Despite a round of controversy in Germany’s Bundestag, MEADS International (MI) recently announced that Germany has approved entry into the Design and Development (D&D) phase for the tri-national Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS), designed to replace Patriot systems in the United States and Germany and Nike Hercules systems in Italy. It also meets the requirements of Germany’s “capabilities oriented” air defense concept.
MEADS incorporates the battle-proven hit-to-kill PAC-3 missile in a system that includes 360-degree surveillance and fire control sensors, netted-distributed battle management/communication centers, and high-firepower launchers. The system intends to combine superior battlefield protection with great flexibility, allowing it to protect maneuver forces and/or provide homeland defense against tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and aircraft.
Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control in Orlando, FL received a $262.4 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for Arrowhead units with accompanying initial spares. Arrowhead is an advanced electro-optical & fire control system that AH-64 Apache helicopter pilots use for combat targeting of their Hellfire missiles and other weapons, as well as safe flight in day, night, or bad weather missions. It is the successor to TADS/PNVS. Arrowhead’s forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensors use advanced image processing techniques to give pilots the best possible resolution to avoid obstacles such as wires and tree limbs during low-level flight.
While the number of units was not disclosed, a $247 million contract issued on February 17, 2005 provided for 97 Arrowhead units. The Army’s first unit equipped with Arrowhead will be fielded in June 2005, and the U.S. Army intends to buy 704 Arrowhead systems to outfit its AH-64 Apache fleet by 2011.
Lockheed Martin has received a $90 million contract modification for continued production of the combat-proven Hellfire air-to-ground missile. The latest order includes 900 semi-active laser-guided Hellfire II metal augmented charge (MAC) thermobaric warhead missiles, 180 high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) missiles, conversion of 100 HEAT missiles to the MAC warhead configuration, and training missiles, along with corresponding training and support packages.
Abrams Integrated Management (AIM) is a joint effort to refurbish M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks involving various Pentagon agencies and General Dynamics Land Systems. AIM refurbishing of M1 tanks incurs lower operational and support costs, raises operational readiness rates, improves standardization, offers low-cost leverage opportunities for incremental upgrades, and minimally sustains the Abrams industrial base.
Under the AIM program, used M1A1 Abrams tanks are completely disassembled and each component is evaluated. While many of the components remain at Anniston Army Depot, AL, others are shipped to appropriate rebuild sites. Turret and hull subsystems are first worked on at Anniston and then shipped to Lima, OH where the tank is fully reassembled, tested and accepted back into the Army’s fleet in a zero-mileage equivalent, like-new condition. The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, MI recently issued two contracts related to this effort:
Sanofi Pasteur Inc. in Swiftwater, PA is being awarded a maximum $25.7 million firm-fixed-price indefinite-quantity contract for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps for Influenza Virus Vaccine and Syringes. This is a one-year contract whose performance completion date is Dec. 31, 2005. Eleven proposals were solicited and one responded. The Defense Supply Center Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA issued the contract (SPM0200-05-D-0005). See this link for more on the military position and efforts re: flu shots.
Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control in Archbald, PA won a $31.8 million firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of an estimated 16,000 Laser Guided Training Rounds and associated support equipment. Work will be performed in Archbald, PA and is expected to be complete in April 2010. This contract was competitively procured under an electronic request for proposals; two offers were received. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD issued the contract (N00019-05-D-0020).
Lockheed Martin Corp. subsidiary Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Ft. Worth, TX received a $6.6 million contract modification to provide for MJU-39 and MJU-40 Flares and BBU-59 Squibs. This work will be complete September 2006. The Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH issued the contract (F33657-02-C-0010, P00025).
