EUROPE
LAND
12 Feb 13. Satellite equipment specialist Newtec has signed a Basic Ordering Agreement with the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA). The aim of the contracting procedure is to provide an accelerated and cost effective acquisition method for Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) hardware, software & services. Newtec’s satellite communications equipment already has a large install base within government and defense operations for a wide range of applications including intelligence and national security, airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, ground fixed communications, morale, welfare and recreation, disaster recovery, civil government networks and Non-Government organizations (NGOs).
SEA
13 Feb 13. The MOD has awarded an £800m contract to enable the nuclear submarine industry deliver vital UK defence capability. Under the ten-year contract, which will help sustain around 2,000 jobs across the UK, Rolls-Royce will deliver and maintain the UK’s nuclear propulsion capability, which is the power source for the Royal Navy’s Astute and future Successor deterrent submarines. Part of the Submarine Enterprise Performance Programme (SEPP), this contract will also help the company to transform its operations to carry out its work at best value for the taxpayer. By consolidating costs into one agreement, the MOD and Rolls-Royce expect to make savings of around £200M over the next decade. This contract goes a long way towards meeting the Government’s commitment to the SEPP as announced in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, to make at least £900M of savings by restructuring the UK’s nuclear submarine industry.
AIR
15 Feb 13. French DGA contracts Astrium for COMCEPT satellite development. Astrium has received a contract from the French defence procurement agency (DGA) for the development of the COMplément de Capacités en Elongation, Projection et Théâtre (COMCEPT) system. COMCEPT is the country’s first full-internet protocol (IP) military ultra-fast broadband satellite communications network system, designed to offer a Ka-band ground segment to all the three French armed services for secure online communications starting in 2014. (Source: army-technology.com)
15 Feb 13. Dytecna has been awarded a competitive contract from UK Ministry of Defence through Defence Equipment & Support to provide three Part Task Trainers (PTTs) for rear crew training for the A400M aircraft. The PTTs will enable the Royal Air Force (RAF) to conduct specific to type training on loading, unloading and despatch procedures, restraint techniques, aircraft drill and parachuting techniques for the A400M aircraft.
USA
LAND
14 Feb 13. AOptix to develop smart mobile identity devices for US DoD. The US DoD has awarded a contract to AOptix to develop smart mobile devices that could allow a soldier to scan and record facial features and identify people from great distances. The enhancement capability award comes at a time when both the US Marine Corps and the US Army are seeking for a secure mobile enterprise system that not only shares critical mission information at a faster speed but also helps contributing to multiply force effectiveness. (Source: naval-technology.com)
11 Feb 13. The U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command has awarded ViaSat Inc. a follow-on contract for $1.65m to continue engineering advanced information security into common, off-the-shelf mobile devices. Under terms of the contract addition, ViaSat will first develop a prototype trusted smartphone and then a production-ready version. The development is expected to be complete by spring 2013 with the new secure mobile system available on any Android device this summer.
SEA
13 Feb 13. B&W receives US naval reactors assembly contracts. Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) Nuclear Operations unit has been awarded two US naval reactors programme contracts valued at nearly $36m. Under the first $32m contract, B&W wi