19 Jun 15. The United States has sued a Texas-based subsidiary of global defense giant BAE Systems Inc. for overcharging the U.S. Army in its contract to build 20,000 military trucks, the Department of Justice said on Friday. BAE Systems Tactical Vehicle Systems LP is accused of inflating the cost of materials during contract negotiations, the department said. “The conduct alleged in this complaint is akin to charging $600 for a hammer,” said U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade of the Eastern District of Michigan, one of the prosecutors in the case. (Source: Reuters)
18 Jun 15. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that Peter Cook will serve as Pentagon press secretary and his principal spokesman. Cook most recently worked as Bloomberg TV’s chief Washington correspondent and has had a journalism career with a focus on business and government. His previous media experience includes reporting from the Pentagon for NBC News and MSNBC, as well as Washington bureau chief for EnergyNewsLive. Cook also spent 10 years in local television as a reporter and anchor. He is a graduate of Duke University and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. (Source: US DoD)
18 Jun 15. NAVSEA starts search for over-the-horizon weapon for new frigate. The US Navy (USN) has taken its first step on the road to acquiring a non-developmental over-the-horizon (OTH) weapon system to meet the requirements of its Frigate (FF) modified Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) programme. Releasing a request for information (RfI) to industry on 15 June 2015, the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS) has called for information from interested potential qualified sources for the “design, development, test and evaluation, and manufacture of an over-the-horizon missile system capability to defeat surface threats”. Developed at the direction of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the FF seaframe is a modified LCS with improved lethality and survivability. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
18 Jun 15. Lockheed sees potential MEADS buyers all across Europe. NATO countries that for decades never thought they would have to defend their borders are now weighing investments in new weapons to deter and thwart attacks. Amid a growing sense of insecurity, countries are looking to beef up their antiaircraft and antimissile systems, which could be a boon for Lockheed Martin as it seeks new buyers for MEADS. The medium extended air defense system is a multinational program with Germany and Italy. MEADS International, part of Lockheed Martin Corp., is the U.S. prime contractor. For Lockheed, the pressure is on to sign up customers as its 10-year $3.4bn contract ended in December and the company is absorbing all program costs until a new deal is signed with Germany. The German government announced this month it would buy the system and a contract will be negotiated in the coming months. The deal with Germany, Lockheed believes, is just the beginning of a broader effort to recruit more European nations into the MEADS program. Potential buyers include countries that either have no regional air and missile shields or those that currently own Raytheon-made Patriot missile defense batteries and might consider switching to MEADS. “Germany’s was an incredibly significant decision for us,” said Marty Coyne, MEADS business development manager at Lockheed Martin. “What is significant is that they extended an open invitation to the rest of Europe to come join them.” (Source: glstrade.com/National Defense)
18 Jun 15. GE Jet Sets Record; Will F-35 Get New AETD Engine?
Pratt & Whitney has refused to disclose the price of its F135 engines for the F-35 for quite a while, even while Lockheed Martin boasted it would bring down the price of the Joint Strike Fighter to $80m a copy — including engine. Now we know why. At a Monday briefing here, the head of Pratt’s F135 program, Mark Buongiorno, told reporters the company didn’t want to release