Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Oshkosh Corporation Defense Division to Expand Its Technical Operations in Michigan



Defense News: OSHKOSH, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK - News) announced today plans for its Defense Division to expand technical operations in Michigan and move into a new leased state-of-the-art technical facility in Warren, Mich., replacing its existing Warren office. The announcement was made at a press conference with the Governor of Michigan and the Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA) Board which announced funding for Oshkosh and other companies. The MEGA Board has approved a state tax credit of $6.4 million spanning 12 years for Oshkosh.

Oshkosh Defense will move current operations from its existing leased Warren office into the new facility and plans to hire up to 190 new employees locally. This new facility will provide advanced system technical support and systems engineering for the Defense division’s work on the U.S. Army medium and heavy truck fleets. Oshkosh Corporation anticipates a capital investment in the new site of approximately $6.5 million over a five-year period.

The facility will support Oshkosh Defense’s work on the five-year Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) rebuy contract, which the Army reaffirmed on Feb. 12 and its work on the Army’s Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles (FHTV), including the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT), Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET) and Palletized Load System (PLS).

“Expanding in Warren is the right choice for Oshkosh Defense because it continues to help us more efficiently interface with TACOM, our military customer, who has offices in the Detroit area in support of our work on military programs,” said Robert G. Bohn, Oshkosh Corporation chairman and chief executive officer. “Complete integration of our advanced engineering, logistics, program management and configuration management in one location in Warren will be a natural fit as we initiate service on additional defense contracts. We’ve received the local government support we need to facilitate moving forward with this expansion and are excited by the capabilities within the local workforce.”

“We’re delighted Oshkosh Corporation has decided to expand its defense operations in Michigan with a new, state-of-the-art technical facility,” said Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. “Oshkosh Corporation is an excellent partner in helping us diversify Michigan’s economy and create new high-tech, good paying jobs. The new Warren facility will help Oshkosh Defense service its government defense contracts and benefit the men and women in our armed forces.”

The Warren facility will be located in close proximity to TACOM in the Detroit metropolitan area to provide TACOM program and product managers with increased access and involvement in Oshkosh Defense’s execution and performance of their programs. This facility will be used primarily for military programs, but could offer additional services going forward.

About Oshkosh Defense

Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, is an industry-leading global designer and manufacturer of tactical military trucks and armored wheeled vehicles, delivering a full product line of conventional and hybrid vehicles, advanced armor options, proprietary suspensions and vehicles with payloads that can exceed 70 tons. Oshkosh Defense provides a global service and supply network including full life-cycle support and remanufacturing, and its vehicles are recognized the world over for superior performance, reliability and protection. For more information, visit www.oshkoshdefense.com.

About Oshkosh Corporation

Oshkosh Corporation is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty access equipment, commercial, fire & emergency and military vehicles and vehicle bodies. Oshkosh Corp. manufactures, distributes and services products under the brands of Oshkosh®, JLG®, Pierce®, McNeilus®, Medtec®, Jerr-Dan®, Oshkosh Specialty Vehicles, Frontline™, SMIT™, CON-E-CO®, London® and IMT®. Oshkosh products are valued worldwide in businesses where high quality, superior performance, rugged reliability and long-term value are paramount. For more information, log on to www.oshkoshcorporation.com.

®, ™ All brand names referred to in this news release are trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that the Company believes to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s future financial position, business strategy, targets, projected sales, costs, earnings, capital expenditures, debt levels and cash flows, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “should,” “project” or “plan” or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include risks related to sustaining the required rate of production for the M-ATV contract and the amount, if any, of additional orders for M-ATVs that the Company may receive; the cyclical nature of the Company’s access equipment, commercial and fire & emergency markets, especially during a global recession and tight credit markets; the duration of the global recession, which could lead to additional impairment charges related to many of the Company’s intangible assets; the expected level and timing of U.S. Department of Defense procurement of products and services and funding thereof, risks related to reductions in government expenditures, the potential for the government to competitively bid the Company’s Army and Marine contracts and the uncertainty of government contracts generally; the consequences of financial leverage associated with the JLG acquisition, which could limit the Company’s ability to pursue various opportunities; risks related to the collectability of receivables during a recession, particularly for those businesses with exposure to construction markets; risks related to production delays as a result of the economy’s impact on the Company’s suppliers; the potential for commodity costs to rise sharply, including in a future economic recovery; risks associated with international operations and sales, including foreign currency fluctuations; and the potential for increased costs relating to compliance with changes in laws and regulations. Additional information concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company assumes no obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to update information contained in this press release. Investors should be aware that the Company may not update such information until the Company’s next quarterly earnings conference call, if at all.

