DTN News: Lockheed Martin Awarded Apache M-TADS/PNVS Performance Based Logistics Follow-On Contract

DTN News: Lockheed Martin Awarded Apache M-TADS/PNVS Performance Based Logistics Follow-On Contract *Source: DTN News / Lockheed Martin (NSI News Source Info) ORLANDO, FL, - February 25, 2010: The U.S. Army awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] a follow-on Performance Based Logistics (PBL) contract to support the Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (TADS/PNVS) and Modernized TADS/PNVS (M-TADS/PNVS) systems on the AH-64 Apache helicopter. The contract has a potential value of $90 million for 2010. This is the third option for the original PBL contract, awarded in early 2007. The contract established a system of continuous improvements supporting the AH-64 Apache TADS/PNVS and M-TADS/PNVS systems that will benefit the program throughout the lifecycle. The PBL contract provides complete post-production supply chain management, including spares planning, procurement, repairs, maintenance, modifications and inventory management of fielded systems. The combined value of the initial contract and first two options was $283.4 million. The program recently received an overall “Outstanding” Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System rating by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command.“The success of the PBL contract is the result of a strong partnership between the Warfighter, the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command and Lockheed Martin,” said Dave Belvin, director of Apache M-TADS/PNVS and Support Programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “By working together, we have significantly improved supply chain management and controlled costs.” PBL is a strategy for system product support that employs an integrated, affordable performance package designed to optimize system readiness. The program saves operating and support costs by the prime contractor assuming a major role in supporting the system. As part of Lockheed Martin’s centralized logistics management, components requiring repair or modification are expedited directly back to a repair center. This direct link significantly reduces the length of the supply pipeline and enables the U.S. Army to receive spare parts more quickly and efficiently. Lockheed Martin’s PBL supply management reduces operation and support cost burdens, providing funds for continuing system modernization and reliability improvements. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command has credited the Apache M-TADS/PNVS PBL program with improving fleet readiness and requisition fill rates as well as reducing the U.S. Army’s life cycle cost. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2009 sales of $45.2 billion.

DTN News: Multi-Beam Antenna Integrated With First Mobile User Objective System Satellite Built By Lockheed Martin

DTN News: Multi-Beam Antenna Integrated With First Mobile User Objective System Satellite Built By Lockheed Martin *Source: DTN News / Lockheed Martin (NSI News Source Info) SUNNYVALE, Calif., - February 25, 2010: Employees at Lockheed Martin's facilities in Sunnyvale, Calif., inspect the first Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite following the successful integration of the Multi Beam Antenna (MBA) with the spacecraft system module and core structure. Preparations are now underway to begin environmental testing of the fully integrated satellite, which will provide assured communications, including simultaneous voice, video and data, for mobile warfighters. The first MUOS satellite, along with the associated ground system, are scheduled for on-orbit hand-over to the Navy in 2011. (Photo Credit: Lockheed Martin)

DTN News: Boeing's ZA004 Joins 787 Flight-Test Program

DTN News: Boeing's ZA004 Joins 787 Flight-Test Program *Source: DTN News / Boeing (NSI News Source Info) EVERETT, Wash., - February 25, 2010: A third airplane has joined the Boeing (NYSE: BA) 787 Dreamliner flight-test program. ZA004, the fourth flight-test airplane to be built,(Feb. 24) took off at 11:43 a.m. local time from Paine Field in Everett, Wash. The program plan called for ZA004 to fly before ZA003 because the data ZA004 is collecting is needed more quickly both for certification and development of the 787-9. Captains Heather Ross and Craig Bomben completed a three-hour-and-two-minute flight at 2:45 p.m., landing at Boeing Field in Seattle. Flight-test personnel were also on board to monitor airplane performance. "Airplane No. 4 operated flawlessly today," Ross said after landing. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us but I can't imagine a better start to the flight test program for this airplane." Ross will serve as chief pilot for ZA004. This airplane will be used to accomplish the following types of tests: aerodynamics, high-speed performance, propulsion performance, flight loads, community noise and extended operations (ETOPS) and other test conditions. During today's flight, the airplane reached an altitude of 30,000 feet (9,144 m) and an airspeed of 255 knots, or about 293 miles (472 km) per hour. As the testing of the 787 fleet progresses, the airplane will fly at its expected in-service maximum altitude of 40,000 feet (12,192 m) and speed of Mach 0.85. "We are continuing to make good progress on the flight test program," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The team is staying focused and disciplined in keeping the priority on safety and execution of the plan."

