Rapid Fire 2010-03-08: Convention on Cluster Munitions

• China expects to boost defense spending by 7.5% this year, compared to a 14.9% increase in 2009. Washington Post | Wall Street Journal | Los Angeles Times | Xinhua News Agency

• French-Russian gas deal seen as possible preliminary to sale of Mistral amphibious assault ships.

• General Dynamics and Austal will reportedly end their LCS partnership, and plan to bid on Littoral Combat Ship contracts separately.

BAE Systems Selling Stake in Sweden’s Saab

In 1998, with a global sales partnership in place for Saab’s JAS-39 Gripen fighter, BAE bought a 35% stake in Saab for 3.5 billion Swedish kronor. In March 2010, a month after BAE Systems settled bribery cases with the US and Britain over weapons sales that included Gripen fighters, Britain is divesting just over half of its remaining stake in the Swedish defense firm, for SEK 1.07 billion (about $150 million). Saab’s best-known product is its JAS-39 Gripen lightweight fighter, but the firm offers a diverse array of defense products that include radars, missiles, UUVs, and more.

BAE had already reduced its stake in Saab to 20.5% in 2005, and was not involved in recent efforts to sell the Gripen to Switzerland and Brazil. The firm reportedly intends to dispose of all Saab holdings…

InTop Program: US Navy Develops Open RF Architecture for Future Platforms

Up to $32 million to Lockheed Martin for submarine satellite communication prototype. (March 5/10)

An impressive 18 companies won indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contracts to develop integration and management technology for radio frequency (RF) radar and communications functions on future naval platforms. The contracts are being awarded by the Office of Naval Research for its Integrated Topside (InTop) Program, which will develop a scalable family of electronic warfare, radar and communication equipment to support multiple classes of ships and other Navy platforms. Each contract has an ordering ceiling of between $50 million and $800 million.

InTop plans to reduce the number of topside equipment on Navy ships through a modular/ open RF architecture…