Defense Daily back issues from September 2007:
Defense Watch.
Sep 04, 2007 ... The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense Tick Tock. The Senate Appropriations Committee is likely to mark up its version of the fiscal year 2008 defense spending bill by the middle of the month, according to the office of Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), ...
GAO: New Ruling Could Delay CSAR-X Acquisition, But Findings Justified.
Sep 04, 2007 ... By Michael Sirak The Government Accountability Office (GAO) acknowledged last week that its latest ruling in the Air Force's CSAR-X helicopter contest may further delay the service's timeline for fielding the new platform, which the Air Force says it urgently needs by early ...
GTV Moves Forward On JLTV.
Sep 04, 2007 ... By Ann Roosevelt The General Tactical Vehicles (GTV) joint venture of General Dynamics [GD] and AM General continues to move ahead planning for the Army and Marine Corps Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program. Joint venture engineers last week held an internal ...
Airborne Laser Ready For High Power Laser Installation.
Sep 04, 2007 ... The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Friday announced the Airborne Laser (ABL) successfully completed low-power testing and is now ready for the installation of the high power laser later this year--becoming the first combat aircraft ever to entirely rely on a directed energy device as a ...
Agilent Acquires Signals Intelligence Systems Developer.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Agilent Technologies [A] last Friday said it has completed its acquisition of NetworkFab Corp., a designer and builder of advanced signals intelligence, communications and jammer systems, in a deal that adds to its recently formed Signal Networks Division. Terms of the deal ...
Coast Guard Hoping To Avoid Court Over Patrol Boat Failure.
Sep 04, 2007 ... By Geoff Fein The Coast Guard is working through the process of determining what can be salvaged from the eight decommissioned 123-foot cutters as it looks to avoid litigation to settle the dollar amount it believes the Deepwater Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS) team ...
Coast Guard Reviewing Options To Eagle Eye VUAV.
Sep 05, 2007 ... By Geoff Fein The Coast Guard is in the midst of a three-phased review of its Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) requirements that could call for pursuing other options to Bell Helicopter Textron's [TXT] Eagle Eye tilt rotor Vertical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VUAV), the service's ...
Ex-Space Czar: Keys To Space Remain Awareness, Robustness And Integration.
Sep 05, 2007 ... By Michael Sirak Along with space situational awareness, the robustness of future satellite architectures and the effective integration of on-orbit systems with airborne and surface capabilities are key in overcoming the increasing unpredictability of operating in space, ...
DoD Memo Directs Additional Measures For UAS Management, Operations.(Department of Defense, Unmanned Aerial System)
Sep 05, 2007; ... By Geoff Fein The Pentagon is directing the Joint Staff to oversee realignment of the Joint Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Center of Excellence as well as develop a joint concept of operations for UAS, which will be used to guide the Department of Defense (DoD) on how it will ...
Lockheed Martin Team Adds New Civil Signal To GPS Satellite For Demonstration.
Sep 05, 2007 ... A team led by Lockheed Martin [LMT] has begun to reconfigure an already built Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite with a new civil navigation signal for an on-orbit trial next year, the company said yesterday. "Working closely with our Air Force partner, our team has ...
General Atomics Completes Wind Tunnel Testing of Mariner Bid For Navy BAMS.
Sep 05, 2007 ... General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA ASI) said yesterday that it has completed wind-tunnel testing of the Mariner unmanned aircraft design that is in competition to be the Navy's Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) platform. "We are pleased that Mariner's wind ...
Full-Rate Production Approved For EADS UH-72A Lakota.
Sep 05, 2007 ... By Ann Roosevelt The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS) North America yesterday announced the Army last month approved full-rate production of its UH- 72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), clearing the way for continued acquisition of the program's total ...
Curtiss-Wright Acquires Aerospace, Industrial Component Maker.
Sep 05, 2007 ... Curtiss-Wright Corp. [CW] yesterday said it has acquired IMC Magnetics Corp., a manufacturer of solenoids, fans, motors and specialized products for aerospace and defense, industrial and commercial markets, for $37.5 million in cash. IMC, which is based in Tempe, Ariz., and ...
High Energy Laser Begins Aircraft Integration.
Sep 05, 2007 ... By Ann Roosevelt Airborne Laser (ABL) prime contractor Boeing [BA] yesterday said that installation of the Northrop Grumman [NOC] mega-watt class chemical laser has begun, now that subsystem testing using a surrogate laser is complete. Greg Hyslop, Boeing ABL vice ...
