04 Dec 04. The Associated Press reported Friday that European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. said it would be willing to share the controversial, multi-billion deal to provide 100 air-to-air fueling tankers. The contract had been awarded to Boeing, then was stripped and set for a rebid after it was learned that Boeing received special treatment from a Pentagon worker it later hired. EADS Chief Executive Noel Forgeard said last month that the company was interested in seeking a partner in a U.S. defense group if the U.S. decided to reopen the bid to supply the tankers, according to the Financial Times. Boeing was to have supplied the Air Force with converted 767 models. But the U.S. canceled that pact after the eruption of the hiring scandal involving Boeing and a former government procurement official, Darleen Druyun, erupted.

26 Nov 04. Venezuela intends to acquire a large consignment of Russian helicopters next year, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said after talks with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.”I am confident the supply of fine Russian helicopters to Venezuela will begin next year,” Chavez said. “I would like to go up in one myself and then invite you along for a ride,” he told the Russian president. Chavez said Venezuela also intends to acquire a large consignment of Russian sub-machine-guns. “We are interested in acquiring a large consignment of weapons for antitank and air defence,” he said. He said “Venezuela is not going to invade any other territories”. “We are modernizing and strengthening our armed forces in the face of any aggression. We are talking about the delivery of 100,000 Russian sub-machine-guns,” the president said. (Source: FT/ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in Russian 1532 gmt 26 Nov 04 © BBC Monitoring)

26 Nov 04. French electronics group Thomson announced that it acquired the Internet video business of European aeronautics group EADS for an undisclosed sum. Thomson said that the new business will be merged into its telecoms division, as part of its plan to become an industry leader in the supply of integrated systems for telecoms operators, with an emphasis on internet products and solutions. (Source: FT, Abstracted from Les Echos)

01 Dec 04. Rheinmetall Defence Electronics GmbH and Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. and have formed a groundbreaking alliance to market a family of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the U.S. government. Teledyne Brown will adapt Rheinmetall’s proven UAV system to provide the U.S. with reliable, superior and flexible UAV systems designed for real-time reconnaissance and surveillance as well as armed reconnaissance. Under the lead of Teledyne Brown, Prospector is the premier system being developed for the American market on the basis of the German UAV system KZO. It is a multipurpose reconnaissance system that requires no runway for launch, allows for changeable payloads in the field and provides high precision navigation and targeting. A second system, Thunder, bases on the UCAV system TAIFUN of Rheinmetall Defence Electronics and provides the ability to oversee the battlefield, identify targets and engage targets with weapons on board.

30 Nov 04. L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. on Tuesday said it agreed to buy the propulsion systems unit of General Dynamics Corp. for $185 million cash. The business is based in Muskegon, Mich., and is expected to add about $155m to L-3’s sales in 2005 and be accretive to results of operations. The deal is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2005. Propulsion Systems engineers, designs and makes engines, transmissions, suspension and turret drive systems for combat vehicles — including both tracked and wheeled vehicles, including Abrams tank components.

29 Nov 04 BAE Systems North America recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with MiKES, Inc., Ankara, Turkey, for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The agreement, signed in September, with MiKES (Mikrodalga Elektronic Sistemler Sanayi ve