Industry News
Raytheon Awarded $114 Million Contract for Upgraded Early Warning Radar at Thule, Greenland
Raytheon Company has been awarded a $114 million contract by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to implement the Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR) program at Thule, Greenland. As the prime contractor, Raytheon IDS will integrate new electronics, computer hardware and mission software to upgrade the existing two-faced, phased array antenna facility at the remote site.
Raytheon will also support integrated tests of the Thule UEWR, performing both missile defense and legacy missions. Continuing the Raytheon heritage with UHF phased array radars, the UEWR program upgrades existing PAVE PAWS and Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radars by adding missile defense capabilities while retaining legacy missile warning and space surveillance missions.
A key sensor for the MDA's Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS), UEWR provides midcourse target detection and tracking for the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense portion of the BMDS to protect the U.S. from ballistic missile attacks.
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Air Force Selects Rockwell Collins for B-1B Training System
Rockwell Collins has been selected to provide concurrency updates, training modifications and support for the U.S. Air Force's B-1B Training System. The 6-year contract is worth US$95 million.
The contract calls for Rockwell Collins to support five Weapons System Trainers, two Mission Trainers, five Cockpit Procedure Trainers and 18 Maintenance Trainers.
The B-1B training program was made available for re-competition this year. NLX, purchased by Rockwell Collins in 2003, had been providing B-1B training services for the Air Force since 1999.
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U.S. Navy Awards Lockheed Martin $50.6 Million for MK 41 Vertical Launch Missile Systems for Aegis Destroyers
Lockheed Martin received a US$50.6 million contract modification from the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) for MK 41 Vertical Launch Systems (VLS) for three new Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) Aegis destroyers.
The contract modification provides funding for the procurement of the hardware, design, fabrication and delivery of 36 MK 41 VLS Baseline VII modules, with sets of 12 being installed on each of the three destroyers. This modification completes the procurement of the modules initiated by a $27 million contract awarded in August 2005 for the purchase of long-lead materials. The design and fabrication work will be performed at Lockheed Martin's Middle River, MD, facility outside Baltimore, with delivery scheduled to be completed in 2010.
Originally designed by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Navy's Aegis-equipped guided missile cruisers, the MK 41 VLS is a below deck missile launching system. Lockheed Martin engineers have continuously upgraded the launcher's capabilities through a series of product improvement initiatives. In 2004, the company rolled out the MK 41 VLS Baseline VII, a state-of-the-art upgrade to the module electronics enabling improved life cycle maintenance through a cell-based architecture utilizing commercial off-the-shelf technologies and open architecture.
Through its evolution into a multi-missile, multi-mission launcher, the MK 41 has revolutionized the way world navies think about sea-launched weapons. No other naval missile launcher is capable of launching missiles for every threat in naval warfare, including anti-air, anti-submarine, ship self-defense, land attack and ballistic missile defense. More than 11,000 MK 41 VLS missile cells have been delivered, or are on order, for 178 ships in 11 navies around the world.
Lockheed Martin's Littoral Ships & Systems line of business, based in Baltimore, is an innovator in developing naval and army missile launching systems; command and combat management systems; and advanced hull forms and ship systems for military and commercial use. The business also leads Lockheed Martin's effort in building the U.S. Navy's first Littoral Combat Ship.
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General Dynamics Awarded $45 Million for Joint Biological Point Detection Systems Production and Support
The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Acquisition Center has awarded General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products a US$45 million contract for production, testing and field support packages for Joint Biological Point Detection Systems (JBPDS). This award modifies an August 2004 contract and brings the total value to date to $136 million. General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
The JBPDS is a self-contained instrument suite that rapidly detects and identifies biological warfare agents. Available in man-portable, shelter-based, ship-based and trailer-mounted variants, the JBPDS is a Joint Services program and is configured to meet the operational requirements of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force.
Work will be performed at General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products' Charlotte, N.C., detection and protection production facility. General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products is a world leader in the field of chemical and biological agent detection. The JBPDS is a core component of General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products' detection and protection business, with sales for development, testing, production, refurbishment and spares totaling more than $337 million since initial production of the unit in 2001.
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Raytheon Awarded $38 Million U.S. Navy Contract for Mine Hunting Sonar
Naval Sea Systems Command has exercised a $38.6 million contract option for Raytheon Company's AN/AQS-20A mine hunting sonar systems. Under the option, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) will manufacture, test and deliver five AN/AQS-20A sets and associated support equipment to the U.S. Navy to provide critical capabilities in support of mine-clearing operations in both deep-ocean and littoral (coastal) waters. As a component of the organic mine countermeasures family of systems and the primary mine hunting system to be integrated into the U.S. Navy's MH-60S airborne mine countermeasures helicopters, AN/AQS-20A enables the detection, classification and localization of bottom, close-tethered and volume mines. AN/AQS-20A is also the primary mine hunting mission system for the Littoral Combat Ship Flight 0, where it will be towed by the AN/WLD-1 semi-submersible autonomous vehicle. This proven and highly capable system is towed undersea to scan the water in front and to the sides of the vehicle as well as the sea bottom for anti-shipping mines. The system uses sonar and electro- optical sensors to provide high-resolution images of mines and mine-like objects and high-precision location information.
