|
News from Army-Guide.com Archives Index
|
Subscribe
|
|
| << March17, 2008 - News from Army-Guide.com |
March19, 2008 - News from Army-Guide.com >> |
|
General Dynamics Awarded $40 Million Army Contract to Produce Robotic Security Vehicles WESTMINSTER, Md. -- The U.S. Army has awarded General Dynamics Robotic Systems an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with a total potential value of $40 million for production of the robotic Mobile Detection and Assessment and Response System (MDARS). General Dynamics Robotic Systems is a part of General Dynamics Land Systems (Sterling Heights, Mich.), a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics. General Dynamics Robotic Systems will manufacture the semi-autonomous security vehicles and provide spare parts, training and technical services for a five-year period. The work will be done at its Westminster, Md., production facility. Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada will receive the first four robotic security vehicles produced under this program. Since 2005, the MDARS demonstration vehicles have been evaluated at the depot logging more than 8,000 hours and 28,000 miles of service. MDARS autonomously conducts surveillance activities including checking for intruders, remotely investigating alarm sources, monitoring high-value inventory and assessing facility barriers, such as the doors of storage bunkers. MDARS is a diesel-powered, 4-wheel hydrostatic-drive vehicle, with a payload capacity of 500 lbs. The vehicle is equipped with a real-time obstacle avoidance system and 360-degree sensors. It can operate for 16 hours without refueling and at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. “General Dynamics Robotic Systems has taken MDARS from concept to full-scale production,” said Phil Cory, vice president, General Dynamics Robotic Systems. “MDARS will minimize numerous physical burdens to Hawthorne’s human security force while reducing their exposure to potentially deadly situations.” Source: General Dynamics General Dynamics Awarded $33 Million for Stryker-Related Work STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. -- General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, was awarded a $33 million contract for work associated with the Stryker Mobile Gun and Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance variants. The contract, announced March 5, will fund engineering and manufacturing for the two Stryker variants. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Mich., and London, Ontario, Canada, by existing General Dynamics employees and is expected be completed by Dec. 31, 2010. Source: General Dynamics Rheinmetall Defence wins order for GUZ expansion Germany's Federal Office for Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB) has awarded Rheinmetall Defence a contract for a major expansion of the German Army's Combat Training Centre (GUZ) in the Altmark district of Saxony-Anhalt, which has been steadily ramping up operations ever since 2001. The order encompasses new GUZ system technology for the previously non-instrumented southern part of the Altmark Major Training Area as well as additional mobile online video technology. For Rheinmetall Defence's Simulation and Training Division, the order is worth some EUR25 million. [Image]Building on a 2006 order for the complete modernization of system technology for the GUZ command & control center and communications network, the new order encompasses expansion of the TETRA wireless data link and tactical voice communications, meaning that exercises conducted in the southern section of the training area can soon be controlled and monitored from the GUZ command & control center. Among other things, new radio relay stations will be erected in the training area and connected to the command & control center by fibre optic cable. Just as with the modernization of the command & control center, the contract for connecting the southern section was awarded with the proviso that training operations must be able to carry on without interruption. Once the regeneration and expansion work is completed, the German Army will have an enhanced performance, state-of-the-art system at its disposal that will enable highly realistic combat training, ensuring that troops are well prepared for future operations. Furthermore, Rheinmetall Defence will be supplying two additional video relay vehicles for online recording and documentation of exercises. The new video units will augment the three systems already supplied to the GUZ, and are equipped for the first time with night vision cameras, enabling exercises to be recorded even under conditions of poor visibility. This will make it possible to exploit the full capabilities of the GUZ video system for mobile online transmission, presentation and processing of parallel battlefield videos in the command cell 24 hours a day. The German Army's Combat Training Centre (GUZ) is on the global cutting edge with regard to operational effectiveness, depth of simulation and ability to deliver a highly realistic training experience. Expanding the GUZ system technology to include the southern section of the training area, coupled with ongoing