Industry News

General Dynamics Awarded U.S. Air Force Simulation and Analysis Facility Contract

The U.S. Air Force has awarded General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems one of three indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts to provide capabilities integration services to its Aeronautical Systems Center Simulation and Analysis Facility. The contract has a ceiling value of US$50 million over three years.  Services to be provided include software development, event planning and execution, analysis and enterprise capabilities integration process support related to Air Force simulation activities. General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems is a business unit of General Dynamics.

Work will be performed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by December 2008. The contract was awarded by the Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Aeronautical Systems Center, Capabilities Development and Integration Directorate.

The Aeronautical Systems Center Simulation and Analysis Facility provides the Air Force with a real time, high-fidelity, human-in-the-loop synthetic battlespace to rapidly evaluate network-enabled warfighting capabilities, current and future weapon systems, strategies, concept of operations, tactics, emerging technologies and human-system interfaces.

The General Dynamics team includes the following teammates: L-3 Communications, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Booz Allen Hamilton, Gestalt LLC, Alion Science and Technology, Lighthouse Technologies Inc., Scientific Research Corp., Digital Research Analysis Corp., BearingPoint, Abacus Technology Corp., James Gregory Associates, CACI, Virtual Technology Corp., Cole Engineering Services Inc., Sytronics Inc., and SET Corp.

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Raytheon Awarded $9 Million U.S. Navy Contract for Torpedo Services and Support

Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded a US$9.2 million contract to Raytheon Company for technical engineering, repair and maintenance services in support of the MK 48 Advanced Capability (ADCAP) heavyweight torpedo. Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) has managed operations of the company's Intermediate Maintenance Activity (IMA) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, a facility dedicated to torpedo evaluation, test and maintenance, since 2000 when IDS was competitively awarded the original contract. Under the contract, IDS will perform intermediate-level maintenance, repair and refurbishment of MK 48 ADCAP torpedoes currently in the U.S. Navy's fleet inventory of training and warshot torpedoes. The inventory is used for fleet training, readiness and submarine-launched torpedo warshot exercises. Work on the contract will be performed in Pearl Harbor; Yorktown, Va.; and Poulsbo, Wash.

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New Appointments Within Alcatel

Representatives of Alcatel announced that Christian Reinaudo, a member of the Alcatel executive committee and currently EVP, President of Alcatel Asia Pacific, will be appointed, EVP Integration Project Team Leader for Alcatel, effective May 1st 2006.

The Integration Project Team will be created to manage the integration and transition process associated with the merger with Lucent Technologies. Detailed information on the Integration Project Team will be announced soon.

Frédéric Rose is appointed EVP, President of Alcatel Asia Pacific. He will be based in Shanghai. Frederic Rose joins the Alcatel Executive Committee. He was formerly President of Alcatel's Integration and Services activities.

Stéphane Terranova is appointed President, Integration and Services activities. He reports to Olivier Houssin, President of Private Communications activities.

Christian Reinaudo joined Alcatel in 1978 working in the research center at Marcoussis, France. In 1984, he joined Alcatel's Cable Group where he held various positions before becoming President of Alcatel's submarine networks in 1997 and President of Alcatel Optics in 1999. He was appointed President of Alcatel Asia Pacific in 2003. He has been a member of Alcatel's Executive Committee since 2000. Reinaudo is graduated from the Ecole de Physique et de Chimie Industrielle de Paris, and he holds a doctorate from the University of Paris.

Frédéric Rose is President of Alcatel's Integration and Services activities. He was previously Chief Operating Officer of Alcatel's Network Services activities (2000-2002). Prior to that, he was Senior International Counsel in Alcatel's Belgian subsidiary and a member of the Alcatel Trade and Project Finance Team. Prior to joining Alcatel in 1993, Frederic Rose was a partner in the Repton Group and an associate at Marks & Murase, both in the USA. Frederic Rose is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and the Georgetown University Law Center.

Stéphane Terranova began his career in 1986 in the satellite activities of Alcatel followed by several positions in sales in France, Latin America and Spain. From 1998, he headed the Group's Integration & Services activities to manage its subsidiary in Spain. From 2004, he has held international functions in this activity, his last jobs being Senior Vice President of Iberia and all Latin America and of the Energy Vertical Market. Stéphane Terranova is graduated from "Ecole des Mines de Nancy".

