08 Dec 03. DRS Technologies, Inc. received new orders to provide tactical data link and high-frequency data communications systems for U.S. and allied military applications. These products will be installed on various ship, air and land-based platforms and will provide real-time information exchange among commanders and ground, sea and air forces to support integrated battle space operations. The contracts, with a combined value of $5.4m, were awarded to DRS by U.S. government, international military and commercial customers. For these orders, DRS will provide newly designed Data Link Processors, COTS-based AN/USQ-125 and AN/USQ-130 Link-11 Data Terminal Sets, Link-22 signal processor controllers and other high-frequency (HF) data communications equipment. Work for these awards will be accomplished by the company’s DRS Communications Company unit in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania.
01 Dec 03. The UK Armed Forces unveiled their new weapon in the fight against biological warfare today with the roll-out of the first six Integrated Biological Defence Systems (IBDS). The highly sensitive system – developed and manufactured in the UK – can detect the tiniest traces of biological warfare agents on the battlefield such as Anthrax or Typhoid, giving troops a vital warning so they can protect themselves in time. Mounted on a four-tonne lorry, each unit contains a specialised biological detection suite as well as communications and meteorological equipment. A crew of four is needed to operate it and each unit comes with a high-mobility support vehicle. The £70m contract for development and manufacture of 50 IBDS was won by a consortium led by Bedfordshire-based Insys Ltd. The contract has created or sustained around 75 jobs.
10 Dec 03. Lockheed Martin Corp. has won a U.S. government contract worth up to $4.6bn to make target missiles as part of a Pentagon plan to test the nation’s missile defense systems. The contract announced is worth $210m over a four-year period. But it can be extended over a decade and carries a $4.6bn price tag if certain conditions are met.
08 Dec 03. The French interior ministry has awarded Thales a contract to supply the its nation-wide transmission network. Thales will also be providing a range of associated services. The high dependability and low operating cost of the specialised radio network proposed by Thales were key factors in the award decision. This network will include several hundred microwave links between the base stations of the French police’s Acropol cellphone network which will gradually replace links currently leased from telecom operators. The terms and conditions of these replacements will be defined by the customer. The network will be based on civil standards, integrating COTS hardware and software offering improved availability in extreme conditions. It will be deployed area by area as the Acropol network develops.
09 Dec 03. Barco has been awarded a contract by the United States Naval Air Systems Command for the delivery of FD 471 large format carrier air traffic control displays. These 28″ high-resolution Active Matrix LCD displays will be installed in Carrier Air Traffic Control Centers (CATCC), as well as in Amphibious Air Traffic Control (AATC) centers. The Carrier Air Traffic Control Center (CATCC) and Amphibious Air Traffic Control (AATC) centers are responsible for the safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic operating in the vicinity of aircraft carriers and amphibious ships.
05 Dec 03. Boeing won a $151.5m U.S. Army contract for seven CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. Under the contract, awarded without a rival bidder, work will be performed in Philadelphia and is due to be wrapped up by April 30, 2007.
02 Dec 03. The U.S. Navy’s Naval Surface Warfare Center has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Laser Systems unit a $22m contract to produce an improved version of the Special Operation Forces Laser Marker (SOFLAM).
A compact, lightweight portable l