Industry News
Lockheed Martin Awarded $260 Million for Aegis Weapon Systems for Australian and Spanish Ship Programs
The U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin $260 million for Aegis Weapon Systems to equip three Australian Air Warfare Destroyers (AWD) and one Spanish F-100-class frigate.
The four will be next-generation Aegis Weapon Systems – among the first to include 100 percent commercial off-the-shelf hardware and a fully open architecture computing environment. Lockheed Martin will synchronize production of the systems for Australia and Spain with the U.S. Navy's Aegis modernization program, which calls for delivery of the first fully open architecture Aegis Weapon System to the USS Bunker Hill in 2008.
The latest contract is a modification to a June 2006 award of $85 million for Australia's AWD long lead material items. The modification covers the production phase for Aegis Weapon Systems for the three Australian destroyers and for Spain's fifth Aegis-equipped ship.
The contract is the latest milestone for the AWD program. Currently, the Australian government is in the process of selecting the AWD ship design in support of final program approval. The Aegis Weapon Systems Lockheed Martin will produce through this contract will support equally both of the ship designs under evaluation. Earlier this month, the U.S. Navy also contracted Lockheed Martin to produce the MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) for the AWD in an identical manner, again supporting both ship designs.
The Aegis Weapon System is a premier naval surface defense system and is the foundation for Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, the primary component of the sea-based element of the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense System. The Aegis Weapon System includes the SPY-1 radar, the Navy's most advanced computer-controlled radar system. When paired with the MK-41 VLS, it is capable of delivering missiles for every mission and threat environment in naval warfare.
The Aegis Weapon System is currently deployed on 81 ships around the globe, with more than 25 additional ships planned. In addition to the United States, Spain and Australia, Aegis is the maritime weapon system of choice for Japan, South Korea and Norway.
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General Dynamics Awarded $22 Million Medium Caliber Ammunition Contract
The U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command at Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., has awarded General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems a $21.8 million contract to produce 25mm Bushmaster M793 Target Practice-Traced, 25mm M910 Target Practice Discarding Sabot-Traced and 30mm M788 Target Practice ammunition. This award represents the majority share of the first year of a multi-award five-year contract.
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems' 25mm Bushmaster ammunition family provides an effective ammunition training solution to the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. The M793 and M910 are both qualified in the M242 Chain Gun and the Oerlikon KBA B02 cannon. The M793 simulates the firing of the M792 high explosive round and is used by the Marines and Army for gunnery training on their Light Armored Vehicle and Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV). The Army also trains with the M910 to simulate firing of the M919 armor piercing round for the BFV.
The 30mm M788 is ballistically matched to the M789 combat round and is used for gunnery training for the Army's Apache attack helicopters. The M788 is also compatible with the AV-30 (M230) Chain Gun turret integrated on a variety of ground combat vehicles such as the Pandur, the M113 and the Piranha.
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems is a worldwide supplier of 25mm Bushmaster and 30mm ammunition to the United States and allied nations.
Contract management and load, assembly and pack operations will be conducted at General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems' Marion, Ill., facility with some component manufacturing being conducted at the company's Red Lion, Pa., and St. Marks Powder, Fla., facilities.
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BP Solar Will Expand Its Cell Manufacturing Capacity in Spain
Representatives of BP Solar announced that the company has begun constructing a mega cell plant at its European headquarters in Tres Cantos, Madrid. For phase 1 of the Madrid expansion, BP Solar is aiming to expand its annual cell capacity from 55 MW to around 300 MW. This follows the announcement on March 21 of the construction of a similar facility in Bangalore, India.
The new cell lines use state-of-the-art screen printing technology, much of it proprietary to BP Solar. By fully automating wafer handling, the lines will be able to handle the very thinnest of wafers available and ensuring the highest possible quality.
Construction of the new Madrid manufacturing facility is already underway, with the first line expected to be fully operational before the summer. Construction has also begun on lines two and three. In addition to the new manufacturing lines, the Tres Cantos site will be remodelled to include a new photovoltaic (PV) systems prototype area, a visitor training centre and product testing and development facilities.
