issues, including the development of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), that impact the...

Boeing Explores Potential Airborne Laser Cooperation With Japan.
March 17, 2006... By Michael Sirak Boeing [BA] is exploring a potential role for Japanese industry in the development of the Airborne Laser (ABL) system, according to the company's senior program official. "The Japanese are very interested in ABL,"...

Elbit Subsidiary To Upgrade Communications On Israeli Submarines.(Brief article)
March 17, 2006... Israel's Tadiran Electronic Systems, part of Elbit Systems' [ESLT] Elisra Group subsidiary, recently said it has been awarded a $1.5 million contract to upgrade and modernize the communications systems installed on the Israel Navy's...

EADS To Provide Nationwide TETRA Network For Hungary.(European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co)(Terrestrial Trunked Radio)
March 17, 2006... European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) recently said it signed a contract with government-sanctioned Hungarian telecom firms to deliver the infrastructure for what will become the largest network of public safety agencies in the...

U.K. Procurement Chief Warns Backup Engine Dispute Threatens JSF Deal.
March 17, 2006... By George Cahlink A top United Kingdom military procurement official warned his nation might not sign an agreement to build the Joint Strike Fighter out of frustration with the Pentagon's scrapping plans for building a backup engine for...

FHI Delivers First Apache Helicopter To Japanese Government.
March 17, 2006... Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) this week delivered the first AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter to the Japanese government, four months after Boeing [BA] delivered the first of the helicopters to FHI. Boeing and FHI have worked closely for...

Warner Seeks Delay In Decision To Eliminate Backup Engine For JSF.
March 17, 2006... By George Cahlink Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Chairman John Warner (R-Va.) proposed delaying a controversial Pentagon plan to cancel buying a backup engine for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) to give the engine manufacturers...

Raytheon Markets Small Maritime Surveillance Plane Globally.(Raytheon Aircraft Co)
March 24, 2006... By Michael Sirak MCKINNEY, Texas--Raytheon [RTN] is offering a small, manned surveillance aircraft to countries seeking a cost-effective means to watch over their maritime and littoral areas, according to a company official. Known...

DSCA Restructures FMS Surcharge.(Defense Security Cooperation Agency)
March 24, 2006... By Ann Roosevelt This summer, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) will rise to 3.8 percent the fee it charges to administer Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contracts to counter dwindling FMS Trust Fund Administrative Account. ...

DoD Believes China Now Spending More On Defense Than Any Other Asia Nation.
March 24, 2006... By George Cahlink A senior Pentagon official believes China may now have the largest defense budget in Asia as it continues to rapidly transform from a former third world military into a first-world fighting force. "China is pursuing...

Elbit Wins Additional Israel Perimeter Security System Contract.
March 24, 2006... By B.C. Kessner TEL AVIV, Israel--The Ministry of Defense (MoD) here selected the Ortek homeland defense arm of Elbit Systems [ESLT] over Magal and another competitor to rapidly deploy a "smart" electronic deterrence system along the...

Taiwan Seeks Deal With United States For Breaking Up Buy of Diesel Submarines.
March 24, 2006... By George Cahlink Seeking to end an impasse over buying U.S. submarines, Taiwan is now proposing breaking the multibillion deal into two more affordable buys rather than paying for them all at once. The Taiwan Ministry of Defense...

Lockheed Martin sees continued growth in radar product line.
March 24, 2006... By Michael Sirak Lockheed Martin [LMT] continues to invest in improving the performance and extending the life of its family of air-surveillance radars and projects a sustained market interest in them for years to come, a senior company...

BAE Launches Talisman UUV.(BAE SYSTEMS PLC)(underwater vehicle )
March 24, 2006... At Oceanology International 2006 on Tuesday in the United Kingdom, BAE SYSTEMS launched its new Talisman autonomous modular multi-role unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) designed for a wide range of maritime littoral operations. "Our aim...

EADS Unveils First Coast Guard Maritime Patrol Aircraft.(European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co)(Brief article)
March 30, 2006... The Spanish subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) recently unveiled the first production HC-235A Maritime Patrol Aircraft, which will be delivered to the Coast Guard next spring. EADS CASA is building the...

Saddam's Eye View: JFCOM Releases Unclassified Report.(Joint Forces Command)
March 30, 2006... By Ann Roosevelt Saddam Hussein's number one priority as the U.S.-led coalition prepared to invade in 2003 was to preserve himself and his regime from an attempted internal coup and his worldview led him to believe the United States was...

Boeing, ATK Team For Israeli Short Range BMD Competition.(product development)(Brief article)
March 30, 2006... Boeing [BA] announced recently an exclusive agreement with ATK [ATK] to support the new Israeli Short Range Ballistic Missile Defense program, which Boeing is pursuing with partner, Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI). Later this spring,...

Esterline Completes Purchase of Wallop Defence Systems.(acquisitions)(Brief article)
March 30, 2006... Esterline Technologies Corp. [ESL] recently said it has completed its $59 million acquisition of Wallop Defence Systems from Britain's Cobham plc. Wallop makes aircraft, anti-ship and anti-submarine countermeasures. Esterline said...

Boeing Releases First SLAM-ER From F-15K.(Boeing Co)
March 30, 2006... By Geoff Fein Boeing [BA] last week successfully released a Standoff Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) weapon from a F-15K, and hit a simulated missile launcher off the coast of California, according to a company official....