In Brief

Dec. 1, 2009
Savi, a Lockheed Martin company in Mountain View, Calif., won orders worth $6.6 million for standards-based active radio-frequency identification (RFID) tracking technologies and accompanying services under the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) RFID III procurement contract.

Savi provides DOD with RFID supply chain tracking technologies

Savi, a Lockheed Martin company in Mountain View, Calif., won orders worth $6.6 million for standards-based active radio-frequency identification (RFID) tracking technologies and accompanying services under the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) RFID III procurement contract. The RFID tags, which are affixed to cargo containers and other military supplies, comply with the ISO 18000-7 standard (also called DASH7), enabling near real-time supply visibility and interoperability with allied defense forces and government organizations. The U.S. Army Information Technology, E-Commerce and Commercial Contracting Center (ITEC4) issued the procurement orders utilizing competitive procedures under the RFID III contracting vehicle. RFID III was established for active RFID hardware, software, and engineering services, and is open to all U.S. military Services, U.S. federal agencies, and non-U.S. defense forces. The contract includes orders for the Savi ST-654, which is an active RFID tag used to track shipping containers, vehicles, and other large and valuable assets.

Counterfeit electronic components standard issued by SAE International

Experts at SAE International in Warrendale, Pa., completed an electronics standard aimed at mitigating the risks involved with receiving and installing counterfeit electronic parts. The standard—already adopted by the U.S. Department of Defense—addresses the performance, reliability, and safety risks caused by the increasing volume of counterfeit parts entering the aerospace supply chain. The SAE standard, “AS5553—Counterfeit Electronic Parts; Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation, and Disposition,” standardizes the requirements, practices, and methods related to parts management, supplier management, procurement, inspection, test/evaluation, and response strategies when suspected or confirmed counterfeit parts are discovered, SAE officials say. The SAE International standard calls for: maximized availability of authentic parts; procurement of parts from reliable sources; assuring authenticity and conformance of procured parts; control of parts identified as counterfeit; and reporting counterfeit parts to other potential users and government investigative authorities. SAE International’s Counterfeit Electronic Parts Committee created the standard.

BAE Systems opens Space Coast office for UAS, NASA support

BAE Systems relocated its Space Coast Operations from Satellite Beach, Fla., to Melbourne, Fla., and has already started hiring additional employees to help service U.S. space and military systems. Company officials say the facility, at 3060 Venture Lane, specializes in engineering services for technical support for unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), telecommunications, and information technology; treaty monitoring; and program management and integrated logistics support for military and government agencies worldwide. Its customers include Patrick Air Force Base, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. BAE Systems employs 80 people at the company’s Space Coast Operations and expects to hire about 40 network design engineers and installation technicians over the next year.

Boeing delivers two Apache Longbow crew trainers to U.S. Army

Boeing in St. Louis delivered two Apache Longbow crew trainers (LCT) to the U.S. Army at Fort Hood, Texas. The LCTs reflect the Apache Extended Block II configuration including avionics systems and are concurrent with the latest AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter capabilities, Boeing officials say. The LCT simulates the aircraft’s integrated avionics and weapons systems, including a modem that transmits real-time battlefield information to air and ground forces. Additionally, these LCTs use an image generator that provides an eightfold increase in terrain- and cultural-feature fidelity, giving the aviator a more realistic virtual environment to support mission rehearsal. The devices use rack-mounted computers for the Mission Display Processor Operational Flight Program software, eliminating the need for expensive aircraft equipment that can be difficult to maintain, company officials say. The amount of wires and cables on the LCTs also has been reduced with the integration of a distributed Input/Output system, which results in reduced manufacturing work and improved maintainability.

CAE produces ground-based flight simulation systems for United Kingdom military

As part of the United Kingdom’s Military Flying Training System (MFTS) program, Lockheed Martin chose CAE in Montreal to provide ground-based tactical mission training and flight simulation solutions for the United Kingdom military. CAE will provide tactical mission trainers to be used for training rear crews and observers in aircraft platforms, such as the Nimrod maritime reconnaissance aircraft and Merlin maritime helicopter. CAE’s tactical mission trainers feature realistic tactical displays and high-fidelity sensor and subsystem simulations, including electronic support measures, radar warning receiver, and missile approach warning system. The United Kingdom MFTS program is a private finance initiative (PFI) involving the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense and Ascent, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and VT Group. United Kingdom MFTS will provide comprehensive training to all United Kingdom military aircrew across the United Kingdom navy, army, and air force.

Raytheon producing radar warning receiver systems for Air Force

Raytheon in El Segundo, Calif., won a $19.8 million contract for the continued production of ALR-69A(V) radar warning receiver systems for the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins Air Force Base, Ga. The ALR-69A(V) is an upgrade of the ALR-69(V) installed on U.S. Air Force C-130, F-16, and A-10 aircraft. It is part of Raytheon’s portfolio of radar warning receivers that includes the ALR-67(V)3, currently in production for domestic and international F/A-18s. More than 442 ALR-67(V)3 units have been produced and shipped. Capabilities of the ALR-69A(V) system include enhanced situational awareness; improved air-crew survivability; and a solution to parts-obsolescence issues with existing systems. The digital architecture of the system permits future programming of advanced tactical targeting techniques for rapid and accurate multiplatform geo-location of threats, and easy reprogramming to keep pace with emerging threats.

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