Friday, August 27, 2010

DTN News: India Cancels China Defense Exchanges

Defense News: DTN News: India Cancels China Defense Exchanges
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including Press TV
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 27, 2010: India has cancelled defense exchanges with communist China after Beijing denied a visa to an Indian army general from the Jammu and Kashmir state.
China refused to issue a visa to the General Officer Commanding in Chief in Jammu and Kashmir, Lt. Gen. BS Jaswal.
The commander is responsible for Indian army operations in the Muslim-majority disputed region.
New Delhi said Beijing had to be sensitive to the Indian government's concerns, one of which is the Kashmir region.
"While we value our exchanges with China, there must be sensitivity to each others' concerns. Our dialogue with China on these issues is ongoing," India's External Affairs Ministry said in a statement,Hindustan Times reported on Friday.
Kashmir has witnessed protests against Indian rule triggered by recent killings blamed on government forces. Sixty-four people have lost their lives in two months of violence.
The New Delhi government's refusal to send a word of apology over the slayings and the reluctance shown by the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to order an end to shootings have added to the anger of protestors.
Indian-administered Kashmir has been the scene of pro-independence demonstrations almost on a daily basis despite strict curfews.
Anti-India sentiment runs high in the region. Residents reject Indian dominion over the region -- claimed by both India and Pakistan -- and want a separate homeland or unity with Pakistan.
More than 68,000 people have lost their lives in Kashmir since 1989.
**This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail
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DTN News: Aerospace/Defense Headlines - News Dated August 27, 2010

Defense News: DTN News: Aerospace/Defense Headlines - News Dated August 27, 2010
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including latest updates Defense News, Aerospace/Defense Headlines - News& Yahoo
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 27, 2010: Comprehensive daily news related to Aerospace/Defense for the world of TODAY.

*Comprehensive daily news related on Aerospace/Defense for the world of TODAY.

Friday August 27, 2010

Thursday August 26, 2010

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated August 27, 2010

Defense News: DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated August 27, 2010
Source: U.S. DoD issued No. 773-10 August 27, 2010
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - August 27, 2010: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued August 27, 2010 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

NAVY

BAE Systems Tactical Vehicle LP, Sealy, Texas, is being awarded a $628,999,998 firm fixed priced delivery order #0009 under previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5030) for the procurement of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicle Engineering Change Proposal for enhanced sustainability and safety of 1700 Caiman Multi-Theater vehicles (CMTV). The sustainability includes: CMTV Chassis, Caiman Underbody Survivability Kit, CMTV Integration Recon, Kuwait; CMTV Training and Integration Support, Kuwait, Commercial Off The Shelf Manual (Operator and Maintenance), New Equipment Training package (Operator New Equipment Training and Field Maintenance New Equipment Training, CMTV Integration Manual, CMTV Deprocessing Kit, CMTV Authorized Stockage List, CMTV Prescribed Load List, and CMTV Battle Damage Assessment and Repair. Work will be performed in Kuwait (90 percent) and Texarkana, Texas (10 percent), and work is expected to be completed by the end of December 2011. Contract funds willnot expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

Raytheon Company, Integrated Defense Systems (Raytheon IDS), Sudbury, Mass., is being awarded a $55,411,697 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-5111) to exercise an option for the production of an Aegis ashore test site AN/SPY-1D(V) Transmitter (XMTR) Group and MK 99 Mod 8 Fire Control System. Work will be performed in Andover, Mass. (88 percent) and Sudbury, Mass. (12 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2015. Contract funds in the amount of $55,411,697 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.

L-3 Communications, Ocean Systems, Calif., is being awarded a $24,711,376firm-fixed-price contract for Low Frequency Active Towed Sonar (LFATS) for the Egyptian Navy (100 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The LFATS is a long-range active/passive variable-depth sonar. The system consists of an operator console, power amplifier, towed body arrays, and handling system. The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $27,258,160. Work will be performed in Sylmar, Calif. (65 percent); San Diego, Calif. (13 percent); Bryan, Texas (13 percent); and Alexandria, Egypt (9 percent), and is to be expected to be completed by January 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C. is the contracting activity (N00024-10-C-4156).

Regal Select Services, Inc.*, Abbeville, Ala., is being awarded a $22,755,119 firm-fixed-price contract for Facility Inmate Grounds and Public Works services at Naval Air Station, Pensacola. The work to be performed provides for routine grounds maintenance and other as needed Public Works services aboard the air station and surrounding areas. Work will be performed in Pensacola, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Aug. 2015. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website,with two proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (N69450-10-C-0778).

