Thursday, March 25, 2010

DTN News: Russia To Help Vietnam Build Submarine Base

DTN News: Russia To Help Vietnam Build Submarine Base Source: DTN News / Associated Press (NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia- March 26, 2010: Russia will help Vietnam build a submarine base and provide other military assistance, the Russian defense minister said Thursday. Russian news agencies quoted Anatoly Serdyukov as saying that Vietnam needs the base for the six diesel-electric submarines it has ordered from Russia. Serdyukov, who visited Vietnam earlier this week, said that the country also wants Russia to help build a ship repair yard that could service visiting Russian navy ships. Vietnam would also need rescue and auxiliary vessels and planes for naval aviation, but has asked for a loan to help finance the deals, he said. The Soviet Union provided Vietnam with billions of dollars in economic and military aid during the Cold War, but ties unraveled after the Soviet collapse. In 2003, Russia withdrew from a Soviet-era naval base in Cam Ranh Bay, saying it wants to save money on maintenance costs. Serdyukov said Thursday that the issue of the base hadn't been discussed during his trip. Military cooperation between Moscow and Hanoi has increased in recent years, with Vietnam again becoming a top customer of Russian weapons industries. The RIA Novosti news agency quoted Serdyukov as saying that Vietnam has signed contracts worth $4.5 billion for the purchase of Russian weapons in 2008-2009. In addition to the six submarines, Hanoi has ordered frigates, missile boats and Su-30 fighter jets. The big purchases come amid tensions between Vietnam and China over the Spratly and Paracel islands in the South China Sea.

DTN News: U.S. Looks To Export Drone Technology To Allies

DTN News: U.S. Looks To Export Drone Technology To Allies
* International pact limits exports of drone technology * U.S. has so far only sold drones to UK, Italy-Gates * Terrorists top concerns over spread of drone technology Source: DTN News / Reuters By Phil Stewart (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, - March 26, 2010: Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday he hoped to export coveted U.S. drone technology to allies, despite legal hurdles, and played down the threat from rival drone programs in nations like Iran. Gates, testifying at a Senate hearing, said it was in the U.S. interest to try to help friendly nations get drone technology, despite limitations on exports imposed by an international pact. "There are other countries that are very interested in this capability and frankly it is, in my view, in our interest to see what we can do to accommodate them," Gates said. The drones have proven to be a crucial technological advantage for the U.S. military in Afghanistan and Iraq, allowing it to remotely track and kill insurgents and giving troops eyes-in-the-sky battleground imagery in real time. The CIA has used drones armed with missiles to ramp up its covert campaign to kill al Qaeda and Taliban targets in Pakistan. "The reality is so far we have been in situations where (drone) technology cannot be used, or has not been used against our troops anywhere," Gates said. But that might not remain the case, he said. He cited Iran, which he has said is providing limited support to Afghan insurgents, and which is developing unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs. "Iran has UAVs and that is a concern because it is one of those areas where I suppose if they chose to, in both Iraq and Afghanistan, they could create difficulties for us," Gates said. Still, he called UAVs "relatively slow flyers" that could be neutralized by the Air Force if they threatened U.S. forces. "I actually think our ability to protect our troops from these things particularly in a theater of combat like this is actually quite good," he said. Militant groups, as opposed to other countries, were a bigger concern when it came to the spread of drone technology. "My worry would be capabilities like this getting into the hands of non-state actors who could use them for terrorist purposes," Gates said. PENT-UP DEMAND The U.S. aerospace industry estimated in December that U.S. military demand for unmanned aircraft would double over the next five years after rising 600 percent since 2004. It is also hoping for growth abroad. The industry wants to change the Missile Technology Control Regime, or MTCR, a pact among at least 34 countries aimed at curbing the spread of unmanned delivery systems that could be used for weapons of mass destruction. Gates said he shared concerns of lawmakers about the spread of the technology to adversaries and "about these capabilities getting into the hands of those who are our adversaries." But he also said the United States had only sold UAVs to Italy and Britain so far. "With respect to export ... I think there are some specific cases where we have allies with whom we have formal treaty alliances who have expressed interest in these capabilities," he said. "And we have told them that we are limited in what we can do by the MTCR, but I think it's something we need to pursue with them." Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk, which provides surveillance capabilities, has drawn interest from countries including South Korea, Japan and Singapore as well as Britain, Spain and Canada, a company spokeswoman said in December. Washington announced plans to give Pakistan surveillance drones but Islamabad also wants shoot-and-kill drones, like the Predator, which may be armed with Hellfire missiles. (Editing by Eric Beech)

DTN News: Lockheed Martin And ATK Announce 2nd Generation Athena Launch Vehicles

DTN News: Lockheed Martin And ATK Announce 2nd Generation Athena Launch Vehicles Source: DTN News / Lockheed Martin (NSI News Source Info) DENVER, - March 26, 2010: Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT - News) and Alliant Techsystems (NYSE:ATK - News), have entered into a strategic teaming agreement to offer launch services utilizing upgraded and modernized Athena rockets. These vehicles, based on the flight-proven Athena I and II, are designed to provide reliable access to space for small payloads to a wide range of orbits. Lockheed Martin will provide mission management, payload integration, and launch operations, and ATK will provide integrated vehicle propulsion, launch vehicle structures, booster integration and launch site operations. The two-stage Athena Ic and three-stage Athena IIc launch vehicles incorporate the new CASTOR® 30 upper stage motor and upgrades to electronic systems. Athena is available for launches beginning in 2012, with a payload lift capability that supports a variety of customer mission requirements including NASA, the Department of Defense and other space markets. "The Athena launch vehicle family offers low-risk, reliable launch services at an affordable price," said John Karas, Vice President and General Manager, Human Space Flight, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. "Athena combines both companies' heritage and expertise in launch systems, and makes key system upgrades to provide an enhanced product, skill set and performance capabilities to meet market needs." Athena can carry payloads up to 3,775 pounds (1,712 kg) to low Earth orbit as well as missions to the moon. Utilizing a large 92-inch diameter payload fairing, the vehicle accommodates a wide range of satellites and missions. The rockets can be launched from multiple locations including Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Kodiak Launch Complex, Vandenberg Air Force Base and NASA Wallops Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. "The new Athena family will fill an industry need for lift capability in this payload range," said Scott Lehr, Vice President and General Manager, Strategic and Commercial Systems, ATK Aerospace Systems. "There is a growing need for responsive launch capabilities to serve the Department of Defense, NASA and other customer requirements." First-generation Athena I and II rockets became operational in 1995 and have flown seven times. Athena II launched the Lunar Prospector to the moon in 1998 and remains the only commercially developed launch vehicle to fly a lunar mission. These second-generation Athena launch vehicles use the same flight-proven ATK CASTOR 120® for Stage I and Stage II. The modernized launch vehicles benefit from the latest technology of a newly-developed and ground-tested CASTOR® 30 for their upper stage, and Lockheed Martin's modernized electronic systems. Both solid rocket motors are in production and are being used on other launch vehicles in the industry. About Lockheed Martin 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. News and information about Lockheed Martin can be found at http://www.lockheedmartin.com/ About ATK ATK is a premier aerospace and defense company with more than 18,000 employees in 22 states, Puerto Rico and internationally, and revenues of approximately $4.8 billion. News and information can be found on the Internet at http://www.atk.com/.

