* The GAO published its latest report on the Pentagon’s space acquisitions.They recognize some areas of progress but they also think there is still “an array of challenges” to confront.
* The Pentagon is still working on spelling out its cyber doctrine.
* SAIC announced results for its fiscal year 2012 which ended on Jan 31, 2012. Total revenue decreased by 3% to $10.6B, dragged by a 10% drop in defense solutions to $4.2B (39.6% of total revenue). Behind these results is the $500M settlement with the City of New York over the CityTime contract; otherwise revenue on the defense side would have lost a single percentage point from the previous fiscal year. The total defense backlog stood at $7.1B at the end of January, 30% of which is funded.
* Embraer reached [PDF] $5.8B of revenue in 2011 – an 8.2% growth rate. The company’s results reflect the challenges of emerging economies last year, with appreciation of the national currency against the US dollar combined with rapidly-increasing labor costs. Defense grew by $30B to $852B in sales or 14.7% of the total, behind executive aviation and dwarfed by commercial planes which have gained most last year. The defense backlog is stable at $3.3B or 21.4% of the total backlog.
* Airbus Military thinks that India’s tender for up to 6 aerial tankers could rise higher over time, given India’s needs. Trials were concluded in 2011, though, and not a peep from India’s authorities.
* EADS is ramping down development of its advanced jet-powered “Talarion” UAV program, but that still doesn’t mean “cancel.” Meanwhile, they’re resuming flights of their jet-powered Barracuda UAV.
* The Defense Acquisition University’s ACQuipedia is growing. Among recently-added sections of interest: data rights and data/technical data rights strategies.
* Apparently attempting to snowboard with an AH-64 does not work so well. Video below: