Rapid Fire August 28, 2012: International Armament Sales Data

Aug 28, 2012 11:10 UTC by Defense Industry Daily staff
  • The Congressional Research Service updated their report [PDF] on international conventional weapon sales with 2011 data. Agreements for new sales from the US to developing nations boomed above $56B or a close to 80% market share, leaving #2 Russia far behind. The mega deal with Saudi Arabia was the biggest contributor to that surge in demand for American armament. Deliveries during 2011 were less lopsided but the US still led with close to 38% of the total in value.
  • The RAND Corporation looked into the reasons behind high cost increases in the Army Excalibur artillery round and the Navy’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) programs. In the case of Excalibur, smaller ordered quantities was the primary driver for its Nunn-McCurdy cost breach. Looking for a deeper root cause, that reduction was triggered by the increased precision of modern artillery. Meanwhile the Navy ERP started with an optimistic baseline, as happens very often with software implementation projects.

  • Female soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division will test prototype IOTV body armor shaped for their bodies. Current body armor made with males in mind bruises their hips.

  • Lieutenant-General Thomas J. Lawson has been picked as Canada’s new Chief of the Defence Staff. Lawson is a former pilot who was for the past year deputy commander of NORAD.

  • General Dynamics announced back to back that it acquired the defense operations of Gayston Corporation and completed the acquisition of Fidelis Security Systems.

  • SAIC won an IDIQ contract worth up to $200M to provide geospatial research, intelligence and support to the U.S. Army Geospatial Center (AGC).

    • Categories: Canada, General Dynamics, Mergers & Acquisitions, Middle East - Other, People, Russia, Soldier's Gear, T&C - SAIC, USA

    Stay Up-to-Date on Defense Programs Developments with Free Newsletter

    DID's daily email newsletter keeps you abreast of contract developments, pictures, and data, put in the context of their underlying political, business, and technical drivers.