DTN News: Boeing Statement On Release of US Air Force KC-X Tanker Final Request For Proposal

DTN News: Boeing Statement On Release of US Air Force KC-X Tanker Final Request For Proposal *Source: DTN News / Boeing (NSI News Source Info) ARLINGTON, Va., - February 25, 2010: The Boeing Company today received the final Request for Proposal (RFP) document for the U.S. Air Force KC-X Tanker competition, and released the following statement from Jean Chamberlin, vice president and general manager, Boeing USAF Tanker Program: "Boeing has begun the process of closely studying the details of the KC-X Tanker final RFP. Today's release of the final RFP is an important milestone for our Air Force customer. The U.S. Air Force (USAF) ran a procurement program to replace around 100 of their oldest KC-135E Stratotankers, i.e., initially excluding the more common updated KC-135R variant. EADS offered the A330 MRTT. The Boeing KC-767 was selected in 2002, but the USAF cancelled the KC-767 order when the deal became embroiled in a political controversy due to the nature of the lease agreement. In 2006, the USAF released a request for proposal (RFP) for a new tanker aircraft, to be selected by 2007, which was updated in January 2007, to the KC-X RFP, one of three acquisition programs that are intended to replace the entire KC-135 fleet. The Airbus A330 MRTT was proposed again by EADS and Northrop Grumman as the KC-30. It again competed against the Boeing KC-767, which is a smaller aircraft (holds about 20 percent less fuel), less cargo, but is also cheaper. The Air Force announced on February 29, 2008, that the KC-30 was chosen as the KC-135 replacement, and will be designated the KC-45A. On June 18, 2008, the United States Government Accountability Office sustained a protest by The Boeing Company on the award of the contract to Northrop Grumman and EADS. The status of the KC-45A is in doubt and the Air Force may have to rebid the contract, potentially reversing their earlier decision. On 10 September 2008, bidding was canceled. A new competition between the KC-45 and KC-767 (or possibly the KC-777, a Boeing 777 derivative which had been considered previously) will be opened sometime in 2009. Not only does it mean that the KC-X competition can proceed, it also is a strong signal that America is moving forward on replacing its air refueling capability -- a critical enabler for projecting power and protecting this nation. "We've said consistently that it is up to the Air Force to determine the KC-X requirements for a new generation of tankers. It's our responsibility to respond to those requirements. While we appreciated the open dialogue with the Air Force throughout this process, we are disappointed that the RFP does not address some of our key concerns, including Airbus' unfair competitive advantage derived from subsidies from its sponsor European governments -- subsidies that the World Trade Organization has found to be illegal and harmful to U.S. workers and industry -- and how fuel and military-construction costs over the life of the tankers will be factored into consideration of the competing bids. We will review the RFP in its entirety and in detail before offering further assessment."

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY February 25, 2010 ~ Afghan Wounded Tell Of More Left Behind In Marjah

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY February 25, 2010 ~ Afghan Wounded Tell Of More Left Behind In Marjah *Source: DTN News / By Kathy Gannon The Associated Press (NSI News Source Info) LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan - February 25, 2010: Taxis turned into ambulances ferry wounded civilians out of the combat zone in southern Afghanistan, but one man's long trip to a hospital began with a two-hour wheelbarrow ride. An Afghan man recuperate from his injuries an Italian charitable hospital in Lashkar Gah, Helmend province, southern Afghanistan, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010. At the whitewashed Italian-run Emergency Hospital in Helmand's dusty provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, most of the civilian wounded recuperating from the Marjah battlefield said their injuries were caused by "the foreign soldiers," a claim that could hurt U.S. efforts to win Afghan hearts and minds. Mohammad's legs were peppered with shrapnel when a bomb exploded nearby. His brother found him unconscious and lifted him into the only thing he could find, pushing him in the wheelbarrow before he flagged a taxi. Mohammad, who is from the Nad Ali district around Marjah, is one of 40 civilians treated at Emergency Hospital in Lashkar Gah since the Afghan-NATO offensive in Marjah began on Feb. 13. Both of his legs were in casts. Steel pins protruded from his right leg. Most of the wounded civilians recuperating at the whitewashed Italian-run hospital said their injuries were caused by "the foreign soldiers" - a claim that does not bode well for international and Afghan forces who are trying to get residents to renounce the Taliban and embrace the Afghan government. Bernard Metraux, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Helmand province, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that as many as 40,000 people trapped by fighting in and around Marjah have little to no access to medical care. During a medevac mission, U.S. Army flight medic Sgt. Bryan Eickelberg, of Arden Hills, Minn. , center, and Crew Chief Sgt. Robert Wengeler, of Spokane Wash. , left, both of Task Force Pegasus, provide emergency medical care to an unidentified injured Afghan National Army soldier, while airborne over Helmand province, Afghanistan, Wednesday Feb. 24, 2010. Pegasus crews provide the fast medical evacuation of those wounded in Marjah, as U.S. and Afghan troops take part in an assault on Taliban strongholds. Others unidentified. The taxi-ambulance transport strategy took several rounds of painstaking negotiations with all sides in the conflict including Taliban fighters, who at times helped navigate the wounded through minefields to get them to medical care, he said. The taxis managed to transport about 30 wounded to Lashkar Gah, 20 miles (30 kilometers) northeast of Marjah. "All the taxi drivers can access some areas, but we could only evacuate a very small number," Metraux said in the dusty provincial capital.

