defence Pressreleases

Raytheon Awarded $12.2 Million Miniature Air Launched Decoy-Jammer Study Contract

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:59:22 GMT

The U.S. Air Force awarded Raytheon Company a $12.2 million contract to study the feasibility of increasing power and adding a data link capability for the Miniature Air Launched Decoy-Jammer(MALD-J™).

"This effort will allow us to evaluate the technical maturity of a radio frequency data link and to study further increases in jammer power levels," said Ken Watson, the U.S. Air Force's MALD program manager. "This will enhance MALD-J's ability to function as a key component in a system of electronic warfare systems."

MALD-J is a state-of-the-art, low-cost flight vehicle that is modular, air-launched and programmable. It weighs less than 300 pounds and has a range of approximately 500 nautical miles (about 575 statute miles).

The contract requires Raytheon to integrate a data link and more powerful jammer amplifiers into the baseline MALD/MALD-J vehicle. Raytheon will also determine the technical feasibility and performance capability of MALD-J Block II prior to building and flight testing the new vehicle.

"The modular design lends itself to these improvements," said Scott Muse, Raytheon's MALD program director. "This system is so versatile there is almost no limit to what kind of capabilities can be integrated on this platform."

Raytheon Company, with 2007 sales of $21.3 billion, is a technology leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 86 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. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 72,000 people worldwide.

Note to Editors:

In November 2008, Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine named Raytheon's MALD the winner of the 2008 Program Excellence Award in System Research and Development.

More than 125 Raytheon employees design and build the MALD and MALD-J in Tucson, Ariz., Goleta, Calif., and El Segundo, Calif.

Hundreds of employees in scores of businesses across the U.S. design and manufacture MALD and MALD-J components. Major suppliers include: AUSCO, Port Washington, N.Y.; BAE, Berthoud, Colo.; CEI, Sacramento, Calif.; Celestica, Austin, Texas; Eagle Pitcher, Joplin, Mo.; EDO, Bohemia, N.Y.; Enser, Pinellas Park, Fla.; Engineered Fabrics Corp, Rockmart, Ga.; GDOTS, Redmond, Wash.; Hamilton-Sundstrand, Rockford, Ill.; Hamilton-Sundstrand, San Diego, Calif.; Kuchera, Windber, Pa.; LaBarge, Joplin, Mo.; Moog, East Aurora, N.Y.; Tecom, Westlake Village, Calif.

    Contact:
    Mike Nachshen
    520.794.4088 - office
    520.269.5697 - mobile
    Michael_nachshen@raytheon.com

Lockheed Martin Paveway II Dual Mode Laser-Guided Bomb Begins Operational Release With U.S. Navy

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:59:22 GMT

Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] paveway II Dual Mode Laser-Guided Bomb (DMLGB) has achieved the U.S. Navy’s initial operational capability and is now preparing for operational employment.

The DMLGB combines laser-guided and inertial/GPS guidance to execute precision strike missions against stationary and mobile targets in all weather conditions. The kits can operate in laser only, inertial/GPS, or dual mode to provide pilots with the flexibility to engage various types of targets in a single mission.

“The combined Navy/Lockheed Martin team achieved another milestone in providing Warfighters with innovative and cost-effective, direct-attack capabilities,” said Capt. Mat Winter, PMA 201 Precision Strike Weapons program manager. “DMLGB brings the tactical flexibility with proven precision effectiveness our Warfighters so urgently need. I am extremely proud of our team and their delivery of this phenomenal capability to the Fleet today.”

“The DMLGB is the result of our effective partnership with the U.S. Navy," said John Pericci, Business Development director at Lockheed Martin's Archbald, PA, facility. "This program is an example of how existing inventory can be cost-effectively upgraded into a next-generation precision-guided weapon system. DMLGB provides the Warfighter with an enhanced capability weapon that is highly effective against fixed, re-locatable and mobile targets.”

Lockheed Martin was competitively selected to develop DMLGB and is working under an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity $260 million Navy contract to produce kits. The DMLGB is an enhanced variant of the paveway family, with fire-and-forget capability and terminal guidance that make it a cost-effective precision-guided weapon system.

Paveway is a generic term, developed by the U.S. Air Force, for laser guided weapon systems. Lockheed Martin is a fully-qualified provider of paveway II Laser Guided Bomb kits and provides these systems to the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and international customers. Lockheed Martin developed and produces the paveway II Enhanced Laser Guided Training Round.

Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2007 sales of $41.9 billion.

