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Up to $43.1M to Rome Research to Support US Army GIG Facilities

Related Stories: Americas - USA, Contracts - Awards, IT - General, IT - Networks & Bandwidth, IT - Software & Integration, Other Corporation, Satellites & Sensors, Support & Maintenance, Support Functions - Other

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Rome Research Corp., a Rome, NY-based subsidiary of PAR Technology Corp., received a 5-year contract worth up to $43.1 million to provide operator level personnel to the 21st Signal Brigade for its work operating and maintaining US Army Global Information Grid (GIG) facilities within the continental United States.

The US Department of Defense’s GIG represents a globally interconnected, end-to-end set of information capabilities and processes for collecting, processing, and managing information for US troops, policymakers, and support personnel. Each US military service operates a segment of the GIG…

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ITT Provides Support to USAF Missile Ranges

Related Stories: Americas - USA, Bases & Infrastructure, Contracts - Awards, Delivery & Task Orders, Launch Facilities, Launch Vehicles, Missiles - Ballistic, Other Corporation, Outer Space, Satellites & Sensors, Support & Maintenance, Support Functions - Other

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WGS-2 Launches
from Cape Canaveral
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ITT Corp.’s Systems Division in Cape Canaveral, FL received a $7 million task order to support the US Air Force’s Eastern and Western missile ranges.

The task order was issued as part of a 10-year, $1.3 billion contract awarded to ITT by the USAF.

The contract calls for ITT to modernize the USAF Spacelift Range System (SLRS). This work includes support for spacecraft launch, as well as ballistic missile and aeronautical testing.

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Slimmer, Trimmer US Army Land Warrior System Moves Ahead

Related Stories: Americas - USA, C4ISR, Contracts - Awards, GPS Infrastructure, General Dynamics, IT - Networks & Bandwidth, Signals Radio & Wireless, Soldier's Gear, Support & Maintenance

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Slimmer and Trimmer
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General Dynamics C4 Systems received a contract, worth up to $50 million, to supply the US Army with engineering and logistics-support services for the Land Warrior [pdf] integrated modular fighting systems.

A couple of years ago, it looked like the Land Warrior program was dead due to soldiers’ concerns that the equipment was too heavy and complex. However, after trimming down the system from 17 pounds to 7.2 pounds, the Army is moving ahead with the program. “Infantry-21: Land Warrior’s Reviews – And Resurrection?” has more on the controversy.

The new contract enables General Dynamics’ field service engineers to deploy with all Land Warrior-equipped units and provide support for housing, repairing and shipping spare and replacement Land Warrior gear worldwide…

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Galileo GPS Project Faces More Certain Future

Related Stories: Americas - USA, Asia - China, Britain/U.K., Budgets, C4ISR, EADS, Europe - E.U., Events, FOCUS Articles, GPS Infrastructure, IT - Cyber-Security, Industry & Trends, Interoperability, Issues - International, Issues - Political, Lobbying, New Systems Tech, Official Reports, Other Corporation, Project Failures, Projections & Assessments, R&D - Contracted, Satellites & Sensors

Satellite Galileo System Concept
Galileo concept
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DII

The European Union is cooperating with a number of outside investors to replace the USA’s free Global Positioning System service with an alternative under their own control. In addition to civilian GPS (the Open Service), services to be offered include a paid Commercial Service (with accuracy greater than 1 meter), and a Public Regulated Service (PRS)/ Safety of Life Service (SoL) for use by security authorities (police, military, etc.) and safety-critical transport applications (air-traffic control, automated aircraft landing, etc.). PRS/SoL aims to offer Open Service quality, with added robustness against jamming and the reliable detection of problems within 10 seconds.

Organizational issues and shortfalls in expected progress pushed the “Galileo” project back from its originally intended operational date of 2007 to 2013-14 – and doubts persist in several quarters about its economic model, even as security issues arise regarding China’s COMPASS project. After a public-private partnership model failed to agree among themselves or with the EU’s desired terms, the organization gained initial-stage approval for its plan to finance the program with tax dollars instead of the expected private investments. Political issues were overcome, albeit with some protest, by raiding other EU accounts for over EUR 3 billion (about $5.35 billion) in funds, rather than asking for more money from member states.

The latest set of updates cover developments in Galileo, and in related programs like GIOVE and EGNOS. While the project’s base funding is now more secure, its ability to remain within budget faces issues, as does the expected launch timetable. Recent events may even lead to a smaller Galileo constellation…

DARPA to Take Nitride-based Electronics Research to the NEXT Level

Related Stories: Americas - USA, C4ISR, Contracts - Awards, DARPA, Design Innovations, Electronics - General, IT - General, Northrop-Grumman, Other Corporation, R&D - Contracted, Radars, Satellites & Sensors, Science - Basic Research

Gorilla
Big, Hairy, and Audacious
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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) wants to take research on nitride-based electronic devices and integrated circuits – used in tactical radio systems, phased array radar, and satellite communication – to the next level. Or should we say the NEXT level?

That is the name of their research effort: the Nitride Electronic Next Generation Technology (NEXT) Program. The NEXT program is designed to enable revolutionary advances in nitride electronic devices and integrated circuits resulting in their ability to operate at very high frequencies while maintaining extremely favorable voltage breakdown characteristics.

There’ll be no tweaking of existing technology. On its NEXT Web site, DARPA declares: “Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.” In other words, only Big, Hairy, Audacious Research need apply…

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Next-Stage C4ISR Bandwidth: The AEHF Satellite Program

Related Stories: Americas - Other, Americas - USA, Boeing, Britain/U.K., C4ISR, Contracts - Awards, Contracts - Modifications, Design Innovations, Electronics - General, Europe - Other, FOCUS Articles, IT - Cyber-Security, L3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, New Systems Tech, Northrop-Grumman, Other Corporation, Project Management, R&D - Contracted, Raytheon, Satellites & Sensors, Transformation

SPAC Satellite AEHF Concept
AEHF concept
(click to view full)
DII

DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. This article offers a look at the AEHF system’s rationale and capabilities, while offering insight into some of the program’s problems, and an updated timeline covering over $5 billion worth of contracts since the program’s inception.

The USA’s new Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellites will support twice as many tactical networks, while providing 10-12 times the capacity and 6 times higher data rate transfer than that of the current Milstar II satellites. With the cancellation of the higher-capacity TSAT program, AEHF will form the secure, hardened backbone of the Pentagon’s future Military Satellite Communications (MILSATCOM) architecture. Its companion Family of Advanced Beyond-line-of-sight Terminals (FAB-T) program will give the US military modern capabilities, and more flexibility on the receiving end. The program has international components, and partners include Britain, Canada, and the Netherlands.

This article has been updated with a recent contract for Boeing to provide engineering development models for the FAB-T, and a $50+ million order from Canada…

EELV Contracts: After the Merger

Related Stories: Americas - USA, Boeing, Contracts - Awards, Launch Facilities, Launch Vehicles, Lockheed Martin, Satellites & Sensors, Spotlight articles

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Boeing Delta IV Heavy
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The EELV program was designed to reduce the cost of government space launches through greater contractor competition, and modifiable rocket families whose system requirements emphasized simplicity, commonality, standardization, new applications of existing technology, streamlined manufacturing capabilities, and more efficient launch-site processing. Result: the Delta IV (Boeing) and Atlas V (Lockheed Martin) heavy rockets.

Paradoxically, that very program may have forced the October 2006 merger of Boeing & Lockheed Martin’s rocket divisions. Crosslink Magazine’s Winter 2004 article “EELV: The Next Stage of Space Launch” offers an excellent briefing that covers EELV’s program innovations and results, while a detailed National Taxpayer’s Union letter to Congress takes a much less positive view.

This DID Spotlight article looks at the Delta IV and Atlas V rockets, as well as the contracts that have been placed since the merger, which formed United Launch Alliance. The latest news is the successful launch of a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellite by an Atlas V rocket…


Egypt to Spend up to $3.2B Adding to F-16C/D Fleet

Related Stories: Alliances, Americas - USA, Avionics, BAE, Boeing, Contracts - Intent, ECM, Electronics - General, Engines - Aircraft, Equipment - Other, Fighters & Attack, GE, GPS Infrastructure, Guns - 20-59 mm direct, Issues - International, L3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, Middle East - Other, Northrop-Grumman, Protective Systems - Aircraft, Radars, Raytheon, Sensors & Guidance, Support Functions - Other, United Technologies

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Egyptian Air Force F-16D
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The Egyptian government wants to buy 24 F-16C/D Block 50/52 aircraft, associated parts, weapons, and equipment to modernize its air force. The request, made Oct 9/09 through the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) to Congress, could be worth as much as $3.2 billion to Lockheed Martin and the other contractors involved.

The Egyptian Air Force is the 4th largest F-16 operator in the world, mustering about 195 aircraft of 220 ordered. Their overall fighter fleet is a mix of high-end F-16s and Mirage 2000s, low-end Chinese F-7s (MiG-21 copy) bought from the Chinese, a few F-4 Phantom II jets, and upgraded but very aged Soviet MiG-21s and French Mirage 5s.

The formal request comes a few months after the Obama administration conveyed to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak its support for Egypt’s long-standing request to buy the Block 50/52 aircraft…

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DSP Satellites: Supporting America’s Early-Warning System

Related Stories: ABM, Americas - USA, Contracts - Awards, FOCUS Articles, Northrop-Grumman, Satellites & Sensors, Support & Maintenance, Support Functions - Other

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DSP-16 Deploys
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Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites have been monitoring the skies as America’s early-warning system for ballistic missile launches since their first launch in 1970. The current Satellite Early Warning System (SEWS) consists of 5 DSP satellites; 3 provide frontline operational service, with 2 available as backups should problems emerge with the primary satellites.

The program’s lifetime has seen the launch of 23 DSP satellites, and improvements to DSP via 5 upgrade sets have allowed those satellites to exceed their design lifespan. The USAF’s fact sheet lists the satellites’ unit cost at $400 million, though they do not mention what fiscal year baseline that figure is linked to. While the DSP satellites successfully detected Iraqi SCUD launches during Operation Desert Storm, testimony before Congress has noted that there are some classes of missiles the DSP constellation finds difficult to pick up.

This entry will be DID’s focus article for the DSP program, and will be updated to cover new developments, contracts, et. al. The latest development involves a contract to Northrop Grumman Space Technology to support the DSP spacecraft…

Up to $26M to GATR Technologies for Inflatable Satellite Terminals

Related Stories: Americas - Other, Contracts - Awards, Delivery & Task Orders, IT - General, IT - Networks & Bandwidth, Other Corporation, Satellites & Sensors

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GATR Inflatable
Satellite Terminal

GATR Technologies in Huntsville, AL received an indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract and 2 task orders from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic to supply inflatable satellite terminals to the US Department of Defense and other agencies.

The term of the contract is 1 year with four 1-year options, with a maximum value of $26 million.

GATR’s inflatable satellite terminal reduces the tactical footprint of large-aperture satellite communications systems and enables portable high-bandwidth communications in remote areas…

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