McConnell Presses For Long-Term Presence in Middle East.(Brief article)
Sep 05, 2007 ... Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters yesterday that he hopes Democrats will agree the nation needs to maintain a long-term presence in the Middle East to deter threats from Al Qaeda and Iran. Yesterday, Congress returned to Washington to hear the ...
Northrop Grumman To Modernize Guardrail Multi-Intelligence Sensor Fleet.
Sep 05, 2007 ... Northrop Grumman [NOC], prime contractor for the Army's RC-12 Guardrail aircraft fleet, yesterday announced it has won a Guardrail Modernization system integration contract to continue upgrading and improving the system--extending the fleet's operational life beyond 2020. ...
Senate May Take Up Defense Authorization Bill This Month.
Sep 06, 2007 ... By Jen DiMascio The Senate Majority Leader told reporters yesterday he hopes to bring the defense authorization bill to the Senate floor Sept. 17. Senate Democrats are still working on a number of compromises aimed at moving enough Republican votes to support ...
GAO Finds U.S. VISIT Spending In Partial Compliance With Legislative Conditions.
Sep 06, 2007 ... The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) spending plan for the U.S. VISIT program meets some but not all of the conditions Congress set forth for the program in approving the FY '07 homeland security budget, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). ...
Coast Guard's Alternatives Analysis Examining Plans For OPC.(Offshore Patrol Cutters)
Sep 06, 2007; ... By Geoff Fein In the coming months, the Coast Guard will complete an assessment of its systems looking at everything from requirements changes on the National Security Cutter (NSC) to risks associated with vertical unmanned aerial vehicles (VUAV), the service's top official ...
Third Coast Guard C-130J Delivered To Lockheed Martin For Upgrading.
Sep 06, 2007 ... Lockheed Martin [LMT] yesterday took delivery of the third Coast Guard C- 130J and will begin mission system installation including new radar, sensors and communications systems, according to the Deepwater Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS). Lockheed Martin will outfit all ...
Chertoff: SBINet Test To Occur Next Month.(Brief article)
Sep 06, 2007; ... By Jen DiMascio Homeland security secretary Michael Chertoff yesterday told lawmakers that the nation's virtual fence project would undergo its next phase of testing in about one month. During a House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Rep. Bennie Thompson ...
DoD Mulls How To Leverage Innovative Technology Without 'ITAR Taint'.(International Traffic in Arms Regulations, Department of Defense )
Sep 06, 2007 ... By Michael Sirak The Department of Defense (DoD) is mulling how best to access innovative, cutting-edge technologies from commercial companies around the globe without burdening these firms with export controls that would dissuade them from wanting to do business with the ...
Lawmakers Want To Delay Start Date For Domestic Spy Satellite Office.
Sep 07, 2007 ... By Jen DiMascio Lawmakers yesterday called for a moratorium on the expansion of a domestic spy satellite program until they are certain that legal authorities to protect civil liberties are in place. On Oct. 1, the Department of Homeland Security is scheduled to ...
U.S.-Australia Defense Trade Pact Marks Significant Step, Says Diplomat.
Sep 07, 2007 ... By Michael Sirak The new U.S.-Australia Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty is significant in acknowledging Australia's ability to gain access to sensitive U.S. technologies for the global fight against terrorism while upholding export-control regulations aimed to protect them ...
Boeing, Rockwell Collins CAAS Cockpit Show Digital Advances.
Sep 07, 2007 ... By Ann Roosevelt RIDLEY PARK, Pa.-- Here at Boeing [BA]--where the new CH-47F and G-model Chinooks are produced--the Rockwell Collins [COL] Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) digital cockpit is part of the Army's move into a digital future, according to officials. ...
Boeing Completes First Flight of Turkish Surveillance Aircraft.
Sep 07, 2007 ... Boeing [BA] said yesterday that it has successfully conducted the first test flight of the 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft that it is building for Turkey under the Peace Eagle program. The aircraft took off from Boeing's production facility in Seattle, ...
Draft Homeland Security Strategy Adds Offensive Needs To Game Plan.
Sep 07, 2007 ... By Calvin Biesecker An ongoing revision to the five-year old National Strategy for Homeland Security will include the need to go on the offensive in helping to defeat terrorists as part of the nation's layered approach to defending the homeland, a White House official said ...