Heather Kelly, 407-356-5351
e-mail, heather.kelly@lmco.com

Boeing Completes Apache Longbow Training Upgrade Contract

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:59:22 GMT

Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today that its Integrated Defense Systems Training Systems and Services organization has completed a six-year U.S. Army contract to retrofit and upgrade 22 Apache Longbow Crew Trainers, 22 Maintenance Training Devices and a Longbow Collective Training System. The suite of Boeing-produced training devices provides comprehensive, high-fidelity training for Longbow aircrews and maintenance personnel.

"The Boeing team developed significant simulation solutions for the Longbow attack helicopter," said Randy Nielson, contractor for the Army's Apache Project Management Office. "There's a lot of satisfaction in watching a needed capability evolve into a functional, relevant product. It's a privilege to work with the kind of people who make it happen."

Under the contract, hundreds of individual upgrades were performed on the trainers to ensure concurrency with the Apache Longbow helicopter. Boeing delivered and supported Longbow training devices around the world, including Army posts throughout the United States and in South Korea, Germany, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Boeing's work included several major retrofits and upgrades to match the evolution of the Apache Longbow, allowing for improved individual and collective crew training and mission rehearsal. Database improvements included adding virtual visual systems for South Korea, Iraq and Kosovo. These upgraded tactical environments also include new modeling options: Light trucks, civilian vehicles and improvised explosive devices have been added to the possible scenarios.

"This is a very successful contract for Boeing and the customer. We were able to keep up with a very dynamic configuration of helicopters in the trainers and stayed as current as possible to the configurations of the aircraft in the field," said Kathy Bailey, Multi-Year II Apache Training Program project manager for Boeing. "The Army had never done a training device retrofit program of this magnitude, and we were able to work together to meet the warfighters' needs."

The Army's Apache Project Management Office earlier this year presented Bailey with its Cheyenne Award for her contributions to the Unit Fielding and Training Program as well as to the Apache Longbow community.

Next on the Apache training device schedule is the Extended Block 2 bridge contract, which will resume the cycle of retrofitting the existing trainers to match future Longbow helicopter upgrades. The Block 3 redesign of the Apache Longbow is expected to be fielded starting in 2011 and will bring significant modifications to the aircraft as well as to the training devices.

Contact Info:

Alison Sheridan
Boeing Media Relations
314-232-8187
alison.sheridan@boeing.com

BAE SYSTEMS RECEIVES $4.6 MILLION CONTRACT FOR C-17 TROOP SEATS

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:59:22 GMT

BAE Systems has been awarded a contract for $4.6 million from Boeing Co. for troop seats on 15 C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. The seats are scheduled to be delivered through June 2010. The contract also includes an option of $4.6 million for an additional 15 shipsets that would extend seat deliveries until the middle of 2011.

“The C-17 program has been an important part of our production efforts at our Phoenix facility as well as at the many suppliers that have dedicated significant time and effort to this program,” said Don Dutton, vice president for Occupant Protection Systems at BAE Systems.

BAE Systems’ facility in Phoenix, Arizona has built the Sidewall and Centerline Troop seats for the C-17 Globemaster III since the first aircraft was delivered to the U.S. Air Force in 1993. The C-17 can seat 102 troops in the cabin, 54 seats are along the aircraft’s sidewall and 48 seats are along the aircraft’s centerline. All seats are designed to be used by troops with or without parachutes and to fold up for storage when not in use.

BAE Systems employs approximately 700 people and has approximately 252,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space at its Arizona facilities. Occupant Protection Systems employs approximately 500 people, and has two facilities in the United States and one in Germany. The Occupant Protection Systems business unit is a world leader in both commercial and military markets. Products such as crashworthy aircraft seating, mine-blast protective vehicle seating, lightweight armor, restraint systems, and advanced inflatable systems provide advanced protection to the occupants of both surface vehicles and aircraft.

About BAE Systems

BAE Systems is the premier global defense and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 100,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £15.7 billion (US$31.4 billion) in 2007.

For further information, please contact:

Ruben Maestas, BAE Systems
Tel: +1 281 616 6123 Mobile:+1 713 471 0436
Ruben.Maestas@baesystems.com

Shannon Smith, BAE Systems
Tel: +1 703 907 8257 Mobile: +1 703 967 3854
Shannon.n.smith@baesystems.com
www.baesystems.com

Orbital Selected by NASA For $1.9 Billion Space Station Cargo Delivery Contract

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:59:22 GMT

Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), one of the world’s leading space technology companies, today announced that it has been selected for a long-term contract by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to provide cargo transportation services to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Orbital stated that the contract, awarded under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program, has an expected value of approximately $1.9 billion for cargo transportation missions to be conducted between 2011 and 2015. This contract amount covers ISS cargo transportation services for about 20 metric tons of cargo, which would be accommodated by 8 missions of Orbital’s CRS system. The operational missions would follow Orbital’s flight demonstration of its CRS system in late 2010 under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, which Orbital and the space agency initiated in early 2008.

“We are very appreciative of the trust NASA has placed with us to provide commercial cargo transportation services to and from the International Space Station, beginning with our demonstration flight scheduled in late 2010,” said Mr. David W. Thompson, Orbital’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “The CRS program will serve as a showcase for the types of commercial services U.S. space companies can offer NASA, allowing the space agency to devote a greater proportion of its resources for the challenges of human spaceflight, deep space exploration and scientific investigations of our planet and the universe in which we live.”

To carry out the cargo services missions, Orbital will use the integrated system it is currently developing under the COTS cooperative research and development program with NASA. The company’s COTS system is based on Orbital’s new Cygnus™ maneuvering space vehicle and will be the anchor customer for the new Taurus IITM medium-lift launch vehicle, now under development. Cygnus is made up of a service module, containing the vehicle’s propulsion, power systems and avionics, and one of three types of specialized cargo modules. Orbital’s design accommodates pressurized, unpressurized and return cargo modules, offering NASA flexibility in its cargo planning.

“CRS represents a dramatic departure from NASA’s traditional contracting practices that will be greatly beneficial to both the space agency and the nation’s industrial base,” said Dr. Antonio L. Elias, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Orbital’s Advanced Programs Group, which oversees both the COTS and CRS projects.

Leading up to the first flight of Orbital’s system, the company has begun preparations for its CRS-related production and testing activities over the next 18 months at its Dulles, Virginia headquarters and space vehicle engineering center; its Chandler, Arizona launch vehicle operations; and its Wallops Island, Virginia payload processing facility and launch base. Orbital recently determined that it would conduct the testing of the first stage engines of the Taurus II rocket at NASA’s Stennis Space Center facility in Mississippi. The company has also begun its on-site preparations for the launch site infrastructure at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport located at Wallops Island that will support Taurus II launches.

About Orbital

Orbital develops and manufactures small- and medium-class rockets and space systems for commercial, military and civil government customers. The company’s primary products are satellites and launch vehicles, including low-Earth orbit, geosynchronous-Earth orbit and planetary spacecraft for communications, remote sensing, scientific and defense missions; human-rated space systems for Earth-orbit, lunar and other missions; ground- and air-launched rockets that deliver satellites into orbit; and missile defense systems that are used as interceptor and target vehicles. Orbital also provides satellite subsystems and space-related technical services to government agencies and laboratories.

Contact: BarronBeneski, (703) 406-5000, beneski.barron@orbital.com

L-3 Presents First Joint Cargo Aircraft to U.S. Army and Air Force

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:59:22 GMT

L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL), prime contractor for the U.S. Army and Air Force Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) program, announced today that it has presented the first C-27J JCA to the joint program office on schedule and on budget. The aircraft is the first of 78 planned to be delivered to the Department of Defense. The current contract is valued in excess of $2 billion.

“We are very proud to have achieved this critical milestone in meeting our commitment to our customer," said Michael T. Strianese, president and chief executive officer of L-3. “With Alenia, we have consistently performed well throughout all phases of the JCA program, and we look forward to continuing to lead this successful effort.”

“L-3, Alenia Aeronautica and Alenia North America have worked very hard to ensure that we present the C-27J on time to the U.S. Army,” said Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, chairman and CEO of Finmeccanica, parent company to aircraft manufacturer Alenia Aeronautica. “This event demonstrates our group’s capability and our strong commitment to the U.S. market.”

A formal ceremony marking the first aircraft delivery will take place in October at L-3’s facility in Waco, Texas.

The C-27J Spartan was selected in June 2007 as the Joint Cargo Aircraft. The first aircraft arrived at L-3’s Waco facility Aug. 14 from Alenia Aeronautica's Caselle final assembly plant in Turin, Italy to receive unique modifications and testing. The second JCA is currently undergoing testing in Italy and will arrive in Waco in October to be delivered to the customer in November.

The C-27J is a mid-range, multifunctional and interoperable aircraft able to perform logistical re-supply, MEDEVAC, troop movement, airdrop operations, humanitarian assistance and homeland security missions for the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. The C-27J will replace the U.S. Army’s C-23 Sherpa and portions of the US Army’s C-12 and C-26 fleet. The C-27J will augment the U.S. Air Force’s existing fleet of intra-theater airlifters. The aircraft will play a key role in providing responsive aerial sustainment and critical re-supply support for the maneuver force to maintain operational momentum.

