L-3 Communications announced has agreed to acquire The Titan Corp. for $23.10 per share of Titan common stock, in an acquisition worth an estimated $2.65 billion including assumed debt. Titan’s board of directors is unanimously recommending that shareholders approve the transaction.
The acquisition of San Diego-based Titan would turn L-3 into a midsized integrator of complex weapons, and expand the Pentagon’s choice of weapon systems integrators after the 1990s consolidations. From L-3’s perspective, the move also broadens their customer base, especially in areas related to intelligence and defense transformation. Another key asset was Titan’s roster of 9,000 employees with government security clearances, approximately 5,000 of which are reportedly at the Top Secret level.
Responding to an urgent request from warfighters, Lockheed Martin expanded the capabilities of its Predator anti-tank weapon and delivered 400 rounds to the U.S. Marine Corps in less than six months, prompting praise from, SRAW project officer Michael Woodson at the Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, VA.
The U.S. Marine Corps recently asked Lockheed Martin to modify the shoulder-fired, short-range Predator anti-tank weapon into a direct-attack urban assault weapon for use in Iraq. Renamed the Short-Range Assault Weapon-Multiple Purpose Variant (SRAW-MPV), the new urban assault missile has a multiple-purpose blast warhead instead of a top-attack anti-armor warhead, enabling it to defeat a variety of targets such as buildings and bunkers as well as light-armored vehicles, “technicals,” et. al.
Northrop Grumman Defense Mission Systems in Reston, VA has won a $25.4 million hybrid cost-plus-incentive fee/cost-plus-award fee common link integration processing (CLIP) contract. This contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $122.2 million.
The CLIP contract effort will be a full life-cycle effort, from system design through to training and system installation support on applicable aircraft ships, aircraft, shore sites/land platforms, and test facilities.
Pakistan recently unveiled a 1.09 trillion rupee (USD $18.16 billion) national budget for 2005-2006. The budget increased defense expenditures from 194 billion rupees in 2004-2005 to 223 billion rupees, a rise of more than 15%. Spending on development will also rise, and the overall increase in expenditures is 21%.
A number of indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts have been issued by the U.S. Department of Defense for “media approach planning, prototype product development, commercial quality product development, product distribution and dissemination, and media effects analysis for the Joint Psychological Operations Support element and other government agencies.” All contracts were awarded on a competitive basis pursuant to FAR 6.102.
Work will include activities both within and outside the continental United States (CONUS), and task orders may be issued over the next five years from June 7, 2005 – June 6, 2010. Each contract has a potential maximum value of $100 million. The recipients include Lincoln Group of Washington, DC (H92222-05-D-1010), SAIC of Washington, DC (H92222-05-D-1011), and SYColeman Inc. of Washington, DC (H92222-05-D-1012).
The Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP) in Philadelphia, PA has issued a series of fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-quantity contracts for Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) field rations. The rations will be supplied to the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies. Performance will be complete by February 28, 2006. There were three proposals solicited and three responded, with all 3 being granted contracts.
Integration executives who participated in a panel discussion at the recent UBS Software and IT Services Conference in New York have noted that the U.S. government’s traditional summer information technology buying season may be busier than usual this year. That boost may be particularly evident among customers who use governmentwide acquisition contracts, in part as a result of a rule change now prohibits agencies from carrying over funding into the next fiscal year. Federal Computer Weekly offers more details.
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. in Bethpage, NY received an $8.4 million firm-fixed-price order against a previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00019-00-G-0425) for spares associated with EA-6B Prowler improved capability aircraft low-rate-initial production (LRIP).