Contact:

Oshkosh Corporation
Financial:
Patrick Davidson
Vice President, Investor Relations
920.966.5939
or
Media:
Ann Stawski
Vice President, Marketing Communications
920.966.5959

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Three Zip-Chem Cleaners Recognized by US Environmental Protection Agency



Defense News: MORGAN HILL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zip-Chem Productstoday announced a partnership with the US Environmental Protection Agency. The partnership recognizes three Zip-Chem products for “improved environmental and human health characteristics by eliminating hazardous solvents, environmentally persistent surfactants and other harmful ingredients.” The EPA partnership covers Zip-Chem's transparency cleaner X-405, its aircraft exterior cleaner Calla 301A and Zip-Chem’s interior cleaner X-410-Q. Zip-Chem is the only firm serving the aviation industry with cleaners in the EPA’s partnership program.

“The EPA partnership is new, but the products recognized by the EPA are established and proven effective aircraft cleaners,” said Chuck Pottier, Zip-Chem’s president.

All three products also meet established aircraft specifications as follows:

Calla-301-A is a large surface cleaner and degreaser for exterior applications. It meets: CSD-1, AMS 1526-C, AMS 1550-B, and Boeing D6-17487 Rev P.

X-405 is a window and transparency cleaner available in bulk packaging, spray bottles or packed with pre-moistened wipes. X-405 satisfies these aviation specifications: AMS 1535-C, CSD-1, D6-17487 Rev P and AMS 1534-B.

X-410-Q is an aircraft interior cleaner for use on cabin surfaces, tray tables and overhead compartments. It satisfies the requirements of CSD-1, AMS 1550-B and Boeing 17487 Rev P.

Zip-Chem’s aircraft maintenance products deliver exacting chemical preparations supplied through innovative packaging and product delivery systems. As a result, Zip-Chem products deliver superior performance while controlling costs, reducing waste and addressing environmental concerns. Zip-Chem will continue development of additional aircraft maintenance products that meet the standards set for the partnership with EPA’s “Designed for the Environment” program. And as always, Zip-Chem will meet or exceed the performance and value standards the aviation industry demands.

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Contact:

Zip-Chem Products
Chuck Pottier, 1-800-648-2661-ex 1113

Pacific Safety Products Inc. Announces $1.2M Contract Amendment

Pacific Safety Products

Defense News: KANATA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - 03/17/10) - Pacific Safety Products Inc. (TSX-V:PSP - News) ("PSP" or "the Company"), a leading manufacturer of protective body armour and soldier systems equipment, today announced that it has been awarded a $1.2 million contract amendment from Public Works and Government Services Canada for the supply of protective products to the Department of National Defence (DND). This award was reflected in the current year sales guidance previously announced by the Company.

Mr. David Scott, Chief Executive Officer commented, "PSP has a long standing relationship with DND and we are extremely pleased that DND continues to place their confidence in us. Our ability to be innovative and responsive to our Customers' needs demonstrates PSP's leadership in the protective equipment market in Canada."

About PSP

The mission statement of Pacific Safety Products Inc. is ...we bring everyday heroes home safely™. PSP is an established industry leader in the production, distribution and sale of high-performance and high-quality safety products for the defence and security markets. These products include body armour to protect against ballistic, stab and fragmentation threats, ballistic blankets to reduce blast effects, and protective products against chemical and biological hazards. PSP is the largest armour manufacturer in Canada, directly supplying the Canadian Department of Defence, Federal Government Agencies and major Canadian law enforcement organizations. The Company also provides specialized law enforcement and safety products through APS Distributors, a division of PSP that services law enforcement and public safety agencies across the country. The Company, through its U.S. subsidiary Sentry Armor Systems Inc., provides body armour products to U.S. based law enforcement and private security firms. The Company also produces tactical clothing and emergency medical kits. Pacific Safety Products is a reporting issuer in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, Canada and publicly trades under the symbol PSP on the TSX Venture Exchange.

