Northrop Grumman to provide software support for maritime command and control system
Northrop Grumman Corp. in McLean, Va., announced that it has secured a new contract with the NATO C3 Agency (NC3A) to provide software support services for the Maritime Command and Control Information System (MCCIS) program. Under the new contract, Northrop Grumman will support all aspects of the MCCIS software baseline, including NATO-developed and proprietary source code. Northrop Grumman will stabilize the MCCIS software, deliver on-site support, and deliver a system that can be supported for at least the next five years. In addition, participating member nations can utilize Northrop Grumman’s value-added services for individual enhancements to meet national specific requirements. The MCCIS uses satellites, wide-area networks, computerized tactical data processors, and machine-readable messages and is the tool of choice for NATO’s maritime component commanders. It is integrated by NATO support staff and includes commercial off-the-shelf products together with NATO-developed applications. It is installed in every NATO maritime headquarters. The MCCIS Stabilization program belongs to the Bi-Strategic Command Automated Information System (Bi-SC AIS) portfolio, one of the largest NATO common-funded programs resulting from the Washington summit in June 1999 and re-enforced by the Prague summit in November 2002.
ACT/TECHNICO improves security for PMC form-factor
ACT/Technico in Warminster, Pa., is offering a secure storage solution to perform secure erasure or write-protection of sensitive data on a PMC form factor. The new Secure PMCStor is for commercial and military applications including ground mobile, shipboard, airborne, and homeland security. The Secure PMCStor provides a hardware-based implementation of two methods of data protection: Secure-Erase, with two levels of data purging; and Write-Protect, preventing data from being overwritten or modified. It couples a PCI/ATA core with secure-erase and write-protect logic implemented via a FPGA. For more information, visit www.acttechnico.com.
Lockheed Martin awarded $120 million to develop enhanced counterfire target acquisition radar
Lockheed Martin Corp. in Syracuse, N.Y., is providing the U.S. Army with five enhanced AN/TPQ-36 radars. The contract came from the Army’s Program Executive Officer-Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors (PEO-IEW&S) in September. The radars-also known as the EQ-36 Counterfire Target Acquisition Radar-will replace aging TPQ-36 and TPQ-37 radars. The EQ-36 will enable soldiers to detect, classify, track, and determine the location of enemy indirect fire such as mortars, artillery, and rockets. The potential exists for Lockheed Martin to provide the Army with more than 180 EQ-36 radars valued at more than $1.6 billion. Lockheed Martin MS2 will be the lead systems integrator for the program. It also will be responsible for the transmit/receive modules, the antenna array, and the digital module assemblies. Lockheed Martin Simulation, Training & Support will lead the development and production of the EQ-36 training system and curriculum. Additional teammates include Syracuse Research Corp., which is responsible for the digital signal processor; Tobyhanna Army Depot, responsible for sustainment maintenance support; and Burtek Inc. which will provide the operations shelter and stationary platform.
Phoenix International receives Northrop Grumman supplier award
Phoenix International Inc. in Orange, Calif., received Northrop Grumman’s Platinum Source Award, reflecting the company’s excellence as a supplier of quality products and on-time delivery to Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems sector. The award was presented to the Phoenix International executive team at the company’s headquarters by executives from Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems in El Segundo, Calif. Phoenix International supplies Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems Sector with high-performance data-storage systems used in Joint STARS aircraft as well as in training and support applications. The Platinum Source Award was made in recognition of Phoenix International’s demonstrated distinction in meeting performance standards-outstanding quality, commitment to meeting delivery schedules, and focus on customer satisfaction. Phoenix International, an ISO 9001:2000 certified manufacturer and Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), designs and manufactures rugged commercial off-the-shelf data-storage systems for any application, integrating any storage device and capacity required from multiterabyte Fibre Channel RAID, NAS, SAN and array configurations to solid state plug-in VME and Compact PCI storage modules.
Analogic receives TSA order for five COBRA checkpoint explosives and weapons-detection systems
Analogic Corp. in Peabody, Mass., announced that the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has placed an order for five COBRA Computed Tomography-based explosives and weapons detection systems, four of which are to be deployed at airport checkpoints in early 2007 for testing and evaluation. The $3.8 million order includes installation and onsite support provided by Analogic. Analogic’s COBRA system, initiated independently by the company, was enhanced under a TSA contract as part of its CAMBRIA program to develop a new generation of automatic threat-detection checkpoint security systems. This TSA order for multiple COBRA systems is part of TSA’s plan to accelerate development of the COBRA for future deployment into checkpoints. Scanning approximately 400 bags or bins per hour, the COBRA provides high-resolution 3-D images of the contents of a bag or bin, which can be rotated on-screen with the touch of a finger. The system automatically detects explosives, weapons, and other potential threats, and highlights these for closer inspection by the operator.
