* The Pentagon is launching a preferred supplier program. Companies who receive high marks in the Defense Department’s performance-tracking system may see better performance payments and other rewards. The Pentagon will also encourage more use of contract provisions that provide companies a share of any savings they produce on existing programs, under its broader “Better Buying Power Initiative.” If they have not yet taken an in-depth look at Chrysler’s 1990s supplier initiatives, they ought to.
* Lockheed Martin’s net income fell slightly to $530 million for the first quarter of 2011, despite a 3% increase in sales.
* India is reportedly getting close to awarding $1 billion contract for intermediate trainers. Of course, “close” is a relative term when we’re talking about India. The contenders include turboprops like Embraer’s EMB-314 Super Tucano, Pilatus’ PC-7 Mk.II, KAI’s KT-1, and the side-by-side Grob 120TP; and Alenia Aermacchi’s M-311 jet.
* Botswana buys 5 Pilatus PC-7 Mk.II turboprop trainers for about $44.8 million, to replace its 6 old Pilatus PC-7 turboprops. They’ll be used as lead-ins for the country’s wider fleet, which includes F-5/CF-116 fighters.
* South Africa also flies PC-7 Mk.IIs, via upgrades. They’ll need those, and their recent Hawk trainer upgrades, to compensate for the inadequate flight hours available to their new JAS-39C/D Gripen fighter fleet.
* L-3 Communications plans to repurchase $1.5 billion worth of its common stock through April 30/13.
* Centurum gets $82.3 million contract to provide tactical cryptologic system support to the US and UK navies.
* Harris receives $20.4 million US Army order to supply the Falcon II AN/VRC-104(V)3 high-frequency vehicular radio system – which includes the Falcon II AN/PRC-150-C tactical radio – for use in multiple variants of MRAP vehicles.
* Raytheon gets $10 million contract to develop C2 technologies under DARPA’s Resilient Command and Control (RC2) program.
* Raytheon announces that they have delivered the 1st SM-6 naval air defense missile to the US Navy, but their announcement implies that the delivery actually took place in March 2011.
* Radar testing begins for the MFAS that will equip the US Navy’s MQ-4C BAMS UAV, a Global Hawk derivative.
* Syria deploys tanks, troops, and snipers to Deraa, killing 25.