www.defence-industries.com Pressreleases

L-3 Wins Recompetition for Contractor Logistics Support at Fort Rucker

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 10:29:45 GMT

L-3 Army Fleet Support awarded a $1.98 billion contract to provide U.S. Army helicopter maintenance and logistics support

L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) announced today that it has been awarded a contract with a one-year base period and four one-year options, with an estimated contract value of $1.98 billion, from the U.S. Army Contracting Command – Redstone on behalf of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command (AMCOM) for rotary-wing aircraft maintenance and logistics support at Fort Rucker, Ala.

Under this contract, L-3 will provide maintenance, logistics and other related sustainment support for over 600 helicopters used by the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and the U.S. Air Force Air Education Training Command.

“We are proud that L-3 has been selected as the Fort Rucker aircraft maintenance contractor,” said John McNellis, president of L-3 Integrated Systems Group. “We have worked closely with our Government partners, as well as with our dedicated Army Fleet Support workforce, to continually deliver excellent, best-value performance in support of our military aviators and their training mission. This award is a very important one for our business, especially in this current environment, and we remain focused on our commitment to operational readiness and the high-quality services that we have provided the Army and Air Force at Fort Rucker since 2003.”

Headquartered in New York City, L-3 employs approximately 51,000 people worldwide and is a prime contractor in C3ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) systems, aircraft modernization and maintenance, and national security solutions. L-3 is also a leading provider of a broad range of electronic systems used on military and commercial platforms.

To learn more about L-3, please visit the company’s website at www.L-3com.com. L-3 uses its website as a channel of distribution of material company information. Financial and other material information regarding L-3 is routinely posted on the company’s website and is readily accessible.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

Except for historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this news release are forward-looking statements. Statements that are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to events or conditions or that include words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “will,” “could” and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements set forth above involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any such statement, including the risks and uncertainties discussed in the company’s Safe Harbor Compliance Statement for Forward-Looking Statements included in the company’s recent filings, including Forms 10-K and 10-Q, with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and the company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Contact:
L-3 Communications
Corporate Communications
212-697-1111

Source: L-3 Communications

Cessna Grand Caravan EX; More Power, Greater Performance

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 10:29:45 GMT

Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) announced the latest innovation in the Cessna Caravan product line, the Cessna Grand Caravan EX.

The Grand Caravan EX offers increased horsepower (HP) which improves the aircraft’s performance in current mission profiles and allows for missions to extend into regions of the world with higher altitudes and higher temperatures.

Powered by the new Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-140 engine, the available power in the Grand Caravan EX has increased almost 25 percent, from 675 HP to 867 HP. This improvement boosts the aircraft’s performance, including a 350 foot reduction in takeoff roll, a 20 percent improvement in the rate of climb, and a 10-12 knot cruise speed improvement over average.

“We listened carefully to our customers when designing the EX, and we think they will be pleased with the outcome,” said Lannie O’Bannion, Cessna business leader for the Caravan. “The Grand Caravan EX will climb faster, and have the power and capacity to take on missions in parts of the world with higher elevations and higher temperatures while still delivering on utility. It’s what the Caravan has always been about, and the new enhancements make the Grand Caravan EX an indispensible tool for customers who operate in diverse areas of the world.”

“We anticipate continued success for the Caravan in business and personal use,” continued O’Bannion. “The Caravan has proven to be an incredibly reliable and versatile aircraft. This significant increase in performance not only improves performance in current operations, it will make the Grand Caravan EX a fantastic solution for customers and operations in new markets and remote locations. Simply put, this aircraft places more of the world within reach.”

The EX is the latest example of Cessna’s efforts to place more innovative products in the aviation marketplace. For the first time since the Grand Caravan was introduced in 1994, the Grand Caravan EX can be modified for amphibious missions with floats provided by Wipaire, Inc. The avionics suite will remain the proven Garmin G1000, the executive “Oasis” interior will be available for the EX, and exterior lights are being moved to longer-life LEDs. “We kept the customer in mind throughout the entire development process on this aircraft”, said O’Bannion. “While providing more range and power, we have also delivered a new product that will have a minimal impact on direct operating costs.”

Entry into service for the Grand Caravan EX is expected to be in the fourth quarter 2012.

About Cessna

Cessna is the world's leading general aviation company. Since its inception in 1927, Cessna has designed, produced and delivered more than 193,500 airplanes around the globe. This includes more than 6,300 Citation business jets, making it the largest fleet of business jets in the world. Today, Cessna has two principal lines of business: aircraft sales and aftermarket services. Aircraft sales include Citation business jets, Caravan single-engine utility turboprops, single-engine piston aircraft and lift solutions by CitationAir. Aftermarket services include parts, maintenance, inspection and repair services. In 2011, Cessna delivered 689 aircraft, including 183 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of $2.990 billion.

Contact:
Shanda Carney
Manager, External Communications
316.517.7387
corpcomm@cessna.textron.com

Source: Cessna

Small Diameter Bomb II finds, hits moving target

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 10:29:45 GMT

SDB II will provide warfighters with new, critical capability

Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) program achieved a major milestone when it successfully engaged and hit a moving target during a flight test at the White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Currently in engineering and manufacturing development, SDB II is designed to engage moving targets in adverse weather and through battlefield obscurants.

During the July 17 test, the crew of a U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter staging out of Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., released the GBU-53/B, which then acquired, tracked and guided to a moving target using its tri-mode seeker, scoring a direct hit.

"SDB II is the first in the next generation of smart weapons that uses multi-mode seekers and fully networked enabled data links to engage moving targets in bad weather or battlefield obscurants in high threat environments," said Harry Schulte, vice president of Air Warfare Systems for Raytheon Missile Systems. "Raytheon is committed to this program's success because SDB II will give the warfighter a mission-flexible weapon capable of defeating threats such as swarming boats, mobile air defense systems or armored targets."