He added that about 400 families from the area fled to Lashkar Gah before the fighting began, while another 300 families went to neighboring Nimroz province. If they return, they'll face explosives that militants have hidden in compounds and doorways. Metraux said an accurate toll of civilians killed or wounded in military assault will not be known until health officials can move freely in the area. Pinning down a toll will be difficult in an area where the line between civilian and Taliban is a murky one. For many of those interviewed by The AP, the Taliban who are fighting coalition forces are villagers, underscoring the dilemma international forces face trying to rout the Afghan government's armed opposition. "There is no difference between Taliban and the civilian people. The Taliban are the rural people. They are our people," said Musa Jan, who arrived a week ago from Marjah. He spoke to the AP outside a makeshift warehouse in Lashkar Gah where the government was distributing essentials to war victims. Jan and 25 members of his family escaped the fighting by piling into a three-taxi convoy.

"The fight was continuing when we were trying to get out," said Jan, who said he paid about $35 for each of the three taxis. "That was all our money, and now we have to come here and beg." Jan said his neighbors house was bombed by an aircraft, killing five occupants inside, including children. On the hospital lawn, three wounded civilians took turns explaining how their injuries were caused by either aircraft bombardments or shooting from "foreign soldiers." They didn't know the nationalities of the soldiers, and it was not clear how they identified them as foreign. Sayed Lal said he was going to his home when he was hit. "They shot me. They came at night. They were foreigners," he said. "I was outside in the field with a friend." Lal's legs were covered with a thin white shawl. He fidgeted with his black beard as he told of three other villagers he claimed had been injured. Twenty-two-year-old Assadullah, sporting a closely cropped beard, said he was on his motorcycle when "Americans fired at me." "I don't know why they shot at me," said Assadullah whose arm was shattered by bullets. "I didn't even know they were there." Abdul Hamid, 12, said a raid conducted by a party of "foreign soldiers" opened fire outside his house. "I was in front of my house, and they were running and shooting," the boy said. "I tried to get back into my house, but they shot me in the leg, and there were more bullets, and they shot me again in my belly. Near me some other people fell into a canal. Then they called a plane and they bombarded." Hamid said that afterward, the troops said one person outside the house was a Taliban fighter. "He wasn't," the boy said. "He was a civilian."

Sultan Mohammed who fled last Friday from Marjah said he had to walk for several hours before a motorcyclist gave him a lift. He said the Taliban fled when the soldiers came to his area. "But who are the Taliban? They are the rural people," he said. Mohammed said residents had not had problems from the Taliban - that they brought security to the area. "We were not unhappy with the Taliban," he said. "The government didn't do anything for us. Before the government didn't help us."

DTN News: Iran TODAY February 25, 2010 ~ Iran's Jamaran Destroyer Heads To Open Seas On First Mission

DTN News: Iran TODAY February 25, 2010 ~ Iran's Jamaran Destroyer Heads To Open Seas On First Mission *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) TEHRAN, Iran - February 25, 2010: Iran's first indigenous-made destroyer, Jamaran, left local waters Sunday morning in southern Iran for open seas on its first mission two days after being launched in a ceremony attended by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.A hovercraft passes by Iran's first domestically made destroyer Jamaran on the southern shores of Iran in the Persian Gulf during inauguration manoeuvres February 21, 2010.

The helicopter-carrying destroyer was designed and manufactured by experts of the Army's naval force.According to Brigadier General Fariborz Qader-Panah, Jamaran is to protect national interests and security both inside and outside the Iranian waters.

The ship is also capable of safeguarding security of all vessels crossing the strategic waterway of the Persian Gulf and the Hormuz Straight, said the commander of Army's first naval zone.

According to Iran's Constitution, navy forces are allowed to carry out patrolling missions and monitor movements of all military units inside and outside the region.

Iran has announced that building of the destroyer was aimed at safeguarding security of the Persian Gulf region.Launching the Jamaran Destroyer, placed Iran among the world's 14 countries which are capable of manufacturing and designing destroyers and cruisers.

DTN News: Iran Capable Of Manufacturing S-300 Defense Missiles ~ MP

DTN News: Iran Capable Of Manufacturing S-300 Defense Missiles ~ MP *Source: Tehran Times Political Desk (NSI News Source Info) TEHRAN, Iran - February 25, 2010: A senior MP said on Wednesday that Iran will manufacture the S-300 air defense missile system itself, if Russia does not honor its commitment to deliver the system to Tehran. “With the capability we have, if Russians do not give us S-300, we ourselves will manufacture it (the system),” Alaedding Boroujerdi, the chairman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told the Mehr News Agency. It is in Russia’s interests to deliver the system to Iran, he reiterated.

Russia signed a contract in 2007 to sell the S-300 missile system, but it has not delivered the missiles so far.

The S-300 system, which can track targets and fire at aircraft 120 kilometers (75 miles) away, features high jamming immunity and is able to simultaneously engage up to 100 targets.

The truck-mounted S-300PMU1, known in the West as the SA-20, can shoot down cruise missiles and aircraft. It can fire at targets up to 150 km (90 miles) away and travel at more than two km per second.

