Hawker 800

On Sept 6, 2006, the US DSCA announced South Korea’s request for continuing support of their RC-800 Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft, as well as the accompanying Reconnaissance Ground Stations that process and analyze the data gathered. Work will include contractor services, maintenance, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, communication support, prime mission equipment (PME), technical support, contractor engineering, and other related elements of program support. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $200 million.

RC-800?!?

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AN/PSS-14 at work

In late December 2005, DID noted that the USA has spent $1 billion on humanitarian land-mine removal over the last 10 years. A year ago, on August 16, 2005, we noted a $38 million contract to CyTerra for its AN/PSS-14 (formerly HSTAMIDS) Mine Detection Sets. Someone must have liked them, because L-3 recently announced that its March 2006 acquisition CyTerra has received a 10-year, $300 million contract for over 17,000 more sets as well as Sweep Monitoring Systems for training, Training Target Sets, and worldwide training and support. The value of the first order is approximately $24 million. The US Army and Marines currently have about 2,000 delivered sets in their possession. See corporate release.

Cyterra is an excellent example of the small-mid cap dynamic in the US defense sector generally.

The AN/PSS-14 employs a state-of-the-art metal detector and ground penetrating radar (GPR), coupled with an advanced microprocessor array and software in order to achieve a high probability of detection (in excess of 95%) for both large and small metallic and even nonmetallic antitank and antipersonnel mines. They’ve even been used to find underground pipes in civilian applications. It also significantly reduces the number of false targets or alarms. The apparatus weighs approximately eight pounds, uses standard batteries and can be operated by a single Soldier. See this U.S. Army page re: all countermine equipment in current use.

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The US military’s Headquarters Cryptologic Systems Group, San Antonio, TX has issued a pair of cost-plus-fixed fee contracts. They’re buying next generation crypto-modernization compliant encryptor/ decryptors for satellite telemetry, tracking and control in 2 configurations: an embeddable solution and an end cryptographic unit. This is logical, as you want one on the satellites and one on the ground. Solicitations began in March 2006, and work will be complete April 2008.

• L-3 Communications Telemetry-West in San Diego, CA received a $9.9 million contract (FA8307-06-C-0009). Note L-3’s recent purchase of TDL, which it may be able to leverage in contracts of this sort.

• General Dynamics C4 Systems Inc. received a $9.7 million contract (F8307-06-C-0010).
  
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A team led by Lockheed Martin was awarded a $150 million US Navy Seaport-e task order to provide training support to Sailors across the full spectrum of surface ship combat systems. Training will encompass the AEGIS Combat System, Ship Self Defense System, Littoral Combat Ship, and DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class destroyer aka DD (X). Currently, program support is provided at the U.S. Navy’s Center for Surface Combat Systems/Aegis Training and Readiness Center headquarters in Dahlgren and 14 detachments located in the United States and Japan.

The Lockheed Martin team includes 12 companies, comprised of international and small business partners:

• Lockheed Martin
• Chugach (small business qualifier)
• Advanced Acoustic Concepts (AAC)
• Advanced Sciences & Technologies (AS&T)
• Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)
• Imagine-One Technology & Management Ltd.
• L3 Communications – Titan Group
• ManTech
• Northrop Grumman
• Raytheon
• Southeastern Computer Consultants Inc. (SCCI)
• Systems Engineering Inc. (SEI)
  
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L-3 Communications has completed the acquisition of British firm TRL Electronics plc. On May 18, 2006, the two firms announced agreement on the terms of a recommended cash offer by L-3 agents Lehman Brothers of GBP 3.60 (US $6.78) in cash per share, which valued the existing issued ordinary share capital at GBP 89.7 million. The acquisition’s completion was announced on July 18, 2006 for a total cash consideration of GBP 95.9 million (approximately US $176.2 million).

