INDUSTRY TEAMINGS
31 Oct 07. BAE Systems and Red River Army Depot (RRAD) signed a Memorandum of Intent for a partnership to support production of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles on October 9 during the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Symposium and Exhibition in Washington, D.C. The memorandum, which was signed by Col. Douglas J. Evans, Commander, RRAD and Matthew Riddle, Vice President of Wheeled Vehicle Programs for BAE Systems, states that RRAD and BAE Systems have agreed to enter into a Public Private Partnership for MRAP production and follow-on support. “This memorandum highlights the importance of government/industry partnerships,” said Evans. “They are designed to rapidly deliver lifesaving equipment to the warfighter.” “Procurement of MRAP vehicles is the Department of Defense’s top priority,” said Riddle. “This agreement capitalizes on the strengths of both organizations in order to meet this most urgent need.” The agreement is intended to provide a foundation for expanding BAE Systems capabilities in partnership with RRAD and meet the emerging requirements for the MRAP program. It will allow a greater number of vehicles to be produced and ultimately to be fielded faster to America’s troops. (Source: ASD Network)
13 Nov 07. Forging strategic alignments intended to help develop superior defense technology for India’s military forces, Raytheon Company has signed memorandums of understanding with five major Indian companies. The firms are Wipro Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, Larsen & Toubro Limited, Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Limited, and Data Patterns
(India) Private Limited. The MOUs represent another step toward establishing a strong working relationship, encouraging pursuit of emerging business opportunities, and providing for in-country offset. They also will pave the way for more exchanges of technology and business know-how between India and the U.S.
12 Nov 07. Terma and NLR (National Aerospace Laboratory), have signed a cooperation agreement within the framework of establishing a European Electronic Warfare Competence Center, formally to be located in The Netherlands. Based on more than 20 years of close relations and cooperation with the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) as well as NLR, Terma has decided to establish its European Electronic Warfare Competence Center in The Netherlands. The competence center will provide the following activities related to the various EW systems in use with RNLAF and other customers:
* Maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of Terma and third party products
* Integrated logistics support
* Modification and upgrade programs
* Technical support and outsourcing services
* Electronic Warfare (EW) Training services
* Development and support of “mission-critical” systems and applications
As a partner, NLR will contribute to this center with its capabilities within:
* Mechanical or electronic design, prototyping and low-rate production
* Development and testing of embedded and application software
* Functional and environmental system testing
* Aircraft integration support
* Operation training, simulation, and support
* Obsolescence management
* Modification and/or upgrade programs
The EW Competence Center will be established over the next five to six months, starting up in existing Terma B.V. facilities in Leiden as well as at NLR in Amsterdam. According to the plan, an MRO related activity will be established in the Woensdrecht area within six months, to service the EW systems in use with the RNLAF. (Source: ASD Network)