Iran 's status regarding the S-300 system remains controversial. They seem to have acquired an unknown number of S-300PMU-1 missiles in 1993, maybe even 300 recently from Belarus. Iran claimed to have signed a contract with Russia on 25 December 2007 on the sales of the S-300PMU-2 missile system. Russian officials have denied this. According to senior Israeli defence sources Iran is to receive S-300s by 2009, deliveries will take place from September until begin 2009. It has also been claimed that Croatia sold their S-300s to Iran. Later, another claim was made saying Libya transferred S-300s to Iran. On December 21, according to a senior Iranian lawmaker, Russia has started the supply of components for S-300 air defense systems to Iran. Esmaeil Kosari, deputy chairman of the parliamentary commission on national security and foreign policy, told the Iranian news agency IRNA that Iran and Russia had held negotiations for several years on the purchase of S-300 air defense systems and had finalized a deal. Kosari said the Islamic Republic would deploy S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to strengthen national defense on border areas. On 28 October 2009, When asked when Russia would deliver the systems to Iran, Ivanov said: "There have been no such deliveries to date." Yet on 23 December 2009, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin said Russia sees no reason to cancel a deal to provide S-300s to Iran. He said "

"Exports of such weapons is subject to no UN treaty or other bilateral agreements, This is why we see no essential reason to make any change in the deal," indicating that there is a deal. On 8 February 2010, Iran announced that it had a "domestically-made" system with the same capabilities as the S-300. Elsewhere in his remarks, Boroujerdi pointed to a recent report by the International Atomic Energy Agency director in which Iran was asked to present its missile capabilities documents to the IAEA, saying Iran’s missile capabilities “are none of the agency’s concern”.

The top diplomat asked, “Where was the agency (IAEA)” when the Iraqi regime under Saddam Hussein targeted Iranian cities by missiles provided to Saddam by arrogant powers.

And “where were the other international bodies, and what measures did they take” that now the IAEA is asking Iran to give information about its missiles.

The senior lawmaker said Iran is making serious efforts to promote its missile capabilities since maintaining the country’s sovereignty and improving its defense system is highly important.

Disclaimer statement

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein, DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions expressed herein are those of the author of the page and do not necessarily represent the corporate views of DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News.

