EUROPE

29 Apr 05. UK moves on defensive aids suite. The UK’s Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) Future Business Group is expected to issue an invitation to tender (ITT) for a Hard Kill Defensive Aid Suite (HK DAS) integration and absorber technology study in June. (Source: Jane’s Defence Weekly)

06 May 05. Selenia Communications, Christchurch, a Finmeccanica company, has been awarded a contract by the UK MoD to supply the Joint Integrated Electronic Warfare Management System (JIEWMS). This supports the timely delivery of operational data to mission equipment onboard maritime platforms, and to deployed headquarters both at sea and ashore. JIEWMS provides an information dissemination service running as an application on a number of client platforms with a distribution hub at a server site. It makes use of existing information and communications technology infrastructure and support capabilities, and is designed to integrate into existing infrastructure. Data is held at the central distribution hub, and is transferred to remote JIEWMS-enabled terminals across an Internet Protocol-based network. Users access JIEWMS from enabled terminals via a web browser that supports both offline and online operation. Selenia Communications offered a robust, flexible, low risk, infrastructure-independent approach to JIEWMS. Its expertise and experience in supporting Network Enabled Capability in the UK battlespace on projects such as the Pilot Direct Broadcast Systems providing high volume transmission services enabled the business to understand the MoD’s requirement and to provide an innovative solution to the user community. The requirement involves the delivery of a software application for use on existing and emerging elements of the Defence Information Infrastructure (DII) to provide a managed two-way distribution of operational mission data between specialist data support units and deployed users.

27 Apr 05. VIP Helicopter Service: Contract Placed. The MoD has placed a contract with Westland Helicopters for the supply of a VIP/Communications helicopter service for the period from 1 Apr 06 to 31 Mar 11. Comment: The requirement was originally (24 Mar 04) for the provision of Civil-Owned Military-Registered (COMR) helicopters in support of Headquarters Strike Command (No 2 Group), replacing three Twin Squirrel aircraft. VIP/Communications helicopters of No 32 (The Royal) Squadron are used by Ministers, senior Service Officers and Government Officials for short-range flights. The flying task is for approximately 900 flying hours annually and covers VIP transport throughout the UK and (potentially) to Brussels. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 05/17, 02 May 05)

USA

03 May 05. DRS Technologies, Inc. has been awarded approximately $50m in new orders to provide production, spares and engineering services for the U.S. Navy’s AN/UYQ-70 Advanced Display Systems and related computer peripheral equipment. The systems will be installed on the Navy’s new Aegis destroyers, cruisers and other surface ships, as well as E-2C Hawkeye aircraft and USS Los Angeles class SSN 688 Attack submarines. The contracts were awarded to DRS by Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors Tactical Systems in Eagan, Minnesota, the company’s industry teammate and the prime contractor on the AN/UYQ-70 program.

22 Apr 05. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a
$143,000,000 contract modification to provide for contract price increases and
funding to account for Global Hawk EMD Overrun. At this time, $8,851,651 of the
funds has been obligated. The Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (F33657-01-C-4600, P00090).

22 Apr 05. VSE Corp., Alexandria, Va., is being awarded a $543,869,725
cost-plus-award-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide
foreign navy continuous life-cycle support services for naval vessels bought, sold or otherwi