Department of Defense & Industry Daily News
Advertisement
Defense program acquisition news, budget data, market briefings
  • Contact
    Editorial
    Advertising
    Feedback & Support
    Subscriptions & Reports
  • Subscribe
    Paid Subscription
    in-depth program analysis & data sets
    Free Email Newsletter
    quick daily updates
    Google+ Twitter RSS
  • Log in
    Forgot your password?
    Not yet a subscriber? Find out what you have been missing.
Archives by category > Project Management (RSS)

ITAR Fallout: Britain to Pull Out of F-35 JSF Program?

Dec 07, 2005 03:41 UTC

F-35 JSF over carrier

“UK Warns USA Over ITAR Arms Restrictions” covered the ITAR technology waiver crisis in British-American defense relations, and noted that serious trouble was brewing. We also pointed to a series of pointed questions from the House of Commons Defence Committee to Lord Drayson about the CVF carrier program and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

Now senior UK Ministry of Defence officials have confirmed to The Sunday Times of London that Britain is considering its options and contemplating a pullout from the multinational, multi-billion dollar JSF program. According to these officials, instructions have been given for alternative strategies for projects affected by American technology-transfer problems – and JSF was included in that list. It was time, one said, to “think the unthinkable.”

Continue Reading… »

VT Halter Marine Wins $28.9M for Egyptian FACs

Dec 05, 2005 00:56 UTC

SHIP_Ambassador_MkIII_FAC.jpg

Ambassador Mk.III FAC

Vision Technology, Inc. subsidiary VT Halter Marine Inc. of Pascagoula, MS received a $28.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for functional design of the Egyptian Navy’s Fast Missile Craft (FMC) under the Foreign Military Sales Program.

The vessels will be approximately 203 ft. (62 m) in length and will incorporate ship signature control technology. High speed and maneuverability will be two of their primary assets, and the vessels will also incorporate numerous combat system assets and electronic sensors that give them capabilities in anti-aircraft, anti-surface, and electronic warfare. They would appear to be envisioned as peers with Israel’s Saar 5 Class corvettes. Efforts required under the contract include…

Continue Reading… »

NDIA President on Defense Acquisition Reform

Dec 02, 2005 07:06 UTC

Advertisement
NDIA President Lawrence Farrell

Over at National Defense Magazine, US National Defense Industry Association (NDIA) President Lawrence P. Farrell Jr. talks about the Defense Acquisition Performance Assessment (DAPA) reform project, which DID has covered. Despite the improvements made over the last 20 years – and there have been many of them – this was certainly a sobering set of statistics:

“Currently, more than 80 new major weapon systems are under development, with a combined cost growth of $300 billion and total acquisition cost of nearly $1.5 trillion. A recent Government Accountability Office study of 26 major acquisition programs suggests the top five programs have nearly doubled in cost during the last four years – in fact, skyrocketing from $281 billion to $521 billion. The trend is not abating – estimates of cost growth and development time of these same five programs grew 14.3 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively, in the past year alone, according to GAO. After more than 20 years of numerous attempts to improve the acquisition system, the perception is that no reforms have addressed systemic weaknesses in structure, process and governance of major weapon systems development.”

Reading that, it’s hard to disagree. Some of Farrell’s thoughts include:

Continue Reading… »

DD (X) Gets Go-Ahead Through Milestone B Review

Nov 28, 2005 07:38 UTC

DD(X)

DD (X) Destroyer

On Veteran’s Day, DID covered the DD (X) destroyer program‘s upcoming Defense Acquisition board review, and noted the fact that DD (X) disputes were one of the main obstacles holding up the FY 2006 defense appropriations bill. We’ve noted past articles covering GAO reports and the DD (X)’s likely cost of over $3 billion per ship, the July 2005 Critical Design Review, threatened cost caps from the House and examination of alternatives, to the concept behind its AGS long range naval gun.

The program that once hoped to produce 32 ships will now spend a significant percentage of the Navy’s shipbuilding budget on a class that is slated to include only 8 ships according to the new Destroyer Acquisition Decision Memorandum, and may well go as low as 5 ships if further cost slippages occur. Based on the memo and the amount left for system development & design, the DD (X) program can be expected to spend about $30 billion more if it remains within budget. This figure would not include operations and maintenance costs.

Continue Reading… »

ACS Update: Lockheed Drops ERJ-145, Shifts to Bombardier Jet

Nov 18, 2005 12:35 UTC

AIR_ASTOR_Sentinel_R1.jpg

UK’s ASTOR Sentinel R1

In a previous article, DID dissected “The Kerfuffle Around the Shuffle.” We covered the 3 different US reconnaissance aircraft that the $8 billion Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) spy plane program would replace, and went over the ACS’s bidding history. Then DID looked at various players and possible strategies at work as the program hit a major roadblock, and the “winner” Lockheed faced a possible air platform change. As DID noted at the time, all options presented serious risks and headaches for Lockheed – even as Northrop-Grumman pushed for a reopening of the bid process.

