Corporate News
EDS-Led Consortium Signs Contract with U.K. Ministry Of Defense for Defense Information Infrastructure Project
Representatives of EDS announced that the contract between the EDS-led ‘ATLAS Consortium' and the U.K. Ministry of Defense (MoD) for the Defense Information Infrastructure (Future) project has been signed.
The contract award is for Increment 1 of the DII (F) project, which has a total budget in the region of £2.3 billion (US $4 billion) over 10 years. Further increments of work are expected following the MoD's evaluation of Increment 1.
The ATLAS Consortium, which was named as preferred bidder for DII (F) on March 2, comprises EDS as lead contractor, tier 1 partner Fujitsu Services and key sub-contractors General Dynamics, EADS Defense and Security Systems and LogicaCMG.
The DII (F) project, which will consolidate numerous existing information networks into a single next-generation infrastructure, is an integral component of the U.K. 's future military strategy. The network will provide seamless interaction between headquarters, battlefield support and the front line, linking about 150,000 desktop terminals and 340,000 users in approximately 2,000 locations, across all increments.
DII (F) will also enable many of the defense efficiency measures under the Defense Change Programme to be achieved. These include Network Enabled Capability (the ability to improve the capability of the armed forces through a single network of information) announced in the U.K. Government's Defense White Paper. DII (F) will achieve this by extending into the operational arena, interfacing with battlespace systems and improving shared information between headquarters, battlefield support and the front line.
Further, DII(F) is a key enabler for other MoD improvement programmes such as Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) which will modernize the management and administration of military personnel. It will enable users from right across the MoD to access the new application and business process outsourcing (BPO) services being introduced within the JPA program.
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General Dynamics Awarded $128 Million for Towed Artillery Digitization Digital Fire Control Systems
BAE Systems has awarded General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products $127.5 million for production of 589 Towed Artillery Digitization (TAD) Digital Fire Control Systems (DFCS) and 937 prime mover kits for mounting and cabling TAD to wheeled tow units. The equipment is for BAE Systems Land Systems’ M777 lightweight 155mm towed howitzer. This contract brings total program value including Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) to $170 million. Work will be completed by August 2008. General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
The TAD Digital Fire Control System outfits the M777 lightweight 155mm towed howitzer with the sensors, displays, mission computer, power supply and communication systems necessary for the howitzer to navigate, aim and receive mission-critical information. The M777 will provide both close and deep fire support to the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps in a lightweight unit with superior accuracy, range, maneuverability and durability.
Program management will be performed at General Dynamics’ Burlington Technology Center in Vermont. Final assembly, integration and testing will occur in Hattiesburg, Miss., at a facility to be leased from BAE Systems
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Raytheon Awarded $51.5 Million Contract for Patriot Upgrades
Raytheon Company has been awarded a contract valued at more than $51.5 million to upgrade 163 Patriot PAC-2 missiles to the latest GEM+ configuration.
In the GEM+ contract award announced by the Department of Defense on March 8, 2005, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems will work with the Army to upgrade 90 PAC-2 missiles to the GEM-T configuration. Additionally, the award calls for the upgrade of an additional 73 PAC-2 GEM missiles to the GEM-C configuration.
These are the same missiles that successfully destroyed two target drones in a test conducted at White Sands Missile Range early last month. The GEM+configuration is an affordable capability upgrade that allows the Army to leverage existing missiles into the Configuration 3 capability.
Raytheon is the Army's prime contractor and the system integrator for the Patriot system. As the system integrator, Raytheon ensures that all Patriot system components, including the PAC-3 missile, provide the warfighter a reliable and highly lethal capability to defeat the threats in current and future combat environments.Boeing Program Receives $43.6 Million Order
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing a full-rate production (FRP) contract for the Combat Survivor Evader Locater (CSEL) communications system.
The initial $43.6 million order calls for Boeing to deliver 5,053 CSEL hand-held radios to the joint services by October 2006. The acquisition of as many as 46,000 CSEL radios by the Air Force, Army and Navy could push the total value of the contract to $250 million.
Designed for easy use, the multifunction CSEL radio is a cost-effective technological breakthrough giving U.S. forces a tactical advantage. Unique communication and message encryption techniques prevent signals from being intercepted or decoded.
In addition to precise geopositioning information, the hand-held survival radios provide line-of-sight recovery forces and over-the-horizon joint search and rescue centers with two-way secure data communications capability. CSEL will enable rescue forces to authenticate and communicate with isolated personnel in near real-time, anywhere the world.
The CSEL system, a joint services program, was developed by Boeing under contract to the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base.
Lockheed Martin Awarded $37.8 Million Contract
Lockheed Martin received a $37.8 million contract to provide the U.S. Air Force with Precision Engagement production kits to modify A/OA-10 aircraft. The entire A-10 fleet will be modified over the next five years for an estimated total contract value of $168 million.
The Precision Engagement modification will enable the A-10 to use advanced precision guided weapons, including the Joint Direct Attack Munition and the Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser. The modification also adds the capability for advanced targeting pods to improve pilots’ situational awareness.
