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| << November27, 2006 - News from Army-Guide.com |
December01, 2006 - News from Army-Guide.com >> |
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Raytheon Successfully Completes Extended-Range Test for Excalibur Block Ia-2 TUCSON, Ariz., -- Raytheon Company's Missile Systems business and BAE Systems-Bofors successfully fired the first extended-range GPS-guided Excalibur projectiles at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., last month. Excalibur is the next-generation family of projectiles for U.S. Army and Marine Corps artillery. The so-called Guided Series-6 test of the Excalibur Block Ia-2 consisted of two inert rounds configured with tactical base and live base bleed. Base bleed is a solid fuel that burns in the base of the projectile, expelling gas that reduces drag with the result of extending range. The primary test objectives were to demonstrate the navigational functionality throughout the flight with live base bleed and to verify base-bleed performance. "Continued test successes demonstrate Excalibur's ability to meet the full Block Ia requirements," said Lt. Col. Joe Minus, U.S. Army product manager for the Excalibur program. "The base bleed with charge five will propel Excalibur beyond the 40-kilometer (24.8 miles) objective range from the current U.S. howitzers." The Archer, the Swedish 52-caliber howitzer, will achieve an Excalibur range of approximately 33 miles (50 kilometers). The Block Ia-2 tests will include full system performance testing, to include maximum range shots from the Archer, and will be conducted in parallel with Block Ia-1 urgent fielding. The Excalibur program is responding to an urgent request from the warfighter to accelerate fielding because of the projectile's better than 10- meter (33 feet) accuracy that is not available from any other artillery projectile. With its accuracy and increased effectiveness, Excalibur provides operational flexibility and reduces the logistical burden for deployed ground forces. It also reduces collateral damage through increased precision, near- vertical descent and optimized fragmentation pattern. Excalibur Ia-1 is to be fielded to deployed forces in early 2007. The extended range of the Ia-2 Excalibur, with a planned initial operational capability in fiscal year 2008, will enable optimal positioning of forces and further extend a maneuver unit's tactical reach. Raytheon Company, with 2005 sales of $21.9 billion, is an industry leader in defense and government electronics, space, information technology, technical services, and business and special mission aircraft. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 80,000 people worldwide. During the test, one round was fired with the Modular Artillery Charge System, charge three, to approximately 5 miles (8 kilometers) in range, the system's minimum range requirement with live base bleed. The second round was fired with a charge four at 45 degrees cannon tube quadrant elevation, a low elevation to accommodate range limitations at Yuma, and achieved a range of approximately 16 miles (25 kilometers). Source: Raytheon General Dynamics Awarded $380 Million for Abrams Main Battle Tank Work General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, has been awarded a $380 million contract to upgrade Abrams tanks with the M1A2 System Enhancement Package (SEP). The M1A2 SEP fully digitized platform is the most technologically advanced Abrams tank. It features the most sophisticated command and control system, second-generation thermal sights and improved armor. This contract is part of an overall M1A2 tank upgrade program that integrates new information technologies to improve soldier warfighting capability with enhanced command and control features, like color maps and displays, high-density computer memory, increased microprocessing speed and networked communications. Work will be performed by existing General Dynamics employees in Anniston, Ala.; Tallahassee, Fla.; Lima, Ohio; Sterling Heights, Mich.; and Scranton, Pa. Vehicle upgrades will begin in November, with deliveries scheduled for May 2008 through November 2009. Source: General Dynamics DRS Awarded $7m Electro-optical/infrared Sensors Contract for U.S. Army FCS UAV DRS Technologies, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a new $7 million contract to produce lightweight electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor systems for the U.S. Army's Future Combat System (FCS) program Class I Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The sensors will provide imagery during reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) missions and enhanced reconnaissance and security/early warning capabilities, which will increase situational awareness. They also will provide common operating picture information to aid line-of-sight (LOS), non-LOS and beyond LOS targeting. The contract was awarded to DRS by Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE: NOC) Integrated Systems sector, California Microwave Systems unit, located in Belcamp, Maryland. Northrop Grumman is the airborne systems integrator on the Future Combat System program. For this award, DRS will develop and provide emulators and prototypes of an EO/IR system that meets the RSTA requirements of the FCS Class I UAV. Work will be accomplished by the company's DRS Sensors & Targeting