The C-27J Spartan has been in production in Italy since 2001 and has been delivered to Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Lithuania. It has also been ordered by Romania with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2009. Orders to-date, follow-on contracts, as well as international, foreign military and variant sales, are expected to extend orders for the C-27J to more than 200 aircraft.

The C-27J Spartan is the latest in a successful tradition of military airlifters, including the C-27A Spartan and the G.222, which have been deployed by the United States, NATO, Coalition Forces, the United Nations and Italy in support of military and humanitarian operations in Albania, Armenia, Bosnia, Cambodia, Congo, Operations Desert Shield and Storm, East Timor, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Honduras, Kosovo, Libya, Mali, Panama, Rwanda, Somalia, Uganda and Yemen. C-27A Spartans are currently carrying out vital counter-drug activities for the United States in Central and South America.

InTEROS Awarded Contract[s] to Improve Logistics Systems For U.S. Naval Bases in Japan

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:59:22 GMT

The U.S. Naval Forces Japan awarded InTEROS, a Virginia-based supply chain solution provider, multiple contracts to support the commander by providing logistic system analysis and inventory positioning optimization for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) at U.S. Naval bases in Yokosuka, Sasebo, and Iwakuni, Japan. InTEROS is under subcontract to Group 70 on both contracts.

Under these contracts, InTEROS will provide the following services to the NAVFAC:

Gather data on user operations and material flow
Determine requirements to meet data storage needs
Propose methods for continuing to use existing storage facilities, including options for consolidation, conversion, improvement, demolition and new construction
Formulate operational recommendations, such as designing improved storage methods and employing labor-saving devices and/or systems.

Ultimately, NAVFAC will have a game plan by which to execute the improvements that have been targeted and will be able to identify and assess existing facilities’ usage and functionality. The plan should enable NAVFAC to make the best use of its storage facilities and upgrade or evolve them to accommodate storage needs.

“Working with NAVFAC will give us a chance to showcase on a global scale how we can help the Department of Defense streamline their operations” said Jennifer Bisceglie, InTEROS president.

DynCorp International Awarded Contract for Air Force Base Operations Support

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:59:22 GMT

The U.S. Air Force has awarded DynCorp International (NYSE:DCP) a US$26.1 million task order for base operations support at the U.S. Air Force Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

DynCorp International will provide maintenance and support services in several functional areas, including maintenance of fire alarm and roll-up doors, custodial and grounds services, refuse collection and waste water and sewer systems.

The award has a base period and two option years. The base period value is US$8.5 million, and the award has a total value of US$26.1 million if all options are exercised. The task order is under the Air Force Contract Augmentation Program III (AFCAP), a 10-year indefinite delivery-indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract to provide worldwide base-operating support and temporary construction capabilities for the U.S. Air Force on an as-needed basis.

This award marks the first time under AFCAP III that multiple maintenance functions were combined into an overall base operations support task order.

Daylight Solutions Signs US$5.3 Million Contract With U.S. Navy

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:59:22 GMT

Daylight Solutions, Inc., a manufacturer of advanced molecular detection and imaging solutions, today announced the signing of a $5.3 million contract with the U.S. Navy. The project is jointly sponsored by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and NAVAIR.

Daylight Solutions recently demonstrated a high power, mid-wave infrared laser system, utilizing the company’s patented EC-QCL technology. The system achieved a world record for room temperature output power from an electrically pumped, solid-state, mid-IR laser system. The Navy contract includes delivery of a self-contained, high power system in Q1 of 2009, with additional options extending for a period of 1 to 5 years.

“Working with NRL on this important project is another demonstration of our commitment to supporting the U.S. Defense and Security market,” commented Daylight’s CEO/CTO, Dr. Timothy Day. “Our infrared technology is an ideal match for many of the challenges facing today’s military. Daylight Solutions is pleased to be partnered with NRL’s advanced technical team in support of this important program.”

Daylight Solutions leverages its core technology and intellectual property to serve the Medical Diagnostics, Industrial, Environmental, and Defense and Security markets. The company recently announced the successful close of its Series B round of financing.

American Science and Engineering, Inc. Receives Service and Maintenance Order for Cargo X-ray Inspection Systems

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:59:22 GMT

American Science and Engineering, Inc, a leader in X-ray detection technology, announced today the receipt of a multi-year US$12.5 million service order from a Middle East government client to provide service, maintenance, training, and spare parts for multiple cargo systems, including the OmniView™ Gantry inspection system, the Z Portal® screening system, and the Z Backscatter Van™ (ZBV™).

Anthony Fabiano, President and CEO, commented, “We are pleased to receive this significant service contract from a valued customer using our state-of-the-art security systems. Our team will provide best-in-class service to insure peak levels of equipment performance.”