Up to $394.2M for Repair & Replacement of H-53 Rotor Parts

CH-53E lifts M113 APC

Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, CT received a $73.7 million firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity long-term contract for repair, overhaul, and modification of various configurations for the main rotor head, sleeve and spindle assemblies, main gearbox assemblies, free wheel units, as well as other components for the CH-53D Sea Stallion and CH-53E Super Stallion medium-heavy lift helicopters, and MH-53E Sea Dragon minesweeper helicopters.

This contract contains a 5-year base period and four 1-year option periods, which would bring the total estimated value of the contract to $394.2 million over 9 years if exercised. Work will be performed in Stratford, CT and is expected to be complete by September 2007. This contract was not awarded competitively by the Naval Inventory Control Point (N00383-07-D-007F).

Norway Signs Development Agreement for JAS-39N Gripen

JAS-39N CAP Concept

In January 2007 Norwegian Defence Minister Anne-Grete Strom-Erichsen said:

“The negotiations with JAS Gripen and Eurofighter which commenced early January 2007 are well on track… Progress has also been made in the negotiations over development agreements with the two other candidates in the combat aircraft acquisition project, JAS Gripen and Eurofighter.”

Negotiations with respect to the JAS-39 Gripen option appear to have borne fruit – for the future of the Gripen fighter, as well as for Norway’s stated goals.

ANZAC Frigate Support Agreement Renewed

ANZAC: F77, FFH-154, F111

The Australian government announced that May 1, 2007 marked the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) marks a new phase of their long term, strategic relationship with Tenix Defence and Saab Systems to support the ANZAC class frigates and shore facilities. The contract is an Alliance agreement of 9 years duration with an option extension for 6 years. The order includes modernization of the ships’ combat management system and fire control system.

Based on the Meko A200 design, 10 ANZAC frigates are in service in Australia (8) and New Zealand (2). The work was ordered through ANZAC Ship Integrated Material Support (ANZAC IMS) Program Alliance, which consists of Saab, Tenix Defence, and the Australian Defence Material Organisation and has serviced these ships since 1990. Tenix built all 10 ships at their dockyard at Williamstown, Victoria, Australia; while Saab is the designer for the combat system software.

The order will mean development work in both Sweden and Australia; the initial value of the contract to Saab alone is A$ 104 million (currently about $86.3 million), and further orders can be expected during the course of the agreement.

FY 2007 MURI Multi-Disciplinary Research Awards

The Department of Defense Multi-disciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) is a multi-agency Department of Defense program that supports research teams whose efforts intersect more than one traditional science and engineering disciplines. They’re especially interested in efforts where cross-fertilization can accelerate research progress, hasten the transition of basic research findings to practical applications, further key infrastructure such as research instrumentation development, or just help to train students in science and/or engineering in areas of importance to the US DoD.

In April 2007, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research announced the FY 2007 competition MURI awards, which will fund 10 awards to to 29 academic institutions, totaling about $60 million over 5 years. MURI awards are typically larger and longer in duration than traditional awards, with a 3-year base period plus a 2-year option contingent upon both availability of appropriation funds and satisfactory research progress. Topics ranged from “Dynamic Decision making in complex task environments: Principles and neural mechanisms” to “Biologically-Inspired Flight for Micro Air Vehicles” and many points in-between; this PDF file contains the entire list. Winners included teams at:

• Boston University, MA
  
• Brown University, RI
  
• University of Colorado
  
• George Mason University, VA
  
• Harvard University, MA
  
• University of Michigan
  
• Northwestern University, IL
  
• Princeton University, NJ
  
• Stanford University, CA
  
• University of Virginia