DTN News: General Aviation ~ A Reminder Of Vulnerability

DTN News: General Aviation ~ A Reminder Of Vulnerability *Source: By Scott Stewart STRATFOR (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 25, 2010: On Feb. 18, 2010, Joseph Andrew Stack flew his single-engine airplane into a seven-story office building in northwest Austin, Texas. The building housed an office of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), along with several other tenants. According to a statement he posted to the Internet before taking off on his suicide flight, Stack intentionally targeted the IRS due to a long history of problems he had had with the agency. In the statement, Stack said he hoped that his action would cause “American zombies to wake up and revolt” against the government. Stack also expressed his hope that his message of violence would be one the government could not ignore. Stack’s use of violence to attempt to foster an uprising against the government and to alter government policy means that his attack against the IRS building was an act of domestic terrorism. (Terrorism is defined by the intent of the actor, not the effectiveness of the attack, a topic we will discuss in more detail at another time.) While Stack’s terrorist attack ultimately will fail to attain either of his stated goals, he did succeed in killing himself and one victim and injuring some 13 other people. The fire resulting from the crash also caused extensive damage to the building. We have received credible reports that Stack had removed some of the seats from his aircraft and loaded a drum of aviation fuel inside the passenger compartment of his plane. This extra fuel may account for the extensive fire damage at the scene. According to STRATFOR analysts present at the scene, it appears that Stack’s plane struck the concrete slab between floors. Had the aircraft not struck the slab head-on, it may have been able to penetrate the building more deeply, and this deeper penetration could have resulted in even more damage and a higher casualty count. For many years now, STRATFOR has discussed the security vulnerability posed by general aviation and cargo aircraft. Stack’s attack against the IRS building using his private plane provides a vivid reminder of this vulnerability. Framing the Threat As we have previously noted, jihadists, including al Qaeda’s central core, have long had a fixation on attacks involving aircraft. This focus on aviation-related attacks includes not only attacks designed to take down passenger aircraft, like Operation Bojinka, the 2001 shoe bomb plot and the Heathrow liquid explosives plot, but also attacks that use aircraft as weapons, as evidenced by the 9/11 strikes and in the thwarted Library Tower plot, among others — aircraft as human-guided cruise missiles, if you will. These aviation-focused plots are not just something from the past, or something confined just to the al Qaeda core leadership. The Christmas Day attempt to destroy Northwest Airlines Flight 253 demonstrated that the threat is current, and that at least some al Qaeda franchise groups (al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, in this case) are also interested in aviation-focused plots. Jihadists are not the only ones interested. Over the past several decades, a number of other actors have also conducted attacks against aviation-related targets, including such diverse actors as Palestinian, Lebanese, Japanese and Sikh militant groups, Colombian cartels, and the Libyan and North Korean intelligence services. Stack and people like Theodore Kaczynski, the “Unabomber,” demonstrate that domestic terrorists can also view aviation as a target and a weapon. (UNABOM is an FBI acronym that stood for university and airline bomber, the targets Kaczynski initially focused on.) The long history of airline hijackings and attacks has resulted in increased screening of airline passengers and an increase in the security measures afforded to the commercial aviation sector. These security measures have largely been reactive, and in spite of them, serious gaps in airline security persist. Now, while some security vulnerabilities do exist, it is our belief that any future plans involving aircraft as weapons will be less likely to incorporate highly fueled commercial airliners, like those used on 9/11. In addition to newer federal security measures, such as expansion of the air marshal program, hardened cockpits and programs to allow pilots to carry firearms, there has also been a substantial psychological shift among airline crews and the traveling public. As Flight 93 demonstrated on Sept. 11, 2001, the new “let’s roll” mentality of passengers and aircrews will make it more difficult for malefactors to gain control of a passenger aircraft without a fight. Before 9/11, crews (and even law enforcement officers traveling while armed) were taught to comply with hijackers’ demands and not to openly confront them. The expectation was that a hijacked aircraft and passengers would be held hostage, not used as a weapon killing all aboard. The do-not-resist paradigm is long gone, and most attacks involving aircraft since 9/11 have focused on destroying aircraft in flight rather than on commandeering aircraft for use as weapons. Paradigm Shift This change in the security paradigm has altered the ability of jihadists and other militants to plan certain types of terrorist attacks, but that is just one half of the repetitive cycle. As security measures change, those planning attacks come up with new and innovative ways to counter the changes, whether they involve physical security measures or security procedures. Then when the new attack methods are revealed, security adjusts accordingly. For example, the shoe bomb attempt resulted in the screening of footwear. AQAP shifted the attack paradigm by concealing explosives in an operative’s underwear. In the case of planners wanting to use aircraft as human-guided cruise missiles, one way the attack paradigm can be shifted is by turning their efforts away from passenger aircraft toward general aviation and cargo aircraft. Most security upgrades in the aviation security realm have been focused on commercial air travel. While some general aviation terminals (referred to as FBOs, short for fixed base operators) have increased security in the post 9/11 world, like the Signature FBO at Boston’s Logan Airport, which has walk-through metal detectors for crews and passengers and uses X-ray machines to screen luggage, many FBOs have very little security. Some smaller airports like the one used by Stack have little or no staffing at all, and pilots and visitors can come and go as they please. There are no security checks and the pilot only has to make a radio call before taking off. This difference in FBO security stems from the fact that FBOs are owned by a wide variety of operators. Some are owned by private for-profit companies, while others are run by a city or county authority and some are even operated by the state government. The bottom line is that it is very easy for someone who is a pilot to show up at an airport and rent an aircraft. All he or she has to do is fill out a few forms, present a license and logbook and go for a check ride. Mohamed Atta, the commander of the 9/11 operation, was a pilot, and one of the great mysteries after his death was the reason behind some of his general aviation activity. It is known that he rented small aircraft in cities like Miami and Atlanta, but it is not known what he did while aloft in them. It is possible that he was just honing his skills as a pilot, but there are concerns that he may also have been conducting aerial surveillance of potential targets. But general aviation doesn’t just encompass small, single-engine airplanes like the ones owned by Stack and rented by Atta. Anyone with the money can charter a private passenger aircraft from a company such as NetJets or Flexjet, or even a private cargo aircraft. The size of these aircraft can vary from small Learjets to large Boeing Business Jets (a modified 737) and 747 cargo aircraft. In many places it is even possible for passengers to board a charter flight with no security checks of themselves or their baggage. In such a scenario, it would not be difficult for individuals such as Atta and his colleagues to take control of an aircraft from the crew — especially if the crew is unarmed. As seen on 9/11, or even in the Stack case, there is very little that can be done to stop an airplane flown by a suicidal pilot. The North American Aerospace Defense Command launched two F-16 fighters in response to the Stack incident, but they were not dispatched until after the incident was over. Only in the case where there is restricted airspace that is constantly patrolled is there much hope of military aircraft responding in time to stop such an attack. The 1994 incident in which an unemployed Maryland truck driver crashed a stolen Cessna into the South Lawn of the White House highlighted how there is very little that can be done to protect a building from this type of threat — and the level of security at the White House in 1994 was far greater than the security afforded to almost any other building today. The difficulty of protecting buildings from aerial attack demonstrates the need to secure aircraft so they cannot be used in such a manner. The bottom line, however, is that it would be prohibitively expensive to totally lock down all airports and aircraft nationwide in an effort to prevent them from being used in attacks like the one conducted by Stack. In the face of this reality, the best that can be hoped for is to keep the largest (and therefore most destructive) aircraft safe from this sort of misuse. There is currently no one authority, like the Transportation Safety Commission, that controls security at all the small airports and FBOs. In the absence of any policy or regulations tightening the security at these facilities and requiring the screening of charter aircraft passengers, the best defense against the threat posed by this vulnerability will be to educate those in the FBO and charter aircraft business and encourage them to exercise a heightened state of situational awareness. This report may be forwarded or republished on your website with attribution to http://www.stratfor.com/ Disclaimer statement Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein, DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions expressed herein are those of the author of the page and do not necessarily represent the corporate views of DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News.

