09 Dec 03. BAE Systems has been awarded a three-year, $4.5m contract by the Department of the Interior for the U. S. Army to improve producibility and lower the cost of advanced MicroIRv infrared focal plane arrays (FPAs). BAE Systems IR Imaging Systems (IRIS) was the first to develop and demonstrate a small pixel, uncooled, infrared camera, making television like imagery possible. The camera has more than three hundred thousand pixels. Under this contract, IRIS will improve the producibility and reduce the manufacturing cost of the FPAs by a factor of eight.
18 Dec 03. The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $222m contract modification to convert the USS Ohio (SSBN-726) from a Trident ballistic-missile submarine to a Trident SSGN, a multimission submarine optimized for tactical strike and special-operations support. The modification also will fund planning activities and the manufacture of long-lead materials required for the conversion of two other Trident SSBN submarines to Trident SSGNs. This award modifies a five-year, $443m contract announced in September 2002 for design and related support work to convert the first four Trident ballistic-missile submarines to an SSGN configuration. If all options are exercised and funded, the contract will be worth a total of $833m.
10 Dec 03. The Greek Government has signed the US Government FMS Letter of Offer and Acceptance to purchase BAE Systems HIDAS for its Longbow Apache attack helicopters. The aircraft, to be provided by the Boeing Company will be equipped with HIDAS to meet the requirement for an advanced, programmable electronic self-protection system. The HIDAS configuration selected for Greece’s Apaches, is the same as that specified by the UK MoD for their Apache Longbows which are soon to enter service with the British Army. This will be the second FMS sale for HIDAS, following on from a similar sale to Kuwait in September 2002,
19 Dec 03. Thales Communications has been awarded by Saab Bofors Dynamics AB a contract for the delivery of around 50 TSA1400 IFF short range interrogator systems to be integrated into the RBS 70 SHORAD weapon systems. The full delivery of the TSA 1400 IFF systems will be completed mid-2005. Among the latest IFF systems developed by Thales, the TSA 1400 IFF Interrogator has become the new standard for Vshorads. The TSA 1400 is a miniaturized Digital IFF interrogator suitable for all man portable and vehicular VShorads / Shorads applications having a range from 250m up to 100 Km (with antenna). Among TSA 1400’s main applications are Starstreak, Mistral, ASRAD, Igla, Stinger, Crotale, Pantzir, RBS 23 BAMSE. Thales has already supplied the TSA 1400 for the High Velocity Missile (UK), and a Stinger programme (Turkey).
15 Dec 03. Curtiss-Wright Controls, Inc., through its subsidiary, Penny & Giles Aerospace Ltd., has been awarded a new defense contract by Bell Helicopter to upgrade all United States Marine Corps H-1 helicopters. If all options are exercised, the contract will be worth approximately $5m over an 11-year-period. Curtiss-Wright Controls, Inc. is the motion control business segment of Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE: CW; CW.B).
19 Dec 03. BAE Systems has been awarded a £207m maintenance contract which will guarantee availability of the VC10 fleet to the Royal Air Force until the beginning of the next decade. The current fleet of 19 VC10 aircraft operates out of RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. The RAF brought its first VC10s into service in 1966 and is the only operator of the VC10 aircraft in the world. The signing of the contract marks the culmination of two years’ work between the Defence Logistics Organisation’s Equipment Support (Air)’s Air Refuelling and Communications Fleets IPT, BAE Systems Customers Solutions and Support and DARA. Under the incentivised contract, to be known as JAVELIN (Joint Approach to VC10 Engineering and Logistics Integration), BAE Systems will assume overall responsibility fo