The kits include all of the components necessary for the Air Force to configure A-10 aircraft with the Precision Engagement capability. The upgrade also includes adding a Central Interface Control Unit (CICU), which provides a digital stores management system, two multifunction color displays, and new cockpit controls, and doubles the direct current generator capacity.
Lockheed Martin Systems Integration – Owego is the prime contractor on the Precision Engagement modification, under the direction of the A-10 program office (508th Attack Sustainment Squadron), leading a team composed of BAE Systems, Southwest Research Institute and Northrop Grumman. The production kits, a result of work by Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and Southwest Research Institute, are one component of the Precision Engagement program.
[ Friday FYI index ]
Nortel Names Gary Kunis as Chief Technology Officer
Representatives of Nortel Networks Corporation announced the appointment of Gary Kunis as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). As CTO, Kunis will lead the strategic vision for the company’s product and technology portfolio.
Until 2002, Kunis was the Chief Science Officer at Cisco Systems. One of the pioneers of the Internet in the 1980s, Kunis has led numerous development and engineering breakthroughs related to Internet Protocol (IP) standards and routing technology used to connect the worldwide web of networks that make up the Internet.
Kunis will report to Gary Daichendt, president and chief operating officer (COO), effective April 4, 2005.
In addition to the Kunis appointment, Nortel announced that Brian McFadden, a 26-year Nortel veteran and the current CTO, has been appointed to the role of Chief Research Officer (CRO), effective April 4, 2005. In his new role, McFadden will oversee the Advanced Technology, Research and Standards organization and will continue to report to the president and COO. He will be responsible for setting Nortel’s research priorities to ensure they support the company’s business strategies, which include maintaining an industry leadership position in end-to-end broadband, Voice over IP, multimedia services and applications, and wireless broadband solutions. McFadden will also ensure that Nortel continues to play a lead role in industry standards and regulatory organizations.
Earlier in his career, Kunis was involved in the design, implementation and operation of large scale data and telecommunications networks for several U.S. government agency programs, including the Department of Defense, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as well as for civilian agencies while working for the Boeing Company. Kunis also held a number of senior engineering positions with Boeing's commercial and defense-related businesses.
A graduate of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, Kunis also holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from Tufts University.
Kunis and McFadden have also been appointed CTO and CRO, respectively, of Nortel Networks Limited, the Company’s principal operating subsidiary.
Mark Stevens Named President, Nortel Australia and New Zealand
Representatives of Nortel announced that Mark Stevens will become president of Nortel Australia and New Zealand, succeeding incumbent Steve Wood who has been named chief executive officer of Tennis Australia as of July 2005.
Stevens, currently managing Nortel operations in the ASEAN and Pakistan regions, will return to Australia, his home country, after working for Nortel in the United States and Asia for 10 years in sales, marketing and product management.
Stevens will continue to manage the ASEAN and Pakistan region during the transition.
Alcatel Selected by Chinese Government for Network Deployment
Representatives of Alcatel announced the company has been selected by China's State Council Information Office (SCIO) to upgrade and optimize its communication network using Alcatel's Next Generation Network (NGN) solution. The contract was won through Alcatel Shanghai Bell, Alcatel's flagship Chinese company.
Alcatel will provide its industry-proven Alcatel 5020 Softswitch to build a nation-wide next-generation network for SCIO, covering more than 50 branches in major cities and provinces including Beijing, Shanghai, Xinjiang and Tibet. The new network will be deployed in conjunction with the Alcatel OmniPCX Enterprise, an integrated communications platform that enables traditional voice telephone systems and advanced IP telephony, as well as user-centric unified communications applications. Upon completion of the project in June 2005, SCIO staff will be able to access innovative services, including video conferencing, and voice virtual private network (VPN), any time, any place via any terminal, such as the PC, softphone, desk phone, mobile handset and PDAs.
Alcatel's next generation networking program known as Open Path to Enhanced Networking (OPEN) addresses the market need for CAPEX/OPEX optimization and new revenue generating services. OPEN encompasses the most comprehensive portfolio of standards-based building blocks, a wide range of pre-integrated PSTN migration and enhanced broadband solutions as well as a unique service delivery environment that provides the framework to deliver personalized services independent of devices or networks.
Ericsson makes Ethernet DSL Access Breakthrough in Northern Latin America
Ericsson has signed a breakthrough broadband access contract withColombian fixed operator Telebucaramanga. Ericsson will deliver itsPublic Ethernet Broadband Access solution, becoming the first ADSL2+in service in the Northern Latin America market region.
Ericsson will assist Telebucaramanga to build an advanced broadbandaccess network through its Ethernet DSL Access solution, allowing theoperator to deliver the triple play services of data, voice and videoover one, common infrastructure. The contract includes an end-to-endbroadband access solution, comprising HomeGateways, IP-DSLAMs, MetroNetwork and associated management systems and services.
Ericsson's Ethernet DSL Access solution is the most widely deployedIP-DSLAM (DSL Access Multiplexer) solution, with more than 60contracts around the world. It utilizes the latest ADSL2+ technologywith Gigabit Ethernet uplinks, Ethernet aggregation switches and BRAS(Broadband Remote Access Server).
