Rapid Fire: 2011-01-05

• After a bit of a panic, US immigration has extended a deadline for American companies to certify, under penalty of perjury, that they’re not improperly sharing “sensitive” information with foreign workers. The new deadline is Feb 20/11.

• Meanwhile, the Pentagon has issued new guidance re: organizational conflicts of interest and competition, such as performing a requirements study and then supplying the weapons system that the study addressed. Washington Post.

• Speaking of the Post, its piece on China’s military industry, while interesting and sometimes informative, would be more credible without basic factual mistakes (there is no IL-478, SU-35 not a carrier-based fighter…). See also Japan’s Asahi Shimbun for its interview with USN Pacific Command’s Adm. Robert Willard.

• The Washington Post did a better job reporting on the new “Gorgon Stare” pod, which is being deployed to Afghanistan. It has been tested with the MQ-9 Reaper UAV, but can also be carried by other aircraft.

• Allied forces target supply networks of IEDs in Afghanistan.

• US Army fields SPARKS II mine roller kit that attaches to the front of vehicles and detonates roadside bombs. Wonder if they’re related to these…

• Research and Markets: Ukraine’s defense expenditure is predicted to grow at a healthy 8.3% per year for the next five years, reaching $2.6 billion by 2015.

• The French DGA procurement agency signs EUR 160 million deal to buy 200 heavy trucks from Italy’s Iveco for the French Army.

• RAF getting set to introduce BAE’s HMSS helmet-mounted sight for its Eurofighters. Pilots of competing aircraft already use HMS systems like the Israeli/American JHMCS, but BAE’s system does have some up-to-date features.

• BAE Systems gets $34 million contract modification for updates to the Bradley fighting vehicle.

• Alion to develop GUARD DOG information processing technology for US troops on patrol.

• Colton’s Maritime Memos says that you might want to own Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding’s Newport News as a shareholder, but you really don’t want to own the Gulf Coast operation.