Rapid Fire: 2010-10-12

• As shipbuilder Fincantieri’s civilian business sags, reports surface of pressure to merge with Finmeccanica.

• Australia’s DSTO has a money saving solution for C-130J Super Hercules operators.

• Attacks Down Under: Monthly cyber attacks against Australian military networks have more than tripled since last year.

• Double the Fun: Singapore-based ST Marine wins contract to convert Royal Australian Navy tanker HMAS Success to a double hulled vessel as part of a A$170 million 2010-2011 budget for ship repair and maintenance work in the Sydney area.

• Early ship blocks built for India’s locally built Vikrant Class/ Project 71 aircraft carrier.

• Australia’s EC665 Tiger ARH scout/attack helicopters won’t be ready for Afghan deployment for another 2 years…

• USAF finishes retiring 252 of its F-16, F-15 and A-10 fighters.

• Boeing will submit its A160T Hummingbird for the US Marines’ unmanned cargo drone RFP.

• Where’s the Crew?: Zyvek Technologies tests the Piranha, a 54-foot unmanned surface vessel (USV) prototype made of carbon-fiber composites, in Puget Sound, WA.

• ITT snags contract worth up to $1.4 billion to provide support services for US Army facilities in Kuwait.

• Is President Obama really proposing to sell China C-130 tactical transport aircraft? China already flies its own Yun-8 knockoff of Russia’s AN-12, and is developing the Yun-9 as a C-130J competitor.

• Research and Markets: US armed forces using more biofuels to fuel jets, naval ships, and other modes of transportation. Still in experimental mode, however.

• ManTech closes $60 million purchase of QinetiQ North America’s security and intelligence solutions business, which recently won a prime contract worth up to $365 million to support the Missile Defense Agency.