$300 Million FMF Deal Approved For Elbit's Israel Digital Army Program.
Sep 07, 2007 ... By B.C. Kessner TEL AVIV, Israel--Israel's Elbit Systems [ESLT] on Wednesday received finalization of funding approval of United States Foreign Military Financing (FMF) in a total amount of about $300 million for the FMF portion of the Israeli Digital Army Program (DAP). ...
Sensors Pulled From NPOESS May Return On NPP.
Sep 07, 2007 ... By Jen DiMascio Sensors pulled off the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System to control costs may make their way back onto the system, an industry official said yesterday. A decision about whether to "remanifest" a limb sensor that was ...
Country Needs To Have Discussion On Size of The Coast Guard, Admiral Says.(United States. Coast Guard have enough personnel to defend country)
Sep 07, 2007; ... By Geoff Fein With the growth in the Coast Guard's mission set since 9/11, having personnel and assets deployed to Iraq, and discussions beginning on the Coast Guard's presence in the Arctic region, the service's top official is questioning whether the Coast Guard is the ...
Defense Watch.
Sep 10, 2007 ... The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense Nuke Oops. Members of Congress are calling for an investigation of news reports regarding the transport of nuclear warheads on board a B-52 bomber from Minot AFB, N.D., to Barksdale AFB, La. Rep. Ike Skelton ...
Latent Communications, Camera Issues Are Some of the SBInet Challenges, Giddens Says.
Sep 10, 2007 ... By Calvin Biesecker Some of the integration challenges facing Boeing [BA] in its first installment of SBInet along a 28-mile stretch of the southwest border of the United States include latent communications, problems automatically focusing cameras and unclear imagery due to ...
Air Force Prepares New Schedule For B-2 Radar Modernization.
Sep 10, 2007 ... By Michael Sirak The Air Force is working with contractors Northrop Grumman [NOC] and Raytheon [RTN] on a new timeline for the modernization of the AN/APQ-181 radar on the B-2A stealth bomber aircraft, according to service officials and the companies. The goal, ...
Coast Guard Planning To Increase Staffing For Its Acquisition Effort.
Sep 10, 2007; ... By Geoff Fein Two months after announcing the establishment of a new Coast Guard acquisition office, the service's top official said they would be seeking funding for more personnel for the new office, as the Coast Guard begins to ramp down its dependence on the Deepwater ...
Lawmakers See War Funding Bill As Vehicle for Iraq Debate.
Sep 10, 2007; ... By Jen DiMascio The legislative fight over the war in Iraq is shifting from the bill to authorize defense funding for the next fiscal year to the debate on the next emergency supplemental bill to fund the war. "If you're going to debate on the war in Iraq, use the ...
Petraeus: Iraq Could Spend $1.8 Billion On U.S. Weapons This Year.(Brief article)
Sep 11, 2007; ... By Jen DiMascio Iraq may commit to spending an additional $1.8 billion on weapons from the United States by the end of the year, Multi-National Force-Iraq Commander Army Gen. David Petraeus told members of Congress yesterday. Last month, senators returning from ...
EADS On Track To Deliver Two LUH This Month.(European Aeronautics Defence and Space Co.)(light utility helicopte)
Sep 11, 2007; ... By Ann Roosevelt The European Aeronautics Defence and Space Co. (EADS) North America is on target to accelerate UH-72A Lakota light utility helicopter (LUH) delivery to two a month, a key official said. "We will start delivering two aircraft a month here in ...
Lockheed Martin Delivers Second Remote Minehunting Vehicle.(Remote Multi-Mission Vehicle to United States. Navy)
Sep 11, 2007 ... Lockheed Martin [LMT] last month delivered the second production Remote Multi-Mission Vehicle (RMMV) to the Navy to further enhance the mine countermeasures capability for both DDG-51 Arleigh Burke Class destroyers and the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The Remote Multi-Mission ...
Kinetic Energy Interceptor Completes Rocket Motor Test.
Sep 11, 2007 ... The Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) ballistic missile defense (BMD) system completed a Stage 1 rocket motor test, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said last week. Conducted at the Alliant Techsystems [ATK] test facility in Promontory, Utah, this month, it was the third ...
Allied Defense Group Selling Electronic Security Firm.(Financial report)
Sep 11, 2007; ... By Calvin Biesecker The Allied Defense Group [ADG], which recently emerged from a difficult period in which it had to restate its financial reports and recapitalize the business, said yesterday it has agreed to sell one of its electronic security businesses for $47.6 million, ...
Marine Corps, Northrop Grumman Complete Successful G/ATOR System Requirements Review.
Sep 11, 2007 ... Northrop Grumman [NOC] and the Marine Corps successfully reviewed and agreed upon nearly 800 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) contractual design requirements during the recent System Requirements Review (SRR) held at Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector headquarters in ...
ITT To Provide Night Vision To U.S. Navy, Coast Guard Through 2012.
Sep 11, 2007 ... ITT [ITT] yesterday said its night vision division has received a contract worth potentially $37 million to provide night vision equipment to the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard through 2012. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Ind., awarded the indefinite ...
Future Technology On Show At Annual Conference.
Sep 11, 2007 ... Academics, scientists, experts and business leaders gathered recently to discuss and demonstrate the technology of the future in a major conference held for the first time in Wales. Cardiff University hosted the annual conference of the Defence Technology Centre in Data and ...
Petraeus Recommends Return To Pre-Surge Troop Level By July 2008.(David Petraeus withdraws troops)(Ryan Crocker)
Sep 11, 2007; ... By Jen DiMascio Multi-National Force - Iraq Commander Army Gen. David Petraeus yesterday recommended pulling more than 30,000 soldiers and Marines out of Iraq by the middle of next July but said it would be too soon to discuss how quickly that drawdown would occur. ...
Northrop Grumman Settles With Cogent On Fingerprint Software.
Sep 11, 2007 ... By Calvin Biesecker Northrop Grumman [NOC] and Cogent Systems [COGT] yesterday said they have reached an agreement to settle a lawsuit filed by Cogent against Northrop Grumman in 2005 alleging that Northrop Grumman misappropriated its technology and trade secrets for use in a ...
SAC-D Mark Up Cuts LCS FY '08 Acquisition, Terminates LCS-4.
Sep 12, 2007 ... By Geoff Fein Citing a need for a "fundamental change" in the Navy's Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) acquisition strategy, the Senate Appropriations Committee's defense panel (SAC-D) recommended cutting a total of $910 million from the program, resulting in the elimination of ...
Senate Subcommittee Approves Defense Spending Bill That Alters Satellite Programs.
Sep 12, 2007 ... By Jen DiMascio A Senate panel yesterday recommended funding the Defense Department at $459.6 billion in the fiscal year that begins in less than one month. In doing so, the panel cut funding for satellite programs, expressing concerns about the Pentagon's thirst for advanced ...
SAIC Posts Higher Sales, Earnings.(Financial report)
Sep 12, 2007 ... By Calvin Biesecker SAIC [SAI]: >TI SAC-D Adds $480 Million To Fund JSF Second Engine >TX By Jen DiMascio A Senate panel yesterday recommended defense spending language that fully funds the president's request for 12 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and ...
SAIC Posts Higher Sales, Earnings.(Science Applications International Corporation )(Financial report)
Sep 12, 2007; ... By Calvin Biesecker SAIC [SAI] last week reported higher second quarter sales and earnings, driven by strong organic growth and income from discontinued operations. Net income increased 27 percent to $131 million, 31 cents earnings per share (EPS), compared to $103 ...
NNSA Seeks New Contracting Proposals.
Sep 12, 2007 ... The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) on Monday issued a "request for information" on proposals from contractors and other interested parties on ways it can improve its current contracting structure for the Energy Department's nuclear weapons complex, particularly at its ...
Mattis Nominated For JFCOM; Approved By NATO For SAC-T.(US Joint Forces Command)(North Atlantic Treaty Organization)(Marine Lt. Gen. James Mattis)(Supreme Allied Commander-Transformation)(Brief article)
Sep 12, 2007 ... NATO yesterday announced the alliance's appointment of Marine Lt. Gen. James Mattis as Supreme Allied Commander-Transformation (SAC-T). In Washington, D.C., President Bush nominated Mattis to the grade of general to serve in the NATO position, as well as taking command of ...
Danish Army Orders AeroVironment's Raven UAS.
Sep 12, 2007 ... AeroVironment Inc. (AVAV) yesterday announced the Danish Army Operational Command has ordered the RQ-11 B Raven small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The order includes 12 systems, logistics support and training for a total value of $2.4 million. Each Raven B ...
General Dynamics, Secure Computing, Offer Firewall For Battlefield Vehicles.
