10 Aug 04. Northrop Grumman Corp.received a two-year, $22m contract from the Air Force to develop a radar replacement kit that will improve performance and enhance reliability in about 280 F-16C and D fighter aircraft. The AN/APG-68(V)9 radar provides a 33 percent improvement in air-to-air detection range over earlier versions, and introduces synthetic aperture radar, which allows high-resolution ground mapping for 24-hour, all-weather precision strike capability. The combination of new technology with open-systems architecture also reduces the total ownership cost of the device.
Aug 04. EADS has signed a contract with the Romanian Ministry of Administration and Internal Affairs to provide an integrated solution for border surveillance and security. The project worth more than €1bn, will ensure that Romania meets the requirements of new EU members in the area of homeland security and border surveillance and will pave the way for a smooth entry into the Schengen Treaty.
12 Aug 04. Lockheed Martin Corp. marked the first foreign military sale of its Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile equipment, with a $33.9m contract with the Netherlands. The PAC-3 air defense system is characterized by so-called hit-to-kill missiles which destroy incoming threats including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft. The foreign military sales contract calls for PAC-3 ground equipment, including launcher electronics systems and fire solution computers. The new gear will allow the Netherlands, already a user of older versions of the Patriot system, to accept the newest PAC-3 missiles. A contract for the missiles themselves is expected later this year.
12 Aug 04. Northrop Grumman Corporation received a $71.2m task order from the U.S. Army to provide acquisition and software support, which will help the Army with command, control, communications and computers, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance program readiness. As part of this five-year task order, the Northrop Grumman’s Information Technology (IT) sector team will provide program management, engineering, security, logistics and technical support. The task order also includes engineering and technology integration for current and new programs including interoperability analysis and testing, system design and configuration, and modeling and simulation.
11th Aug 04. BAE Systems Avionics Group of the UK has announced that the US Army has signed the contract for the supply of Electronic Warfare (EW) equipment plus associated engineering and support for the Greek Apache helicopters.
As a US Foreign Military Sale, the US Army is charged with the responsibility of producing the EW systems for the Greek Air Force. The US Army’s Communications and Electronics Command (CECOM) at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, who procure the EW for all US Army platforms, has confirmed the supply contract with BAE Systems Avionics for HIDAS for the Greek Apache helicopters.
10 Aug 04. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company has selected Goodrich Corporation’s Individual Dimmer Display Control Unit for use onboard the F-16. According to Chris Burdette, Account Manager for Military Programs for Goodrich Hella Aerospace Lighting, “We are under contract to develop and supply the next generation in lighting control technology to Lockheed Martin for the F-16. Our system provides new digital technology that replaces the analog system previously used, thus increasing Mean Time Between Failure and improving the overall reliability of the unit.” First deliveries of the Dimmer Display Control Unit are expected in August 2005. The individual Dimmer Display Control Unit independently controls the brightness settings of selected aircraft instruments and panels under a variety of lighting conditions.
Aug 04. Ultra announces that its Sonar and Communication Systems business has been awarded a £1.3m contract for the Canadian Maritime Helicopter Programme (MHP) for their Multi Link Encryptor (MLE) system. The M