Forward Looking Statements: This news release contains forward looking statements based on management's expectations, estimates and projections. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about the prospects of the Company receiving a definitive offer for its shares or assets or other merger transaction, the prospects of successfully completing such a transaction, the prospective benefits of such a transaction to the Company's shareholders, Company's strategy for growth, product development, market position, expected expenditures, results of cost reduction initiatives and financial results are forward looking statements. Some of the forward looking statements may be identified by words like "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "intends", "projects", "indicates", and similar expressions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors, including those discussed more fully elsewhere in this release and in documents filed with the British Columbia Securities Commission, the Alberta Securities Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission, the TSX Venture Exchange, as well as others, could cause results to differ materially from those anticipated. These factors include, but are not limited to the fact that any offer for the Company is subject to due diligence, board approvals and the settlement of definitive agreements, as well as other conditions, the potential impact of the current economic downturn on the Company's business, the unpredictability of purchasing patterns by governmental agencies, the possibility of a deterioration in the Company's working capital position, the impact on the Company's liquidity if it were to go offside of the covenants in its debt facilities, the impact that changes in supplier payment terms or slow payment of accounts receivable could have on the Company's liquidity, the unavailability of or increase in price of external capital to finance the Company's research, development and growth initiatives, changes in the laws, regulations, policies and economic conditions, including inflation, interest and foreign currency exchange rates fluctuations of countries in which the Company does business; competitive pressures; successful integration of structural changes or downsizing initiatives, including restructuring plans, acquisitions, divestitures and alliances; cost of raw material, the uncertainty associated with the outcome of research and development of new products, including regulatory approval and market acceptance; and seasonality of sales in some products.

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contact:



Contacts:
Pacific Safety Products Inc.
David Scott
Chief Executive Officer
(613) 254-9488 ext. 322
www.pacsafety.com

NASA chief Bolden sees opportunities for industry


Defense News: WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - NASA Administrator Charles Bolden defended the U.S. space agency's budget on Tuesday and said its focus on commercial space transportation would provide "incredible opportunities" for U.S. companies.

"This budget is good for NASA because it sets the agency on a sustainable path that is tightly linked to our nation's interests," Bolden told space industry executives at the Satellite 2010 conference.

One of few agencies to get a top-line budget increase, NASA's funding is due to increase by $6 billion over the next five years, Bolden said.

He said NASA's funding plans would put NASA back on track as a "big-picture innovator" in technology development that could create future growth.

President Barack Obama's cancellation of the Constellation program, begun under former President George W. Bush to return humans to the moon, has drawn fire from lawmakers worried about losing high-paying jobs in their home states.

Utah's two senators and three members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to Obama on Monday calling the plan "penny wise and pound foolish" and saying it would kill thousands of jobs in their state and across the United States.

Bolden told reporters after his speech that he had not yet seen the letter, but his remarks underscored the problems that plagued the Constellation program, which was run by Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), Boeing Co (BA.N) and Alliant Techsystems Inc (ATK.N).

"The Constellation program was on an unsustainable trajectory. If we continued on our current course, at best we would have ended up flying a handful of astronauts to the moon sometime after 2030," Bolden said.

Ending the program will cost the government over $2.5 billion in termination fees, but continued investment would have sharply limited investments in other initiatives and left the United States dependent on Russian spacecraft to reach the International Space Stations, Bolden said.

He said the Obama administration's new drive to promote commercial space transportation to low-earth orbit would create many new opportunities for U.S. companies and underscored the importance of the International Space Station.

Bolden said he backed a drive by the Obama administration to review export controls that are hampering sales of U.S. products abroad, as did many other government officials.

He said he was hopeful the initiative would at least open up some new opportunities for NASA and its suppliers, even if it did not result in broad reforms.

NASA last month awarded $50 million in grants to five private companies as a first step toward turning over transporting people and cargo to the commercial sector, including Boeing, the United Launch Alliance, a Boeing-Lockheed joint venture, and several smaller companies.

NASA already has contracts with Space Exploration Technologies and Orbital Sciences Corp (ORB.N) to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; editing by Andre Grenon)

Boeing sees modest growth in space over five years



Defense News: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA - News) said on Tuesday it expects only modest growth in its space revenues over the next five years with commercial orders seen accounting for a growing share as government orders decline.

Government orders comprised about 90 percent of Boeing's space business now, but would shrink to around 70 percent as defense spending flattened out, Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing's space and intelligence systems, told reporters at the Satellite 2010 conference.

He said commercial sales would increase from 10 percent to around 30 percent of the total, bolstered by the need for many satellite operators around the world to replace aging spacecraft in coming years.

