MANAGEMENT ON THE MOVE
LOCATIONS
11 Aug 08. EADS Defence & Security (DS) is to protect the German Armed Forces’ air defence firing range in Todendorf with its tried-and-tested TRS-3D naval radar. As the company reported on Monday, Defence Electronics (DE), an integrated activity of EADS Defence & Security (DS), handed over the first naval radar in the world to be deployed in camp protection to the customer, the German Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB), in July.
11 Aug 08. Boeing announced that it is ready to use a new “pulse line” process for assembling satellites in El Segundo, Calif. The new process is expected to shorten the time needed to build a space vehicle. The first satellites to be manufactured on the pulse line will be the Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF satellites Boeing is building for the U.S. Air Force. All Boeing’s satellite production lines will adopt the new process over time. “With this new process, we are reducing the travel distance of a space vehicle from 12,000 feet to 10,000 feet,” said John Duddy, director of GPS programs for Boeing. “We are really excited about this new build process for space vehicles and its impressive results, and our Air Force customer is pleased to have the
GPS spacecraft used for this new process.” The new process will move parts through 13 pulse positions. New work cells, new tooling, standard work-planning packages and Lean manufacturing processes will reduce the total build time per satellite and increase the number of vehicles moving through the line at one time. The line is intended to eliminate rework, allowing parts to flow continuously and smoothly through the process.
12 Aug 08. Excellent progress is being made by Babcock Marine at Clyde in the Revalidation Assisted Maintenance Period (RAMP) on HMS Sceptre, the last remaining Swiftsure class nuclear powered submarine (SSN) in service. Time and cost savings against budget have been achieved and the submarine entered shiplift last week ahead of schedule. The 37 week RAMP, budgeted to involve 70,000 hours of labour, is scheduled to end in January but all involved are working hard to achieve an early completion. All the early reactor component inspections and subsequent works have been completed, with proactive thinking and forward planning in the writing of the nuclear procedures enabling a four week reduction in timescales for these inspections to be achieved. A routine replacement of the 120 cell submarine main battery has also been completed ahead of schedule. These valuable time savings have resulted in the docking period being brought forward by a substantial four weeks. One capability upgrade has already been completed, and the other two are well advanced. All secondary and combat weapons system work is progressing to plan, including the process of converting the forward fridges (which provide the correct environment for the food storage areas) and chilled water plants (for equipment cooling) from the conventional Freon gas to a more environmentally-friendly alternative. A number of outstanding operational defects are also being addressed as part of the work package.
PERSONNEL
MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT
EUROPE APPOINTMENTS
06 Aug 08. The newest divisional headquarters in the British Army, Headquarters 6th (United Kingdom) Division, marked its formation with a parade and flag presentation in York yesterday, Tuesday 5 August 2008. General Sir Richard Dannatt presents 6th Division’s General Officer Commanding, Major General Jacko Page, with their flag during the formation of the Division Headquarters 6th (United Kingdom) Division forms the third deployable divisional headquarters in the Army. It has been established to contribute to the success of NATO’s campaign in Afghanistan and will in the future deploy to command the NATO force in southern Afghanistan. At yesterday’s formation the Division’s flag was presented to the General Officer Commanding, Major Genera