Wednesday, July 28, 2010

DTN News: Reference To Missile-Downed Helicopter In Leaked Afghanistan Reports Highlights A Threat

DTN News: Reference To Missile-Downed Helicopter In Leaked Afghanistan Reports Highlights A Threat * If the Taliban had many surface-to-air missiles, it could dramatically alter an already struggling allied war effort. Shoulder-launched missiles downed scores of Soviet helicopters in the 1980s. Source: Los Angeles Times - By Laura King and Paul Richter Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan, and Washington (NSI News Source Info) KABUL, Afghanistan/ WASHINGTON, U.S. - July 29, 2010: Wherever there are Western troops in Afghanistan, theclatter-thump of helicopter rotors serves as the soundtrack. Choppers are the workhorses of this war, with hundreds of them moving soldiers and supplies daily across a rugged landscape. Because of the NATO force's heavy reliance on them, one of the most eye-catching revelations in a trove of classified documents posted on the Internet this week was that insurgents apparently used a portable heat-seeking surface-to-air missile to shoot down a twin-rotor CH-47 Chinook in Helmand province in May 2007, killing seven Western service members. If the Taliban and other insurgent groups possessed large numbers of these weapons, it could dramatically alter the dynamics of a war effort that already is struggling. Shoulder-launched missiles downed scores of Soviet helicopters in the 1980s, helping ragtag Afghan rebels prevail against a vastly superior force. Most experts believe that the antiaircraft threat currently posed by the insurgents is relatively limited, and that they don't have significant stocks of surface-to-air missiles, at least for now. The shooting down of choppers remains a relative rarity in the Afghan conflict, and heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades are almost always found to have been used. "After nine years, if they had a lot of them, we would have seen them by now," said a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the subject on the record. Sporadic reports of attacks with surface-to-air missiles have often turned out to involve other weapons, the official said.But portable surface-to-air missiles can be procured from many illicit sources in the region. Afghanistan's neighbors include Iran, Pakistan and China. NATO said this month that an intercepted memo from Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammed Omar suggested that the insurgents were redoubling efforts to obtain a variety of sophisticated armaments. "It's wartime, and our warriors are searching for new weapons," said Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, reached by telephone.By their nature, shoulder-launched missiles — "manpads," in military parlance — are easily transportable, making them less difficult to smuggle than bulkier weapons systems. Mujahid declined to discuss any recent additions to the Taliban arsenal, but said, "It is difficult to stop weapons trafficking. The world's black market is open to us." Matt Schroeder, an analyst with the Federation of American Scientists, said it is possible that there have been more attacks on coalition aircraft than have come to light. Yet Schroeder was skeptical that shoulder-fired missiles represented a major threat because such attacks in large numbers would be likely to come to public attention. The downing of any aircraft is usually announced quickly by NATO's International Security Assistance Force. Two U.S. servicemen died last week when a helicopter was brought down by hostile fire in Afghanistan's south; the incident was disclosed by military officials within hours. "It's hard to hide the loss of a lot of aircraft," Schroeder said.Missiles being used by Afghan insurgents are generally thought to be of older Soviet and Chinese design, types that can be neutralized by common countermeasures such as diversionary flares. The missiles are not easy to aim, and sometimes can be thrown off target even by sunlight and clouds. That could account for the fact that the classified documents posted by the organization WikiLeaks referred to at least 10 suspected missiles having missed their targets, according to an analysis by Britain's Guardian newspaper. Taliban leaders have said the movement has a number of stored Stinger missiles left over from the period of Soviet occupation, which ended more than 20 years ago. The leaked documents suggested that some of them still might have been usable. "The presumption had been that those systems that were distributed by the United States in the 1980s would be inoperable because their batteries would have run out," said Jeremy Binnie, a senior terrorism and insurgency analyst at IHS Jane's. "But [in the leaked documents] there are people reporting to have seen contrails like those left by a Stinger." Lincoln P. Bloomfield Jr., who was appointed in 2008 by the George W. Bush administration to take the shoulder-fired missiles out of circulation, said there remains a real threat from the weapons in Afghanistan, as elsewhere. "The U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan attract adversaries," he said. "This is among the elements in their playbook." He said that even though older missiles may have been sitting in hot, dusty warehouses for years, "sometimes they still work." Bloomfield said the U.S. government has destroyed about 28,000 of the weapons since 2002 through buyback programs and other efforts. As special envoy, he negotiated with governments to destroy the portable missiles in their arsenals, or at least to ensure that they were safe from theft. On the black market, the missiles' cost ranges from a few hundred dollars to many thousands of dollars. But at least for some insurgent factions, money may not be much of an issue. The German magazine Der Spiegel, which like the Guardian and the New York Times received advance access to the WikiLeaks documents, cited insurgent leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar as exhorting followers to procure weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, to use against coalition forces. "Attack him with Stinger missiles!" Hekmatyar told followers in Lowgar province in 2005, according to the magazine. "No matter the cost, $150,000 or $200,000, I will pay." *This article "Reference To Missile-Downed Helicopter In Leaked Afghanistan Reports Highlights A Threat " & link to this article....click here. *This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated July 28, 2010

