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LOCATIONS
LAND
19 Aug 11. Defence display system company opens new home in Regents Park. Australian Minister for Defence Materiel and Member for Blaxland officially opened the new and expanded facilities of Thomas Electronics of Australia in Regents Park. Thomas Electronics develops, manufactures and supports military grade display systems for a wide range of platforms used by the Australian Defence Force including:
* Seahawk helicopters;
* Anzac Class Frigates;
* Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft;
* Anzac Class Frigates;
* PC-9 pilot trainers; and
* Australian Light Armoured Vehicles (ASLAV).
Mr Clare said Thomas Electronics has done important work for the Australian Defence Force since the 1980s and now employ 95 people in Australia.
MARITIME
18 Aug 11. Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today announced the
delivery to Adelaide of the first keel block that will be used to construct HMAS Hobart – Australia’s first Air Warfare Destroyer. Construction of the AWDs involves 90 separate steel blocks being built at shipyards in Adelaide (ASC), Melbourne (BAE Systems), Newcastle (Forgacs) and Ferrol, Spain (Navantia). Three sonar blocks are being constructed in Spain and the United Kingdom. (Source: ASD Network)
22 Aug 11. A Lockheed Martin-led industry team has begun construction on the nation’s fifth Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) at Marinette Marine. The team plans to deliver LCS 5, the future USS Milwaukee, to the U.S. Navy in 2014. The industry team recently received approval for full production of LCS 5 after finishing a successful review with the Navy that demonstrated the team’s ability to begin construction based on production readiness criteria including design completion, staffing and material readiness. LCS 5 is the first of 10 Freedom-variant ships awarded to Lockheed Martin by the Navy in December 2010. Marinette Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company, will construct the 10 ships in Marinette, Wis., and naval architect Gibbs & Cox will provide engineering and design support. The industry team’s supplier base includes more than 700 companies in 43 states, and the program could generate as many as 16,000 jobs nationwide at its peak in 2014.
22 Aug 11. Program Executive Office (PEO) Integrated Warfare Systems (IWS) announced Aug. 18 that the command has realized a $50m savings in procuring weapons systems on new construction amphibious ships in fiscal years 2009-2011. The cost reduction efforts, which started in early 2010, put PEO IWS on track to support the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics’ “better buying initiative” to restore affordability and productivity in defense spending. PEO IWS generated savings in acquiring combat systems with quantity buys, and not just across amphibious ships. The PEO worked with stakeholders to bundle combat system purchases for LHA 7 and LPD 26 and 27, with other platforms. (Source: ASD Network)
22 Aug 11. Vietnam on Aug. 22 received the second of two Russian-made guided-missile frigates, local media reported, boosting its naval firepower amid maritime tensions with China. The Gepard-class frigate – which an analyst called Vietnam’s most modern warship – arrived at Cam Ranh port on the country’s south-central coast, reports said. (Source: Defense News)
AIR
17 Aug 11. Northrop Grumman Corporation marked the completion of the 50th center fuselage for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter during a ceremony at the company’s Palmdale Manufacturing Center. Company officials praised employees for delivering the center fuselages on time and on budget – achieving a significant milestone early in the program while maintaining high standards of performance and affordability.
“Completing the 50th F-35 center fuselage is something to be proud of; it’s a sign of a team that