SDB II was validated by the Department of Defense's Joint Requirements Oversight Council as a weapon that fills a critical capability gap for the military. In addition to its adverse weather, moving-target capability, SDB II can hit targets from stand-off ranges. It has a powerful warhead capable of destroying armored targets, yet keeps collateral damage to a minimum through a small explosive footprint.

SDB II's capabilities include the ability for the weapon to be employed in three primary attack modes, each with a subset mode, for a total of six engagement modes. A dual band, two-way weapon data link for in-flight target updates and status reporting allows post-launch control of the weapon by the launching aircraft, a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC), or a third party.

"SDB II is designed and built from the ground up to deliver to the warfighter an affordable and efficiently produced weapon that brings new levels of capability yet remains easy to employ and maintain," said John O'Brien, Raytheon's SDB II program director.

About the Small Diameter Bomb II

SDB II's integrated tri-mode seeker, which is built in Raytheon's automated tri-mode seeker factory, fuses millimeter-wave (MMW) radar, uncooled imaging infrared (IIR) and semiactive laser sensors on a single gimbal, which enables the weapon to seek and destroy targets, despite adverse weather conditions. Rockwell Collins supplies Raytheon with the data link, while General Dynamics-Ordnance and Tactical Systems provides the multi-effects warhead.

About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2011 sales of $25 billion and 71,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 90 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass.

Contact:
John Patterson
+1.520.794.4559
rmspr@raytheon.com

Source: Raytheon

Ball Aerospace Announces Five Payloads for STPSat-3 Satellite

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 10:29:45 GMT

The Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. STPSat-3 spacecraft built for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) will host five payloads and a de-orbit module when it launches in 2013.

The STPSat series of satellites successfully proves the concept of a standard interface vehicle for the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Space Development & Test Directorate (SMC/SD). The STPSat-3 spacecraft is able to support a variety of experimental and risk reduction payloads at different low-Earth orbits and is compatible with multiple launch vehicles by utilizing the flight-proven Ball Configurable Platform 100 (BCP-100) standard interface bus.

“The STPSat-3satellite demonstrated its outstanding agility by accommodating additional payloads after the spacecraft was completed,” said David L. Taylor, president and CEO of Ball Aerospace. “Built in only 47 days, the versatility of this common spacecraft will be evidenced once again when five payloads are flown aboard STPSat-3 – two more than carried by SPTSat-2 when it launched in 2010,” said David L. Taylor, president and CEO of Ball Aerospace.

The payloads for STPSat-3 will include:

iMESA-R (Integrated Miniaturized Electrostatic Analyzer Reflight), a U.S. Air Force Academy mission designed to measure plasma densities and energies

J-CORE (Joint Component Research), a space phenomenology mission sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) /EO Countermeasures Technology Branch (RYMW) & Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC)
SSU (Strip Sensor Unit), an AFRL Directed Energy (RD) experiment to provide risk reduction through on-orbit testing and operation of a sensor assembly
SWATS (Small Wind and Temperature Spectrometer), a Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) mission to provide in-situ measurements of the neutral and plasma environment to characterize the Earth’s ionosphere and thermosphere
TCTE (TSI Calibration Transfer Experiment) , a NASA/NOAA mission to collect high accuracy, high precision measurements of Total Solar Irradiance to monitor changes in solar irradiance incident at the top the Earth’s atmosphere with TCTE instrument provided by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

In addition, the spacecraft has new capability, the MMA Design LLC De-Orbit Module used to de-orbit the satellite in less than 25 years.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical missions for national agencies such as the Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA and other U.S. government and commercial entities. The company develops and manufactures spacecraft, advanced instruments and sensors, components, data exploitation systems and RF solutions for strategic, tactical and scientific applications.

Ball Corporation (NYSE:BLL) is a supplier of high quality packaging for beverage, food and household products customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 14,500 people worldwide and reported 2011 sales of more than $8.6 billion. For the latest Ball news.

Contact:
Roz Brown
303-533-6059
media@ball.com

Source: Ball Aerospace

General Dynamics Awarded $91 Million by U.S. Navy for Virginia-class Submarine Work

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 10:29:45 GMT

General Dynamics Awarded $91 Million by U.S. Navy for Virginia-class Submarine Work

UK Ministry of Defence Selects Lockheed Martin UK for £642 Million ($1 Billion) Contract to Upgrade Warrior Vehicles

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 10:29:45 GMT

UK Ministry of Defence Selects Lockheed Martin UK for £642 Million ($1 Billion) Contract to Upgrade Warrior Vehicles

EOIR Technologies Inc. is Awarded a $245M Contract by the Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD)

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 10:29:45 GMT

EOIR Technologies Inc. is Awarded a $245M Contract by the Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD)

Airshow China 2012

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 10:29:45 GMT

Event Venue : ZHUHAI, GUANGDONG,CHINA
Event Organisers : Chinese Central Government
Event Address : ZHUHAI, GUANGDONG,CHINA
Event Email : cathy@airshow.com.cn

INDO DEFENCE 2012 Expo & Forum

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 10:29:45 GMT

Event Venue : JIExpo Kemayoran, Jakarta, Indonesia
Event Organisers : PT. Napindo Media Ashatama
Event Address : JIExpo Kemayoran, Jakarta, Indonesia
Event Email : indodefence@napindo.com

Helishow Dubai 2012

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 10:29:45 GMT

Event Venue : East Hall, Airport Expo, Dubai, UAE
Event Organisers : The Domus Group International Exhibition Specialists
Event Address : East Hall, Airport Expo, Dubai, UAE
Event Email : mediac@emirates.net.ae