Rapid Fire: 2010-07-08

• Ready… or not? Baslisle report says US Navy readiness and maintenance issues extend to AEGIS radar and combat systems used for fleet and ballistic missile defense.

• Cutting Overhead: Lockheed Martin offers buyouts to company directors and vice presidents in an effort to comply with the Pentagon’s directive to cut overhead costs.

• Lost in Translation: Raytheon’s BBN Technologies secures $6.14 million order under DARPA’s MADCAT program to develop a prototype system that translates foreign language text for US soldiers in the field.

• SMILE: Indian Navy issues RFI for submarine mine laying equipment (SMILE) for its diesel-electric submarine fleet.

• Humvee power: DRS delivers its OBVP HMMWV, which generates more than 30kW of power that can be used on-board, or drawn on by soldiers or devices outside.

• Chillin’: Raytheon developing a next-generation 2-phase cooling system for US Office of Naval Research. Radars need cooling, and a more efficient system could allow higher power radars in smaller craft – or upgrades for larger ships.

• Labors of HERCULES: BAE Systems gets $70 million contract to convert 30 M88A1 hulls into M88A2 HERCULES armored recovery vehicles used to retrieve M1A1 and M1A2 Abrams tanks and Leopard tanks.

• What’re the odds? USA wants Japan to pay more for relocation of some US forces from Okinawa to Guam, amidst an election triggered by the US military’s continued presence on Okinawa.

• CSC wins a contract worth up to $220 million to provide IT support services to the US Navy’s Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education Command and the Naval Education and Training Command