Team ENVIRO Joint Venture II*, Columbia, S.C., is being awarded an $11,131,313 firm-fixed-price contract for design and construction of the Pre-Trial Detainee Facility at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. The primary facility includes specific confinement cells, detainee and staff showers, administrative areas, quarter deck, visiting areas, dining area, religious areas and library. The contract also contains one unexercised option, which if exercised would increase cumulative contract value to $13,476,029. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, N.C., and is expected to be completed by Nov. 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 14 proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-10-C-5335).

Computer Sciences Corporation, Falls Church, Va., is being awarded a $9,432,818 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for program management and technical support services for the Naval Operational Logistics support Center’s Ordnance Information System which is used to track Navy ordnance worldwide. This contract includes four one-year option year periods which, if exercised, with bring the total value of the contract to $49,685,779. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va. (90 percent); Mechanicsburg, Pa. (5 percent); and Crane, Ind. (5 percent), and work is expected to be completed by September 2011. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce On-line website, with five offers received. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk, Contracting Department, Philadelphia Office, is the contracting activity (N00189-10-D-Z041).

Serco, Inc., Virginia Beach, Va., is being awarded an $8,334,968 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for program management and technical support services for the Naval Operational Logistics support Center’s Ordnance Information System which is used to track Navy ordnance worldwide. This contract includes four one-year option year periods which, if exercised, will bring the total value of the contract to $44,143,282. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va. (90 percent); Mechanicsburg, Pa. (5 percent); and Crane, Ind. (5 percent), and work is expected to be completed by September 2011. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce On-line website, with five offers received. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk, Contracting Department, Philadelphia Office is the contracting activity (N00189-10-D-Z042).

CACI, Inc., Chantilly, Va., is being awarded a $6,876,836 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for program management and technical support services for the Naval Operational Logistics support Center’s Ordnance Information System which is used to track Navy ordnance worldwide. This contract includes a four one-year option year periods which, if exercised, with bring the total value of the contract to $36,148,781. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va. (90 percent); Mechanicsburg, Pa. (5 percent); and Crane, Ind. (5 percent), and work is expected to be completed by September 2011. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce On-line website, with five offers received. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk, Contracting Department, Philadelphia Office, is the contracting activity (N00189-10-D-Z040).

JDS Uniphase Corporation, Germantown, Md., is being awarded a $6,309,800 firm-fixed-price requirements contract to manufacture 300 Internet Protocol Test Sets for a five-year term to support the General Purpose Electronic Test Equipment Weapons System. Work will be performed at the manufacturer’s facility in Guadalajara, Mexico, and work is expected to be completed by August 2015. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with six companies solicited, and one offer received. The Naval Inventory Control Point (NAVICP), Mechanicsburg, Pa., is the contracting activity (N00104-10-D-D006).

Lockheed Martin Mission Systems & Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a $6,000,000 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-03-C-5115) for management and engineering services to maintain and modify as necessary the design of DDG 51 Class Combat System compartments and topside arrangements, in support of the Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems. The required services include program management and operation support, quality assurance, configuration management, ship design integration, fleet lifecycle engineering support, installation support, firmware maintenance, combat system test and evaluation, Navy furnished material support, special studies, and future-ship integration studies. Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J. (40 percent), Bath, Maine (27 percent), Pascagoula, Miss. (22 percent), San Diego, Calif. (6 percent), Norfolk, Va. (3 percent), Port Hueneme, Calif. (1 percent), Syracuse, N.Y. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Correction: DTI Associates, Inc., a Kratos Company, Arlington, Va., for $11,088,758 under contract number N00178-10-C-1056 was announced August 23, 2010 with an incorrect work completion date. The completion date is May 16, 2011.

AIR FORCE

Booz Allen Hamilton of Herndon, Va. was awarded a $19,840,870 contract which will provide Space Command Missile Warning/Missile Defense Survivability/Vulnerability Requirements Analysis. At this time $804,464 has been obligated. 55 CONS/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. is the contracting activity. (SP0700-03-D-1380, delivery order 370)

EDO Corporation-Defense Systems of Amityville, N.Y. was awarded a $9,988,898 contract which will provide AN/ALQ-161A Subsystem Software Deficiency Analysis and Block Cycle Support (Engineering Services). WR-ALC/GRWKB, Robins Air Force Base, Ga. is the contracting activity. (F09603-03-D-0029-0056)

GrammaTech of Ithaca, N.Y. was awarded a $12,881,619 contract which will provide multilevel protection, combining new approaches to analysis, confinement and diversity techniques against the exploitation of vulnerability sets commonly found in binary executables. AFRL/PKDA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity. (FA8650-10-C-7025)

DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY

Kitware, Inc., Clifton Park, N.Y., is being awarded a $10,962,069.00 cost plus fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract (HR0011-08-C-0135) for the Video and Image Retrieval and Analysis Tool (VIRAT) program. Work will be performed in Clifton Park, N.Y. (47.1 percent); Littleton, Colo. (20.5 percent); Santa Barbara, Calif. (6.7 percent); Burlington, Mass. (3.2); Golden Valley, Minn. (3.0 percent); Los Angeles, Calif. (2.1 percent); Orlando, Fla. (2.1 percent); New York, N.Y. (2.1 percent); Berkeley, Calif. (2.1 percent); College Park, Md. (1.8 percent); Troy, N.Y. (1.7 percent); Austin, Texas (1.7 percent); Herndon, Va. (1.5); Cambridge, Mass. (1.0 percent); Riverside, Calif. (0.9 percent); Ithaca, N.Y. (0.9 percent); Cambridge, Mass. (0.9 percent); Pasadena, Calif. (0.7 percent). The work is expected to be completed by February 2012. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is the contracting activity.

*Small Business

DTN News: General Dynamics’ Warrior Antenna Terminals Certified To Operate On Wideband Global SATCOM Network

Defense News: DTN News: General Dynamics’ Warrior Antenna Terminals Certified To Operate On Wideband Global SATCOM Network
* Ka-band certification enables greater use of Warrior antenna terminals by the U.S. Marine Corps as part of the Support Wide Area Network (SWAN) program
Source: DTN News / General Dynamics
(NSI News Source Info) SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - August 27, 2010: – Two General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies’ Warrior antenna terminals are now certified by the U.S. Army to use the Ka-band frequency to access the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) network, enabling warfighters to transmit and receive video, multimedia imagery and data faster and more securely.
Certification ensures that the General Dynamics Warrior 1.2 and 1.8 meter, Ka-band enabled terminals meet stringent performance and operational control requirements needed to operate on the WGS network.
The WGS network comprises a constellation of six U.S. Department of Defense satellites that provide flexible communications connectivity for U.S. military forces. Certification, completed by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command (SMDC/ARSTRAT), enables Warrior terminals currently used by the U.S. Marine Corps as part of the Support Wide Area Network (SWAN) program to access the WGS network.
The SWAN program provides the Marines with secure and non-secure commercial-off-the-shelf satellite communications equipment that can quickly accommodate technology insertions and upgrades like the Ka-band capability.
The higher transmit and receive operating frequencies inherent to Ka-Band allow the SWAN terminals to use smaller, lighter, and more highly integrated communications capabilities than those used at Ku-Band. In addition to a smaller footprint and reduced weight, other benefits of Ka-band over Ku-band for satellite communications include:
*Higher data-rate throughput for improved quality of video, voice and data communications
*Reduced space segment cost through the use of the WGS system
*Reduced communications interference issues due to dedicated WGS satellite access
"The Warrior 1.2 and 1.8 meter terminals are composed of Very Small Aperture (VSAT) antenna subsystems, power amplifiers, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) modems, automatic tracking control and other related electronic subsystems.
Marvin Shoemake, vice president of sales for General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies, said, “The successful completion of the SMDC/ARSTRAT testing represents a major Ka-band upgrade for the SWAN program. The certification also opens the door for other government agencies, including homeland security, to have robust, beyond-line-of-sight communications using the WGS network.”
General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies, part of General Dynamics C4 Systems, is a leading supplier of emergency, strategic and tactical satellite ground terminals for reachback and range extension, including complete communications interoperability and control of fixed and mobile terminals.
Additional information about SATCOM Technology’s products and services is available on the Internet at www.gdsatcom.com.
General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 91,000 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies.
More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.generaldynamics.com.
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail

DTN News: Russian Armored Vehicles Sent To PNA Stuck In Jordan - Diplomat

Defense News: DTN News: Russian Armored Vehicles Sent To PNA Stuck In Jordan - Diplomat
Source: DTN News / Ria Novosti
(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - August 27, 2010: Fifty armored personnel carriers sent by Russia to the Palestinian National Authority are stuck in Jordan because of Israeli red tape, the Palestinian ambassador to Russia said on Thursday.
Russia sent the armored personnel carriers to the PNA in June. The vehicles have to be delivered to the PNA's administrative capital of Ramallah via Jordan.
"This delay is caused by formalities from the Israeli side. They drag out this process in every possible way," Fayed Mustafa said.
"But we hope that our forthcoming direct talks with Israel will help resolve the situation," he said.
He also thanked Russia for the help.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet in Washington on September 2 on an invitation by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The meeting is to resume direct peace talks between Israel and the PNA that have been stalled since December 2008 after Israel launched an attack on the Gaza Strip. The conflict left 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead.
The Palestinians have so far refused to resume peace talks, citing as a major obstacle the ongoing Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, both occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.
They also demand that Israel agree to the borders that existed prior to the 1967 Middle East war as the basis for a future Palestinian state.
Israel has urged that talks should resume without any preconditions, which has been supported by Clinton.
Experts doubt that Netanyahu and Abbas will agree on the so-called final status issues, including the boundaries of a future Palestinian state, Jewish settlement construction and the status of Jerusalem, during the Washington talks.
However, the meeting itself, a result of months-long diplomatic efforts by U.S. Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell, was welcomed by many as a sign of progress in the Middle East settlement.
**This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail

DTN News: Blackseafor Warships Complete Active Stage Of Drills

Defense News: DTN News: Blackseafor Warships Complete Active Stage Of Drills
Source: DTN News / Ria Novosti
(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - August 27, 2010: Warships from the Black Sea Naval Group, the Blackseafor, on Thursday completed the active stage of three-week drills, the Russian Black Sea Fleet press service said.
The drills included tactical maneuvering by surface warships, air defense and communication, helping vessels in distress, vessel isolation, and inspection at sea, spokesman Capt. 1st Rank Vyacheslav Trukhachev said.
The main focus of the drills has been on maintaining stability and peace in the region, promoting cooperation, and strengthening mutual understanding among the Black Sea countries.
The Russian Navy was represented during the so-called Blackseafor Activation, which started on August 11, by the RFS Yamal large amphibious landing ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which is now on its way to the Bulgarian port of Varna, where the exercise results will be summed up.
The previous Activation took place on April 9-27, with more than 50 drills conducted across an area of 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles).
The Blackseafor was formally established in 2001 on Turkey's initiative and comprises Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, Georgia and Russia. It conducts search and rescue operations and environmental monitoring, and organizes goodwill visits to Black Sea countries.
**This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail

DTN News: Royal Navy May Need To Borrow US fighter Jets

Defense News: DTN News: Royal Navy May Need To Borrow US fighter Jets
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including Telegraph.co.uk - By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 27, 2010: Britain could be forced to "borrow" American warplanes for its new aircraft carriers asthe Armed Forces' core capabilities are eroded by budget cuts.
The country could also turn to America for surveillance aircraft if plans to buy new RAF spy planes are scrapped.
Furthermore, the Navy may lose its ability to put troops ashore in an amphibious assault.
The prospect of relying on allies for military hardware has emerged from talks about the extent of the defence cuts.
Dr Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, has said that, instead of "salami-slicing", where pain is shared equally across the department, the cuts must be allocated strategically.
Defence sources have suggested this will result in the Forces giving up entire capabilities, like aerial surveillance and amphibious landing.
Britain would have to rely on allies until the defence budget recovered, when these operations could be resumed.
The cuts could also have serious implications for the Navy's two new aircraft carriers, which will cost £5 billion and are due to enter service in 2014 and 2016.
Defence sources said at least one of the carriers was almost certain to be completed, but questions hang over the second.
If the second carrier is built, it could be adapted to carry helicopters instead of jets. A more radical option would see the second carrier shared with another country, most likely France.
The Treasury is understood to be budgeting for the cost of the carriers as empty hulls, and balking at the additional cost of planes to fly from them. A military source said: "The Treasury seems to think it's quite normal to budget for aircraft carriers with no aircraft to carry. It's rather bizarre."
To ensure both carriers are built, Navy chiefs are considering making several sacrifices. These include retiring Britain's 45 Harrier jump jets ahead of schedule.
The Harriers, operated by both the Navy's Fleet Air Arm and the RAF, are due to retire in 2018 and be replaced with new Joint Strike Fighters. But the jets could be retired earlier, saving more than £1 billion. That in turn could mean that the first carrier enters service in 2014 with no British aircraft to carry.
This would lead to the possibility of using borrowed US Marine Corps aircraft.
To help fund the carriers, Navy chiefs are also likely to give up the service's amphibious task force of landing ships and commandos.
"It comes down to a choice between carrier strike capability and amphibious landing, and they're not going to give up the carriers," said one Whitehall source.
That would attract controversy because the amphibious task force was the heart of the operation that liberated the Falkland Islands in 1982.
As The Daily Telegraph disclosed earlier this month, the Navy could also sacrifice operational control of the Royal Marines to the Army.
**Link to this article "Royal Navy May Need To Borrow US fighter Jets - Telegraph.co.uk - By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent "
**This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail