05 Jan 11. Industry teams from Britain and Israel delivered bids Jan. 4 to secure the fixed-wing aircraft service provision contract for the British armed forces as part of the Lockheed Martin/Babcock Military Flying Training System (MFTS) program. BAE Systems, Elbit and Cobham-led consortia all delivered submissions to gain the fixed-wing service provider deal. Contenders for a similar competition in the rotary-wing sector are scheduled to deliver their bids Jan 14. The three teams are vying to secure a 25-year private finance initiative contract to replace the Tutor elementary flying trainer aircraft, the Tucano basic trainer and King Air 200 multiengine machines. Downselect is expected by early next year and the new capability is planned to be available by 2015, according to Sir Barry Thornton, the managing director of Ascent Flight Training. (Source: Defense News)

11 Jan 11. Telos® Corporation and eNitiatives recently signed a partnership agreement to incorporate ViewDS technology into the Automated Message Handling System (AMHS). eNitiatives, an Australia-based company that focuses on innovative defense- and security-compliant directory server technologies, is the developer of the ViewDS high-speed identity and messaging repository and has pioneered searching and matching technologies unique in the identity management and directory services market. (Source: Yahoo!/BUSINESS WIRE)

11 Jan 11. Lockheed Martin is collaborating with several United Kingdom companies to provide an advanced naval radar demonstrator as part of a joint U.S. Navy and Royal Navy research program that will help guide performance improvements to existing and planned radar systems in both the U.S. and U.K. The Advanced Radar Technology Integrated System Test-bed (ARTIST) program uses two advanced, multifunction S-band active phased array radars – one for each nation – to develop technology and assess techniques for defeating emerging threats, such as smaller, faster targets in dense clutter. Joint trials began at the U.S. Navy’s Wallops Island, Va., facility in May 2010.