E-737 Wedgetail
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South Korea appears to be leaning toward some clear choices for its Korean Helicopter Program (KHP) utility helicopter competition, and its E-X airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft acquisition program. The projects have a combined budget of 7 trillion Won (about $7 billion).

A deal with Eurocopter has now been confirmed for 245 helicopters, and an Israeli-American consortium based on the General Dynamics Gulfstream G550 is believed to be the front runner in the E-X competiton – if technology transfer approval from the US government doesn’t delay South Korea’s E-X program again.

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CC-130 Hercules
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DID has covered the extreme age of Canada’s CC-130 fleet, and the special challenges it posed while an emergency replacement competition got underway. L-3 SPAR Aerospace has been Canada’s sole C-130 Hercules Centre of Excellence for more than 44 years, dating back to 1960 when SPAR’s predecessor NWI first started working on Canada’s original B Model Hercs. It has accumulated extensive experience with the aircraft, launching numerous avionics and structural upgrades and even creating international services like Hercules 2020.

Its Canadian maintenance contract will end soon, but L-3 SPAR has negotiated a four-month, C$ 25 million (USD $21.6 million) extension of an ongoing federal government contract whose next five-year C$ 432.4 million (USD $375 million) OWSM Program phase went to Abbotsford, BC’s Cascade Aerospace. The scope of work under the L-3 SPAR extension includes:

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Mid-tier defense conglomerate L-3 Communications has signed an agreement to acquire maritime electrical and electronics system supplier SAM Electronics GmbH (SAM) for U.S. $150 million in cash, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. L-3 sees the sale as a fit with its existing power and controls business, and believes this will expand their opportunities in both new ship integration and power conversions as more ships migrate from mechanical systems to electric power. It also provides cross-geographic opportunities to SAM’s products in the USA, and some of L-3’s products in Germany and Asia – if the companies can execute.

The acquisition is expected to be completed in the first half of 2006 and to be slightly accretive to L-3’s earnings. SAM is expected to generate approximately $320 million of sales for the year ending December 31, 2006. No word yet on where SAM will fit into L-3’s revised corporate structure, though “Specialty Products” seems a good bet.

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LCAC into LPD-9
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L-3 Communications Titan Unidyne in Norfolk, VA won an $8.8 million firm-fixed-price contract to upgrade landing craft air cushion (LCAC) hovercraft 62, 64, 65, and 76. The US Marines’ LCACs can carry as many as 11 Humvee jeeps or a 60-ton M-1 Abrams tank directly from the well deck of an at-sea vessel like an LHD or LPD, and continue right up onto land before disembarking its cargo. Or, it can embark troops and vehicles on land and deliver them directly to an at-sea ship. A total of 91 LCACs were built between 1984-2001, and depending on their in-service dates they will require regular refurbishment, upgrades, and even life extension programs to keep them operational into the future.

Work will be performed in Camp Pendleton, CA and is expected to be complete by October 2006. This contract was competitively procured and advertised via the Internet, with two offers received. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center in San Diego, CA issued the contract (N55236-06-C-0002).

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F-35 PCD Concept

L-3 Communications has announced that an international team led by its Display Systems (L-3 Display Systems) division has been awarded a System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics to provide the Panoramic Cockpit Display (PCD) subsystem for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft.

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MD-900 Explorer: Survivor
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DID has covered the US Army’s $2+ billion, 320 helicopter Light Utility Helicopter competition in numerous posts, from the original expected matchup between Bell Helicopter Textron 210 and MDHI-Lockheed’s MD-900 Explorer NOTAR, to the entry of the EADS Eurocopter EC145, and then the AugustaWestland and L-3 bid using the AB139.

The bids were recently submitted, but there have been a few changes along the way:

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L-3 Communications (NYSE:LLL) today announced its results for Q3 of FY 2005, including sales of $2.5 billion, operating income of $266.5 million, diluted earnings per share of $1.11, and net cash from operating activities of $219.0 million. All represent an increase over the same quarter last year; full details may be found in L-3’s financial release.

During Q3 2005 third quarter, L-3 also revised the aggregation of its divisions into four reportable segments, to provide a more clearly defined presentation of L-3’s businesses. The company’s reportable segments are now:

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Crazy ‘bout a Mercury…
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The USA’s E-6 Mercury (aka. TACAMO, as in TAke Charge And Move Out) “survivable airborne communication system” airplanes support their Navy’s SSBN ballistic missile submarine force and overall strategic forces. With the advent of the new “Tactical Trident” converted Ohio Class special operations subs, their unique capabilities become even more useful. They also have a secondary role as Airborne National Command Posts.

Delivery of the first production E-6 aircraft took place in August 1989, with delivery of the 16th and final airplane coming in May 1992. Now the Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD has issued a pair of contracts that aim to improve both the E-6 fleet’s maintenance situation, and their training options.

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SICPS Deployed
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Northrop Grumman Corporation recently rolled out the U.S. Army’s first two high-tech command post systems built under the Standardized Integrated Command Post System (SICPS) program. These common design, mobile, digitized command centers include advanced technologies including Force XXI Battle Command, Brigade-and-Below software (aka “Blue Force Tracker” displays) and other Army automated battlefield-command systems. SICPS are generally mounted on an expanded capacity Humvee jeep, though the standardized enclosure could be merged with other vehicles and may even be moved from one vehicle to another.

These efforts are part of a larger program.

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“Odd, the test log
showed no issues…”
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In April 2005, L-3 Communicatons subsidiary Interstate Electronics Corp. in Anaheim, CA was placed under criminal investigation for providing faulty parts to the CSEL search and rescue GPS/ beacon/ communicators used by US aviators, special forces teams, et. al. – and concealing test failures.

So, naturally, they’ve just been awarded a contract to support the test instrumentation hardware for most of America’s nuclear missile fleet, and all of Britain’s.

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