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated July 28, 2010 Source: U.S. DoD issued July 28, 2010 (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - July 28, 2010: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued July 28, 2010 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

Hess Corp., Woodbridge, N.J., is being awarded a maximum $42,591,541 fixed-price with economic price adjustment contract for gasoline. Other locations of performance are Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and federal civilian agencies. The original proposal was Web-solicited with 52 responses. The date of performance completion is July 31, 2013. The Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., is the contracting activity (SP0600-10-D-4012).

Capps Shoe Co.*, Lynchburg, Va., is being awarded a maximum $29,622,446 firm-fixed-price total set-aside, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for dress leather shoes. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, and Air Force. The original proposal was solicited with two responses. The date of performance completion is July 21, 2011. The Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (SPM1C1-10-D-1092).

Isobunkers, LLC*, Norfolk, Va., is being awarded a maximum $22,704,723 fixed-price with economic price adjustment contract for fuel. Other locations of performance are Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and federal civilian agencies. The original proposal was Web-solicited with 52 responses. The date of performance completion is July 31, 2013. The Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., is the contracting activity (SP0600-10-D-5015).

Truman Arnold Cos., Inc.*, Texarkana, Texas, is being awarded a maximum $21,681,438 fixed-price with economic price adjustment contract for fuel. Other locations of performance are Maryland and the District of Columbia. Using services are Army, Navy and federal civilian agencies. The original proposal was Web-solicited with 52 responses. The date of performance completion is July 31, 2013. The Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., is the contracting activity (SP0600-10-D-5037).

RD Buie Enterprises*, Boerne, Texas, is being awarded a maximum $6,450,000 fixed-price with economic price adjustment, sole-source, indefinite-quantity contract to support wood product requirements. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. The date of performance completion is Jan. 27, 2011. The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (SPM500-05-D-BP23).

NAVY

Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp., Herndon, Va. (N65236-10-D-6844), and Science Applications International Corp., McLean, Va. (N65236-10-D-6845), are each being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee performance-based multiple award contract for support services for Enhanced Tactical Automated Security System surveillance, detection and assessment equipment, site surveys, integration, installation and technical support. Each contractor will be awarded $12,500 at the time of award. The ceiling dollar value, including the base period and four option years for both contracts combined, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of these contracts to an estimated $37,645,903. Work will be performed in California (20 percent); North Carolina (20 percent); Japan (20 percent); Arizona (10 percent); South Carolina (10 percent); Florida (5 percent); Hawaii (5 percent); Virginia (5 percent); and the District of Columbia (5 percent). Work is expected to be completed July 2011. If all options are exercised, work could continue until July 2015. The multiple award contracts were competitively procured by full and open competition via the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center e-Commerce Central website, with two offers received. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic, Charleston, S.C., is the contracting activity.

