EUROPE

10 May 05. The Bowman and Tactical Communications & Information Systems Integrated Project Team (BATCIS IPT) within the UK MoD’s Defence Procurement Agency has announced the selection of Thales UK to carry out the Assessment Phase of the ARRC C2IS Project. The Assessment Phase will commence in May and finish early next year. ARRC C2IS will provide the NATO High Readiness Force (Land) HQ, for which the UK is the Framework Nation, with a set of integrated command and control tools that will increase the command’s operational tempo whilst lowering the overall cost to support and sustain the information system. The Assessment Phase focuses on risk reduction for an open and sustainable architecture, which will lower whole life costs and provide the flexibility to evolve with the needs of the HQ ARRC over the next 20 years. The objective of the Assessment Phase is to mature the programme to an acceptable level to pass through the MoD’s Acquisition Management System (AMS) Main Gate.
Following Main Gate Approval the MOD will consider awarding a Contract with Thales UK for the Design, Development, Supply and In Service Support Phase(s) of the ARRC C2IS Project. This Phase will deliver the new C2IS architecture to HQ ARRC in Rheindahlen and provide support for the system when it is used on missions throughout the world.

10 May 05. The Ministry of Defence has awarded Thales UK a prime contract for the supply of two additional Sea King Mark 7 Airborne Surveillance and Control (ASaC) aircraft systems. The Royal Navy operates the Sea King Mk7 from aircraft carriers and other large vessels providing essential airborne surveillance and early warning of aerial threats to the fleet. Under this contract Thales UK will transform 2 existing Mk 6 Sea King aircraft and deliver to the MoD two Mk 7 standard aircraft systems as the prime contractor. The Sea King Mk7 platform’s main system is the Thales UK Searchwater (SW) 2000 Airborne Early Warning (AEW) mission system. This system has been judged a major success within the Royal Navy (RN) aviation community. The newly designated Cerberus mission system, with its state of the art Pulse Doppler SW2000AEW radar and JTIDS/Link 16 secure tactical data link, has delivered a major leap in capability for 849 Squadron in the digital battle space.

09 May 05. L-3 Communications’ Integrated Systems (L-3 IS) subsidiary was selected for an 18-month contract to conduct Stage 2 architecture studies for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence’s Project Helix. The contract is valued at approximately $9m. Project Helix is a multi-stage acquisition of an upgraded mission suite for the Nimrod R1 electronic reconnaissance system. The Nimrod R1 is the Royal Air Force’s electronic reconnaissance aircraft, which is used to examine routine radio and radar signals and provide electronic combat support to military commanders.

USA

10 May 05. The Boeing Co., Ridley Park, Pa., was awarded on April 29, 2005, an
$186,225,617 firm-price-incentive-fee contract for CH-47F Remanufactured
Helicopters. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, Pa., and is expected to be
completed by March 31, 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the
current fiscal year. This was a sole source contract initiated on Nov. 18, 2004. The Army Aviation and Missile Command, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).

11 May 05. The Boeing Co., Ridley Park, Pa., was awarded on April 29, 2005, a
$25,905,578 modification to a firm-price-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Cut In Common Avionics Architecture System and Digital Advanced Flight Control System to the CH-47 New Build Production Effort. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, Pa., and is expected to be completed by July 31, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole source contract initiated on March 3, 2005. The Army Aviation and Missile Command, Huntsville, Ala., i