While no official change has been made, reports in the Wall St. Journal, ABC News, and CNN are noting that an air platform change is indeed in the works; it just wasn’t the one most people were expecting. As DID noted, Lockheed’s original choice seemed to involve a switch from the Embraer ERJ-145 to the much larger ERJ-190 regional jet. Instead, however, Lockheed has chosen an even more expensive Canadian option. Bombardier’s Global Express long range business jet isn’t as large as the ERJ-190, but offers much longer range and station time – and an additional benefit as well. It may seem like a strange choice, especially since it seems to give ammunition to Northrop-Grumman and General Dynamics to push for a rebid. Yet there is a logic to it…

Continue Reading… »

UK Defense Acquisition Policies Criticized, Defended, Improved

Oct 26, 2005 10:39 UTC

UK Ministry of Defence Logo

UK MoD

The UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) has responded to a Public Accounts Committee report that was highly critical of MoD’s performance and execution under Britain’s “Smart Acquisition” guidelines. The 20 largest projects currently in development are a total of GBP 5.9 billion over the originally approved targets, claims the report, and months behind schedule.

The MoD responded, of course, citing numerous improvements over the past year. It also released a new procurement handbook that offers the broad thrust of their future procurement practices.

The Public Accounts Committee recommendations included:

Continue Reading… »

Sen. McCain Placed in the Unusual Role of Protecting the FCS Program

Oct 21, 2005 05:56 UTC

Senator John McCain

Sen. John McCain [R-AZ]

Senate Armed Services Airland Subcommittee Chairman John McCain [R-AZ] has arguably been the bane of the Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) program. He’s the most influential critic of its previous procurement relationship with Boeing and of the program’s escalating costs. Now he’s in the unusual position of vowing to fight language in the Senate’s $445.5 billion fiscal 2006 Defense appropriations bill, in order to protect the integrity and intent of the FCS program.

Continue Reading… »

RAND PAF: Lessons Learned from the F/A-22 and F/A-18 Super Hornet Programs

Oct 18, 2005 06:38 UTC

MISC_RAND_F-22_and_F-18_Programs_Cover.gif

Since the late 1980s, the U.S. Air Force has pursued the F/A-22 Raptor supersonic stealth fighter that incorporated numerous breakthrough technologies, while the US Navy developed the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet based on the existing F/A-18. Unsurprisingly, the F/A-22 program has experienced significant cost growth and schedule delays and is still in the testing stage. In contrast, the Super Hornet completed its development on cost and without significant delays, and has already been used in combat.

RAND’s Project Air Force looked at both programs with the intent of understanding how each project’s history turned out the way it did, what underlying factors might be at work, and what lessons might be learned.

Continue Reading… »

Air Force Chief to Over-Budget Projects: Beware

Oct 13, 2005 05:38 UTC

Moseley.jpg

Moseley: No bigger
than this

Air Force Chief Michael Moseley told CongressDaily that over-budget programs and ones far behind schedule could find themselves at risk not just from Congress, but also from his own office.

“I don’t believe Congress will be sending unsolicited pots of gold to the Department of Defense,” Moseley said in reference to the notion that the Air Force would be able to replace its aging F-15s on a one-for-one basis with the F/A-22.

Continue Reading… »

MDA Outsources its Outsourcing

Oct 12, 2005 21:21 UTC

nmdlogo1.jpg

With procurement officers increasingly over-stretched, the Missile Defense Agency’s Contracting Directorate awarded a $7.7 million deal to CACI Dynamic Systems of Arlington, VA to help take the load off of its own acquisition, contracting and support functions. The deal will run for a year. (HQ0006-05-C-0027)

Continue Reading… »
« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next »
Advertisement
Archives
  • MIL
  • BIZ
  • GEO
  • DAY

Aircraft

Air Reconnaissance
Blimps & LTA Craft
Engines - Aircraft
Equipment - Other
Fighters & Attack
Heavy Bombers
Helicopters & Rotary
Protective Systems - Aircraft
Specialty Aircraft
Transport & Utility
UAVs

Electronics & IT

Avionics
ECM
Electronics - General
Eng. Control Systems
IT - Cyber-Security
IT - General
IT - Networks & Bandwidth
IT - Software & Integration
Radars
Sensors & Guidance
Signals Radio & Wireless
Simulation & Training

Land Equipment

Engineering Vehicles
Engines
Other Equipment - Land
Robots
Soldier's Gear
Tanks & Mechanized
Trucks & Transport