FLIR Systems receives $6.7 million order from U.S. Navy
The U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane in Crane, Ind., ordered Enhanced Targeting Sight (ETS) Infrared Imaging Systems from FLIR Systems in North Billerica, Mass. This order is the first production order under an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract from the U.S. Navy valued at approximately $35 million. The systems are based on the company’s rugged SeeSpot III high performance thermal imager that allows operators to identify targets and view laser designators simultaneously. Used in both day and night battlefield environments and in degraded weather conditions, the ETS increases the accuracy of laser designators by allowing operators to view the laser spot within the target scene.
BAE Systems to provide precise threat ID to U.S. Army
BAE Systems received a U.S. Army contract for a new generation of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems that will provide precise detection and identification of known and potential threats. The BAE Systems AURORA Generation IV spectral ISR system combines hyperspectral imaging technology with high-resolution electro-optic and infrared sensors with an airborne processing system that exploits and fuses spectral and imagery data in real time. “The system represents the first transition of combined tactical hyperspectral and EO/IR technology for U.S. warfighters,” says Dr. Ramy Shanny, the BAE Systems general manager of Advanced Technologies in Washington. The AURORA Generation IV system has been developed for use on a wide range of low- and high-flying vehicles that can accommodate payloads as low as 15 pounds. BAE Systems initially will integrate five systems on U.S. Army Shadow unmanned aerial vehicles.
Raytheon to increase SHARP system capability
The U. S. Navy awarded Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC (RTSC) in Indianapolis a $5.6 million contract to conduct the Shared Reconnaissance Pod (SHARP) Target Cuing System (TCS) program. The enhanced capability provided through this effort will significantly increase the mission effectiveness of the SHARP system and reduce the workload of image analysts. SHARP provides U.S. Navy carrier-based air wings with high-resolution, digital tactical air reconnaissance that features advanced day/night and all-weather capability. With the TCS upgrade, the system’s tactical imaging sensor will deliver more refined information to the image analyst. By reducing the amount of manual labor required of the analyst to make identifications, specific targets can be more quickly located and action taken. Under the contract, RTSC will manage all aspects of the TCS program, including selection and acquisition of the sensors, design integration, manufacture of an upgraded pod design, and coordination of flight testing for the system on an F/A-18E/F aircraft.
General Dynamics to support future Stryker upgrades
General Dynamics Land Systems in Sterling Heights, Mich., has been awarded a $3.3 million contract from the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command TACOM for the initial phase of the design, engineering development, fabrication, and test of a Power and Data Management Architecture (PDMA) to support future Stryker upgrades and improvements. The PDMA contract will be conducted in three phases through Fiscal Year 2011, concluding with the complete system-level design, integration, and testing for system validation and verification. This initial phase-one contract is for 12 months, through September 2007. The PDMA system will provide the Stryker with the power and processing capability needed to deploy enhanced integrated capability for current fielded and future production Strykers. Stryker, a family of eight-wheel-drive combat vehicles, is the Army’s highest-priority production combat vehicle program and the centerpiece of the ongoing Army Transformation.
SAIC introduces VACIS P 7500 cargo inspection system
Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) in McLean, Va., announced the launch of its VACIS P 7500 Inspection System-a compact, high-penetration and high-energy inspection portal that is designed to scan as many as 150 cargo containers per hour. SAIC is a leading provider of efficient, effective, and compact low-dose cargo inspection systems with more than 300 systems installed worldwide. The VACIS P 7500 Inspection System provides a small footprint with high throughput, utilizing SAIC’s drive-through technology. The imaging system is suited for high-volume ports and transportation facilities that require high-throughput inspections of dense cargo. The system comprises a low-dose compact 7.5 MeV accelerator working in conjunction with a high-efficiency detector array to produce high-resolution and high-contrast images. This low radiation dose produced by the source requires less shielding and a smaller radiation restricted area than conventional x-ray units. Excellent image quality is achieved at individual scan speeds as fast as 5 mph and throughput rates of 150 units per hour.
Lockheed Martin completes live network-centric operations demonstration
Lockheed Martin in Washington successfully completed a live flight demonstration of network-centric operations for the Airborne, Maritime, and Fixed Stations (AMF) component of the military’s Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS). The live flight demonstration, conducted on Sept. 8, showcased combat-relevant scenarios interacting through JTRS technology. Lockheed Martin’s AMF JTRS team funded and executed the demonstration as a risk-reduction effort to highlight the technical maturity of the team’s solution. Observers at the Pentagon, the Space & Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) System Center in San Diego, and Lockheed Martin facilities in Crystal City, Va., and Goodyear, Ariz., witnessed real-time video from the aircraft and communicated in real time using new and legacy systems in operational scenarios. The sites were also networked directly into the mission network through the government’s Defense Research and Engineering Network. The airborne nodes, which were flown out of Goodyear, Ariz., included a United States Army helicopter, a T-39 Sabreliner that represented an unmanned aerial vehicle, and a United States Air Force F-16. Ground and aerial nodes interfaced in a dynamic joint tactical mobile ad hoc network using an enhanced version of the Ground Mobile Radio (GMR) Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW), Solider Radio Waveform (SRW) and Legacy Link-16 communications. The Lockheed Martin AMF JTRS team is currently under contract for the Pre-System Development and Demonstration (Pre-SDD) phase of the AMF JTRS competition.
