USA Spending $532M to Upgrade its E-8 J-STARS Eyes in the Sky

E-8C JSTARS Connectivity

Northrop Grumman Corp. in Melbourne, FL received a $532 million cost-reimbursement fixed-price contract to procure improvements which will increase the performance capability, reliability, and maintainability of the E-8C J-STARS (Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System) aircraft.

With their advanced ground-looking radars and sensors, and extensive communications intercept capabilities, they providing a picture of the ground situation equivalent to AWACS air picture. J-STARS aircraft are capable of determining the direction, speed and patterns of military activity of ground vehicles and helicopters. They then act as an airborne command and control center, sending this information via secure data links with air force command posts, army mobile ground stations and centers of military analysis around the world.

Bell Sells Its AB139 Helicopter Stake to AugustaWestland

AB139

Textron’s Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, TX, USA and Finmeccanica subsidiary AgustaWestland of Cascina Costa, Italy announced a realignment of their joint venture Bell Agusta Aerospace Company LLC (BAAC). Bell is selling its 25% interest in the AB139 medium twin helicopter program to AgustaWestland and granting them 100% ownership of all aspects of the AB139 program going forward, in return for undisclosed payments.

The AB139 was recently proposed for the US Army’s $2+ billion Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) competition, where it is going head to head with the Bell 412EP, MDHI Explorer 902, and EADS Eurocopter EC145.

$77M Outlay to Support Active US Nuclear Subs

SSN Seawolf Class

General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp. in Groton, CT received a $77 million modification to previously awarded contract N00024-04-C-2100 for consolidated design agent, planning yard, engineering and technical support for active nuclear submarines. Note that since the 1950s, the USA’s entire submarine fleet has been nuclear powered. Active submarine classes currently include the SSBN-726 Ohio Class ballistic missile launchers plus the SSN-688(I) Los Angeles, SSN-21 Seawolf, and SSN-744 Virginia Class attack submarines; the converted Ohio SSGN Class cruise missile & special ops submarines has not yet been formally commissioned to active status. Previous awards for similar services under this contract totaled $202.2 million during FY 2005 (Oct 2004 – Oct 2005):

$58M to Refurbish M109A5 Self-Propelled Howitzers

Have gun, will travel

BAE Systems Land and Armaments LP in York, PA received a $58 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for refurbishment of M109A5 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzers. This was a sole source contract initiated on Aug. 14, 2002. Work will be performed in York, PA (90%), Lemont Furnace, PA (9%), and Aiken, SC (1%), and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2007. The Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command at Rock Island, IL issued the contract (DAAE20-02-C-0134).

KBR Contract for Re-Building US Navy’s SE Installations Hits $96.8M

Katrina

Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root Services in Arlington, VA received $33 million for modification P0014 to Task Order 0017, under a cost reimbursement, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity emergency construction contract with special conditions. These task orders provide for Hurricane Katrina stabilization, cleanup and recovery at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pascagoula, NAS Gulfport, Stennis Space Center and other US Navy installations in the Southeast Region. Award of this modification brings the total task order amount for these tasks to $96.8 million.

The basic contract was competitively negotiated with 59 offers solicited, three proposals received and the award detailing the qualifying firms made on July 26, 2004. The total contract amount is not to exceed $500 milion which includes the base period and four option years. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southern Division in North Charleston, SC issued the task order (N62470-04-D-4017). See all DID coverage related to this contract.