Industry News
Lockheed Martin Awarded Navy Contract to Upgrade Helicopter Communications
Lockheed Martin has received a US$50.8 million U.S. Navy contract to improve the communications capabilities of the MH-60R and MH-60S multimission helicopters.
Of the total contract amount, $47 million is for development, test and full-scale integration of a Link 16 command and control data link. Link 16 hardware and software integration will enable all future MH-60R aircraft, and armed versions of the MH-60S aircraft, to exchange situational awareness information and coordinate weapons engagement with other friendly forces.
With the remaining $3.8 million, Lockheed Martin will integrate a Personnel Location System for the MH-60S aircraft to support the helicopter's combat search and rescue role. Lockheed Martin also will upgrade the existing AN/ARC-210 radios on board both MH-60 helicopter types to support voice communication with U.S. Army radios.
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Raytheon Awarded $17 Million Contract
Raytheon Company has been awarded a US$17 million U.S. Army contract to provide 15 RAID (Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment) systems, along with systems engineering and life cycle support, to support Operation Eagle Eye, an Army surveillance and protection mission to monitor weapons storage sites.
RAID consists of infrared sensor systems elevated on a stationary platform capable of detecting hostile troop and/or equipment movement at great distances. For Operation Eagle Eye, the RAID system will be enhanced to include the addition of a motion detection radar and command and control.
This enables U.S. forces to respond rapidly to any threatening situation. RAID was first developed by Raytheon to meet the Army's developing critical needs in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). This is the third such contract awarded to Raytheon for the RAID system.
The contract calls for 15 elevated sensor systems, with deliveries beginning in October 2005 and ending in January 2006. In addition to supplying the systems, Raytheon is responsible for supporting the implementation of a systems engineering approach on the RAID program, linking it to other existing Army systems and providing whole life cycle support capability. By providing whole life cycle support, Raytheon ensures that these systems work the first time, every time for the soldiers deployed in OEF/OIF.
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Intel Capital To Acquire $16M Stake In Grisoft
Representatives of Intel Capital, Intel Corporation’s venture investment program, announced the signing of an agreement to acquire a US$16M stake in Grisoft, one of the leading providers of anti-virus security software. The investment is subject to approval by the competition council of the Czech Republic.
A global provider of security software solutions, Grisoft products are now used on more than 25 million computers. Distributed through resellers and through the Internet, Grisoft’s product line supports all major operating systems and platforms.
Pursuant to the terms of the cooperation agreement, Intel Capital will also help Grisoft to reach new customers and market segments as well as optimize their security software. This would be Intel Capital’s largest equity investment in Central and Eastern Europe.
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Cisco Systems Completes Acquisition of KiSS Technology A/S
Representatives of Cisco Systems announced the company has completed the acquisition of privately-held KiSS Technology A/S of Hørsholm, Denmark. This represents Cisco's second acquisition for its Linksys division, the recognized leading provider of voice, wireless and networking hardware for home, Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) and small business users.
On July 22, 2005, Cisco announced a definitive agreement to acquire KiSS, a leading technology provider for networked entertainment devices with a product portfolio that includes home video products such as networked DVD players and networked DVD recorders. KiSS's technology platform also has the capability to extend to other consumer electronics products and will help Linksys develop a unique, networked entertainment product suite.
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General Dynamics Completes Acquisition of Itronix Corporation
General Dynamics completed its acquisition of Itronix Corporation, a Spokane, Washington-based provider of wireless, rugged mobile computing solutions. Plans to acquire the company were announced on August 3; terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The acquisition is accretive to General Dynamics.
Itronix, which has approximately 450 employees, provides a broad range of advanced wireless, rugged field computing systems, including handhelds, laptops and tablet PCs, as well as wireless integration and support services for the military, public safety and select commercial markets, including telecommunication; commercial field services; utilities; transportation; and insurance sectors. Itronix now becomes part of General Dynamics C4 Systems.
Itronix products and services complement General Dynamics’ existing command, control and communications capabilities. Along with capabilities acquired through the Aug. 16 purchase of Tadpole Computer, Inc. ( Cupertino, Calif.), this enhanced expertise in rugged wireless computing enables General Dynamics to expand its offerings of trusted end-to-end, highly available network services, especially to defense customers. These mobile networks deliver actionable intelligence via advanced command-and-control applications to soldiers at the outer fringes of tactical networks, where bandwidth and other resources are limited.
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KTF Selects LGE, Nortel as Primary Vendors for High-speed Wireless in Korea
KTF, one of Korea's leading cellular providers, has selected LG Electronics (LGE) and Nortel to power its new ultra high-speed broadband wireless communication service throughout Korea's major metropolitan areas including Seoul.
