INDUSTRY TEAMINGS
26 May 08. The Boeing Company and Alenia Aermacchi, a company of Finmeccanica, announced an agreement to jointly pursue the international trainer aircraft market. Both companies will cooperate on marketing, sales, training and product support activities in international markets for the M-346 next-generation Advanced and Lead-in-Fighter Trainer and the M-311 basic-advanced trainer designed and manufactured by Alenia Aermacchi. Under the agreement, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems’ Support Systems division will be responsible for several aspects of the program’s logistics support and associated training. Combining Boeing’s sustainment and training systems capabilities with Alenia Aermacchi will improve mission effectiveness, help reduce total cost of ownership and further strengthen the advantages of the M-346 and M-311. This strategic alliance is designed to increase the two companies’ commercial presence in the international market for next-generation trainers by offering the best market solution to meet customer needs.
26 May 08. SELEX GALILEO Signs Landmark Agreement with RFMD. SELEX GALILEO, a Finmeccanica company one of Europe’s foremost Aerospace and Defense organisations signed on the 23rd of May a strategic supply agreement with RF Micro Devices (RFMD), a global leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance radio frequency systems and solutions.The move marks a new era in the supply of semiconductor technology to SELEX GALILEO. Previously, this was provided by Filtronic Compound Semiconductors Limited (FCSL) from its foundry facility at Newton Aycliffe. After the recent acquisition of FCSL by RFMD the time was judged to be right to re-baseline the supply relationship. SELEX GALILEO and RFMD’s subsidiary, RFMD (UK) Ltd have therefore now established a new strategic supply agreement which addresses this aspect of supply on a long term basis from the Newton Aycliffe facility. It is anticipated that the new agreement will play a pivotal role in SELEX GALILEO’s delivery of a range of key programmes, including state of the art AESA Radar products, whilst forging strong foundations for future business collaborations. Speaking at the special signing ceremony which took place on May 23rd in London, Norman Bone, Senior Vice President, Radar and Advanced Targeting said: ‘We operate in a highly competitive market so it is crucial that we align ourselves strategically with the best possible suppliers who will allow us to deliver our challenging business goals. RFMD’s diverse portfolio of state-of-the-art semiconductor technologies combined with their RF systems expertise made them an obvious choice for our company. We look forward to forging a strong and successful relationship.’
22 May 08. Blackwater USA and Raytheon unveiled a prototype six-passenger Joint Light Tactical Vehicle at the U.S. Special Operations Industry Conference in Tampa, Fla., on May 21, revealing their teamed-up effort to build a survivable, mobile next-generation Humvee. The Raytheon-Blackwater JLTV Grizzly MK VII. (Blackwater USA photo) “Our vehicle will go faster and carry more weight safely than any other JLTV,” said Blackwater USA Vice President Bill Mathews. “With Raytheon being the integrator for so many ground vehicles for C4ISR, our JLTV will have the technological equivalent of an F-18 cockpit.” The Blackwater-Raytheon partnership aims to combine the fast, off-road vehicle expertise with the systems integration and C4ISR abilities of Raytheon. Made by Ares Systems Group, its appliqué armor uses add-on composite materials designed to provide more protection at lower weight than traditional materials. (Source: Defense News)