On the government side, Cooning said Boeing hoped to sell more of its Wideband Global Satellites (WGS) in coming years, noting that the Air Force had issued a request for proposals for up to six more WGS satellites and two were already included in the fiscal 2011 budget.

The company also saw some "opportunities" in the classified sector, he said, without giving any further details.

Overall, he said, Boeing would have 10 satellites available for launch this year, including two delayed from last year.

Stephen O'Neill, president of Boeing Satellite Systems International, told conference participants later that his company foresaw few if any new starts for either military or civilian government agencies.

Satellite orders had likely peaked around the world last year, but would likely stabilize at 20 or fewer longer-term, and the days of "Battlestar Galactica government programs" were likely over, O'Neill said.

O'Neill forecast greater government interest in so-called "hosted payloads" or sending specific sensors into space on other satellites. That would help the Pentagon meet its needs at a cost of just tens of millions of dollars versus hundreds of millions for new dedicated satellites.

Companies like Boeing were trying to innovate by responding to the military's changing needs and a shift in focus on more single-mission, single-customer satellites than the complex multimission spacecraft shared by multiple agencies that had sene problems in the past, he said.

He said industry was also doing its part to prevent the constant adding of new requirements by the military that had led to cost overruns and schedule delays in the past.

Cooning said Boeing was confident that it could "harvest" some of the capabilities developed for the now-canceled $26 billion secure, high-capacity Transformational Satellite program, and add them to the WGS satellite.

These included enhanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, mobile communications and anti-jamming, Cooning said. He said costs ballooned on the TSAT program due to the military's requirement that the spacecraft and systems could continue to function after a possible nuclear explosion.

The Pentagon spent about $3 billion on various technology demonstration projects for the TSAT program withBoeing and Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT - News), and officials have said they expect to use technologies developed for that program on existing satellites, including Boeing's WGS and Lockheed's Advanced Extremely High Frequency program.

Boeing also expected the Air Force to issue a draft request for proposals for a follow-on Space-Based Surveillance Satellite (SBSS) as early as April, Boeing officials said.

Cooning said Boeing offered the Air Force a fixed-price contract for a second SBSS satellite at a significant savings of more than 10 percent. The first satellite cost around $800 million, including nonrecurring development costs, he said.

Such a deal would have allowed Boeing to maintain its production facility and personnel, saving money and allowing faster work on the second satellite, Cooning said, but the Air Force decided it needed to stage an open competition.

Boeing also stands to benefit from NASA's new drive to commercialize space transportation through its own work and a rocket launch joint-venture with Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT - News).

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Richard Chang)

US orders fix on jets to prevent possible runway mishaps


Defense News: WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - U.S. aviation regulators required airlines on Tuesday to install new software on certain Boeing Co (BA.N) 777 jetliners to prevent possible runway overruns during takeoff.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the directive covering more than 800 planes worldwide is intended to prevent the autopilot from engaging inadvertently during the slower portion of the takeoff roll.

There are reports of nine aborted takeoffs related to the autopilot malfunction since 1995, two of them in January, the FAA said.

There have been no accidents or injuries related to the problem, but the FAA said the matter could cause a plane to run off the end of a runway, if not corrected.

Regulators and Boeing have agreed that airlines should comply with the directive over the next three months, the FAA said.

Boeing said it has already alerted airlines about the software fix.

The order affects about 145 777s in the United States. Another 650 planes would be covered if regulators overseas adopt the U.S. directive for their airlines, which is a common practice. (Reporting by John Crawley; editing by Carol Bishopric)

ADDING MULTIMEDIA Intel Science Talent Search 2010 Winners Announced


New Mexico Teen Erika DeBenedictis Awarded $100,000

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

  • Intel Science Talent Search 2010, a program of Society for Science & the Public, announced its top 10 winners in Washington, D.C.
  • Winners received $630,000 in awards with the top winner, Erika DeBenedictis of New Mexico, receiving $100,000 from the Intel Foundation.


Defense News: WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Honoring the next generation of American innovators, Intel Corporation and Society for Science & the Public today announced the winners of America's oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competition, the Intel Science Talent Search. Erika DeBenedictis, 18, of Albuquerque, N.M., won the top award of $100,000 from the Intel Foundation for her project developing a software navigation system to help improve spacecraft travel through the solar system. Erika’s research found that the gravity and movement of planets create “easy transit routes,” which will ultimately help spacecraft move faster and with less fuel.