Canadian Commercial Corp., General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada, Ontario, Canada, is being awarded a $33,224,046 firm-fixed-price delivery order #0009 under previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5028) for the procurement of 27 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected RG-31 vehicles and associated engineering change proposal upgrades to include an independent suspension system. The major production and assembly work will be performed in South Africa. Major sub-assemblies will be purchased from companies in Fairfield, Ohio, Buffalo, N.Y., and Ogdensburg, N.Y. Work is expected to be completed no later than April 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

General Electric Co., Aircraft Engines Business Group, Lynn, Mass., is being awarded a $28,202,039 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-06-C-0088) for the procurement of six F414-GE-400 engines; four F414-GE-400 engine fan modules; 14 F414-GE-400 engine high pressure combustion modules; and 5 F414-GE-400 combuster modules for the F/A-18E/F and EA-18G aircraft. Work will be performed in Lynn, Mass. (49 percent); Madisonville, Ky. (21 percent); Hooksett, N.H. (12 percent); Albuquerque, N.M. (7 percent); Rutland, Vt. (5 percent); Dayton, Ohio (2 percent); Wilmington, N.C. (2 percent); Evendale, Ohio (1 percent); and Bromont, Canada (1 percent). Work is expected to be completed in December 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Bowhead Manufacturing Co., LLC, Anchorage, Alaska, is being awarded $16,066,496 for firm-fixed-price delivery order #0022 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (M67854-05-D-5013) for fuel and water transfer pumps. Work will be performed in Port Arthur, Texas, and work is expected to be completed by November 2011. Contract funding will not expire during the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

PKL Services, Inc.,* Poway, Calif., is being awarded a $15,643,153 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00421-09-C-0023) to exercise an option for selected organizational level maintenance, reset, for Marine Corps AH-1W, UH-1N, CH-53D/E, and CH-46E aircraft. Work will be performed in Camp Pendleton, Calif. (30 percent); New River, N.C. (25 percent); Iraq/Afghanistan (22 percent); Miramar, Calif. (18 percent); and Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in February 2014. Contract funds in the amount of $15,643,153 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Northrop Grumman Technical Services, Inc., Herndon, Va., is being awarded a $7,275,006 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract (N00421-08-C-0065) to exercise an option for approximately 94,135 hours of engineering and logistics services in support of E-2C, C-2 and E-2D, and applicable platforms located at the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Zero (VX-20), Patuxent River, Md. Services to be provided include modification and preparation of the aircraft for test operations, correction of safety of flight discrepancies, quality control inspections, engineering investigations, and logistics and parts support. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in July 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Force Protection Industries, Inc., Ladson, S.C., is being awarded a $5,592,594 firm-fixed price modification under previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5031) delivery order #0016, for a five-month extension of 36 field service representatives to complete independent suspension system kit installation on the Cougar Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle fleet. All work will be performed in Bagram, Afghanistan, and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2011. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

Force Protection Industries, Inc., Ladson, S.C., is being awarded a $5,592,594 firm-fixed-price modification under previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5031) delivery order #0017, for a five-month extension of 36 field service representatives to complete independent suspension system kit installation on the Cougar Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle. All work will be performed in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2011. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

*Small business

DTN News: U. S. Air Force Announces F-35 Basing Proposal

DTN News: U. S. Air Force Announces F-35 Basing Proposal
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, U.S. - July 28, 2010: The Department of the Air Force announced today its proposal to base 59 F-35 aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. This proposal is contingent upon the result of a draft supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS), which should be released in the early fall 2010, and includes the preferred alternative (Alt. 1A) of basing the 59 F-35 aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base main base. Flight operations will also be conducted at Duke and Choctaw Fields. This decision, approved by the secretary and chief of staff of the Air Force, supports the recommendation of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission to establish the F-35 Initial Joint Training Center at Eglin. “The Air Force has completed its initial analysis of a full range of alternatives and determined that basing 59 F-35s at Eglin main base is the preferred alternative,” said Kathleen Ferguson, Air Force deputy assistant secretary for installations. “This is not a final basing decision; it is the alternative we believe will fulfill our mission responsibilities while considering economic, environmental, and technical factors. The community will be invited to comment on the alternatives presented in the SEIS.” The record of decision is anticipated to be announced following the completion of the final SEIS.

