Rapid Fire 2011-01-25: Self-contained Mini-reactors

• Lockheed Martin agrees to pay $2 million to settle a DoJ lawsuit accusing the company, as well as partners SAIC and AES, of conspiring with former government employees Stephen Adamec and Robert Knesel to ensure the 3 companies were awarded a $115M contract in 2004 to support the Naval Oceanographic MSRC (now the Navy DSRC).

• Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle author DJ Elliott offers thoughts on Iraq’s military development, ability to defend itself, and 5 most pressing weaknesses against conventional invasion.

• The Philippines is eying a used US Coast Guard Hamilton Class high endurance cutter. The 378 foot Hamilton Class is being replaced by the Bertholf Class National Security Cutters, but the USCG remains overstretched with its current fleet.

• France’s DCNS is capitalizing on its nuclear submarine knowledge to offer a “FlexBlue” self-contained mini-reactor in the 50-250 MW range, to be installed underwater off the coast. It would be shipped out for maintenance, and use seawater for cooling. Areva, EDF and the CEA R&D organization are also involved.

• Another fire on Britain’s S120 HMS Ambush, the second-of-class Astute fast attack submarine. HMS Astute has certainly had its own share of problems as well. The fitting out and testing periods are when you’re supposed to find them, and this fire was as minor as a submarine fire can be… but at some point, the number and types of faults become worrying.

• The RAF’s 7th C-17 arrives at Brize Norton.

• Up to $102 million to SAIC for logistics support to the Army’s 1st Theater Sustainment Command.

• API Technologies completes acquisition of SenDec, a Fairport, NY-based defense electronics manufacturer, in a stock swap deal worth around $97 million.

• ManTech gets $57 million contract to supply engineering, technical and administrative support to the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division for US navy aircraft and systems.

• Textron to deliver the final 47-foot motor lifeboat (MLBs) to the Mexican Navy under a contract to build 6 craft based on 117 MLBs currently in use by the USCG.

SPAWAR’s C4ISR Installation Contracts: 2011-2016

On Jan 21/11, Us Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego, CA announced a set of 4 multiple-award contracts to install and certify Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems. These systems will be delivered under a combination of cost-plus-incentive-fee, fixed-price-incentive (firm target), firm-fixed-price, and cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery orders as “Government Furnished Equipment” (GFE), for installation on board surface ships, submarines, and shore stations located worldwide.

With the umbrella terms all set, contracts can be placed on behalf of SPAWAR, and also on behalf of other prospective U.S. Government and Foreign Military Sales customers. There’s an initial 3-year base period that runs to 2014, and a 2-year option period that would extend it to 2016. When these contracts were issued, several media outlets added them together, and reported $5+ billion in contracts. That isn’t correct. Here’s what is correct, and how the contracts work…