Saab received a SEK 1 billion ($130 million equivalent) order from the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV), covering continued development of the JAS-39 Gripen fighter. The order reportedly covers various software upgrades, as well as other development activities supporting the long term development of the Gripen system. Work will be performed at Saab Aerosystems and Saab Aerotech in Linkoping, Sweden as well as at Saab Avitronics in Jarfalla and Kista, Sweden. See release.
The JAS-39 Gripen is a 4th generation lightweight fighter in service since 1993, and adopted by Sweden, The Czech Republic, Hungary and South Africa. Though they are highly capable aircraft, upgrades of some sort have been under discussion for some time.
Lockheed Martin, Maritime Systems & Sensors in Moorestown, NJ received a $30.4 million cost-plus-award-fee/ cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for combat system engineering, computer program support, system integration and test, ship integration and test, staging, FMS(Foreign Military Sales) program management, and integrated logistics support to include training and technical manuals, for the upgrade of the AEGIS Weapon System on Spanish F100 Alvaro de Bazan Class Frigates (F101 through F104) in support of the Foreign Military Sales Case SP-P-LFZ.
This effort is a follow on to NAVSEA Contract N00024-97-C-5171 which procured the AEGIS computer program and support for the Spanish F100 AEGIS Combat System program. The new effort described herein is the upgrade to the AEGIS Computer Program to include the addition of Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) and SM-2 BLK IIIB missile functionalities. Work will be performed in Moorestown, NJ (85%) and Spain (15%), and is expected to be complete by December 2008. This contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C. (N00024-06-C-5113).
The USA’s B-52 fleet began service in the 1950s, but the USA’s inability to build and sustain a modern bomber force that could replace it, coupled with a relatively low number of hours flown on sturdy airframes, has led to a long series of upgrades and modifications that could keep its B-52 fleet in service for over 80 years before all is said and done.
MUSTANG is part of those ongoing efforts. It is intended as a replacement for the B-52 weapons preload tester and ground weapons maintenance (GWM-9) testers, which are utilized in certifying the B-52H aircraft for conventional and nuclear weapons release. It will also replace the off-aircraft pylon test used to certify weapon pylons. When combined with the $150 million program to update B-52H armament and add the Universal Weapons Interface, the USAF’s B-52s will improve their readiness for a wider variety of missions.
Contracts issued under the MUSTANG program have included…
W. M. Jordan Company, Inc. in Newport News, VA received a $9.3 million for firm-fixed-price task order 0001 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity, multiple award construction contract (N40085-05-D-5054) to construct a seal team operations facility at Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek. Work will be performed in Norfolk, VA and is expected to be complete by November 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
The basic 5-year, maximum $700 million contract under which this task order falls was competitively procured with 83 proposals solicited, 17 offers received, and award made to multiple contractors on Sept. 30, 2005. The seven contractors (S. B. Ballard Construction Co.; Centex Construction; W. M. Jordan Co., Inc.; M. A. Mortenson Co.; Sauer, Inc. dba Sauer Southeast; Tesoro Corporation; and Virtexco Corporation) may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the existing contract. Six proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic in Norfolk, VA issued the contract.
