ATK Wins $541 Mn to Refuel Minuteman III ICBMs

Good as new.

Alliant Techsystems subsidiary ATK Thiokol has received contract options worth $541 million from Northrop Grumman Corporation to refurbish components and replace propellant on Minuteman III nuclear ICBM Stage 1, 2 and 3 rocket motors. This award is the fifth of seven full-rate production options under the ICBM Propulsion Replacement Program. The fifth option is worth $194 million, covers 78 booster sets, and will extend the program through March 2008. Options 6 and 7 are for 84 and 50 booster sets respectively, and would extend the program through August 2009.

The Minuteman III Propulsion Replacement Program (PRP) began in 1998 as a Joint Venture between ATK and Pratt & Whitney. All work content was transitioned to ATK in the 2003-2004 timeframe following a contract restructure. Most of the work on the contract will be performed at the company’s facilities in Utah. See corporate release.

With the retirement of the more modern MX “Peacekeeper” missile, the Minuteman III is the sole nuclear missile remaining in the land component of America’s nuclear triad. These missiles have undergone a number of upgrades over the past few years – not to mention EPA certification; see all DID coverage of the Minuteman III for more.

$321.5 Mn for Honeywell to Improve M1 Abrams’ AGT-1500 Engines

AGT-1500 Turbine Engine

Honeywell International Inc. in Phoenix, AZ received a $321.5 million modification to a firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Revitalization of the Automotive Gas Turbine 1500 Engines Fleet under the Total InteGrated Engine Revitalization (TIGER) Program. The AGT-1500 TIGER program could be worth up to $1.4 billion. The AGT-1500 powers the USA’s M1 Abrams tanks, and will continue to do so until the new LV-100-5 engines can be finalized and installed.

Work will be performed in Phoenix, AZ (66%), Greer, SC (19%), Anniston, AL (13%), and Rocky Mount, NC (2%), and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2009. This was a sole source contract initiated on Nov. 4, 2005 by the Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, MI (W56HZV-06-C-0173).

AESA Radar to Be Trialed on UK’s GR4 Tornados By 2007

Tornado GR4

In “Elec Tricks,” DID covered the value of Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars. They offer increased power, no moving parts which improves robustness and maintenance, and some entirely new capabilities as well. At the moment, the USA is the only country fielding AESA radars in its fighters: some F-15 Eagles with AN/APG-63 v2/v3 radars, the F-22 Raptor and its ultra-powerful AN/APG-77, the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and its AN/APG-79, and the new F-16E Block 60 “Desert Falcon” with its AN/APG-80 (in service only with the United Arab Emirates).

The UK Ministry of Defence has now awarded a contract to a team led by the boffins at QinetiQ, in order to integrate an Active Electronically-Scanned Array (AESA) on a Tornado GR4A strike aircraft by 2007 for assessment by the RAF. It’s interesting that the Tornado F3 long-range air defense fighter or Eurofighter were not picked as the upgrade platforms, but there seems to be a method to Britain’s choice…

$23.6M to Support Launch & Operations of New Navstar Block IIR GPS Satellites

Navstar GPS Block IIR

The Headquarters Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA awarded Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space Corp. in King of Prussia, PA a $23.6 million cost-plus award-fee, fixed-price with economic price adjustment, fixed-price incentive firm, cost plus fixed fee, firm fixed price, cost plus incentive fee, cost contract (no fee) contract modification [Ed: “and a partridge in a pear tree…”]. It exercises options for calendar year 2006 entitled, “Launch Operations Support and On-Orbit Operations Support for the Navstar Global Positioning System Block IIR Program.” Work will be complete December 2006 (F04701-89-C-0073/ P00341).

Lockheed’s GPS Satellite team is gearing up for the launch of the second modernized IIR satellite, which is scheduled for liftoff in “early 2006” from Cape Canaveral. Note that the designation “Block IIR” stands for “replacement”; DID’s updated August 2005 article “The GPS Constellation: Now and Future” explains the GPS constellation and its planned upgrades in greater depth.

More JSOW GPS Glide Bombs for Turkey

AGM-154 JSOW

Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, AZ received an $11.1 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-03-C-0001) for 50 AGM-154A-1 and 54 AGM-154C Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW) missiles, one JSOW Dummy Air Training Missile, and 105 containers for the Government of Turkey under the Foreign Military Sales Program. DID covered the new unitary warhead AGM-154A-1 and dual-mode warhead AGM-154C in its recent anchor article highlighting the JSOW program’s recent procurement award.

Like Turkey’s recent purchase of AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range air-air missiles, this JSOW buy is a logical complement to their F-16 modernization program. Work will be performed in Tucson, AZ and is expected to be complete in April 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Sewage Infrastructure at Camp Pendleton, CA Prepares for Privatization

Sadr City, Baghdad

CDM Constructors Inc. in Carlsbad, CA received $21.2 million Delivery Order 0007 under a combination firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity design-build-operate-maintain contract for Water Conveyance/Reclamation at Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton.

They will install a conveyance/reclamation pipeline to connect four Sewage Treatment Plants to the new Southern Region Tertiary Treatment Plant, ensuring environmental compliance in preparation for ultimate privatization. [Ed: Perhaps they should have asked the contractor to involve active-duty Marines; it might be good preparation for Iraq.]

$11.4M to Repair Jetty in Warrenton, OR at the Mouth of the Columbia

Kiewit Pacific Co. in Vancouver, WA won an $11.4 firm-fixed-price contract for Interim Repair of the South Jetty at the Mouth of the Columbia River. Work will be performed in Warrenton, OR and is expected to be completed by April 15, 2008. There were two bids solicited on Dec. 2, 2005, and three bids were received by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland, OR (W9127N-06-C-0017).