Systems unit - California Division, in Cypress, California, and will continue through September 2008. "This new award expands DRS's role on the Future Combat System program as a UAV sensor provider and an industry leader in uncooled, high-performance thermal imaging solutions for the military," said James M. Baird, president of DRS's Reconnaissance, Surveillance & Target Acquisition (RSTA) Segment. "DRS is providing a best-value solution by leveraging the common components of the Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) sensor in the Thermal Weapon Sights (TWS) and Driver Vision Enhancers (DVE) we produce for the U.S. Army. The successful completion of the system development phase on this program will place the company in a solid position as the supplier of choice for full rate production." DRS's sensor system provides commonality with manned and unmanned ground operations. The company's sensor and imaging technology also supports other U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force mission applications and can be used to support emerging RSTA missions on multiple platforms for multiple applications. Source : DRS Technologies, Inc. BAE Systems Awarded $1.16 Billion Contract for Bradley Combat Systems Vehicles YORK, Pennsylvania - BAE Systems has received contract modifications worth $1.16 billion from the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command to remanufacture and upgrade 610 Bradley Combat Systems and to provide spare components for these systems. BAE Systems, working through its Public Private Partnership with Red River Army Depot (RRAD), will remanufacture and upgrade 490 Bradley A3 systems and 120 Bradley A2 (ODS) systems under the awards. Initial disassembly and subsystem rebuild will be performed at RRAD, final disassembly and structural modifications will be performed by BAE Systems in Fayette County, Pennsylvania and final assembly, integration and test will be conducted at the BAE Systems facility in York, Pennsylvania. "Bradleys have been delivering excellent capability to our war fighters since March 2003," said Andy Hove, BAE Systems' director of Bradley Combat Systems. "BAE Systems and RRAD are focused on ensuring these critical combat systems get into soldier's hands as quickly as possible." Work on the contracts will begin immediately, with deliveries scheduled to begin in April 2008 and run through April 2009. Bradley Combat Systems continue to provide outstanding survivability, mobility and lethality to U.S. soldiers in all types of close-combat urban scenarios and in open-combat, open-terrain scenarios over three completed rotations. The Bradley fulfills five critical mission roles - infantry fighting vehicle, cavalry fighting vehicle, fire support vehicle, battle command vehicle and engineer squad vehicle - for the Army's Heavy Brigade Combat Teams (HBCTs). Bradley Combat Systems are playing a critical role in the success of the Army's HBCTs during Operation Iraqi Freedom, where operational readiness has exceeded 94 percent in urban and cross-country missions that have covered more than 8 million miles. The C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) -equipped, network-enabled Bradley Combat Systems feature a proven set of survivability solutions designed to protect soldiers against a wide variety of threats. BAE Systems has been awarded contracts totalling $501 million under fiscal year 2006 funding for reset and remanufacturing of 545 Bradleys. The current award for 610 Bradleys at $1.16 billion is under fiscal year 2007 funding. Approximately 620 Bradley A3 vehicles have been delivered against the Army's requirement for more than 2,000 total Bradley A3s planned for the fleet. Source : BAE Systems Elop to Provide Thermal Imaging Sensors for the Korean Tank K1A1 Elbit Systems Ltd. announced that its subsidiary Elbit Systems Electro-Optics Elop Ltd. ("Elop") will supply Thermal Imaging kits for the Gunner Periscope Sights of the Korean Tank K1A1. The contract is valued at approximately $19 million. Selected as primary contractor of the project to upgrade Gunner Periscope Sights for the Korean tank K1A1, the Samsung-Thales Company will supply, install and test the systems. Sub contractor, Elop will provide the main components for the thermal sensors - the key element of the Gunner Periscope Sights that provide the night capability to the tank. Elbit Systems Electro-Optics Elop General Manager, Haim Rousso said: "This latest order testifies to our leading role in the growing market of advanced electro-optical systems for defense and homeland security applications, as much as it reflects our vast experience in the development of advanced solutions for both the Israeli Defense Forces and other customers worldwide". Elop provides turnkey and tailor-made integrated gunner and commander sight solutions for virtually every Main Battle Tanks (MBT) and Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFV) in service today. The Integrated Sights modular design combines direct view observation, TV channels, eyesafe laser rangefinders and a wide variety of night vision technologies with LOS stabilization and hunter-killer solutions. Source : Elbit Systems Ltd. |
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| << November27, 2006 - News from Army-Guide.com |
December01, 2006 - News from Army-Guide.com >> |
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