Rapid Fire 2011-07-22: 2010 Army Acquisition Review

• The release of the Final Report of the 2010 Army Acquisition Review [PDF] reveals that since 1995 the US Army has spent $32 billion on testing and evaluation of weapons programs that were eventually canceled. Among the largest programs was Boeing’s Future Combat Systems.

• Russian police have launched a criminal investigation into the financial affairs of the management of the Severnaya Verf shipyard, St Petersburg. The investigation adds to concerns about the shipyard, after it announced that the launch of the first Admiral Gorshkov class frigate would be delayed until 2012.

• Australia’s Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith lays out progress and perils to date re: Australian acquisition reform, projects of concern, the 2030 defence capability plan, and more.

• EADS’ Cassidian signs a cooperation agreement with Ilex, a specialist Identity and Access Management (IAM) publisher. Cooperation is expected to to result in greater synergy between Cassidian’s Public Key Infrastructure system and Ilex’s access control platform.

• Bids have been submitted for two packages of work worth $33 billion in support of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS). However, officials have yet to decide whether to allow the new owners of Davie Yards to compete.

• Pictures of L-3 Communications’ Spydr modifications of a Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350ER show the replacement of the nose section with a new structure capable of carrying the company’s Wescam MX-15 camera.

• A declassified report obtained by the National Security Archive reveals that China’s electromagnetic pulse weapons (EMP) programs are more advanced than once thought. The report also indicates that China has developed tactics utilizing EMP weapons in the event of US deployments in any future conflict with Taiwan.

• The appointment of a maritime expert as Turkey’s new Defense Minister may see the profile of the indigenous shipbuilding sector on the rise.

• Pakistan’s Navy inducts its first squadron of indigenous Uqab-II UAVs at PNS Mehran, in Karachi. That’s just a day after a Pakistani Navy drone hit a bird and crashed near an oil refinery in a suburb of Karachi.