Singapore has dropped the Eurofighter Typhoon combat jet from a $1 billion-plus warplane order, narrowing the race to replace its locally-upgraded but aging fleet of A-4SU Super Skyhawk light attack aircraft (U.S. Sen. John McCain was flying an earlier variant of the A-4 Skyhawk when he was shot down over Vietnam). “The committed schedule for the delivery of the Typhoon and its systems did not meet the requirements of the Singapore Air Force,” said Singapore’s Ministry of Defence in a statement. This decision narrows the race for the pivotal Singapore contract to the French Dassault’s Rafale jet and Boeing Co.’s F-15.
Singapore is known globally as a sophisticated arms buyer, and its choice for its 20-plane order could influence other countries considering new fighters. The Singapore order is also pivotal because Boeing needs orders for the F-15 to ensure continued production, while Dassault and Eurofighter are hunting for their first export orders from beyond Europe. The Rafale has yet to win its first export order after Dassault lost out on orders from Norway (F-35 or Eurofighter), the Netherlands (F-35 Joint Strike Fighter) and South Korea (F-15K).
Lockheed Martin Corp. Maritime Systems and Sensors, Manassas, Va., is being awarded a $70.5 million cost-plus incentive-fee/ award-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-04-C-6207 for the Acoustic Rapid Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Insertion (A-RCI) program production. The contractor will produce six AN/BQQ-10(V) sonar systems; one AN/BQQ-10(V4) sonar system and economic order quantity material for three AN/BQQ-10(V4) sonar systems for SSN 774 Virginia Class submarines; and, six Executive Workstations (EWS).
Rolls Royce Engine Services, Oakland, Calif., received an estimated $33.5 million indefinite-delivery / indefinite-quantity contact for the repair of up to 175 T56-A-427 Series IV engines for the E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning radar aircraft. Work will be performed in Oakland, CA (75%); Indianapolis, IN (15%); Greer, SC (5%) and Dallas, TX (5%), and is expected to be complete in December 2005. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD issued the contract (N00019-05-D-0011).
BAE Systems Aerospace Electronics Inc. in Lansdale, PA is being awarded a not-to-exceed $10 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-priced contract (N00019-04-C-0122) for the procurement of eight Low Band Transmitters for the Electronic Attack-6B, (EA-6B) Prowler aircraft. Work will be performed in Lansdale, PA and is expected to be complete in March 2008. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD issued the contract.
DRS EW & Network Systems Inc. in Buffalo, NY is being awarded an $8.4 million firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-02-C-4008) for production of three AN/USQ-82 (V) Fiber Optic Data Multiplex Systems (FODMS) for installation on guided missile destroyers DDG 110 – DDG 112. These ships will be DDG-51 Arleigh Burke Class Flight IIA missile destroyers, using AEGIS Baseline 7 Phase I air defense systems. The AN/USQ-82 (V) FODMS is a modular, general purpose multiplexing system capable of transferring the majority of internal data signals found aboard DDG Class ships. Work will be performed in Buffalo, NY, and is expected to be complete by April 2007. The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC issued the contract.
