02 Dec 10. Northrop Grumman Corporation announced the signing of an agreement with Elettronica S.p.A (ELT) that will allow the two companies to pool capabilities, resources and expertise in design, development and production of radio frequency (RF) simulation, stimulation and additional electronic warfare equipment. This agreement will better position the Northrop Grumman and ELT team to better serve Italian and additional international customers. Under the terms of this agreement, Northrop Grumman and ELT will work collaboratively to identify new business opportunities in Italy and other countries. The team will look to provide complete electronic warfare support systems to new customers.

03 Dec 10. The Lockheed Martin-Raytheon team competing for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Development and Sustainment Contract has received the final request for proposal from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA). MDA issued the request for proposal Dec. 2, with a submission due date of Jan. 28. The contract will continue development, manufacturing, test, training, operations support and sustainment support of the GMD element of the Ballistic Missile Defense System, which protects the nation, our allies and friends against limited ballistic missile attack. Lockheed Martin will be prime contractor and systems integrator. The Lockheed Martin-led team will perform work at all major GMD sites: Huntsville, Ala.; Fort Greely, Alaska; Eareckson Air Station, Alaska; Schriever Air Force Base, Colo.; and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. In addition to the GMD Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle, Raytheon will provide systems engineering, development, modeling and simulation, operations and sustainment, manufacturing, testing and training.

08 Dec 10. Competing with U.S., Russian and Chinese rivals for Turkey’s multibillion-dollar, long-range air defense and missile defense program, the European missile maker Eurosam has selected its Turkish partners, a senior company official said Dec. 8. Eurosam has signed a series of framework agreements with the Turkish military electronics company Aselsan, the missile maker Roketsan, the systems integrator Ayesas, the software maker Havelsan and vehicle manufacturer BMC for cooperation on missile technology, said the official from MBDA, the company that forms the bulk of Eurosam. The framework agreements explain the role of the five Turkish companies in the project in the event that Eurosam wins the Turkish contract. Eurosam is competing in the Turkish contest with its Aster 30 SAMP/T (sol-air moyenne portée terrestre, or surface-to-air medium range/land). The land-based air defense system is effective against high-speed threats such as tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, combat aircraft and unmanned combat air vehicles. Eurosam is competing against a partnership of Raytheon and Lockheed Martin from the United States, with their Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3); Russia’s Rosoboronexport, marketing the S-300; and China’s Precision Machinery Export-Import Corp., offering its HQ-9. Turkey is expected to pick the winner in the multibillion-dollar contest late next year. A typical SAMP/T battery includes a command and control vehicle, an Arabel X-band multifunction radar, and up to six launcher vehicles, each with eight missiles and a store of reserve missiles. The system fires Aster 30 interceptor missiles, which have a range of 120 kilometers. The partners in Eurosam are MBDA of Italy, MBDA of France and the French electronics company Thales. (Source: Defense News)