The Madrid mega cell plant will be one of the largest such facilities in Europe. Since the site was acquired by BP Solar in 2002, a tri-generation power plant has been built providing heat and power to the site. The facility is ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified.
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Intel to Build 300mm Wafer Fabrication Facility In China
Representatives of Intel Corporation announced plans to build a 300-millimeter (mm) wafer fabrication facility (fab) in the coastal Northeast China city of Dalian in Liaoning Province. The $2.5 billion investment for the factory designated Fab 68 will become Intel's first wafer fab in Asia and adds significant investment to Intel's existing operations in China.
Not since 1992 with the construction of Fab 10 in Ireland has Intel built a fab from the ground up at a brand new site. Construction on Fab 68 is scheduled to begin later this year with production projected to begin in the first half of 2010. Initial production will be dedicated to chipsets to support Intel's core microprocessor business.
When completed, Fab 68 will become part of Intel's manufacturing network that includes eight 300mm factories in 2010 with other fabs located in the United States, Ireland and Israel. Manufacturing with 300mm wafers dramatically increases the ability to produce semiconductors at a lower cost compared with more commonly used 200mm (eight-inch) wafers. The bigger wafers lower production cost per chip while diminishing overall use of resources. Using 300mm manufacturing technology consumes 40 percent less energy and water per chip than a 200mm wafer factory.
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Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC Names Tom Arnsmeyer Vice President of Homeland Security Solutions Product Line
Representatives of Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC (RTSC), a subsidiary of Raytheon Company, has named Tom Arnsmeyer vice president of the Homeland Security Solutions product line under its newly formed Integrated Support Solutions business unit.
Mr. Arnsmeyer has more than 26 years' experience in the technical services and aeronautics industries. Prior to joining Raytheon, he was on special assignment as vice president and lead executive for major pursuits in the homeland security market at Northrop Grumman Corp., where he also served as vice president of the company's Information Technology Security and Infrastructure Solutions operating unit. While in that position, Arnsmeyer successfully achieved competitive year-over-year sales growth and profit growth of more than 25 percent.
Arnsmeyer reports to David Dacquino, RTSC vice president and ISS general manager, and is located at RTSC's headquarters in Reston, Va.
Arnsmeyer is currently a board member of the Homeland Security and Defense Business Council and serves on the executive committee of the National Defense Industry Association. He holds a bachelor's degree in math and criminal justice from Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., and a master's degree in computer science from the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla.
ISS provides a range of services and capabilities including integrated logistics support, software development, training and maintenance, installation and integration to U.S. and international customers and contractors. With the Mission Support Solutions, Integrated Range and Installation Solutions, and Product Support product lines, Homeland Security Solutions represents RTSC's strategic focus on core markets and customer satisfaction that will position the company for growth.
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Boeing Florida Operations VP to Retire, Acting Senior Executive Named
Former NASA astronaut and space shuttle flight engineer Bruce Melnick, vice president of Boeing Florida Operations, plans to retire from The Boeing Company on April 1.
Melnick led the company's Florida team for more than 10 years in providing engineering, facilities and maintenance support to NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense for the space shuttle, International Space Station (ISS) and Delta rocket programs.
"Bruce Melnick has done a tremendous job in leading Boeing's Florida Space Coast efforts," said Brewster Shaw, vice president and general manager, Boeing Space Exploration. "He has demonstrated strong leadership and an unwavering dedication to Space Exploration and a commitment to successful program execution."
Boeing Space Exploration Vice President and Constellation Program Manager John Elbon has been named the acting Florida site senior executive and will continue to lead the company's pursuit of NASA's Constellation program elements from Houston, Texas.
Elbon served as ISS vice president and program manager prior to assuming his lead Constellation role. As ISS program manager, he coordinated several thousand Boeing employees in five major locations as well as subcontractors and suppliers located in 23 states. Prior to that, he managed the Checkout, Assembly and Payload Processing Services contract at Kennedy Space Center in the final assembly and testing of the ISS and other space shuttle payloads.