Nortel will provide HSDPA-based access equipment, while LGE will furnish the UMTS core network solution for this service. This is the first collaborative win for LGE and Nortel since announcement of the LG-Nortel joint venture in August 2005.
The 3G UMTS solution with HSDPA will allow KTF subscribers to access new wireless multimedia services such as high-speed music transfers, real-time DVD-quality video, gaming applications, videoconferencing and split-second multimedia collaboration. KTF's HSDPA wireless network will be capable of delivering services at download speeds up to 14.4 Mbps - 30 times faster than today's commercially deployed wireless networks.
Beginning with Seoul, KTF plans to roll out its HSDPA-ready broadband wireless network to 17 cities by December 2005, and to extend it to an additional 45 cities by June 2006.
Korea has the highest broadband penetration in the world and is an early adopter of cutting-edge mobile technology.
Nortel was the first to make HSDPA drive calls in January 2005. In March 2005, Nortel and LG Electronics completed the industry's first live test calls using a commercial handset solution for HSDPA. In June 2005, Nortel became the first wireless network supplier to complete the TL9000 registration standard for Quality Management System Requirements and Measurements across its end-to-end portfolio of hardware, software and services for HDSPA, UMTS and GSM wireless infrastructure solutions. This quality certification milestone underscores the breadth of Nortel's UMTS solutions, which include solutions across all probable frequency ranges and multiple base station configurations.
Nortel has worked with a number of wireless operators on HSDPA trials and deployments in 2005, including SOFTBANK Group's BB Mobile, mmO2, Orange (at 3GSM World Congress 2005 in Cannes, France), Vodafone (at CeBIT 2005 in Hanover, Germany), Partner Communications in Israel, and mobilkom austria.
LGE and Nortel executed a joint venture agreement on August 17, 2005 to establish a joint venture company in the area of telecommunication infrastructure businesses. The joint venture company is scheduled to be established within this year, subject to fulfillment of certain conditions provided in the agreement.
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Boeing Leads Formation of "Alliance Shield" Team
Boeing has formed a trans-Atlantic team named " Alliance Shield" to compete for the upcoming NATO Theater Missile Defense Systems Engineering and Integration contract.
Alliance Shield is an international team with demonstrated experience in design, development, integration and deployment of missile defense systems and systems of systems.The team members include BAE Systems of the U.K., Finmeccanica of Italy, Havelsan of Turkey, Lockheed Martin of the U.S., MBDA of France, Italy and the U.K., Prezemyslowy Instytut Telekomunikacji (PIT) of Poland, and Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc., of the U.S.
Dr. David Martin, formerly the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's deputy for strategic relations, is Alliance Shield's strategic advisor.
In March 2005 the North Atlantic Council approved NATO's new Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence program, aimed at providing protection against the threat of ballistic missiles to deployed NATO forces. With approval of that charter, a new NATO program office was formed to procure the NATO theater missile defense capability. The contract is expected to be awarded to an industry team in 2006.
Boeing is the prime contractor of the U.S. government's Ground-based Midcourse Defense and Airborne Laser programs. The company also has established missile defense agreements in the United Kingdom, Canada, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Israel, Australia and Japan.
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Microsoft Names Peter Neupert Corporate Vice President for Health Strategy
Representatives of Microsoft Corp. announced that Peter Neupert is rejoining the company as a corporate vice president to coordinate its global health strategy. Neupert returns to Microsoft as a proven leader in the health technology industry, serving most recently as chairman of Drugstore.com Inc.; he is recognized as an international leader in health information technology. Neupert will report directly to Craig Mundie, chief technical officer and senior vice president for Advanced Strategies and Policy, and will lead Microsoft’s efforts to partner with stakeholders in the health ecosystem to help people worldwide better deal with health issues.
Before rejoining Microsoft, Neupert served as president and chief executive officer of Drugstore.com from July 1998 to April 2001, and as chairman of the board of directors from July
1999 to September 2004. Neupert led Drugstore.com to become a top online retail store and information site for health, wellness, beauty and pharmacy products.
Neupert served on President Bush’s Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) from 2003 to 2005. On that committee, he co-chaired the Health Information Technology subcommittee and helped drive the report “Revolutionizing Health Care Through Information Technology,” published June 2004 by PITAC. In 2000, Neupert received an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for his work at Drugstore.com.
Neupert served in various capacities at Microsoft from 1987 to 1998. He started at Microsoft as the director of operating systems responsible for OS/2, and in 1995 was responsible for MSNBC as vice president of News and Publishing for the interactive media group.
Neupert holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College. Neupert officially joined Microsoft in his new position on Aug. 29, 2005.
