14 Nov 03. Lockheed Martin Corp. has been given a Pentagon go-ahead for its next batch of F/A-22 fighters. Earlier this month, the Pentagon cleared the Air Force to place orders valued at as much as $4.2bn for up to 22 more fighters, plus parts needed for a fifth low-rate initial production batch, which is expected to involve 24 aircraft.
14 Nov 03. Boeing Co. has been awarded a $60.5m Air Force contract to install and integrate upgrades into the T-38 supersonic jet trainer. The work, to be carried out at Williams Gateway Airport, Mesa, Arizona, is to be completed by December 2004.
12 Nov 03. During the Kick-off for FY 2004 New Start Projects for the OSD funded FCT Program, held at Fort Myer, Virginia, it was announced that Thales Missile Electronics Ltd (TME) has been selected to provide a number of UK Battlefield Target Identification Device systems for the United States Marine Corps (USMC) Mounted Cooperative Target Identification System (MCTIS) requirement. The MCTIS test programme will be managed and conducted by the Naval Surface Warfare Centre, Crane, Indiana in conjunction with Anteon Corporation. In-country support will be provided by Thales Communications Inc, Maryland for the duration of the FCT programme. TME also announced that it has chosen the Mestec MES system to help improve productivity and reduce costs in its innovative ‘Lean Manufacturing’ environment.
19 Nov 03. Barco has been awarded a significant contract by Boeing for the delivery of 20.1” flat panel displays to be integrated into the mission control stations of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy X-45 Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS). The FD251 high-performance displays will be used on board the shelter-based mission control station, ensuring optimal visual support for critical X-45 operator decision-making during J-UCAS missions.
19 Nov 03. Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Mission Systems sector has received a delivery order valued at $175m to provide advanced security systems to protect U.S. Air Force locations worldwide. Under this delivery order, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems will procure, stage, ship, install and test a wide variety of advanced technologies to help the Air Force protect its domestic and overseas assets.
18 Nov 03. DRS Technologies Inc. received a contract to develop and produce Concord Intelligence Broadcast Receivers for installation on military aircrafts.
The contract has a value of $62m, including options. The contract was awarded to DRS by the Technology Application Contracting Office in Ft. Eustis, Va., in support of the Technology Applications Program Office, U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Work for the initial $3.8m order will be accomplished by DRS Engineering Development Labs in Dayton, Ohio. Product deliveries are expected to commence in 2004 and continue through 2008.
19 Nov 03. A team consisting of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) and Miltec Corporation has received a contract for the advanced technology development phase of the U.S. Army’s Compact Kinetic Energy Missile (CKEM) program. CKEM is the Army’s next-generation hypervelocity missile intended for deployment from lightweight, highly mobile manned and unmanned ground vehicles. It will be smaller, lighter, and faster than the current-generation kinetic energy missile but capable of overwhelming lethality against advanced armor, complex bunkers, and other highly hardened targets. A kinetic energy weapon carries no explosive warhead, defeating its target solely through the force of impact. Awarded by the Army’s Aviation and Missiles Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., the contract is potentially worth $71.2m if all options are exercised. Work will be performed in Huntsville and is expected to be complete by September 2006. The team is competing against one other contractor for an eventual system development and demonstration award.
18 Nov 03. NATO has ordered the CRYPTEL IP system from Thales Communications Norway, bas