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated February 24, 2010

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated February 24, 2010 *Source: U.S. DoD issued February 24, 2010 (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - February 25, 2010: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued February 24, 2010 are undermentioned; CONTRACTS

NAVY ~SunEdison*, Beltsville, Md. (N62583-10-D-0326);

~AECOM Energy/Solar Power Partners, Inc.*, Mill Valley, Calif. (N62583-10-D-0327);

~Chevron Energy Solutions Co., a division of Chevron U.S.A., Inc., Eagan, Minn. (N62583-10-D-0328);

~SunPower Corp., Richmond, Calif. (N62583-10-D-0329); and

~SunDurance Energy, LLC*,South Plainfield, N.J. (N62583-10-D-0330) are each being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, fixed-price multiple award contract for the purchase of renewable electrical power through power purchase agreements at Naval and Marine Corps installations in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest area of responsibility (AOR). The dollar value for all five contracts combined is $100,000,000. The work to be performed provides for the generation of electric power from renewable power systems that are constructed, owned, operated and maintained by the contractor on government property located within the installation boundaries. The government will procure the power through power purchase agreements. The contract also includes four unexercised options which, if exercised, would increase the cumulative contract value to $200,000,000. Work will be performed at various federal sites within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR including California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. The contract ordering period will be for a base year plus up to four option years, with an expected completion date of February 2015. Task orders issued under the contract are contemplated to be for a period of up to 30 years pursuant to the statutory authority of 10 U.S. Code 2922a. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online Web site, with 12 proposals received. These five contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Specialty Center Acquisitions, Port Hueneme, Calif., is the contracting activity. ~3 Phoenix Inc.*, Fairfax, Va., is being awarded an $11,949,880 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-6274) to exercise an option to provide engineering services to support software development, procurement of commercial off-the-shelf products, and hardware/software integration to improve technology in support of U.S. Navy Open Architecture and Network Centric Operations and Warfare systems for USS Virginia class submarine and other submarine/surface ship systems. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Va. (35 percent); Wake Forest, N.C. (35 percent); and Hanover, Md. (30 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. ~Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure, San Diego, Calif. (N62473-10-D-0807);

~Innovative Technical Solutions, Inc.*, Walnut Creek, Calif. (N62473-10-D-0808);

~Tetra Tech EC, Inc., San Diego, Calif. (N62473-10-D-0809);

~Integrated Solutions for Remediation, JV, Walnut Creek, Calif. (N62473-10-D-0810); and

~Cabrera-Insight, JV*,Hartford, Conn. (N62473-10-D-0811) are each being awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity environmental multiple award contract for environmental remediation services of radiological contaminants at various locations within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest and Atlantic areas of responsibility and other Department of Defense (DOD) locations nationwide. The maximum dollar value, including the base period and four option years, for all five contracts combined is $250,000,000. Work under these contracts will be performed in California (80 percent); Alaska (2 percent); Arizona (2 percent); Colorado (2 percent); Nevada (2 percent); New Mexico (2 percent); Oregon (2 percent); Utah (2 percent); Washington (2 percent); and other DOD locations (4 percent). The term of the contracts is not to exceed five years, with an expected completion date of February 2015. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online Web site, with five proposals received. These five contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity. ~Coastal Marine Services, National City, Calif., is being awarded a maximum ceiling $14,150,000 firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity single-award contract to provide hullboard and insulation lagging services onboard Navy ships and other government vessels within a 50-mile radius of San Diego. The contractor shall provide all personnel, management, administrative and production services, material, tools, equipment, and required support to accomplish hullboard and insulation services. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by February 2011. Contract funds in the amount of $3,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Federal Business Opportunities, with six proposals solicited and three offers received. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N55236-10-D-0012).