regeneration of the computer network, will not merely maintain but materially improve the efficiency of this unique facility. The regenerated Combat Training Centre and its southward expansion will give the German Army the world's most advanced system of its kind, now set to encompass the entire Altmark Major Training Area, and making a major contribution to operational readiness. Source: Rheinmetall Rheinmetall takes over Stork PWV, expanding its leading role in European army technology The Rheinmetall Group of Dusseldorf has taken over Stork PWV B.V. from its parent company Stork N.V. of the Netherlands. The takeover strengthens Rheinmetall's position as Europe's leading supplier of systems and equipment for ground forces. It also reinforces Rheinmetall's role in the Boxer programme, one of the largest armoured vehicle projects in Europe. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The acquisition still requires approval from the relevant competition authorities. Rheinmetall currently holds a 14% stake as a joint venture partner in Artec GmbH of Munich, the company that developed the Boxer armoured vehicle for the German and Dutch armed forces. The takeover, which includes PWV's share in Artec, increases Rheinmetall's interest in the company to 64%. Stork PWV is responsible for the Dutch share of the Boxer programme, which is worth around EUR500 million and encompasses the development and production of 200 vehicles for the Royal Netherlands Army. Rheinmetall is producing 85 of the 272 vehicles ordered by Germany's Bundeswehr, representing EUR212 million for the Dusseldorf-based company, which is also in charge of supplying the electronic components in all of the German and Dutch vehicles, generating an additional EUR60 million in sales. The acquisition increases Rheinmetall's weight in what is currently Europe's largest cross-border military vehicle project – also with respect to future Boxer export sales. At the same time, Rheinmetall is strengthening its market position in the Netherlands with a view to supporting the Royal Netherlands Army in upgrading its capabilities and further enhancing its operational readiness. Thanks to close bilateral cooperation in the defence technology domain, the Dutch armed forces operate numerous German-built military systems, including the Leopard 2 main battle tank, the PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer and the Fuchs/Fox armoured transport vehicle. Delivery of Boxer vehicles to the Dutch Army will begin in 2011 and continue until the end of 2016. The first Boxers are slated to reach the Bundeswehr as early as 2009. Weighing in at 32 tons, the Boxer armoured transport vehicle is a trend-setting, highly mobile, wheeled vehicle with state-of-the art protection, whose modular design offers itself to a wide variety of mission-specific system versions. The Boxer forms an integral part of the Dutch Army's and Bundeswehr's "Future Soldier" infantry modernization programmes. It is destined to supersede a variety of different protected vehicles to varying degrees. Source: Rheinmetall The Finnish Ministry of Defence to outsource the Army material maintenance to Millog Oy The Finnish Ministry of Defence has today announced its decision to transfer the Army material maintenance to a strategic partner, Patria’s subsidiary Millog Oy as of 2009 according to the proposition made by the Defence Command. The eight-year contract between the Defence Administration and Millog Oy will be signed in summer 2008, the Letter of Intent will be signed already in March. The basic yearly value of the contract is EUR 54 – 63 million. The costs of the Army material maintenance is currently approximately EUR 100 million per year. In the strategic partnership Millog Oy will be integrated to the Defence Forces’ operations already during peace time, which will increase the crisis time readiness and security of supply. The partnership agreement covers the Army material life-cycle support for the platforms and systems related to non and armoured vehicles, equipment and weapon systems including modifications and installations. The maintenance organisations of Materiel Command the Electronics and Vehicle Depots as well as the Depots in Kuopio, Lievestuore and Tervola will be transferred to Millog in the beginning of 2009. The strategic partnership model will lead to the transfer of approximately 660 people to Millog with their current terms of employment. Millog is a member of the Patria Group, the other owners being Insta Group Oy, Raskone Oy, Oy Sisu Auto Ab and Oricopa Oy. Patria is a defence and aerospace group with international operations delivering its customers competitive solutions based on own specialist know-how and partnerships. Patria is owned by the State of Finland and the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V Source: Millog Oy |
|
| << March17, 2008 - News from Army-Guide.com |
March19, 2008 - News from Army-Guide.com >> |
|
News from Army-Guide.com Archives Index
|
Subscribe
|
|
|
Archives powered by Zinester's Mailing List Service
Details on News from Army-Guide.com |
Browse for more newsletters at Zinester's Ezine Directory
Managed by Zinester's Mailing List Management |