Logistics & Support

Asstd. Support Equipment
Bases & Infrastructure
C4ISR
Chemicals & HAZMAT
Clothing
Engineer Units
Environmental
Financial & Accounting
Food-related
Fuel & Power
Intelligence & PsyOps
Logistics
Marketing & Advertising
Medical
MPs & Justice
Power Projection
Public Relations
Signals Intercept, Cryptography, etc.
Support & Maintenance
Support Functions - Other
Testing & Evaluation

Military Overall

Expeditionary Warfare
Force Structure
Forces - Air
Forces - Land
Forces - Marines
Forces - Naval
Forces - Space
Forces - Special Ops
Forces - Strategic
Interoperability
Leadership & People
Memoriam
Policy - Doctrine
Policy - Personnel
Policy - Procurement
Security & Secrecy
Training & Exercises
Transformation
Warfare - Lessons
Warfare - Trends

Naval Equipment

Coastal & Littoral
Engines & Propulsion - Naval
Protective Systems - Naval
Sensors - Aquatic
Submarines
Surface Ships - Combat
Surface Ships - Other
UUVs & USVs

Ordnance & Guns

ABM
Ammunition
Bombs - Cluster
Bombs - General
Bombs - Smart
Explosives
Grenades
Guns - 20-59 mm direct
Guns - 60+ mm direct
Guns - Artillery & Mortars
Guns - Naval
Guns - Personal Weapons
Guns - under 20mm direct
Laser & EM Weapons
Mines & Countermine-IED
Missiles - Air-Air
Missiles - Anti-Armor
Missiles - Anti-Ship
Missiles - Ballistic
Missiles - Precision Attack
Missiles - Surface-Air
Non-Lethal Weapons
Other Weapons
Remote Weapons Systems
Rockets
Shells & Mortar Rounds
Underwater Weapons

Space

GPS Infrastructure
Launch Facilities
Launch Vehicles
Satellites & Sensors
Space Warfare

WMD

Biological Weapons
Chemical Weapons
Nuclear Weapons
WMD Defenses
WMD Detection
WMD Proliferation

Corporation

Airbus
ATK
BAE
Boeing
Consulting Firms
DCNS
Elbit Systems
Finmeccanica
GE
General Atomics
General Dynamics
HAL
Honeywell
IAI
L3 Communications
Lockheed Martin
MBDA
Navistar
Northrop-Grumman
Oshkosh
Other Corporation
RAFAEL
Raytheon
Rolls Royce
Rosoboronexport
Security Contractor
Small Business
T&C - Big 5 Firms
T&C - Booz Allen
T&C - CSC
T&C - EDS
T&C - IBM
T&C - Microsoft
T&C - RAND Corp.
T&C - SAIC
T&C - SRI
Textron
Thales
United Technologies
University-related

DID site

Daily Rapid Fire
Early Edition
FOCUS Articles
Guest Articles
Sharpen yourself
Spotlight articles

Industry

Conferences & Events
Contracts - Awards
Contracts - Intent
Contracts - Modifications
Corporate Financials
Delivery & Task Orders
Industry & Trends
Mergers & Acquisitions
Partnerships & Consortia
People
Pre-RFP
Projections & Assessments
RFPs
Rumours

Innovation

After-Action Reviews
Corporate Innovations
DARPA
Design Innovations
Field Innovations
Logistics Innovations
Materials Innovations
New Systems Tech
Procurement Innovations
R&D - Contracted
R&D - Private
Science - Basic Research

News

Events
Field Reports

Politics

Alliances
Budgets
Domestic Security
Issues - Environmental
Issues - International
Issues - Political
Legal
Lobbying
Official Reports
Public Partnering
Scandals & Investigations
Think Tanks

Projects

Project Failures
Project Management
Project Methodologies
Project Successes

Americas

Americas - Other
Brazil
Canada
USA

Asia

Asia - Central
Asia - Other
Australia & S. Pacific
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Singapore
South Korea

Europe

Britain/U.K.
Europe - Other
European Union (EU)
France
Germany
Russia

Middle East & Africa

Africa - Other
Iraq
Israel
Middle East - Other
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Other Geo

Oceans - International
Outer Space
Polar Regions

2023

January
February

2022

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2021

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2020

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2019

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2018

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2017

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2016

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2015

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2014

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2013

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2012

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2011

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2010

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2009

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2008

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2007

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2006

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2005

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
White Papers & Events
Advertisement
Advertisement

© 2004-2023 Defense Industry Daily, LLC | About Us | Images on this site | Privacy Policy

Contact us: Editorial | Advertising | Feedback & Support | Subscriptions & Reports

Follow us: Twitter | Google+

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.