US Military Orders 352 More Strykers

M1129 Stryker MC

The 8×8 wheeled Stryker armored vehicle is the backbone of the US Army’s 7 medium armored brigades, with an 8th on the way. The base vehicle is also known as the LAV-III (Canada) and Piranha-III (GD MOWAG Switzerland), but American Stryker family APCs are outfitted with a set of communications and electronics equipment that makes them a unique variant. Stryker program’s production contracts began in 2000; to date, General Dynamics Land Systems in Canada and the USA have delivered 2,988 vehicles to the US military. Now, a $647 million order will add another 352 Strykers to the Army.

Consultation with General Dynamics Land systems has yielded the full breakdown of this Stryker order among all variants…

Baking in the Mojave Sun: US Army Awards $2B Fort Irwin Solar Farm Project

Solar Farm at Nellis AFB
(click to view larger)

The US Army Corps of Engineers signed an agreement with Irwin Energy Security Partners to build a $2 billion, 500-megawatt (MW) solar energy complex at Fort Irwin located in the Mojave Desert, California.

Through an enhanced use lease (EUL) agreement, the Army will lease about 14,000 acres at Fort Irwin to Irwin Energy Security Parnters, a joint venture of ACCIONA Solar Power in Henderson, NV and the Clark Energy Group in Bethesda, MD. The project will be financed and developed by the joint venture partners who will deliver services in kind (e.g., operation and maintenance) to the Army in exchange for the lease of military landholdings. The venture will be able to sell electricity not used by Fort Irwin on the commercial grid via two high-power transmission lines in the vicinity of the base.

The 500 MW project will be the largest DoD solar power project, dwarfing the 14 MW solar farm at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and the 2 MW installation at Fort Carson in Colorado…

Lockheed Martin Team to Beef Up US Military Network Security

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded a $31 million contract to a team lead by Lockheed Martin to develop a network protocol to improve the confidentiality, integrity, and security of US military networks.

In developing this new protocol, Lockheed Martin’s team will develop router technologies that include strong authentication and self-configuration capabilities to improve security and bandwidth allocation and lower overall life cycle costs for network management.

Lockheed Martin’s team includes Microsoft, Juniper Networks, Anagran, Stanford University, and LGS Innovations, which has been quite active in securing military IT business on its own…

Todd Pacific Shipyards to Repair, Overhaul USA’s Largest Icebreaker

US Coast Guard Cutter Healy

The US Coast Guard awarded Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle, WA a $12.5 million modification to a previously awarded contract (HSCG85-05-C-625306) in support of repairs and alterations performed during the triennial Dry-Docking Planned Maintenance Availability (DPMA) of the icebreaker USCG Cutter Healy (WAGB-20).

The contract modification provides for repair and maintenance of the ship’s main propulsion system, auxiliary systems, and other structural, mechanical, and electrical features aboard the ship, including underwater hull inspection and renewal.

The USCG Cutter Healy is the USA’s largest icebreaker…