• Research and Markets: Japan’s defense spending is expected to increase at 3.22% per year, reaching $62.3 billion in 2015.

• Portland, OR-based Vigor Industrial to pay $130 million [PDF] for Seattle, WA-based Todd Shipyards, a military and civilian shipbuilder.

• The US government, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and the city of Moses Lake have agreed to spend $58 million to clean up the former Larson Air Force Base in Moses Lake, WA.

• US Army Ranger school, once considered a rite of passage is noticing a sharp drop in applicants, especially among NCOs. The substitute? Combat experience.

• Wall Street Journal wonders if we’re looking at a passenger aircraft economic bubble. They’re not the first to ask the question this year, and if it happened, there would be consequences in a number of military programs. One more reason for KC-X to get even more heated…

• South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense to issue defense white paper Thursday, decides not to refer to North as “main enemy.”

• ManTech closes $75 million acquisition of MTCSC, a Chula Visa, CA-based supplier of C4ISR systems to the USMC.

• CAE, a Montreal-based provider of military aviation simulation and training systems, falls short on free cash flow compared to US defense firms.

• Qatar hopes to decide on its next jet fighter by 2012.

• Night-time worries: Afghan President Karzai wants the US to end special ops night-time raids, reduce military operations in his country.

• Frost and Sullivan: Asia-Pacific land defense systems market expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.7% to 2016, when it is expected to reach $9.4 billion.

• Up to $116 million to URS to provide design and construction services for communications upgrades and electrical distribution systems at USMC Camp Pendleton.

• Northrop Grumman cuts 380 positions at its Newport News, VA shipbuilding facility, about 2% of its workforce there.

• Deja-vu: Atlanta-based Integrated Environmental Services gets contract to build facility for the French Ministry of Interior to destroy chemical munitions from World War I.

• Big Enough Umbrella: US Secretary of State Clinton and NATO Secretary General Rasmussen call for cooperation between the Western alliance and Russia on a missile defense shield.

• ‘Intersleek’ Paint Job: BAE Systems completes GBP 17.5 million overhaul of the Type 42 Sheffield class destroyer HMS Edinburgh; the ship has been fitted with a new underwater spoiler and a coat of new “intersleek” paint that will cut fuel consumption by up to 15%.

• Slimey Solution: US DoD awards a $29.5 million contract to Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Trius Therapeutics to develop antibiotics from bacteria on the ocean floor for defense against biological weapon agents.

• L-3 acquires 3Di Technologies, a provider of secure satellite communications for forward-deployed US special ops forces and in-theater personnel.

• US DoD explores use of mobile solar and wind generators to produce energy in combat zones.

• Pentagon drafts new conflict of interest rules for contractors.

• US Defense Secretary Gates’ effort to cut defense spending could hurt stock prices of US defense firms. That sort of follows, doesn’t it?

• Learning from sponges to make glass that’s very hard to break.

• SAIC secured $24 million contract to supply 19 deployable tactical air navigation (D-TACAN) systems for the USA’s Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems (ATCALS).

• BAE Systems gets $10.7 million order for 20,000 US Army modular lightweight load-carrying equipment (MOLLE) quick-release backpacks. ATK also picked up a recent order, in a new camo pattern for Afghanistan.

• India conducts successful test of the nuclear-capable Agni-II, an in-service weapon with a range of 1,240 miles.

• Up to $50 million to Tetra Tech for US Army Corps of Engineers’ environmental remediation work in the USA.

• US Military Human Terrain System report flashes warning signs re: Kandahar region offensives.

• Set of reports raise the issue of combined-arms skills deteriorating due to constant counterinsurgency focus. How should the US military train for hybrid war?

• Boeing posts a 15% decline in 1st quarter profits compared to the 2009 1st quarter; Lockheed Martin also records a drop in 1st quarter profits.

• Russian officials say they have made a political decision to buy Mistral amphibious assault ships, says it expects a deal by end of 2010. We’ll see.

• Boeing and Bell Helicopter reportedly considering a V-22 tilt-rotor Presidential helicopter bid. Unless the coming RFP removes the requirements about not messing up the White House lawn with the downdrafts, good luck.

• Iran’s Revolutionary Guards plan 3 days of air, sea, and ground maneuvers in the Persian Gulf this week. Hopefully, they’ll do better than their recent air show that destroyed Iran’s only AWACS aircraft. Bloomberg | Radio Free Europe | ISNA

• Stranded in Europe? Britain’s Royal Navy to the rescue! Let’s just hope they don’t have to call out the fishing boats...

• Ballistic missiles are an increasing threat to the United States, Pentagon official tells Senate Armed Services Committee. Duh. SASC hearing webcast

• General Dynamics snags $24 million order to supply 155mm M795 projective metal parts to the US Army.

• Raytheon gets $19 million contract to produce LAU-115D/A and LAU-116B/A missile launchers for AMRAAM and AIM-9X Sidewinder on board US Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and E/A-18G Growler fighter aircraft.

• Pew Foundation cites efforts [PDF] by US military to reduce use of fossil fuels and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

• Biofuel-powered “Green Hornet” F/A-18F to fly from Patuxent River today, for Earth Day. NAVAIR | Boeing.

• EADS is running out of time to line up US partner for KC-X aerial tanker RFP.

• Oil services giant Schlumberger begins standing up an Iraq branch, incl. up to $100 million for a complex at Rumalia in southern Iraq, following BP’s award of over $500 million in oil services contracts.

• UK Ministry of Defence explains 2010 election limits for their site, and their forces.

• Pakistan conducts largest military exercise since 1989 close to Indian border.

• Iran’s Ghadr, Sajjil and Shahab-3 missiles on display at Army Day military parade, while Pentagon chief memo warns US lacks long-term Iranian strategy.

• US Navy’s MQ-8B Fire Scout returns from 1st operational deployment, which included the first helicopter UAV drug bust.

• US Defense Logistics Agency awards $2.2 billion contract to ANHAM FZCO to provide full-line food distribution and non-food distribution to US troops in Kuwait, Iraq, and Jordan.

• Why does an American ICBM base need to hire… goats?

• GTEC snags $30 million in orders [pdf] to provide containerized kitchens for the US Army.

• SRA gets $19.5 million re-compete task order to provide integration management support to the USAF Distributed Common Ground System’s formal training unit.

Do Not Disturb!

HDR engineering-environmental Management (e2M) in Englewood, CO won a indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for marine species monitoring, evaluations, and/or assessments at various locations within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic and Pacific area of responsibility. The maximum amount of the contract is $50 million.

The US Navy carries out marine species monitoring in live-fire ranges and areas where naval exercise are conducted to assess the impact on marine life.

For example, the Navy monitors bird colonies, turtle nests, and marine mammal activity around its Farallon de Medinilla target range in the Northern Marianas Islands. The range, located 150 miles north of Guam, is the Pacific Fleet’s only US range available for live-fire training for forward deployed naval forces…

• Polish AF Tu-154M Lux crash: the political ripples in Poland, as crash theories swirl. The “black boxes” were recovered, and technical problems appear to have been ruled out early.

• Financial crisis creating ripples of defense cuts and reorgnizations in Europe. But then, that trend is nothing new.

• German military restructuring could free up troops to send abroad.

• More fallout from the 2006 war in Lebanon: Israel upgrading its Centurion based Puma heavy assault vehicle.

• 8th Special Operations Sqn. CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor crashes in Zabul province, killing 4; cause not currently known.

• Britain’s Labour Party backtracks on Trident submarine reduction pledge, as election looms.

• BAE Systems tops list of international arms supplier, according to Stockholm research institute.

• Boeing discusses role in GPS-III’s OCX ground control contract.

• Homicide bombers: suicide as strategy, or just strategic suicide?

• US reopens Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan, backs interim government. Radio Free Europe | AFP | Voice of America

• US military’s green projects, including spray foam insulation for Army tents, are expected to save the Pentagon $1.6 billion.

The US Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic awarded TEC-AECOM Joint Venture in Charlottesville, VA an indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract, worth a maximum of $40 million, for environmental planning and engineering services at various US Navy and US Marine Corps facilities and other US government facilities worldwide.

Part of the work will include environmental and engineering services for proposed infrastructure projects at US Navy homeports.

The US Navy operates 18 homeports around the world: Annapolis, MD; Baltimore, MD; Bangor, WA; Bremerton, WA; Everett, WA; Gaeta, Italy; Groton, CT; Guam; Kings Bay, GA; Little Creek, VA; Manama, Bahrain; Mayport, FL; Newport News, VA; Norfolk, VA; Pearl Harbor, HI; San Diego, CA; Sasebo, Japan; and Yokosuka, Japan.

Nowadays, any US military infrastructure project requires reams of environmental impact documents, and TEC-AECOM will assist NAVFAC in preparing those documents.

• The Apple of the Army’s eye: Service looks at i-prefixed devices for military application. Army release | Mac Observer | Ubergizmo | Ars Technica | Touch Reviews

• MQ-9 UAV to patrol Texas borders. Meanwhile, US Army AMCOM delays and slow US equipment delivery is endangering Merida Initiative efforts in Mexico.

• Solutions appearing to the challenges of machining next-generation alloys and materials like titanium, Inconel, Hastelloy, and Waspalloy alloys and composites.

• Cowabunga, Dude!: Marine Corps Base Hawaii uses sun and waves to generate electricity.

• Raytheon ups dividend by 21%, plans $2 billion in share repurchases.

• USAF looking for companies to develop a high capacity SATCOM link for RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV.

• USAF cracking down on Blackberries, Windows Mobile devices.

• German helicopter test uses Galileo GPS signals for navigation.

• $250 million US Army Joint Fires training contract to Potawatomi Training-led team that includes Northrop Grumman.

• A-10 at Eglin AFB, FL becomes first USAF aircraft powered solely with a biomass-derived jet fuel blend.

• General Dynamics IT snags $22 million SeaPort-e order to support new US Navy Air and Missile Defense Command in Dahlgren, VA.

• Lockheed Martin, ATK team to offer small payload launch services aboard 2nd generation Athena rockets.