Sep 12, 2007 ... General Dynamics Canada and Secure Computing Corp. said yesterday they are offering MESHnet Firewall to protect field communications in the same way armor protects vehicles. MESHnet features Secure Computing's first Evaluation Assurance Level 4 (EAL4) ...
Tough Love: Senate Appropriators Cut LCS, But Express Support For Program.
Sep 13, 2007 ... By Jen DiMascio Despite handing down a $910 million cut to the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), members of the Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday voiced their support for the program as they voted unanimously to approve a defense spending bill for fiscal year 2008. ...
ATK Won't Protest NASA Awarding Boeing Ares I Upper Stage Lifter Contract.
Sep 13, 2007 ... By Dave Ahearn Alliant Techsystems [ATK] won't protest NASA giving the contract for a key next-generation U.S. spaceship component to Boeing [BA], an ATK spokesman said yesterday. NASA last month awarded Boeing a contract to build the Ares I upper stage rocket ...
Boeing Bests Pemco On $1.1 Billion Air Force Stratotanker Maintenance Deal.(Boeing Co. gets the contract from United States. Air Force)(Maintening KC- 135)
Sep 13, 2007; ... By Ann Roosevelt Boeing [BA] on Sept. 10 won a 10-year, $1.1 billion Air Force contract over Pemco Aviation Group (PAGI) to continue providing programmed depot maintenance (PDM) for the KC-135 Stratotanker fleet. Pemco CEO Ron Aramini said in a statement the company ...
Taiwan Spending $1.9 Billion For P-3C, $272 Million For Missiles.
Sep 13, 2007 ... Taiwan is looking to spend upward of $1.9 billion for 12 excess P-3C aircraft, along spares, engines and other assorted equipment, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). In addition to the 12 excess aircraft with T-56 engines, Taiwan is seeking, three ...
Boeing's BAMS Effort Offers Commonality With P-8 And Room To Grow.
Sep 13, 2007 ... By Geoff Fein With a little more than a month to go before the Navy makes a selection for the System Design and Development (SDD) phase of its Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) program, Boeing [BA] believes its plan to develop an unmanned Gulfstream G550 that will have ...
Lockheed Martin Unveils DAGR System.
Sep 13, 2007 ... Lockheed Martin [LMT] this week unveiled the Direct Attack Guided Rocket (DAGR) system, developed with company funding, to defeat targets close to civilian assets and friendly forces due to its precise accuracy and ability to minimize collateral damage. DAGR is a semi-active ...
Singapore To Spend $330 Million For Launchers, Radios, Vehicles.
Sep 13, 2007 ... Singapore is planning to spend upward of $330 million for 18 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) Launchers, other equipment as well as Major Defense Equipment (MDE), the Defense Security Cooperation Agency reported yesterday. Along with the launchers, ...
Senate Appropriators Cut $380 Million From JIEDDO Request.
Sep 14, 2007 ... By Jen DiMascio In an effort to shake loose a formal plan governing the Pentagon's main effort to fight improvised explosive devices (IED), Senate Appropriators slashed the office's budget request by more than half. The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat ...
Lockheed Martin Studying LCS Combat Systems For IDF.
Sep 14, 2007 ... By Geoff Fein Lockheed Martin [LMT] last month signed a contract with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to conduct a combat systems study, a follow-on to the company's feasibility study for the IDF, looking at an international variant of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). ...
DoE Granted 95 Security Clearances Despite Drug Use.
Sep 14, 2007 ... By George Lobsenz The Energy Department granted more than 4,000 security clearances over the last five years to individuals where there was an "indication" of past drug use, and 95 were granted to individuals within 12 months of their last drug use- -findings that DoE has ...
Weldon Plans Legislation To Shorten U.S. Reliance On Russian Space Launches.
Sep 14, 2007 ... By Jen DiMascio Calling reliance on Russia to launch U.S. crews into "very dangerous," Rep. David Weldon (R-Fla.) is working on legislation that would shorten the span of time that astronauts would need a lift into space. The space shuttle is scheduled for ...
Army Evaluation Task Force Motivated And Ready, Commander Says.
Sep 14, 2007 ... By Ann Roosevelt The nearly 1,000 soldiers of the Army's Evaluation Task Force (AETF) based at Ft. Bliss, Texas, complete unit training this month and are ready to evaluate and test Spin Out 1 Future Combat System (FCS) equipment, the commander says. "Soldiers ...