DTN News: Aerospace/Defense Headlines - News Dated Wednesday July 28, 2010 (Up-Dates #1)

DTN News: Aerospace/Defense Headlines - News Dated Wednesday July 28, 2010 (Up-Dates #1)(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 28, 2010: Defense News: Aerospace/Defense Headlines - News Dated Wednesday July 28, 2010.
  • Tidewater Elects Morris E. Foster To Its Board of Directors 3:29 pm - Business Wire
  • Protocall Technologies, Inc. Unveils Composite Material Manufacturing Designed to Defeat up to a .50 Caliber AP Rounds and IED's 2:58 pm - Marketwire
  • Ball Board Declares Dividend 2:55 pm - PR Newswire
  • Lockheed Martin Marietta Facility Kicks Off F-35 Lightning II Center Wing Assembly Production 2:50 pm - PR Newswire
  • U.S. aviation bill prospects dim in Congress 2:43 pm - at Reuters
  • UPDATE - General Dynamics raises 2010 forecast; Q2 net up 2:21 pm - at Reuters
  • Wireless sensor watches blood sugar for diabetics 2:13 pm - at Reuters
  • VeriTainer Receives Notice of Granted Patent on Fundamental Crane-Mounted Scanning in Indonesia 2:13 pm - PR Newswire
  • Laos, Hmong Veterans of Vietnam War Honored by Congress with National Burial Bill 2:04 pm - Business Wire
  • Daylight Defense Selected to Develop Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) Demonstrator Units for Emerging Directional Infrared Countermeasure Systems 2:03 pm - Business Wire
  • Triumph Group Declares Quarterly Dividend 1:39 pm - Business Wire
  • Boeing profit beats, but shares fall on revenue 1:36 pm - Reuters
  • UPDATE - Boeing profit beats, but shares fall on revenue 1:33 pm - at Reuters
  • AVIATION WEEK Delivers Integrated Farnborough Coverage Onsite and Online 1:12 pm - PR Newswire
  • UPDATE - Pakistan plane crashes, all 152 on board dead 1:03 pm - at Reuters
  • Harris Corporation Awarded IDIQ Contract for NASA Human Spaceflight Technologies 1:00 pm - PR Newswire
  • EADS North America Names Carlaine Blizzard as Vice President of Homeland Security Programs 1:00 pm - Marketwire
  • Rhenium Market Reliant on Aerospace for Recovery 12:40 pm - PR Newswire
  • US STOCKS-Wall St slips, S&P hovers at technical level 12:18 pm - at Reuters
  • Lockheed Martin Honors Onizuka Air Force Station for Its Contributions to National Space Missions 12:00 pm - PR Newswire
  • Boeing NewGen Tanker Win Would Bring 100 Jobs, $5 Million to North Carolina 11:45 am - PR Newswire
  • Oceanic Research & Recovery Completes Migration of Data Systems 11:40 am - Marketwire
  • Life Insurance Companies Duping Families of Fallen Soldiers: Special Report in Bloomberg Markets Magazine 11:30 am - Business Wire
  • Butler National Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year End Financial Results and Conference Call 11:16 am - PR Newswire
  • UK's Cameron courts India, helps clinch jet deal 11:15 am - at Reuters
  • UPDATE - AeroMechanical inks deal with Scandinavian airline 11:06 am - at Reuters
  • Satellite Backhaul Continues to Benefit From Blistering Wireless Subscriber Growth According to Northern Sky Research (NSR) 11:00 am - Marketwire
  • Research and Markets: UK Aerospace Sector: Sector Report 10:35 am - Business Wire
  • Bodkin Design Helps to Launch New Product for Start-up Zoray Technologies, Inc. 10:15 am - Business Wire
  • UPDATE - Allegheny Technologies profit misses, stock drops 10:14 am - at Reuters
  • Lockheed Martin Ranks in Supply Chain Top 25 10:00 am - PR Newswire
  • ACT Launches Technical Services Business Group 9:56 am - PR Newswire
  • Honeywell Signs 10-Year Service Agreement for ANA's Boeing 787 9:39 am - PR Newswire
  • Analyst Study on Boeing and Lockheed Martin -- the Changing Facet of the Aerospace Industry 9:37 am - Marketwire
  • US STOCKS SNAPSHOT-Indexes tick down on June durables orders 9:36 am - at Reuters
