05 Jun 07. Thales and Boeing announce FRES team. Thales UK and Boeing have agreed to form an exclusive team, led by Thales UK, to jointly bid to deliver the System of Systems Integrator (SOSI) role for the planned Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) programme.
04 Jun 07. IBM and Lehman Brothers have agreed to buy a small slice of software company Kingdee, kicking off an alliance intended to help the U.S. firm expand its footprint in a $10bn domestic market and further the Chinese company’s global ambitions. Shares in Kingdee International Software Group Ltd., China’s second-largest designer of software that helps run businesses more smoothly, leapt as much as 14 percent after resuming trade on Monday, following a May 28 suspension. (Source: Reuters)
07 Jun 07. ITT Electronic Systems and the Naval Surface Warfare Center at (NSWC) Crane, Indiana have established a partnering agreement to repair high power microwave devices used in currently-used Electronic Warfare systems. The agreement contract, which could be for as much as $5 million, begins immediately and will be in effect until August 2011. All ITT Electronic Systems facilities, including Electronic Warfare Systems in Clifton, NJ and Radar Systems – Gilfillan in Van Nuys, CA, will support the contract. Under the agreement NSWC will provide facilities and engineering and technical support to ITT Electronic Systems Depot Repair processes that will mitigate industrial base capacity limits resulting from the loss of Original Equipment Manufacturers and other vendors from the marketplace.
05 Jun 07. Lockheed Martin UK has signed a teaming arrangement with Ultra Electronics which will see them work together to bid for the System of Systems Integrator (SOSI) role on the MoD’s Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) programme. The FRES SOSI will work alongside the FRES IPT so that the MoD is able to control the FRES systems architecture, ensure interoperability across the fleet and adopt best practices in programme management, systems engineering and through life capability management. Lockheed Martin UK has experience in the systems engineering and integration requirements of Armoured Fighting Vehicles. Ultra Electronics are experienced designers and developers of Armoured Fighting Vehicle subsystems. Together they will be uniquely positioned to meet the MoD’s requirements for this important role.
01 Jun 07. WORLD NEWS: Mitsubishi holds Eurofighter talks. BAE Systems, Europe’s biggest arms manufacturer, is in discussions to license the manufacturing of the Euro-fighter jet to Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries if the aircraft wins an export competition worth tens of billions of -dollars. A purchase of the Euro-fighter Typhoon would signal a watershed for Japan, which until now has bought fighters only from the US, its closest military ally. But there is a growing sentiment among bureaucrats and politicians that Japan should collaborate more with European companies in order to have better access to cutting-edge technology. Nigel Whitehead, the group managing director of BAE’s military air solutions, said yesterday that Japan had this year expressed an interest in buying a European fighter for the first time. “There is a sense of lost opportunity within the Japanese defence forces in the nature of the collaboration programmes they could be involved in beyond the confines of their relations with the US,” Mr Whitehead told the Financial Times. But analysts say cosying up to the Eurofighter consortium could be a ploy to press the US on price and access to highly sensitive technology. Japan’s air force wants to buy the F-22, built by Lockheed Martin, but current US law prohibits its export. Tokyo is also considering Lockheed’s F-35, which is already on order with a number of foreign air forces, including the UK and Italy. Tokyo will also assess Boeing’s F-15 and F-18. BAE is in discussions with Mitsubishi Heavy (MHI) on a progressive licence manufacturing agreement, Mr White