~Tabet Manufacturing Co.*, Norfolk Va., is being awarded $8,334,176 for delivery order #0001 under previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (M67854-10-D-2211) to purchase fabricated mount and cable assemblies required for Dismounted Data Automated Communication Terminal radio interoperability and Mounted Refresh Computer/Blue Force Tracker platform integration for the amphibious assault vehicle. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., and is expected to be completed by February 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity. ~Alliant Techsystems, Inc., ATK Tactical Propulsion and Controls, Allegany Ballistics Laborator, Rocket Center, W.Va., is being awarded a $7,299,424 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for research and development efforts for solid rocket propulsion technology in support of the High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile Program. Work will be performed in Keyser, W. Va. (85 percent), and China Lake, Calif. (15 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2014. Contract funds in the amount of $900,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via broad agency announcement and four offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, Calif., is the contracting activity (N68936-10-C-0012). ARMY ~AMTEC Corp., Janesville, Wis., was awarded a $33,676,800 firm-fixed-price contract for 40mm grenade family systems contract for fiscal 2010 through 2014. Work is to be performed in Janesville, Wis., with an estimated completion date of September 2014. Bids were solicited on the Web with two bids received. Rock Island Contracting Center, Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-10-C-0013). ~DSE, Inc., Tampa, Fla., was awarded a $22,466,802 firm-fixed-price contract for 40mm grenade family systems contract for fiscal 2010 through 2014. Work is to be performed in Tampa, Fla., with an estimated completion date of September 2014. Bids were solicited on the Web with two bids received. Rock Island Contracting Center, Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-10-C-0014). ~Raytheon Southeast Asia Systems Co., Andover, Mass., was awarded a $6,860,000 firm-fixed-price contract for technical assistance for the United Arab Emirates for the Hawk program. Work is to be performed in the United Arab Emirates, with an estimated completion date of February 2012. One bid was solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-10-C-0177). ~GM GDLS Defense Group, LLC, JV, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded an $8,705,525 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to acquire additional Stryker retrofit level of effort manhours, material/other direct cost and travel. Work is to be performed in Sterling Heights, Mich. (1 percent); Shelby Township, Mich. (1 percent); Auburn, Wash. (72 percent); Bremerhaven, Germany, (10 percent); Vilseck, Germany (15 percent); and Qatar (1 percent), with an estimated completion date of March 2011. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Tank Automotive & Armament Command, SFAE-GCS-BCT-P, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-07-D-M112). ~W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Co., Philadelphia, Miss., was awarded a $10,934,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the construction of an Army Forces Reserve Center in El Dorado, Ark. Work is to be performed in El Dorado, Ark., with an estimated completion date of August 2011. Bids were solicited on the Web with nine bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Louisville, Ky., is the contracting activity (W912QR-10-C-0035). U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND ~American Auto Logistics, LP, Park Ridge, N.J., is being awarded a $6,000,000 firm-fixed-price modification to add additional funds to a previously awarded contract (DAMT01-03-D-0184) to provide continuing services for the transportation and storage of privately owned vehicles. Work will be performed at worldwide locations and is expected to be completed by October 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is the contracting activity. *Small business

DTN News: BAE Systems Receives $90.6 Million Order For Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Special Operations Vehicles

DTN News: BAE Systems Receives $90.6 Million Order For Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Special Operations Vehicles *Source: DTN News / BAE Systems (NSI News Source Info) YORK, Pennsylvania - February 24, 2010: BAE Systems has received a delivery order from the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command worth up to $90.6 million to provide 58 U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. The U.S. SOCOM vehicle is one of several MRAP variants based on the RG33 family of vehicles. "These vehicles have been in service with our forces in Iraq providing survivability against improvised explosive devices (IEDs), medium machine gun or small arms fire and mine blast protection," said Mark Signorelli, vice president and general manager of New Vehicles and Amphibious Systems for BAE Systems. "The entire RG33 team is proud to be able to provide these highly survivable vehicles to support our troops." Work on the delivery order will be performed by the existing workforce and will begin immediately at BAE Systems facilities in York, Pennsylvania and Aiken, South Carolina; with assistance from Letterkenny Army Depot (LEAD) and Spartan Motors Chassis' facility in Charlotte, Michigan. Under a Public/Private Partnership Agreement, BAE Systems will work with LEAD to deliver the vehicles. Vehicle hull production will occur at BAE Systems' York, Pennsylvania facility while final assembly, integration, and test will occur at the depot in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in September 2010 and run through December 2010. About BAE Systems BAE Systems is a global defense, security and aerospace company with approximately 107,000 employees worldwide. The Company delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. In 2009 BAE Systems reported sales of £22.4 billion (US$ 36.2 billion).

DTN News: BAE Systems Awarded $74 Million Contract To Buy Parts In Preparation For Bradley Reset

DTN News: BAE Systems Awarded $74 Million Contract To Buy Parts In Preparation For Bradley Reset *Source: DTN News / BAE Systems (NSI News Source Info) YORK, Pennsylvania - February 24, 2010: BAE Systems was awarded a contract for $74 million by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Command, Life Cycle Management Command to purchase long-lead items in preparation for the reset of 101 Bradley Operation Desert Storm Situational Awareness (ODS SA) vehicles. Under this contract, BAE Systems will procure 101 kits of 43 long-lead items and additional parts for the reset of Bradley ODS SA vehicles. The company will use the acquired items in restoring the Bradley's to pre-combat condition and upgrading them to the improved situational awareness capability. "The restoration of the Bradley sustains its life and provides a reliable and efficient vehicle for our war fighters as they complete their missions," said Joe McCarthy, vice president and general manager of the Heavy Brigade Combat Team System for BAE Systems. "The procurement of these essential parts will help to ensure that we provide the best possible modernized vehicle to our customer." Bradley Combat Systems continues to provide outstanding survivability, mobility and lethality to U.S. soldiers in close-combat urban situations as well as in open-combat. The Bradley fulfills five critical mission roles - infantry fighting vehicle, cavalry fighting vehicle, fire support vehicle, battle command vehicle and engineer squad vehicle - for the Army's Heavy Brigade Combat Team. BAE Systems manufactures Bradley Combat Systems, which are part of the U.S. Combat Systems line of business. U.S. Combat Systems is a modern, efficient, full-spectrum developer, integrator and supplier of survivable, lethal ground and naval combat platforms. U.S. Combat Systems is a main supplier to the U.S. Army's Heavy Brigade Combat Team, an integral developer of mine-protected and future combat vehicles, and a top producer of naval guns and missile launchers. About BAE Systems BAE Systems is a global defense, security and aerospace company with approximately 107,000 employees worldwide. The Company delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. In 2009 BAE Systems reported sales of £22.4 billion (US$ 36.2 billion).