TRL offers advanced radio and satellite communications and security systems, Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) that include responsive radio jammers and denial-of-service devices, military grade ATM and IP network cryptography, et. al. of the sort that may prove useful to Project HELIX and similar efforts. L-3’s July 18 release notes that:

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CSEL Handset

Boeing Co. in Anaheim, CA received a $22.7 million firm-fixed-price contract modification for the Combat Survivor Evader Locator (CSEL) full rate production FY06 effort. This includes procurement of the following: 2,645 radio sets; 269 radio set spares; 2,645 prime radio set batteries; 3,876 rechargeable radio set batteries; 240 radio set adapters; 56 radio set adapter spares; and 1,961 rechargeable radio set battery adapters. This work will be complete by March 2007. The Headquarters 653d Electronic Systems Wing at Hanscom Air Force Base, MA issued the contract (FA8807-05-C-0004/P00008).

Our April 2005 article “L-3 Subsidiary Under Criminal Investigation Over Radio Units” noted that Boeing subcontractor L-3’s Interstate Electronics Corp. division was under federal criminal investigation, after it supplied defective GPS-related parts used in CSEL emergency radios to locate downed military pilots, special forces, et. al. The article also discussed the events in Bosnia that led to the CSEL program, CSEL’s impressive range of capabilities, some of the other development issues CSEL has faced, and competitors like General Dynamics’ AN/PRC-112B “Hook-112” with QuickDraw et. al.

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Prophet

L3 Communications Titan Corp. in San Diego, CA received a $17.3 million modification to a fixed-price-incentive-fee contract to add Block III Spiral I Electronic Support AN/MLQ-40(V)4 Capability to AN/MLQ-40(V)3 Prophet Block I Vehicles. Our May 2005 article describes the Prophet land-based signals intercept/ electronic warfare program in detail. L3 Communications Titan Corp. is the prime contractor for the program.

Work on this contract will be performed in San Diego, CA and is expected to be complete by Oct 31, 2007. This was a sole source contract initiated on Aug. 1, 2005 by the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command at Fort Monmouth, NJ is the contracting activity (DAAB07-01-C-L539). See all DID coverage of the Prophet system.

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Sentinel C4I van

L-3 Communications subsidiary Wolf Coach Inc. in Auburn, MA received an $8.5 million firm-fixed-price contract for special vehicles to support homeland security. Wolf Coach specializes in mobile communications vehicles, and their web site outlines the kinds of vehicles contemplated by this contract.

Work will be performed in Auburn, MA and is expected to be complete by Nov. 22, 2006. This was a sole source contract initiated on May 22, 2006 by the Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-06-F-0102).

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Private sector version

L-3 Communications’ Link Simulation and Training division received an initial $51.9 million contract from the Naval Air Systems Command to build six F/A-18C/D Tactical Operational Flight Trainers (TOFTs: 4 for single-seat F/A18C, 2 for two-seat F/A-18D) under the U.S. Navy’s new five-year F/A-18C/D Roadmap Procurement Program (RPP) initiative. As part of this program, the firm is also establishing a software action team tasked with inserting new training device capabilities, in order to keep the training system concurrent with the latest modifications made to the aircraft.

At the dsame time, their F/A-18C Distributed Mission Training (DMT) system, installed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore, CA, has been conditionally accepted by the U.S. Navy. The next step is to upgrade the currently fielded F/A-18C DMT system at NAS Oceana, VA…

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C-23 Sherpa in-theater
(click to view full)

Defense Tech casts a gimlet eye on the US Air Force’s recent maneuverings re: the “Joint Cargo Aircraft” (JCA). The idea is to buy smaller and cheaper planes than the C-130 Hercules, which could provide tactical transport in-theater into smaller airfields, with smaller loads, more quickly, and at less cost than C-130s or maintenance-intensive CH-47 helicopters. The $1.3 billion program for 33 initial aircraft is an Army priority, as its C-23B Sherpa and C-12 Huron aircraft are wearing out quickly and the current war has highlighted this area as a problem for soldiers on the ground. DID would add testimony that we recently covered, explaining combat commanders’ complaints re: air transport that couldn’t make full use of the shorter runways found throughout CENTCOM’s areas of operation. Despite this, the JCA program was recently on the receiving end of almost total FY 2007 cuts from a Senate committee.

Defense Tech traces the reasons behind these proposed cuts to the JCA program, and the US Air Force doesn’t exactly cover itself with glory. This DID article will also cover ongoing developments within the JCA program, which could run as high as $6 billion for 145 planes.

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