Second place honors and $75,000 went to David Liu, 18, of Saratoga, Calif., for his work to develop a system to recognize and understand digital images. David’s work has already been used to examine aerial images to identify hazards to buried oil pipelines and could also be used to enable unmanned aerial vehicles and Web-based image searches.

Third place honors and $50,000 went to Akhil Mathew, 18, of Madison, N.J., for his math project on Deligne categories, a setting for studying a wide range of algebraic structures with ties to theoretical physics.

“These 40 Intel Science Talent Search finalists demonstrate that we have the capability in this country to cultivate the next generation of innovators, scientists and entrepreneurs,” said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. “These young scientists are proof that curious, eager minds coupled with inspiring, knowledgeable teachers are the foundation for world-changing innovation.”

Other top honors from the competition include:

Fourth Place: Lynnelle Ye, 18, Palo Alto, Calif., received a $40,000 award for her project that provided strategies for winning at a computer game titled “Graph Chomp.”

Fifth Place: Eric Brooks, 16, Hewlett, N.Y., received a $30,000 award for his research studying racial genetic factors that may affect the spread of prostate cancer.

Sixth Place: John Capodilupo, 18, of Grand Rapids, Mich., received a $25,000 award for his project that used cluster analysis of objects in the night sky to study the structure and evolution of the early universe.

Seventh Place: Benjamen Sun, 17, of Grand Forks, N.D., received a $25,000 award for his work studying how sand, dust and other debris on city streets can adsorb** pollutants from rain and, thus, contaminate city water sources.

Eighth Place: Katherine Rudolph, 18, of Naperville, Ill., received a $20,000 award for her math project that investigated dense packing of identical spheres, the results of which can be used in fields from chemistry to cryptology.

Ninth Place: Yale Fan, 18, of Beaverton, Ore., received a $20,000 award for his research that demonstrated the advantages of quantum computing in performing difficult computations.

Tenth Place: Linda Zhou, 18, of River Edge, N.J., received a $20,000 award for her project that researched how to reverse drug resistance in breast cancer cells.

The remaining 30 finalists each received at least $7,500 in awards.

This year's Intel Science Talent Search finalists hail from 18 states and represent 36 schools. Of the 1,736 high school seniors who entered the Intel Science Talent Search 2010, 300 were announced as semifinalists in January. Of those, 40 were chosen as finalists and invited to Washington, D.C., to compete for the top 10 awards.

The Intel Science Talent Search encourages students to tackle challenging scientific questions and develop the skills necessary to solve the problems of tomorrow. Over the past 68 years, Science Talent Search finalists have gone on to win seven Nobel Prizes, two Fields Medals, three National Medals of Science and 11 MacArthur Foundation Fellowships.

Society for Science & the Public, a nonprofit organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education, has owned and administered the Science Talent Search since its inception in 1942.

“The Science Talent Search was founded on the idea that scientific accomplishment is the first step on the road toward solving the world’s most challenging problems,” said Elizabeth Marincola, the organization’s president. “Society for Science & the Public is proud to join Intel in congratulating Erika and all of the Intel Science Talent Search 2010 finalists. Their hard work and dedication will inspire other budding scientists to take their first steps down the road of discovery.”

More information can be found on the Intel Science Talent Search 2010 atwww.intel.com/pressroom/kits/events/sts2010. To view ongoing updates about the Intel Science Talent Search 2010, join the Facebook group at www.facebook.com/pages/Inspired-by-Education/32855637280 and follow Twitter updates at www.twitter.com/intelinspire. To learn more about Society for Science & the Public, visit www.societyforscience.org.

The Intel Education Initiative

Intel's commitment to education extends far beyond the Intel Science Talent Search. Over the past decade alone, Intel has invested more than $1 billion, and its employees have donated more than 2.5 million hours toward improving education in 50 countries. To learn more about the Intel Education Initiative, visitwww.intel.com/education and the CSR@Intel blog at blogs.intel.com/csr. To join Intel's community of people sharing their stories with the hope of becoming a catalyst for action and a voice for change in global education, visit www.inspiredbyeducation.com.

About Intel

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC - News), the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available atwww.intel.com/pressroom and blogs.intel.com.

Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.

* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

**Note to Editors: “adsorb” is cq.

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Contact:

Intel Corporation
Gail Dundas, 503-816-2382
gail.dundas@intel.com
or
SSP
Rick Bates, 202-872-5136
rbates@societyforscience.org
or
Burson-Marsteller, for Intel
Rob Miller, 718-290-4459
robert.miller@bm.com

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