The Latest Word On Trends And Developments In Aerospace And Defense
Campaign Report. An overflow crowd at BAE Systems in Nashua, N.H., turned out last week to listen to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), fresh from a solid finish in the Iowa caucuses, said Clark Dumont, vice president of communications for BAE’s Electronics & Integrated Solutions (E&IS) Operating Group. The largest defense contractor in the early primary state also has hosted former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R). Sen. Joseph Biden (D- Del.) was scheduled to tour the facility a day before the Jan. 8 primary, but canceled his trip as he pulled out of the race yesterday. McCain’s Jan. 4 visit inspired “tremendous energy and interest,” Dumont said, adding that as an aerospace and defense company, there is a natural affinity for the senator. During his speech to BAE employees, McCain pledged to revise procurement systems and said, “I’ll be hard on any defense corporation and defense personnel that is wasteful,” Dumont told Defense Daily.
ABL Boost. Northrop Grummanand Boeing announced last week that the Airborne Laser aircraft recently made advancements helping the program meet the program’s final milestone of 2007. According to a Northrop Grumman statement, the company wrapped up the inspection and refurbishment of Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser components. Together, Northrop Grumman and Boeing finished engineering drawings of for installation of the weapon’s laser. Boeing is the prime contractor for ABL.
Swamped. The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) has been deluged with arms export licenses since 2003–reflecting a surge in global arms exports over that time period. The problem, according to a GAO report released last week, is that processing times for export licenses has nearly doubled. GAO is recommending that the DDTC analyze how to deal with some of the systemic problems leading to the backlog–like staffing shortages and inefficiencies in procedure. The State Department, meanwhile, acknowledged GAO’s to-do list, saying the department has already taken steps to correct the problem.
Call for Aid. After the assassination of Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto, presidential candidate and HASC ranking member Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) urged President Bush to help Pakistan control unauthorized use of its nuclear weapons, citing the difficulty of governing the Asian nation. “We should prepare an assistance package which secures the communication chain, verification of possession, and control of nuclear weapons for the Pakistani government as rapidly as they can adopt it, if they so choose,” Hunter wrote in a Dec. 31 letter to Bush.
Poof. The Navy has developed a BLU-126 Low Collateral Damage Bomb (LCDB) that uses 85 percent fewer high explosives (HE) than in the current configuration, Capt. Mat Winter, program manager for strike weapons, tells Defense Daily. By using an existing weapon and just removing a larger percentage of the HE, the Navy eliminated 13 months from the time line from when the Marine Corps said they needed the bomb. “From the time the Marine Corps said they need it to the time they had it was roughly 15 months, which was phenomenal in our lethargic acquisition time line process,” Winter says.
…A Success. The first war time use was on July 27 off a Marine Corps F-18 against an insurgent vehicle, Winter says. “It was a 100 percent success. The second use was Aug. 8. In theater, it is being used, and being used effectively.”
…It’s What’s Inside That Counts. The Navy took the BLU-126 bomb, put in 27 pounds of HE, put in inert glass bead fill first and then poured in the HE at the back end, Winter says. “It looks exactly like a 500-pound bomb…weighs just like a 500-pound bomb…why? That glass bead inert material we have been using for decades for what we call our inert training. We fill them up and let guys go practice dropping them on ranges where we are not allowed to go blow things up,” he adds. The BLU-126 LCDB is already processed, packaged and authorized for shipboard use by the safety community, Winter notes. “So now I take that BLU-126 and slap a LGB kit or a dual mode LGB kit or JDAM on it. My aviators think it is just a JDAM, but they know it has a poof instead of a bang.”
Big Time For Micro Vehicle. Last week, AeroVironment’s (AV) BATMAV program received Milestone C approval and authorization for full-rate production from the Air Force. “Achieving full rate production in just 11 months from contract award reflects our team’s efforts, working closely with our customers, to satisfy program requirements quickly and efficiently,” says John Grabowsky, executive vice president and general manager, AV Unmanned Aircraft Systems. “The rapid achievement of full-rate production means that we can now produce our Wasp III systems in higher volumes so that our customers can deploy them to the front-line units who need them.”
…Marine Corps Effort. In November ’07 the Marine Corps awarded AV a $19.3 million contract for Wasp III MAV systems under the Air Force BATMAV Contract. The Marines plan to deploy Wasp at the Platoon level and use it as a complement to their Raven small UAS systems, which they currently deploy at the company and battalion levels, the company says.
Big Win Down Under. L-3 last week signed a competitively-bid $109 million contract with Australian defense contractor Tenix to become the suppler of the communications systems for the Australian Defence Force’s two new amphibious ships, L-3 says. The company will develop and deliver an integrated communication system for two Canberra– class Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) amphibious ships for the Royal Australian Navy. L-3’s LHD communication system includes all external and internal communication subsystems, Maritime Tactical WAN, IT networks, CCTV, data links, entertainment and training subsystems and the Broadcast & Alarm System, the company adds. “This contract represents a key win for L-3 in Australia and demonstrates the success of our strategy to expand our presence in international markets,” says Michael Strianese, President and CEO of L-3. “The Australian Defence Force and Tenix are important customers for L-3 and we look forward to working with them both in the years to come.”
Taking Care of Teddy. Northrop Grumman was awarded a $186.4 million planning contract option from the Navy for the refueling and complex overhaul of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), the company reports. The work will be done at Northrop Grumman’s Newport News facility. The carrier is scheduled to arrive at Newport News shipyard in 2009 for its first and only refueling, the company says. The Roosevelt was delivered to the Navy in 1986. It is the fourth Nimitz-class carrier built by Northrop Grumman, and will also be the fourth ship of the class to undergo this major life-cycle milestone, Northrop Grumman says.