  • Professional Research on Goodrich and Rockwell Collins -- the Aerospace/Defense Industry Seeing Some Positives 9:32 am - Marketwire
  • UPDATE - TAM firms up $2.8 billion Airbus order 9:18 am - at Reuters
  • Mechdyne Enhances Collaboration in Immersive 3D Displays 9:16 am - Marketwire
  • Elecsys Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year-End Financial Results 9:15 am - PR Newswire
  • Lockheed Martin Completes Milestone for U.S. Navy's Surface Ship Electronic Defense 9:07 am - PR Newswire
  • EADS North America's UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopters Are Deployed to the U.S. Army's Missile Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll 9:00 am - Marketwire
  • Yoh Index of Technology Wages Shows Significant Opportunity for Employers 9:00 am - Business Wire
  • Goodrich Announces Schedule for Release of Second Quarter 2010 Results and Conference Call 9:00 am - PR Newswire
  • Truckers Love VXi's BlueParrott Headsets and Teri Hart 9:00 am - Marketwire
  • NetCracker to Demonstrate IT-Network Convergence Successes With the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army National Guard at LandWarNet 2010 9:00 am - Business Wire
  • Zebra Technologies to Implement aPriori For Product Cost Management 9:00 am - Business Wire
  • Solution to the iPhone Antenna Problem: WristOffice(R) 8:56 am - PR Newswire
  • US STOCKS SNAPSHOT-S&P 500 index futures turn negative 8:43 am - at Reuters
  • Fort A.P. Hill Selects AtHoc IWSAlerts Network-Centric Mass Notification System for Force Protection, Public Safety and Personnel Accountability 8:31 am - Marketwire
  • TransDigm Third Quarter Earnings Report and Conference Call Set for Tuesday, August 10, 2010 8:30 am - PR Newswire
  • Lockheed Martin First Systems Integrator to Join Cloud Security Alliance 8:29 am - PR Newswire
  • UPDATE - Pakistan plane crashes, all 152 on board dead 8:11 am - at Reuters
  • Smith & Wesson's USR Division Completes JFK Airport Security Project 8:00 am - PR Newswire
  • Hughes to Address Army Commercial Satellite Users' Workshop and Showcase New Video Airborne Solution at LandWarNet 2010 8:00 am - PR Newswire
  • Cisco and NetApp Unveil End-to-End FCoE Solution With VMware for the Dynamic Data Center 8:00 am - Marketwire
  • General Dynamics Reports Solid Performance in Second Quarter 2010 7:30 am - PR Newswire
  • Boeing Reports Second-Quarter Results 7:30 am - PR Newswire
  • AeroMechanical Services Ltd. (TSX.V:AMA) Signs Agreement With Large Scandinavian Airline 7:06 am - Business Wire
  • Implant Sciences Selected by U.S. Department of Commerce for Trade Mission to Brazil 7:00 am - Marketwire
  • U.S. Army Funds $1 Million to Procure TeleCommunication Systems SNAP Deployable Satellite Systems Equipment and Maintenance 7:00 am - Marketwire
  • UPDATE - Safran upbeat on economy, raises forecast
  • 6:43 am - at Reuters
  • Details of Airbus plane that crashed in Pakistan 6:04 am - at Reuters
  • Praxair Reports Record Second-Quarter Earnings 6:02 am - Business Wire
  • Satellite Internet Provider BusinessCom Expands Telephony Services Portfolio 6:00 am - Marketwire
  • Industry Parallel Storage Experts Form New Company to Revolutionize Linux I/O and Parallel File Storage Technology 6:00 am - Marketwire
  • ASTIC Signals Defenses has Been Selected to be a Participating Member at the NATIA's 25th Annual Training Conference and Technology Exhibition 5:30 am - PR Newswire
  • Second NATO Ally Will Use Dragon Runner(TM) Robots to Disarm Roadside Bombs in Afghanistan 4:00 am - Marketwire
  • Hirsch Receives $4 Million in Orders for Systems Capable of Using PIV Cards for Access Control 2:30 am - PR Newswire
  • UPDATE - UK to let firms into Indian civil nuclear market 2:17 am - at Reuters
  • Saft Groupe SA Reports 2010 First Half Sales And Earnings 12:59 am - PR Newswire
  • DTN News: Boeing-iRobot Team Receives New SUGV Task Order From US Army

    DTN News: Boeing-iRobot Team Receives New SUGV Task Order From US Army
    Source: DTN News / Boeing
    (NSI News Source Info) HUNTSVILLE, Ala., - July 28, 2010: The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and partner iRobot Corp. [NASDAQ: IRBT] today announced that they have received a new task order to an existing contract to provide Small Unmanned Ground Vehicles (SUGV) to the U.S. Army. The order calls for 94 new model 310 SUGV robots, plus spares, for a total value of $14.6 million.This order, the contract's fifth, brings the total units ordered by the U.S. government to 323. The existing Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract will run through February. "Boeing and iRobot are pleased to be working with our customers to provide this life-saving technology in response to urgent warfighter needs," said Bob DaLee, Robotics program manager for Boeing Network & Tactical Systems. "The 35-pound 310 SUGV system provides the dismounted Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician with the ability to perform reconnaissance during extremely hazardous EOD missions involving unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices." "Robots have played an important role on the battlefield for years now, and their numbers in theater are growing," said Joe Dyer, president of iRobot's Government and Industrial Robots division. "Warfighters can carry and quickly deploy the SUGV at a moment's notice, which is crucial in challenging environments such as Afghanistan. These robots are saving lives every day." Boeing and iRobot developed the SUGV family of vehicles under a strategic alliance that began in 2007. SUGV is a smaller and lighter version of the combat-proven PackBot. It is designed to give warfighters real-time awareness of critical situations and to allow them to complete missions from safe standoff distances. It is ideal for a variety of mission types, including EOD, route clearance and reconnaissance. As the prime contractor, Boeing provides program management, contracts, government-test support and quality-control support from offices in Huntsville. iRobot is responsible for engineering, government-test support, manufacturing, training and logistics services, with the majority of work conducted in Bedford, Mass. "The SUGV can increase the safety of U.S. and allied warfighters in uncertain situations," said William Boggs, director of Boeing Global Forces & Robotics Systems. "We will continue working with our customer not only to provide these valuable assets, but also to continue to refine them so the SUGV we deliver tomorrow has even more capability than the one we deliver today." iRobot designs and builds robots that make a difference. The company's home robots help people with smarter ways to clean, and its government and industrial robots protect those in harm's way. iRobot's consumer and military robots feature iRobot Aware® robot intelligence systems, proprietary technology incorporating advanced concepts in navigation, mobility, manipulation and artificial intelligence. For more information about iRobot, visit www.irobot.com. Boeing is the largest aerospace company in Alabama and one of the state's largest employers. Current company operations in Huntsville include the Ground-based Midcourse Defense program and other missile defense work, such as the Arrow system and the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 seeker, as well as work associated with Ares I, the International Space Station, Army Integrated Logistics, Brigade Combat Team Modernization, SBInet, and engineering for the 787 and the P-8A Poseidon. A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.
    Contact: Kathleen M. Cook
    Boeing Network & Tactical Systems
    Office: 314-233-6818
    Mobile: 314-705-2239
    Matthew Billingsley
    Boeing Network & Tactical Systems
    Office: 703-647-1444
    Mobile: 703-203-9435
    iRobot Corp.
    Office: 781-430-3182

    DTN News: Lockheed Martin Completes Milestone For U.S. Navy’s Surface Ship Electronic Defense

    DTN News: Lockheed Martin Completes Milestone For U.S. Navy’s Surface Ship Electronic Defense
    Source: DTN News / Lockheed Martin
    (NSI News Source Info) SYRACUSE, N.Y., - July 28th, 2010: The U.S. Navy approved Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] preliminary design for a system to defend surface combatants from anti-ship cruise missile threats. The preliminary design review for the Navy’s Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement (SEWIP) Block 2 upgrade program is a significant milestone under the initial $9.9 million design contract awarded to Lockheed Martin last November. The contract includes options totaling nearly $167 million, if exercised. “Successfully completing this critical milestone further validates our low-risk path for improving the surface navy’s electronic warfare capabilities,” said Carl Bannar, vice president of Lockheed Martin Radar Systems. “By using commercial-off-the-shelf components, Lockheed Martin will provide additional cost savings and ease of maintenance to the Navy.” Under the program, the Navy is pursuing an evolutionary succession of enhancements to its AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare (EW) system. A series of block upgrades will allow for the incremental addition of new technologies and functional capabilities. Lockheed Martin is providing a modular solution for Block 2, based on its Integrated Common Electronics Warfare System, demonstrated at sea in 2008. This approach uses commercial-off-the-shelf electronics and provides the Navy with the latest surface ship EW capabilities, as well as enhanced flexibility to upgrade the technology to address emerging threats. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 136,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2009 sales of $45.2 billion.
    Media Contact:
    Chip Eschenfelder, 315-456-3328; email, chip.eschenfelder@lmco.com For additional information, visit our website: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/ms2
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    DTN News: $8.7-Billion Missing In Iraq Funds

    DTN News: $8.7-Billion Missing In Iraq Funds Source: DTN News / Reuters - Nationalpost.com (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTO, U.S. - July 28, 2010: The U.S. Department of Defense has been unable to account properly for US$8.7-billion of Iraqi oil and gas money, funds earmarked for humanitarian needs and reconstruction after the 2003 invasion, according to an audit released yesterday. The figure is nearly 96% of the US$9.1-billion the Pentagon received from the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI), said the report from the U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR). It described lax management of some of the billions of dollars designated for rebuilding war-shattered Iraq, where residents routinely complain about lack of electricity and other basic services more than seven years after the invasion. The DFI was established by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), the U.S.-run body that took charge of Iraq after the invasion. It was meant to harness money from export sales of oil, petroleum products and natural gas, as well as frozen Iraqi assets and surplus funds from the UN oil for food program, and spend it for the benefit of Iraqis. The UN Security Council approved the creation of the fund. "Weaknesses in DoD's financial and management controls left it unable to properly account for $8.7-billion of the $9.1-billion in DFI funds it received for reconstruction activities in Iraq," the SIGIR report said. The report cited poor record-keeping and said most of the organizations at the Pentagon that received DFI funds failed to establish required Treasury Department accounts. "Our selective review shows the records were not always complete. For example, DoD could not provide documentation to substantiate how it spent US$2.6-billion," it said. The funds are separate from the US$53-billion allocated by Congress for rebuilding Iraq. "Iraq should take legal action to get back this huge amount of money," said Sabah al-Saedi, chairman of the Parliamentary Integrity Committee, according to a report by The Associated Press. The money "should be spent for rebuilding the country and providing services for this poor nation." The government of Iraq ordered the Pentagon to return DFI funds at the end of 2007. But the audit found Department of Defense organizations that were still holding and in some cases spending DFI funds. "The breakdown in controls left the funds vulnerable to inappropriate uses and undetected loss," the report said. Iraq is almost completely reliant on oil revenues to rebuild infrastructure and housing stock devastated by years of war and economic sanctions. More than 95% of the federal budget comes from the oil sector. The audit report said the Pentagon had agreed to adopt and implement by November the inspector general's recommendations to tighten up financial controls. "SIGIR believes the identified actions, if implemented as planned, will address SIGIR's concerns," according to the report. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineering and the U.S. Central Command disputed the finding, it added. The Central Command said documents that could account for the missing money were "likely" deposited at a U.S. base but retrieving it "would require significant archival retrieval efforts." The Army Corps said it had provided auditors with US$2-billion of the funds. This is not the first time allegations of missing billions have surfaced in relation to the US-led invasion of Iraq and its aftermath, the BBC reports. In 2005, the inspector general criticized the CPA for its management of an US$8.8-billion fund that belonged to the Iraqi government. A criminal investigation led to the conviction of eight U.S. officials on bribery, fraud and money-laundering charges. *This article "$8.7-Billion Missing In Iraq Funds" & link to this article....click here. *This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

    DTN News: Aerospace/Defense Headlines - News Dated Wednesday July 28, 2010

    DTN News: Aerospace/Defense Headlines - News Dated Wednesday July 28, 2010
    (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 28, 2010: Defense News: Aerospace/Defense Headlines - News Dated Wednesday July 28, 2010.
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