CONTRACT NEWS IN BRIEF
EUROPE
LAND
08 Nov 07. Harris Corporation has received a contract valued at $3.3m from the Latvian Defence Forces for Falcon(r) II tactical communications systems. Harris has previously supplied the Latvian Ministry of Defence, National Armed Forces, and National Guard with its Falcon II radios for use in both national and international peacekeeping missions around the world. Under the terms of the contract, Harris will provide its RF-5800H High frequency (HF), RF-5800V very high frequency (VHF), and RF-5800M Multiband VHF/UHF handheld radios and accessories.
08 Nov 07. Green light for the Puma – Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann to supply Bundeswehr with new IFV. The German Bundestag’s budget committee cleared the way today for the procurement of 405 new Puma infantry fighting vehicles for the Bundeswehr. For Düsseldorf-based Rheinmetall AG and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG of Munich, the order represents a combined total of some €3bn in gross sales. Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann each hold a 50% stake in the company tasked with the project, PSM GmbH of Kassel. Both hailed the decision as a crucial step in re-equipping the German Army for the future as well as being vitally important to the German defence industry and a whole host of medium-sized subcontractors.
12 Nov 07. Saft has been chosen for the second phase of the COMFUT programme (“Combatiente Futuro”), a programme in three phases that aims to modernise the Spanish Army and led by EADS CASA. This second phase concerns the design and development of primary and rechargeable batteries destined to equip the Spanish infantry personnel during their future missions. It will last for two
years, from 2007 to 2008. EADS CASA chose Saft’s solution for the power supply (Fuente de Alimentacion F.A.L) necessary for the COMFUT suit that each infantry personnel will be equipped with. This whole project will be conducted with Saft Power Systems Iberica and Amopack, partners of the Group in Spain regarding lithium batteries for defence.
USA
LAND
05 Nov 07. BAE Systems has received an $18.5m, 30-month contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a new class of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems and capabilities. BAE Systems will lead DARPA’s Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System (ARGUS-IS) program. The company will develop, integrate, and demonstrate advanced ISR systems and capabilities for wide-area persistent monitoring. The systems are targeted for use in Department of Defense unmanned and manned surveillance platforms.
06 Nov 07. The U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems, an $11.2m contract modification for Abrams Tank System Technical Support (STS). The award will fund engineering studies on Abrams tanks to identify improvements and replace obsolete parts to maintain the tanks at high operational readiness rates. The work will be performed by existing General Dynamics Land Systems employees in Sterling Heights, Michigan. It is expected to be completed by December 31, 2011.
SEA
07 Nov 07. DRS Technologies received its first task order valued at $20m as part of a current Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) $250 million contract, including options, the company received this past August from the U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR) Charleston in South Carolina. As part of this task order, DRS will provide a satellite-based internet-broadband service and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network entitled MWRnet (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Network). MWRnet will enable military personnel deployed overseas to stay connected with family and friends back home in the United States. The network will assist military personnel deployed within the areas of responsibility of United States European Command, Central Command, Pacific Command,