DTN News: U.S. Army Awards Northrop Grumman Lightweight Laser Designator Rangefinders Delivery Order Valued At $142.7 Million

DTN News: U.S. Army Awards Northrop Grumman Lightweight Laser Designator Rangefinders Delivery Order Valued At $142.7 Million Source: DTN News / Northrop Grumman (NSI News Source Info) APOPKA, Fla., - March 26, 2010: Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has received a delivery order award from the U.S. Army valued at $142.7 million to provide over 500 Lightweight Laser Designator Rangefinders (LLDR) under a five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract. Northrop Grumman's LLDR accurately targets enemy positions during the day, at night and in nearly all battlefield conditions including haze, smoke, fog and rain. It provides a unique capability to forward observers and air controllers, and enables commanders to see the enemy and decide how to act with confidence. Using an eye-safe laser wavelength, the system recognizes targets, finds the range to a target, and fixes target locations for laser-guided, GPS-guided, and conventional munitions. This lightweight, interoperable system uniquely provides range finding and targeting information to other digital battlefield systems. Northrop Grumman's Laser Systems business unit has delivered and fielded more than 1,300 LLDR systems to U.S. military forces supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. "The LLDR system has proven itself to be of tremendous benefit to our nation's warfighters," said Gordon Stewart, Northrop Grumman's Laser Systems vice president and general manager. "At Northrop Grumman, we recognize and appreciate the need to consistently deliver high quality solutions to our customers that meet their specified mission requirements, while remaining on cost and on schedule. The LLDR is but one example of the company's commitment to our customers." This marks the second delivery order award to Northrop Grumman under an ID/IQ contract from the Army that has a not-to-exceed value of $599 million. The first delivery order award was issued in Oct. 2009 and was valued at $72.7 million. Northrop Grumman Laser Systems is one of the world's leading manufacturers of military Electro-Optical (EO) targeting systems. These include ground-based (man portable, handheld, and vehicle mounted) EO imaging/ranging systems for target location, laser designators/markers for precise guidance of smart munitions, and airborne laser rangefinders and designators fielded onboard many of the world's most sophisticated manned and unmanned aircraft. Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.

DTN News: Northrop Grumman Awarded U.S. Army Joint Fires Training Contract

DTN News: Northrop Grumman Awarded U.S. Army Joint Fires Training Contract Source: DTN News / Northrop Grumman (NSI News Source Info) HERNDON, Va., - March 26, 2010: Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - News), as part of a team, has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army to provide training development, instruction and analysis to artillery observers and electronic warfare specialists at the Joint Fires Center of Excellence (COE) in Fort Sill, Okla. Northrop Grumman Technical Services is a subcontractor to Potawatomi Training LLC, Oklahoma City, for the program. The Joint Fires COE contract is an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with a potential value of more than $250 million over five years. The Joint Fires COE provides training to all the military services emphasizing planning, coordinating and executing fires support in a joint operations environment. Northrop Grumman will provide training, training development and training analysis for joint fires courses at the COE. "The Northrop Grumman team is mission-driven and dedicated to the success of the Joint Fires Center of Excellence," said Stephen Mitchell, program manager for the contract. "Northrop Grumman's performance culture ensures that we incorporate the latest proven tactics, techniques and procedures into the planning and execution of world-class training to our warfighters." Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated March 25, 2010

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated March 25, 2010 Source: U.S. DoD issued March 25, 2010 (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - March 26, 2010: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued March 25, 2010 are undermentioned; CONTRACTS
NAVY ~Raytheon Co., Space and Airborne Systems, Goleta, Calif., is being awarded an $89,489,433 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-priced contract (N00019-09-C-0052) to exercise an option for the procurement of 96 Lot 12 full-rate production AN/ALR-67(V)3 radar warning receivers for the Navy (68) and the governments of Switzerland (25) and Australia (three), including supplies and services. The AN/ALR-67A(V)3, which is installed on the F/A-18E/F aircraft, provides accurate identification, lethality, and azimuth displays of hostile and friendly emitters. Work will be performed in Goleta, Calif. (41 percent); Lansdale, Pa. (18 percent); Forest, Miss. (12 percent); Chatsworth, Calif. (11 percent); San Diego, Calif. (10 percent); Sydney, Australia (4 percent); Milwaukie, Ore. (2 percent); and McKinney, Texas (2 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($65,435,236; 73 percent), and the governments of Switzerland ($20,221,477; 23 percent) and Australia ($3,832,750; 4 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. ~ERAPSCO, Inc., Columbia City, Ind., is being awarded a $59,993,918 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for 7,096 AN/SSQ-36B sonobuoys; 48,749 AN/SSQ-53F sonobuoys; and 14,449 AN/SSQ-62E sonobuoys in support of Navy antisubmarine forces for the mission of detection, classification, and localization of adversary submarines during peacetime and combat operations. Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, Fla. (52 percent), and Columbia City, Ind. (48 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2012. Contract funds in the amount of $192,293 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured by a limited source Lowest Price Technically Acceptable competition with three firms solicited and one offer received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00421-10-D-0011). ~AeroAstro, Inc., Ashburn, Va., is being awarded a $37,923,746 cost-plus-fixed-fee completion contract for the purchase of a highly-capable, low-jitter, high-accuracy spacecraft bus to support the Joint Milliarcsecond Pathfinder Survey mission. This bus will be designed, built, and tested by AeroAstro, and will use the spacecraft conceptual design that was developed as part of the enhancement of the Small Business Innovative Research Phase II effort. This contract contains an option which. if exercised, will bring the contract value to $42,110,248. Work will be performed in Ashburn, Va., and work is expected to be completed March 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a competitive award under the SBIR Phase III award authorized under 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(5). Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N000173-10-C-2012). ~Martin-Baker Aircraft Co., Ltd., Middlesex, England, is being awarded an $18,188,511 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-07-C-0011) to exercise an option for 71 Navy aircrew common ejection seats for the Navy, including production support services. In addition, this option provides for the procurement of associated hardware, equipment, and technical data for the governments of Canada, Australia, and Kuwait. Work will be performed in Middlesex, England (50 percent), and Johnstown, Pa. (50 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps ($17,819,662; 98 percent), and the governments of Australia ($169,839; .93 percent), Canada ($103,549; .56 percent), and Kuwait ($95,461; .52 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. ~Team Logistics JV, Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $17,357,014 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00421-01-D-0239) to exercise an option for 433,937 hours of maintenance planning and design interface and management support services for the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md.; the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md. and the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J. These services include evaluating initial designs and proposed design changes, maintenance planning, and sustaining maintenance plans. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md. (90 percent), and Lakehurst, N.J. (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. ~General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Inc., Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $12,417,483 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-5396) for the exercise of a cost-plus-fixed-fee option for fiscal 2010 engineering services in support of the Surface Electronic Warfare program (SEWIP) Block 1B and firm-fixed-price options for fiscal 2010 SEWIP Block 1B1 production units and spares as well as Block 1B2 production units, modification kits, and spares. The SEWIP Block 1 provides enhanced electronic warfare capabilities to existing ship combat systems to improve anti-ship missile defense, counter-targeting and counter-surveillance capabilities, and improved battlefield situational awareness. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Va. (65 percent), and Annapolis Junction, Md. (35 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2012. 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. ~Serco Inc., Reston, Va., is being awarded an $11,366,107 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for support for the Hazardous Materials Control and Management program. This contract includes three one-year option periods which, if exercised, bring the total value of the contract to $84,741,244. Work will be performed in various locations inside and outside the continental United States, and is expected to be completed by September 2013. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through Navy Electronic Commerce Online Web site, with two offers received. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk, Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (N00140-10-D-Z029). ~Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded a $10,964,857 cost-reimbursement delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00421-05-G-0001) for Phase 1.5 of the E-2C aircraft alternate core open architecture program. Phase 1.5 of this program will improve the core capability of the existing mission computer (MC) that enables fast platform integration and risk reduction by reuse of existing MC components. Work will be performed in Bethpage, N.Y., and is expected to be completed in July 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. ~Utah State University Research Foundation, Logan, Utah, is being awarded a $9,999,998 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for design, development, testing, and fielding of future surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting systems for aircraft and ship operation and performance. Work will be performed in Logan, Utah (95 percent), and China Lake, Calif. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to the FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, Calif., is the contracting activity (N68936-10-D-0017). ~L-3 Services, Inc., Mount Laurel, N.J., is being awarded a $9,177,283 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-priced, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract (N00421-09-D-0009) to exercise an option for technical and engineering services in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s Structures Division (AIR-4.3). Work will be performed in Lexington Park, Md., and is expected to be completed in March 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. ~Science Applications International Corp., San Diego, is being awarded an $8,989,380 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Technical Assistance for Repairables Processing services. This contract includes a one-year base period and four one-year option periods which, if exercised, bring the total value of the contract to $47,008,054. Work will be performed in San Diego (24 percent); Philadelphia, Pa. (5 percent); Mechanicsburg, Pa. (5 percent); and various locations inside and outside the continental United States (66 percent). Work is to be completed by March 2011. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through the Navy Electronic Commerce Online Web site, with one offer received. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk, Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (N00189-10-D-Z010). ~EG&G Technical Services, Inc., Germantown, Md., is being awarded $6,464,576 for task order #0092 under previously awarded contract (M67854-02-A-9011). The scope of this effort is to provide on-going technical, programmatic, and logistics support for the Marine Corps Systems Command, Armor and Fire Support Systems, Fire Support Systems (FSS) program office. Current FSS programs include the expeditionary fire support system (EFSS); the precision extended range munitions for EFSS; the high mobility artillery rocket system; the common laser rangefinder; the true north module; the portable lightweight designator rangefinder; the thermal laser spot imager; the modeled meteorological information manager; the ground counter fire sensor; and several other legacy systems. The scope of requirements includes providing support to the FSS program management office as well as supporting the three FSS sub-teams (weapons team, target acquisition team, and the program support team) and supporting the Internally Transportable Vehicle program’s fielding efforts. Work will be performed in Marine Corps Command organizations at Quantico, Va., and is expected to be completed in April 2011. Contract funds in the amount of $3,185,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE ~General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., Poway, Calif., was awarded a $26,568,121 contract which will provide for the design and development of cockpit/human machine interfaces to build the foundation for ground control station flexibility and growth through an open, modular software approach. At this time, $19,736,066 has been obligated. 703 AESG/SYK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-05-G-3028). ~United Launch Services, Littleton, Colo., was awarded an $18,377,691 contract which will support the Department of Defense’s assured access to space efforts by implementing fiscal 2010 project improvement-ordnance box and fiscal 2010 fleet standardization-metallic LOX skirt capability improvement projects under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Launch capabilities contract. At this time, $959,219 has been obligated. SMC/LR, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA8816-06-C-0002). ~Jacobs Technology, Inc., Tullahoma, Tenn., was awarded a $9,718,603 contract which will provide one year of contractor support for design, construction, reconfiguration, modification, test operations, and maintenance of experimental and support facilities used to perform research and development of rocket propulsion, space systems, and their components under the research operations support services contract. At this time, $4,192,135 has been obligated. 703 AFFTC/PK, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., is the contracting activity (F04611-99-C-0003 P00134). ~Calspan Corp., Buffalo, N.Y., was awarded an $8,805,257 contract which will provide the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School variable stability aircraft support. At this time, no money has been obligated. AFFTC/PKEW, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA9302-10-D-0001). ~Lockheed Martin Corp., Marietta, Ga., was awarded a $7,143,419 contract which will provide C-5 Avionics Modernization Program Lot VII components for one lot of C-5 avionics program kits, one lot of C-5 aircrew training device kits, one lot of readiness spares packages, and one lot of peacetime operating spares. At this time, $7,143,419 has been obligated. 703 AESG/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (F33657-98-C-0006). ~Wyle Laboratories, Inc., Huntsville, Ala., was awarded a $6,698,562 contract which will provide support for a reliability information analysis center for research, test, and development, and deliver life-cycle cost estimates, alternatives analysis, requirements analysis, costs estimate methodology matrices, engineering performance analysis, and final baseline life cycle cost estimate performance studies. At this time, $244,000 has been obligated. 55 CONS/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (HC1047-05-D-4005). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY ~Data Link Solutions, LLC, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded a maximum $5,689,722 firm-fixed-price, sole-source contract for F-15 aircraft fighter data link system spare parts and installs. Other location of performance is in New York. Using services are Foreign Military Sales for Singapore, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is June 30, 2011. The Defense Logistics Agency, Warner Robins, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (SPRWA1-10-C-0010).

DTN News: Boeing Completes CF-18 Hornet Modernization Project For Canada

DTN News: Boeing Completes CF-18 Hornet Modernization Project For Canada Source: DTN News / Boeing (NSI News Source Info) ST. LOUIS, - March 26, 2010: The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] Mar. 25., yesterday delivered the 79th -- and final -- upgraded CF-18 Hornet aircraft to the Canadian Department of National Defence during a ceremony in Mirabel, Quebec, hosted by industry partner L-3 Communications MAS, who performed final upgrade installations. The delivery brings the nine-year, two-phased CF-18 Modernization Project to a close. Phase 1 of the project, completed in 2006, upgraded the Canadian Hornet fleet’s avionics, radar, radio and weapons capabilities. Phase 2 provided the following improvements: ~a data link system to ensure Canadian forces are interoperable with aircraft from the United States and other allied nations ~the Boeing Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System to improve weapons targeting ~new color cockpit displays to increase situational awareness ~an upgraded, chaff-and-flare dispensing electronic warfare system to improve survivability. Phase 1 was valued at US$436 million and Phase 2 at $150 million. Boeing designed the upgrades and completed two prototype aircraft. L-3 Electronic Systems, with locations in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Toronto, developed and produced the upgraded crew station displays. L-3 Communications MAS installed the upgrades on the program’s remaining 77 aircraft. "Boeing’s upgrades to Canada’s CF-18 fleet will ensure that this fighter force will remain effective and operationally credible for many years to come," said Jim O’Neill, vice president and general manager, Boeing Integrated Logistics. "Nearly 30 years after the delivery of the first CF-18 Hornet, Canada’s defense forces are better equipped than ever, with more capability and a fully modernized fleet, due to the innovative upgrades designed and installed by Boeing and our partner, L-3 Communications MAS.""Across all four regions of Canada, Boeing worked with more than 25 Canadian suppliers and organizations through direct and indirect work packages that were an integral part of Boeing’s Industrial and Regional Benefits program for CF-18 modernization," said Pete Peterson, country director and vice president in Canada for Boeing Defense, Space & Security. "All technical program milestones were completed on schedule and within budget, and we completed industrial and regional benefits commitments early, making this a truly successful program." Boeing has been a major contributor to the Canadian economy since 1919, generating approximately $1 billion in business annually. The company employs highly skilled workers in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia in support of its commercial and defense business units. Canada also is home to one of Boeing’s largest international supplier bases, with more than 200 suppliers in every region of the country, providing a diverse mix of high-value goods and services to Boeing and its customers. A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world’s largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.

DTN News: Was Iron Dome Defense System Actually Built For Singapore?

DTN News: Was Iron Dome Defense System Actually Built For Singapore? Source: DTN News / By Yossi Melman Haaretz Israel (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 26, 2010: A Paris-based online magazine covering intelligence and security issues this week called Singapore one of the most important customers of Israel's defense industry, laying bare the active, though secret, relationship between Israel and Singapore that began more than 40 years ago - a statement that comes after years in which Israel censored all local articles on the subject. Intelligence Online, which is published in English on a bimonthly basis, states that the Southeast Asian island state helped finance the Iron Dome system designed by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to intercept short-range missiles and rockets, in exchange for which it is supposed to receive several Iron Dome systems to deploy on its territory. Even more interesting is the possibility the article raises that Iron Dome was designed first and foremost for the benefit of Singapore - not for the protection of Sderot and the southern communities in Israel that suffered from Qassam rocket attacks and mortar fire for seven years and are still suffering (though Iron Dome is not capable of intercepting mortar shells). Israeli media have previously hinted at this, but the Defense Ministry has vehemently denied it. The suspicions were bolstered by the fact that after the system was developed and one battery had been deployed as an Israel Defense Forces base, it turned out that the Defense Ministry had no budget for additional batteries. In that case, why was there a need to develop a system for which there is no budget and which the IDF does not intend to deploy?
According to Intelligence Online, which focuses on arms transactions between countries and corporations and on appointments of intelligence personnel and their clandestine activity, the Iron Dome transaction is the latest between Israel and Singapore.
The Web site, whose articles are available only to paid subscribers, has thousands of readers, including Israelis. Iron Dome, which its developers said was tested successfully a few months ago, as Israeli media have previously reported, cost roughly $250 million to develop.
One battery, whose production cost is about $50 million, has already been deployed at a base in the south of the country, but so far has not been readied for operational purposes and has not yet been activated. The anti-aircraft division of the Israel Air Force, which is responsible for operating Iron Dome, is training teams at a base in the north.
They will be operating the system in Israel, with the aim of intercepting Qassam and Katyusha rockets up to a distance of 40 kilometers. Vulcan-Phalanx: cheaper and more accessible Intelligence Online also repeats an argument published in recent years in Israel to the effect that if the Defense Ministry had really wanted to protect the residents of the south quickly and cheaply, it could have acquired a cheaper and more accessible defense system than Iron Dome: the batteries of the Vulcan-Phalanx cannon system manufactured by Raytheon.
The land-based version of the batteries, called Centurion, are deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq, where they are used to protect American and NATO forces. Although Defense Minister Ehud Barak has told Haaretz several times that Israel will acquire the Vulcan-Phalanx system, that has yet to happen.
In other words, the Defense Ministry may have given Rafael a development budget as a way of positioning the project as an Israeli military system that is ostensibly being used by the IDF but is really aimed at improving Israel's chances of selling it to Singapore and other countries.
Small country, hostile population The cooperation between Israel and Singapore rests on the two small countries' shared sense of being under threat, since both are surrounded by a hostile Muslim population and want advanced weapons systems to maintain a qualitative advantage over their neighbors.
The Intelligence Online article argues that the fight against fundamentalist Islamic terror over the past decade has increased the cooperation between the two countries, as well as their sense of a shared destiny.
In recent years, Singapore has confronted threats by Jemaah Islamiyah, a terrorist group that operates in Southeast Asia. The island state, a neighbor of Indonesia and Malaysia, has arrested dozens of the group's operatives and exposed plans to attack the Israeli, American and Australian embassies, along with ships from those countries.
One of Singapore's main sources of income is the Port of Singapore, which claims to be the busiest port in the world.
According to the article, immediately after Singapore declared its independence in 1965 it asked Israel to help it establish an army. IDF officers including Rehavam Ze'evi (who became a right-wing cabinet member assassinated in 2001) and Benjamin Ben-Eliezer (now the industry, trade and labor minister) were sent to Singapore to head large delegations of military advisers, and helped build the army on the model of the IDF.
Israeli military representatives have been active since then at the Israeli Embassy in Singapore, which was opened in 1969. One of the issues the IDF representatives deal with is promoting large arms deals.
Transactions mentioned in the article include Singapore's purchase of Barak surface-to-air missiles manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries and Israel's upgrading of fighter planes belonging to Singapore's air force.
In addition, Rafael supplied drones for naval missions and Israel's Elbit Systems supplied its Hermes drone. Intelligence Online also says there is naval cooperation between the two countries, and notes that the commander of Israel's navy, Admiral Eli Marom, had previously represented Israel in Singapore.
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: Aggressive Plans ~ Navy To Acquire Fighter Planes, Submarines

DTN News: Aggressive Plans ~ Navy To Acquire Fighter Planes, Submarines Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI, India - March 25, 2010: Indian Navy plans to take up aggressive acquisition programmes in aviation including induction of fighter planes and multi-role helicopters for its fleet, its Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma has said. "We are acquiring our ships, aircraft and submarines in accordance with the Navy's current Maritime Capability Perspective Plan. There are presently 40 ships and submarines on order," Verma said. He said in addition, Navy has aggressive acquisition programmes in aviation including induction of Mig 29K, the acquisition of Boeing P8I MPA aircraft, additional Kamov 31 helicopters and new multi-role helicopters. "We would also by then have our indigenous strategic submarine force fully operationalised," the Chief of Naval Staff said in an interview to recently published 'Manas Defence Year Book'. "The linking of all our platforms through ongoing efforts in data linking will realise the creation of a truly network centric force that is tomorrow ready. In sum by 2020, I see a modern and powerful Navy with a large indigenous component, manned by a highly tech-savvy manpower ready to meet the transformational changes," Verma said.

DTN News: Jihadism And The Importance Of Place

DTN News: Jihadism And The Importance Of Place Source: By Scott Stewart STRATFOR (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 25, 2010: One of the basic tenets of STRATFOR’s analytical model is that place matters. A country’s physical and cultural geography will force the government of that country to confront certain strategic imperatives no matter what form the government takes. For example, Imperial Russia, the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia all have faced the same set of strategic imperatives. Similarly, place can also have a dramatic impact on the formation and operation of a militant group, though obviously not in quite the same way that it affects a government, since militant groups, especially transnational ones, tend to be itinerant and can move from place to place. From the perspective of a militant group, geography is important but there are other critical factors involved in establishing the suitability of a place. While it is useful to have access to wide swaths of rugged terrain that can provide sanctuary such as mountains, jungles or swamps, for a militant group to conduct large-scale operations, the country in which it is based must have a weak central government — or a government that is cooperative or at least willing to turn a blind eye to the group. A sympathetic population is also a critical factor in whether an area can serve as a sanctuary for a militant group. In places without a favorable mixture of these elements, militants tend to operate more like terrorists, in small urban-based cells. For example, although Egypt was one of the ideological cradles of jihadism, jihadist militants have never been able to gain a solid foothold in Egypt (as they have been able to do in Algeria, Yemen and Pakistan). This is because the combination of geography and government are not favorable to them even in areas of the country where there is a sympathetic population. When jihadist organizations have become active in Egypt, the Egyptian government has been able to quickly hunt them down. Having no place to hide, those militants who are not immediately arrested or killed frequently leave the country and end up in places like Sudan, Iraq, Pakistan (and sometimes Jersey City). Over the past three decades, many of these itinerant Egyptian militants, such as Ayman al-Zawahiri, have gone on to play significant roles in the formation and evolution of al Qaeda — a stateless, transnational jihadist organization. Even though al Qaeda and the broader jihadist movement it has sought to foster are transnational, they are still affected by the unique dynamics of place, and it is worth examining how these dynamics will likely affect the movement’s future. The Past The modern iteration of the jihadist phenomenon that resulted in the formation of al Qaeda was spawned in the rugged mountainous area along the Afghan-Pakistani border. This was a remote region not only filled with refugees — and militants from all over the globe — but also awash in weapons, spies, fundamentalist Islamism and intrigue. The area proved ideal for the formation of modern jihadism following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989, but it was soon plunged into Muslim-on-Muslim violence. After the fall of the communist regime in Kabul in 1992, Afghanistan was wracked by near-constant civil war between competing Muslim warlords until the Taliban seized power in 1996. Even then, the Taliban-led government remained at war with the Northern Alliance. In 1992, in the midst of this chaos, al Qaeda began to move many of its people to Sudan, which had taken a heavy Islamist bent following a 1989 coup led by Gen. Omar al-Bashir and heavily influenced by Hasan al-Turabi and his National Islamic Front party. Even during this time, al Qaeda continued operating established training camps in Afghanistan like Khaldan, al Farook and Darunta. The group also maintained its network of Pakistani safe-houses in places like Karachi and Peshawar that it used to direct prospective jihadists from overseas to its training camps in Afghanistan. In many ways, Sudan was a better place for al Qaeda to operate from, since it offered far more access to the outside world than the remote camps in Afghanistan. But the access worked both ways, and the group received far more scrutiny during its time in Sudan than it had during its stay in Afghanistan. In fact, it was during the Sudan years (1992-1996) when many in the counterterrorism world first became conscious of the existence of al Qaeda. Most people outside of the counterterrorism community were not familiar with the group until after the August 1998 East Africa embassy bombings, and it was not really until 9/11 that al Qaeda became a household name. But this notoriety came with a price. Following the June 1995 attempt to assassinate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (an attack linked to Egyptian militants and al Qaeda), the international community — including Egypt and the United States — began to place heavy pressure on the government of Sudan to either control Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda or eject them from the country. In May 1996, bin Laden and company, who were not willing to be controlled, pulled up stakes and headed back to Afghanistan. The timing was propitious for al Qaeda, which was able to find sanctuary in Afghanistan just as the Taliban were preparing for their final push on Kabul, bringing stability to much of the country. While the Taliban were never wildly supportive of bin Laden, they at least tolerated his presence and activities and felt obligated to protect him as their guest under Pashtunwali, the ancient code of the Pashtun people. Al Qaeda also shrewdly had many of its members marry into influential local tribes as an added measure of security. Shortly after returning to Afghanistan, bin Laden felt secure enough to issue his August 1996 declaration of war against the United States. The rugged and remote region of eastern and northeastern Afghanistan, bordered by the Pakistani badlands, provided an ideal area in which to operate. It was also a long way from the ocean and the United States’ ability to project power. While al Qaeda’s stay in Afghanistan was briefly interrupted by a U.S. cruise missile attack in August 1998 following the East Africa embassy bombings, the largely ineffective attack demonstrated the limited reach of the United States, and the group was able to operate pretty much unmolested in Afghanistan until the October 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. During their time in Afghanistan, al Qaeda was able to provide basic military training to tens of thousands of men who passed through its training camps. The camps also provided advanced training in terrorist tradecraft to a smaller number of selected students. The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan radically changed the way the jihadists viewed Afghanistan as a place. U.S. military power was no longer confined to the Indian Ocean; it had now been brought right into the heart of Afghanistan. Instead of a place of refuge and training, Afghanistan once again became a place of active combat, and the training camps in Afghanistan were destroyed or relocated to the Pakistani side of the border. Other jihadist refugees fled Afghanistan for their countries of origin, and still others, like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, left Afghanistan for the badlands of northern Iraq — which, as part of the U.S. no-fly zone, was out the reach of Saddam Hussein, who as a secular leader had little ideological sympathy for the jihadist cause. Pakistan’s rugged and remote Pashtun belt proved a welcoming refuge for jihadists at first, but U.S. airstrikes turned it into a dangerous place, and al Qaeda became fractured and hunted. The group had lost important operational leaders like Mohammed Atef in Afghanistan, and its losses were multiplied in Pakistan, where important figures like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed were captured or killed. Under extreme pressure, the group’s apex leadership went deep underground to stay alive. Following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Iraq became an important place for the jihadist movement. Unlike Afghanistan, which was seen as remote and on the periphery of the Muslim world, Iraq was at its heart. Baghdad had served as the seat of the Islamic empire for some five centuries. The 2003 invasion also fit hand-in-glove with the jihadist narrative, which claimed that the West had declared war on Islam, and thereby provided a serious boost to efforts to raise men and money for the jihadist struggle. Soon foreign jihadists were streaming into Iraq from all over the world, not only from places like Saudi Arabia and Algeria but also from North America and Europe. Indeed, we even saw the core al Qaeda group asking the Iraqi jihadist leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, for financial assistance. One of the things that made Iraq such a welcoming place was the hospitality of the Sunni sheikhs in Iraq’s Sunni Triangle who took in the foreign fighters, sheltered them and essentially used them as a tool. Once the largesse of these tribal leaders dried up, we saw the Anbar Awakening in 2005-2006, and Iraq became a far more hostile place for the foreign jihadists. This local hostility was fanned by the brutality of al-Zarqawi and his recklessness in attacking other Muslims. The nature of the human terrain had changed in the Sunni Triangle, and it became a different place. Al-Zarqawi was killed in June 2006, and the rat lines that had been moving jihadists into Iraq were severely disrupted. While some of the jihadists who had served in Iraq, or who had aspired to travel to Iraq, were forced to go to Pakistan, still others began focusing on places like Algeria and Yemen. Shortly after the Anbar Awakening we saw the formation of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and a revitalization of the jihadists in Yemen, who had been severely weakened by a November 2002 U.S. missile strike and a series of arrests in 2002-2003. Similarly, Somalia also became a destination where foreign jihadists could receive training and fight, especially those of Somali or other African heritage. And this brings us up to today. The rugged borderlands of Pakistan continue to be a focal point for jihadists, but increasing pressure by U.S. airstrikes and Pakistani military operations in places like Bajaur, Swat and South Waziristan have forced many foreign jihadists to leave Pakistan for safer locations. The al Qaeda central leadership continues to lay low, and groups like the Taliban and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have taken over the leadership of the jihadist struggle on the physical battlefield. As long as the ideology of jihadism persists, transnational and itinerant jihadist militants will continue to operate. Where their next geographic center of gravity will be hinges on a number of factors. Geographic Factors When one looks for prime jihadist real estate, one of the first important factors (as in any real estate transaction) is location. Unlike most home buyers, though, jihadists don’t want a home near the metro stop or important commuter arteries. Instead, they want a place that is isolated and relatively free of government authority. That is why Afghanistan, the Pakistani border region, the Sulu Archipelago, the African Sahel and Somalia have all proved to be popular jihadist haunts. A second important factor is human terrain. Like any militant or insurgent group, the jihadists need a local population that is sympathetic to them if they are to operate in numbers larger than small cells. This is especially true if they hope to run operations such as training camps that are hard to conceal. Without local support they would run the risk of being turned in to the authorities or sold out to countries like the United States that may have put large bounties on the heads of key leaders. A conservative Muslim population with a warrior tradition is also a plus, as seen in Pakistan and Yemen. Indeed, Abu Musab al-Suri, a well-known jihadist strategist and so-called “architect of global jihad,” even tried (unsuccessfully) to convince bin Laden in 1989 to relocate to Yemen precisely because of the favorable human terrain there. The importance of human terrain is very evident in the Iraq example described above, in which a change in attitude by the tribal sheikhs rapidly made once welcoming areas into hostile and dangerous places for the foreign jihadists. Iraqi jihadists, who were able to fit in better with the local population, were able to persist in this hostile environment longer than their foreign counterparts. This concept of local support is one of the factors that will limit the ability of Arab jihadists to operate in remote and chaotic places like sub-Saharan Africa or even the rainforests of South America. They are not indigenous like members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or Sendero Luminoso, and differences in religion and culture will impede their efforts to intermarry into powerful tribes as they have done in Pakistan and Yemen. Geography and human terrain are helpful factors, but they are not the exclusive determinants. You can just as easily train militants in an open field as in a dense jungle, so long as you are unmolested by an outside force, and that is why government is so important to place. A weak government that has a lack of political and physical control over an area or a local regime that is either cooperative or at least non-interfering is also important. When we consider government, we need to focus on the ability and will of the government at the local level to fight an influx of jihadism. In several countries, jihadism was allowed to exist and was not countered by the government as long as the jihadists focused their efforts elsewhere. However, the wisdom of pursuing such an approach came into question in the period following 9/11, when jihadist groups in a number of places began conducting active operations in their countries of residence. This occurred in places like Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and even Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, where jihadist groups joined al Qaeda’s call for a global jihad. And this response proved to be very costly for these groups. The attacks they conducted, combined with heavy political pressure from the United States, forced some governments to change the way they viewed the groups and resulted in some governments focusing the full weight of their power to destroy them. This resulted in a dynamic where a group briefly appears, makes a splash with some spectacular attacks, then is dismantled by the local government, often with foreign assistance (from countries like the United States). In some countries, the governments lacked the necessary intelligence-gathering and tactical capabilities, and it has taken a lot of time and effort to build up those capabilities for the counterterrorism struggle. In other places, like Somalia, there has been very little government to build on. Since the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. government has paid a lot of attention to “draining the swamps” where these groups seek refuge and train new recruits. This effort has spanned the globe, from the southern Philippines to Central Asia and from Bangladesh to Mali and Mauritania. And it is paying off in places like Yemen, where some of the special counterterrorism forces are starting to exhibit some self-sufficiency and have begun to make headway against AQAP. If Yemen continues to exhibit the will to go after AQAP, and if the international community continues to enable them to do so, it will be able to follow the examples of Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, countries where the jihadist problem has not been totally eradicated but where the groups are hunted and their tactical capabilities are greatly diminished. This will mean that Yemen will no longer be seen as a jihadist haven and training base. The swamp there will have been mostly drained. Another significant part of this effort will be to reshape the human terrain through ideological measures. These include discrediting jihadism as an ideology, changing the curriculum at madrassas and re-educating militants. With swamps such as Yemen and Pakistan slowly being drained, the obvious question is: Where will the jihadists go next? What will become the next focal point on the physical battlefield? One obvious location is Somalia, but while the government there is a basket case and controls little more than a few neighborhoods in Mogadishu, the environment is not very conducive for Somalia to become the next Pakistan or Yemen. While the human terrain in Somalia is largely made up of conservative Muslims, the tribal divisions and fractured nature of Somali society — the same things that keep the government from being able to develop any sort of cohesion — will also work against al-Shabaab and its jihadist kin. Many of the various tribal chieftains and territorial warlords see the jihadists as a threat to their power and will therefore fight them — or leak intelligence to the United States, enabling it to target jihadists it views as a threat. Arabs and South Asians also tend to stick out in Somalia, which is a predominately black country. Moreover, Somalia, like Yemen, has broad exposure to the sea, allowing the United Stated more or less direct access. Having long shorelines along the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, it is comparatively easy to slip aircraft and even special operations teams into and out of Somalia. With a U.S. base in Djibouti, orbits of unmanned aerial vehicles are also easy to sustain in Somali airspace. The winnowing down of places for jihadists to gather and train in large numbers continues the long process we have been following for many years now. This is the transition of the jihadist threat from one based on al Qaeda the group, or even on its regional franchise groups, to one based more on a wider movement composed of smaller grassroots cells and lone-wolf operatives. Going forward, the fight against jihadism will also have to adapt, because the changes in the threat will force a shift in focus from merely trying to drain the big swamps to mopping up the little pools of jihadists in places like London, Brooklyn, Karachi and even cyberspace. As discussed last week, this fight will present its own set of challenges. This report may be forwarded or republished on your website with attribution to http://www.stratfor.com/ *This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.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 March 24, 2010

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated March 24, 2010 Source: U.S. DoD issued March 24, 2010 (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - March 25, 2010: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued March 24, 2010 are undermentioned; CONTRACTS
AIR FORCE ~Northrop Grumman of San Diego was awarded a $50,000,000 cost plus fixed fee/firm fixed price contract which will provide Global Hawk Enhanced Integrated Sensor suite interim repair capability separate from the productions repair line. It also provides additional specialized test equipment to support the current datalink repair line as well as additional test equipment to support the current integrated mission management controller repair line. At this time no money has been obligated. 560 ACGS/GFKAB is the contracting activity (FA8620-08-G-3005). NAVY ~ITT Corp., Electronic Systems Radar Systems - Van Nuys, Calif., is being awarded a $19,326,594 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-5395) for AN/SPS-48G(V) radar modification kits to support the Recovery Obsolescence Availability Radar (ROAR) used to enhance Launch on Search (LOS) capability aboard U.S. Navy ships. AN/SPS-48’s are radars that are installed on USN ships to enhance capability of missile guidance. The modification kits are expected to increase operational availability and decrease operating and support costs. Work will be performed in Van Nuys, Calif. (63 percent), San Diego (20 percent), and Johnstown, Pa. (17 percent), and is expected to be completed by April 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity. ~Lockheed Martin-MS2, Liverpool, N.Y., is being awarded a $12,184,725 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification under an existing contract (N00024-08-C-6282) to exercise an option for the production and support of Multi Function Towed Arrays (MFTAs) for the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) Combat Systems. The MFTA is the next generation passive and active sonar receiver. It affords several enhancements to the AN/SQR-19 Tactical Towed Array System (TACTAS) allowing greater coverage, increased capability/reliability, and reduced obsolescence. MFTA significantly contributes to the capability of surface ships to detect, localize and prosecute undersea threats and is a critical sensor to a combat systems suite. Work will be performed in Syracuse, N.Y. (60 percent); Baltimore, Md. (20 percent); Cleveland, Ohio (14 percent); and Phoenix, Ariz. (6 percent), and work is expected to be complete by December 2012. 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. ~Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded an $11,764,421 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-07-C-0060) for the procurement of six spare AE1107C engines for the U.S. Air Force CV-22 aircraft. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Ind., and is expected to be completed in December 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity. ~Professional Contract Services, Inc., Austin, Texas, is being awarded an $8,598,299 firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operating services at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP). The work to be performed provides for, but is not limited to, all management, supervision, tools, materials, supplies, labor, and transportation services necessary to perform hospital and clinic housekeeping services; heating ventilating, air conditioning maintenance and repair; water treatment services; automated grease digest systems maintenance; automatic door maintenance and repair; emergency generator maintenance and repair; entrance gates and roving guard services; hospital cart washer repairs; building re-lamping services; hospital medical gas system maintenance and repairs; and hospital firestop inspection and repair at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Va. and its outlying clinics in the Hampton Roads area. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Va. and outlying clinics in the Hampton Roads area and is expected to be complete by September 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is a sole source award to an AbilityOne participating nonprofit agency pursuant to the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act and the Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 8. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid Atlantic is the contracting activity (N40085-10-D-3017). ~Critical Solutions International, Inc., Carrollton, Texas, is being awarded $7,166,816 for firm-fixed-price delivery order #0004 under a previously awarded contract (M67854-09-D-5115) to provide spare parts to the Vehicle Mounted Mine Detectors (VMMD) System. Work will be performed in South Africa, and work is expected to be completed November 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity. ~Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $5,862,927 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-5437) to exercise options for engineering and technical services in support of the MK15 Phalanx Close-In-Weapon System. Phalanx Close-In Weapon System is a fast reaction terminal defense against low and high flying, high-speed maneuvering anti-ship missile threats that have penetrated all other ships’ defenses. The Phalanx Close-In Weapon System is an integral element of the Fleet Defense In-Depth concept and the Ship Self-Defense Program. Operating either autonomously or integrated with a combat system, it is an automatic terminal defense weapon system designed to detect, track, engage, and destroy anti-ship missile threats penetrating other defense envelopes. Phalanx Close-In Weapon System is currently installed on approximately 187 U.S. Navy ships and is in use in 20 foreign navies. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by September 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY ~Government Scientific Source, Reston, Va.*, is being awarded a maximum $15,000,000 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite quantity and indefinite delivery contract for laboratory supplies and wares purchases. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. The original proposal was Web solicited with eight responses. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is exercising the first of four one-year option periods. The date of performance completion is Mar. 26, 2011. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM2DE-09-D-7339). *Veteran Owned Small Business

DTN News: Malaysia Issues RFIs For Fighters And AEW Aircraft

DTN News: Malaysia Issues RFIs For Fighters And AEW Aircraft Source: DTN News / Flight International By Leithen Francis (NSI News Source Info) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - March 25, 2010: Malaysia has issued a request for information for fighters and airborne early warning aircraft, with a view to placing orders in 2011-15. The sudden flurry of activity has occurred because Malaysia's government is now formulating its 10th five-year national plan for the 2011-15 period, say industry sources. Kuala Lumpur wants information on fighters such as the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Lockheed Martin F-16 and Saab Gripen. Russian arms export agency Rosoboronexport has stated publicly that it will offer the Sukhoi Su-30. Malaysia wants to order enough aircraft for one to two squadrons, potentially totalling 36-40 airframes. It is seeking to phase out its older fighters, such as the Northrop F-5, and simplify its fleet. Boeing and Sukhoi are arguably the strongest contenders because Malaysia already operates eight F/A-18Ds, that it ordered in the early 1990s, and 18 Su-30s that it ordered in 2003. Meanwhile, the RFI for two AEW aircraft will bring the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye and Saab Erieye system in contention. The Swedish manufacturer has already been successful in selling one Erieye-equipped Saab 340 to Thailand, in addition to a first batch of six Gripens. The radar has also already been integrated with the Embraer EMB-145 and Saab 2000. Northrop has previously sold E-2Cs to Japan, Singapore and Taiwan. The company is considered unlikely to offer the developmental E-2D for the Malaysian requirement. Even though Malaysia has issued the new RFIs, suppliers have reason to be sceptical about its ability to progress to a contract award, as it has twice launched similar competitions in the past. A failure to follow-through with orders this time could result in some companies being reluctant to entertain future requests, some industry sources warn.

DTN News: Malaysia To Order CN-235 Maritime Patrol Aircraft From Indonesia

DTN News: Malaysia To Order CN-235 Maritime Patrol Aircraft From Indonesia Source: DTN News / Flight International By Leithen Francis (NSI News Source Info) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - March 25, 2010: Malaysia is planning to sign a letter of intent in April for four Indonesian Aerospace CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft. Air force officials, including chief of staff Rodzali bin Daud, have been negotiating with Indonesia's state-owned aircraft-maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia for the purchase, say industry sources. The two sides hope to sign a letter of intent at the Defence Services Asia show in Kuala Lumpur in late April, they add. Malaysia needs maritime patrol aircraft because its air force has been relying largely on four Beechcraft Super King Airs that it received in 1994. One of these was recently upgraded with a Thales radar and a second is to undergo the same work in the coming months. The air force wants the CN-235MPAs to widen its operations and improve payload performance, say industry sources. The service already operates CN-235 transports, so Indonesia's offering provides some fleet commonality. Malaysia has considered other types, such as a version of the Fokker 50. Fokker Services Asia had pushed the model as a cheaper alternative, and made a proposal to have some commercial Fokker 50s recently phased out by Malaysia Airlines converted for the maritime patrol mission by national maintenance, repair and overhaul firm Airod. Malaysian government investment firm Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad owns the retired aircraft.