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Fujitsu Opens Platform Solution Center in Shanghai
Representatives of Fujitsu Limited announced Tuesday that the company has opened a new facility, "Platform Solution Center ( Shanghai)," to promote the full-scale penetration of Fujitsu's platform products in China's rapidly-growing IT market. The center offers a full range of services, from consulting to system verification of platform products from Fujitsu and its partners, enabling customers to pre-verify systems tailored to their needs.
Fujitsu has been expanding the number of verification and evaluation facilities for its platform products globally, and the facilities have been introduced as the Platform Solution Centers (PSCs) in the Asian region. The new PSC is the fourth that Fujitsu has launched, following the establishment of sites in Japan, Singapore and Korea. With the new opening in Shanghai, one of China's largest business centers, Fujitsu aims to provide the highest level of convenience for both its customers and partner companies.
With the dynamic changes of today's business environment and the shift toward open-standard platforms, the IT systems supporting customers' businesses are becoming increasingly diverse and complex. Accordingly, there is an increasing need to verify product operation and performance prior to constructing new systems.
The new center, comprising an area of 1,000 square meters, is equipped with approximately 40 servers and storage systems, and offers a full range of services for platform products, from consulting to system verification, in one location. The new center is also linked via a network to Fujitsu's PSC in Japan and other facilities worldwide, enabling Fujitsu to quickly and effectively propose reliable, cost-effective, and pre-verified systems tailored to customer needs for high performance and functionality and to support customers' global business expansion and growth.
The new center also enables Fujitsu and its partners to verify application software and solutions for their customers using platform products at the center.
Fujitsu will also establish a new PSC in Hong Kong as a satellite facility of PSC ( Shanghai) to bolster the company's capabilities to respond to the needs of customers in the financial services industry for verification and evaluation of platform products.
PSC ( Shanghai) will maintain a dedicated staff for platform product consulting and will provide the following services as part of its role in solving IT system problems for both Fujitsu customers and partner companies.
1. Verification of Performance and Quality Tailored to Customer System Requirements
With a wide range of cutting-edge servers, storage and network products on hand, the facility can operationally verify an optimized level of performance and quality for customer systems in a variety of product combinations.
2. Offerings of Platform Products Consulting
In order to construct systems that best solve the IT problems of our customers, the center's staff will help select platform products, verify prototype systems, introduce platform products from Fujitsu and other vendors, and even conduct demonstrations.
3. Latest Information on IT Systems Provided
The facility provides customers with information on cutting-edge products from Fujitsu and its partner companies, Fujitsu solutions geared toward current market trends, and examples of system designs for their businesses.
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Nortel Names Dietmar Wendt President of Global Services
Dietmar Wendt, a 46-year-old IBM executive with extensive experience in services and technology leadership, will join Nortel as president of Global Services effective May 1, 2006.
Wendt will report directly to Mike Zafirovski, president and CEO of Nortel. He will be responsible for Nortel's Global Services business, including its financial performance, portfolio development and go-to-market strategies. Nortel recently reinforced its commitment to growth in this business with a sweeping simplification of its integrated services and a series of new commercial services offerings.
Wendt will join Nortel from IBM in Shanghai, China, where he is currently vice president, Asia Pacific Information Technology Services Transformation. Prior to that, Wendt was vice president, Integrated Technology Services for IBM in Central Europe and Russia. He has also held a variety of executive positions internationally with IBM in sales and product management.
Born and educated in Germany, Wendt speaks fluent German and English. He will be based at Nortel's headquarters in Toronto.
Nortel's Global Services include a full range of integrated services for design, deployment, management and maintenance of end-to-end multi-vendor network solutions, including seamless migration to next generation technologies.
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Boeing Government Affairs Leader Rudy deLeon to Step Down
Rudy F. deLeon, senior vice president for the Boeing Washington, D.C., office, has announced his plans to retire from the company, effective June 30.
Tod R. Hullin will succeed deLeon and move to Washington, D.C., from Chicago. As senior vice president for public policy and communications, Hullin will assume deLeon's responsibilities—leading all U.S. federal, state and local government liaison operations for Boeing—while continuing to lead the company's communications function.
Thomas J. Downey will move to Chicago from Seattle, where he has led Boeing Commercial Airplanes Communications, to become vice president, corporate communications. Downey will report to Hullin and be responsible for Boeing companywide communications, including branding and advertising, employee and executive communications, and public relations. Business unit communications leaders also will report to Downey.
Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney expressed his appreciation for deLeon's important contributions to the company's strong and highly regarded presence in the U.S. capital through a period of increasing scrutiny and regulatory complexity.
DeLeon said he plans to take time to assess opportunities before deciding what he will do next.
Hullin remains a member of the company's Executive Council and continues reporting to McNerney.
In the coming weeks, Hullin, Downey and Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Alan Mulally will work to select a leader for BCA Communications.
Prior to joining Boeing in 2003, Hullin held the senior public policy position at Vivendi Universal. Previously, he had served as the senior global public policy and communications officer for The Seagram Company, Time Warner and SmithKline Beecham.
Hullin's government experience includes several positions on the White House staff and on the Domestic Council staff beginning in 1969. He served both the Nixon and Ford administrations. In 1976 he was appointed the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Public Affairs.
DeLeon joined Boeing in 2001. Prior to that, he had served for 25 years in senior leadership positions in both the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government.
Downey moves to Boeing corporate offices in Chicago where he had previously served as vice president of Internal and Executive Communications from 1999-2002. He has also held communications leadership roles in the company's defense and space operations.