DTN News: Oshkosh Defense Unveils New Vehicles At AUSA Winter 2010

DTN News: Oshkosh Defense Unveils New Vehicles At AUSA Winter 2010 *Source: DTN News / Oshkosh Corporation

(NSI News Source Info) OSHKOSH, Wis. - February 24, 2010: Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK), is displaying two new tactical wheeled vehicles in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., today through Friday (Feb. 24-26) at the annual Association of United States Army (AUSA) Winter Symposium and Exposition. Two new variants of the MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) are making their debut at the event, as is – for the first time in the Oshkosh booth – an Oshkosh truck from the U.S. Army’s Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV). “This AUSA event is a great opportunity for Oshkosh Defense to demonstrate our support for the U.S. Army and showcase our newest offerings to military personnel across all ranks,” said Andy Hove, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Defense. “The face-to-face conversations taking place at this show allow us to gather important feedback and information, which we use to continually improve our military vehicles.” The new utility and ambulance M-ATV variants on display at AUSA offer new capabilities and mission profiles while maintaining the durable, best-in-class mobility and superior crew protection of the original M-ATV offering. Utility and ambulance M-ATVs were developed to allow military operations to provide critical casualty care and resupply services in unforgiving landscapes where tactical missions must operate. The M-ATV has provided superior off-road mobility for harsh mountainous terrain and unimproved road networks in places like Afghanistan. To date, the company has received orders valued at more than $4.74 billion to supply 8,079 M-ATVs, spare parts kits and in-theater aftermarket support. Oshkosh also is displaying a vehicle from the company’s newest truck fleet, the Army’s FMTV. The Army awarded Oshkosh with the FTMV competitive rebuy contract on Aug. 26, 2009, which was sustained by the Army on Feb. 12 following a GAO directed review. The FMTV is a series of vehicles consisting of up to 23 variants and 17 different models, ranging from 2.5-ton to 5-ton payloads. Oshkosh now has a five-year, firm fixed-price requirements contract for the production of up to 23,000 vehicles and trailers, as well as support services and engineering. Oshkosh is currently working on an initial FMTV delivery order valued at $280.9 million for the production and delivery of 2,568 trucks and trailers. Oshkosh already produces the Army’s Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles (FHTV). Additionally a custom-painted, Army-themed Harley Davidson® Fat Boy® motorcycle, one of two grand prizes in the “Rumble With a Cause” sweepstakes benefiting the Armed Forces Foundation (AFF), will be on display at the Oshkosh booth. With the support of Oshkosh, the AFF launched the Rumble With a Cause sweepstakes in October 2009. AFF employees will be on site at AUSA to collect donations and sweepstakes entries. The campaign has a goal of raising $150,000 for AFF to aid delivery of a wide range of assistance and services to active and retired military members and their families, including counseling, living expenses, funeral arrangements, housing improvements and career counseling. The sweepstakes closes on April 15. Entries may also be made online at www.rumblewithacause.org. NO DONATION OR PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER. Individuals will receive one entry for each $10 donation made up to a total of $200 or 20 entries. All rules, including instructions for entry without donation and eligibility requirements, are on the sweepstakes Web site. Photo Caption: Oshkosh Defense developed utility and ambulance M-ATVs were to allow military operations to provide critical casualty care and resupply services in unforgiving landscapes where tactical missions must operate. About Oshkosh Defense

Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, is an industry-leading global designer and manufacturer of tactical military trucks and armored wheeled vehicles, delivering a full product line of conventional and hybrid vehicles, advanced armor options, proprietary suspensions and vehicles with payloads that can exceed 70 tons. Oshkosh Defense provides a global service and supply network including full life-cycle support and remanufacturing, and its vehicles are recognized the world over for superior performance, reliability and protection. For more information, visit www.oshkoshdefense.com. About Oshkosh Corporation

Oshkosh Corporation is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty access equipment, commercial, fire & emergency and military vehicles and vehicle bodies. Oshkosh Corp. manufactures, distributes and services products under the brands of Oshkosh®, JLG®, Pierce®, McNeilus®, Medtec®, Jerr-Dan®, Oshkosh Specialty Vehicles, Frontline™, SMIT™, CON-E-CO®, London® and IMT®. Oshkosh products are valued worldwide in businesses where high quality, superior performance, rugged reliability and long-term value are paramount. For more information, log on to www.oshkoshcorporation.com. ®, ™ All brand names referred to in this news release are trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies.