The first missile intercept test for the Miniature Kill Vehicle (MKV) likely will occur in 2007 or 2008 if the fledgling program's development work proceeds smoothly, according to an official at the Missile Defense Agency. The shoot-down attempt will be preceded by a series of other tests, including an indoor hover test with a single MKV in 2005 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., said Gary Payton, deputy for advanced systems at MDA, which is overseeing the program with the Army.
Goodrich Corp. and Raytheon Company signed a teaming agreement to work together on the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), Goodrich announced Jan. 9. Goodrich will be the lead manufacturer of composite structures and components for Raytheon's "Team LCS."
RISING COSTS: The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (MOD) has been rebutting British shipbuilding officials who warn that the country's new aircraft carrier (CVF) program will be over budget and behind schedule. Swan Hunter shipyard owner Jaap Kroese has been quoted in the British press as saying he doesn't expect to begin carrier construction until 2008, although program prime contractor BAE Systems has said there will be only a few months' delay to the original spring 2004 deadline for awarding subcontracts.
Raytheon Network Centric Systems has 102 Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) ship self-defense systems under contract with the U.S. Navy following the award last month of new orders for CEC systems, a company official said Jan. 9. The company was awarded $60.4 million for two contracts in December to develop nine more CEC systems. With that order, Raytheon's 2003 CEC production contracts total more than $150 million. Of the 102 CEC systems under contract with the Navy, 58 have been delivered.
IN-HOUSE: A main reason mid-tier defense subcontractors are merging is to bring key technologies in-house, for cost savings, says Jon Kutler, president of Quarterdeck Investment Partners. "Prime contractors want to deal with fewer suppliers, and ones that have more value added to them, that provide a range of capabilities. This requires consolidation," Kutler said. A recent example is FLIR Systems' recent acquisition of Indigo Systems (DAILY, Jan. 8).
MOSCOW - Russia will lease the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan through 2050 for $115 million a year, according to an agreement signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Kazakhstan Jan. 9. Russian media reports say the agreement is a compromise between initial proposals from both countries for the lease. Documents released Jan. 9, which is the tenth anniversary of Russia's Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, include green lights for a number of joint programs between Khrunichev and Kazakhstan.
FLIR Systems, Inc., based in Portland, Ore., completed its previously announced acquisition of California-based Indigo Systems Corp., the company announced Jan. 6. FLIR Systems develops and manufactures thermal imaging systems that include infrared cameras, aerial broadcast cameras and machine vision systems. It has been supplying thermography and night vision equipment to the military for more than 30 years. FLIR announced the merger in October (DAILY, Oct. 23, 2003).
SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORP. (SAIC) of San Diego will perform agency-wide information technology (IT) management services for NASA under the five-year, $823.6 million Unified NASA Information Technology Services (UNITeS) contract, NASA said. Services will include the Integrated Financial Management Program, wide-area network support, IT security and digital television services.
The U.S. Defense Department's top weapons tester did not send a classified letter to DOD warning that the Army's Stryker Interim Armored Vehicle wasn't ready for deployment in Iraq, a defense official said Jan. 8. The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) watchdog group said in a statement Jan. 6 that Tom Christie, director of operational test and evaluation, sent a letter saying the Stryker "was vulnerable to rocket propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices, both of which are commonly being used against U.S. forces" (DAILY, Jan. 8).
NEW DELHI - After six months of bargaining, Russian officials have convinced the India defense ministry to agree to their price for MiG-29K fighters for use on an aircraft carrier India is buying from Russia. The Indian navy has been negotiating with RAC MiG to buy 16 MiG-29K multi-role fighters for use on the Admiral Gorshkov carrier. MiG wanted $35 million per aircraft, but Indian officials unsuccessfully sought a 20 percent price cut.
European aerospace company EADS, the world's second largest aerospace and defense group, said it expects a 20 percent increase in operating profit in 2004. In 2003, EADS' operating profit, or EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes, pre-goodwill amortization and exceptionals) was 1.4 billion Euros ($1.8 billion), the company said in a Jan. 8 statement.
The General Accounting Office is nearing completion of two reports that will scrutinize national security challenges posed by international trade in cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and military software, a congressional source said Jan. 8. One report, slated for public release by the end of January, will assess the effectiveness of U.S. and international efforts to limit the spread of cruise missile and UAV technology.
MUNITIONS WORK: Alliant Techsystems (ATK) will produce lightweight 30mm M789 High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) tactical ammunition for the U.S. Joint Munitions Command, Rock Island, Ill., under a $30 million contract, the company said Jan. 8. The ammunition primarily is used in Apache AH-64 helicopters, and is in use in Afghanistan and Iraq. The M789 HEDP can be used to penetrate armor or against soft targets, the company said. "Whether U.S.
PRAGUE - The Czech army has received the first batch of modernized T-72 tanks as part of a $156 million upgrade program involving a total of 30 tanks, according to ministry of defense officials. Defense spokesman Ladislav Sticha said Jan. 8 that the Czech Military Repair Company had delivered nine upgraded T-72s equipped with night vision and improved targeting capability over longer distances. The Czech military originally planned to upgrade more than 100 T-72s but scaled back the proposals last year following cutbacks to the military budget.
SUPPORT: A joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. will supply support, spares and repairs to in-service U.S. Navy H-60 helicopters under a $417 million contract. The Maritime Helicopter Support Co. will support 540 of the helicopters over five years, the companies said Jan. 8.
Lockheed Martin Corp.'s winning design for the U.S. Miniature Kill Vehicle (MKVs) program envisions placing as many as "several dozen" small kill vehicles atop a single interceptor missile, a company official said Jan. 8.
SpaceDev of Poway, Calif., has completed the first phase of a privately funded study to design a low-cost robotic mission that would land a radio astronomy dish near the moon's south pole.
The U.S. has proposed a compromise to the European Union (EU) on the civil signal structure for Europe's planned Galileo constellation that American officials say will preserve the integrity of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) for military users. Galileo is a constellation of 30 positioning satellites intended to free European users from exclusive dependence on GPS. Like GPS, Galileo would broadcast an open signal to civil users and an encrypted signal for government use. Galileo is scheduled to be operational by 2008.