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EDS Names Currie To Lead Corporate Strategy and Business Development

Representatives of EDS said it has named business executive Paul Currie to the new role of executive vice president of Corporate Strategy and Business Development, effective April 24.

Currie, who will report directly to the Office of the Chairman, will be responsible for supporting Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mike Jordan in the development of EDS' corporate strategies and by developing growth plans to build the company's business portfolio through acquisitions.

Currie, who has been working with EDS on a consulting basis for the past two years, most recently served as managing partner of Currie & Company, a strategic consultancy. Currie previously served as chief executive officer of Symcor, a Canadian provider of business process outsourcing services, and as executive vice president of Corporate Development and Mergers and Acquisitions for Newcourt Credit Group, a global provider of leasing and capital asset lending.

Currie spent more than a decade with Coopers & Lybrand, where he served as a partner and advised on high profile projects including the merger of the payment and billing back offices of three major Canadian financial institutions, the Ontario government's privatization initiative and the restructuring of Olympia and York.

A Canadian Chartered Accountant, Currie holds a bachelor of business administration degree from York University in Toronto. Currie serves on the board of directors of CEI Corporation.

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Boeing Announces Supplier Agreement with Kaman Aerospace

Representatives of The Boeing Company have announced an agreement with Kaman Aerospace -- Helicopters Division to support the proposed HH-47 Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) helicopter program for the U.S. Air Force.

CSAR-X is a U.S. Air Force initiative to procure more capable and survivable aircraft able to recover isolated personnel from hostile or denied territory. The tandem rotor, heavy lift, high altitude HH-47 is based on the CH/MH-47 Chinook tandem rotor transport helicopter, with performance capabilities that have been widely demonstrated in the ongoing war on terrorism and in numerous U.S. and international humanitarian relief operations.

Kaman Aerospace -- Helicopters Division, located in Bloomfield, Conn., will manufacture the helicopter's aerial refueling probe, a composite, 30-foot tube that provides in-flight refueling capability for long endurance, CSAR mission effectiveness.

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Annapolis Wireless Launches Free Public WiFi in Annapolis

Annapolis is about to go wireless with a free public WiFi hotspot powered by Nortel wireless mesh technology . Local company  Annapolis Wireless will hold its official wire cutting to mark the launch of WiFi service available to everyone on April 29, 2:30 pm in a public ceremony on City Dock at the Market House.

The wire cutting ceremony is hosted by the  Anne Arundel Tech Council , a non-profit membership organization for technology companies in the Anne Arundel County area. Nortel, which is working with Annapolis Wireless, is an event sponsor and wireless mesh technology provider for the system.  SECU Credit Union , Maryland's largest credit union, is also an event sponsor. Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., Mayor Ellen Moyer and county officials will be on hand to celebrate the WiFi launch.

The creation of a city-wide WiFi system marks Annapolis' entrée into a technologically sophisticated group of cities. Cities such as Philadelphia, Houston and New Orleans also provide free WiFi access. But Annapolis' WiFi carries a distinct difference - many other cities provide the access using taxpayer funds. Annapolis Wireless, by offering sponsorships and advertising to area businesses on its splash page, is able to provide WiFi access to the public without using taxpayer dollars.

Anyone with a wireless network card can access the WiFi service in Annapolis. Users simply launch their web browser, which points to www.annapoliswireless.com . The first time, users create a profile, user ID and password. They can then browse the Internet using the WiFi service.

Initially, coverage will be available throughout Annapolis, from the City Dock to West Street and Eastport. Expansion of the signal beyond downtown is planned throughout the summer.

The announcement comes just after Jupiter Research released its latest report on WiFi adaptation across the country. The March 23 report, "Public Wi-Fi: Capturing Paying Customers in an Increasingly Competitive Space," showed that:

• 58% of online public WiFi users use hotspots only when they are free;
• adoption of public WiFi by the online population grew from 14% to 20% or 43% between 2004 and 2005;
• WiFi service providers need to focus on capturing mobile professionals and home wireless network owners.

This WiFi hotspot was created for local businesses, citizens and boaters, who live, work and play in Annapolis, as well as the 5.6 million tourists who visit the area each year.  Annapolis is quickly becoming an international destination, with national conferences and events held in the historic city each year. The Anne Arundel Tech Council wire cutting ceremony coincides with the arrival of the Volvo Around the World sailboat race.