SeaWaves Naval News February 22, 2006

MND Dismisses Reports of PRC Occupation War Games

Taipei February 21, 2006 (TIS) - The Ministry of National Defense dismissed reports on Monday that this year's computer war games will simulate a scenario of China's invasion and occupation of Taiwan in 2008.

MND spokesman Liu Chih-chien said the computer war games, part of this year's Han Kuang No. 22 military exercise, is still in the planning stage, and has yet to be finalized.

"Any reports on the annual drill are mere speculation," he said.

He was responding to reports by the China Times, a local major newspaper, that this year's military drill will simulate China's invasion of Taiwan after it successfully sponsors the Beijing Olympics and Chinese President Hu Jintao is reelected as the national leader in 2008. The war games will test if Taiwan is capable of withstanding the invading Chinese forces for two weeks without outside assistance, the reports also said.

"The ministry is still cautiously studying the Han Kuang No. 22," Liu said, adding that the MND is scheduled to announce its plan in early March.

On reports that former commander of the US Pacific Command, Admiral Dennis Blair, will lead a military delegation to Taiwan to observe the military drill as in the past year, Liu also said that the matter has yet to be finalized.

He said that the computer war games are aimed at simulating the ministry's defensive warfare plan and testing the results of training for joint operations of the armed forces.

The "Han kuang No. 22" will continue with live fire exercises in Yilan, northeastern Taiwan, in the later half of this year, the reports also said.

Korea Plans to Sea-Launch Military Satellite from Pacific

Seoul February 20, 2006 - South Korea's fourth commercial and first military-purpose satellite Koreasat-5 will be shot into orbit from the South Pacific near Hawaii in July, KT announced on Monday (Feb. 20).

The nation's dominant fixed-line operator said that the new satellite will be launched from a floating platform near the equator and 154 degrees west in longitude by the international venture firm Sea Launch. It is the first satellite from South Korea, and the 23rd in the world, to be launched from the open sea.

The Koreasat-5, also dubbed as South Korea's national flower "Mugunghwa-5," will also be the first satellite to service the military officially, KT said.

"We can't reveal the details, but part of the satellite will be used for military purposes," said the company's spokesperson Cho Chul-je.

Koreasat-5 will be put into orbit some 36,000 kilometers above the earth. Safety, cost issues, as well as international laws were taken into consideration in selecting the launch site.

"We can cut the cost by about 30 percent by using the maritime launch platform," Cho said.

The new satellite will replace Koreasat-2, which has been in service for ten years. South Korea currently has seven satellites in operation but only two satellites, both operated by KT, are geo-stationary; floating in the same location and moving in tandem with the earth's rotation to transmit TV and other communication signals constantly.

Sea Launch is the only private company in the world able to conduct a sea launch. It was founded in 1995, and the US aircraft maker Boeing is its largest shareholder with 40-percent share. Companies in Russia, Norway and Ukraine have 15 percent to 25 percent shares in it.

KT currently has two satellites in orbit: Koreasat-2, Koreasat-3, each with a lifespan of 10 years. Koreasat-1 was launched in 1995 and left its orbit for outer space last December. Koreasat-4 was never made because the number 4 is considered unlucky as it has the same sound as the Chinese character for 'death.'

Usually, satellites are launched in various sites in Africa or the United States, KT's Cho said.

$76 Million Upgrade of HMAS Cairns

Canberra February 20, 2006 - HMAS Cairns will be upgraded to accommodate the new Armidale Class Patrol Boats, with the Australian Government committing over $76 million to its redevelopment.

The proposed changes will incorporate berthing and infrastructure support facilities for four new Armidale Class Patrol Boats that are due to start arriving in Cairns in late 2006.

This is a major update of the Navy's facilities at Cairns and it is expected to improve base security, working accommodation and base amenities and infrastructure. All major existing buildings will be re-used, with several new buildings also to be constructed.

The redevelopment will include new medical facilities and additional fitness facilities required to support operational training and maintain general fitness, reinforcing the Government's commitment to Defense personnel.

HMAS Cairns is a crucial part of Navy infrastructure and an important member of the Cairns community. The redevelopment of the base provides a significant boost to the local economy and highlights the Government's commitment to an ongoing naval presence in Cairns.

I thank the Member for Leichhardt, Mr Warren Entsch, for his ongoing support for, and advocacy on behalf of, the Cairns community.

The changes to HMAS Cairns will contribute to the Navy's ongoing capability and will be particularly important in sustaining the new Armidale Class Patrol Boats.

The Australian Government has invested in the new, bigger, faster and more capable fleet of Armidale Class Patrol Boats that will play a vital role in Australia's border security. They will be equipped with two large seaboats for patrol, surveillance and boarding operations, more than doubling the current capacity. They will also be able to operate in a greater range of sea conditions and be deployed for up to 42 days.

Once parliamentary clearance of the project is obtained, work on the redevelopment of HMAS Cairns is expected to commence in the second half of 2006.

ROK, DPRK to Resume General-Level Military Meeting

Seoul February 21, 2006 (Xinhuanet) - South Korea and the Democratic People 's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are to resume general-level military talks on March 2-3, announced South Korea's Defense Ministry on Tuesday.

The two-day talks will be held at Tongilgak, a pavilion on the DPRK side of the truce village of Panmunjom.

The two sides are hoped to discuss the issue establishing an area for joint fishing near the disputed inter-Korean western sea border in the Yellow Sea.

The Northern Limit Line (NLL) was marked after the 1950-1953 Korean War by the United Nations Command. South Korea viewed it as the inter-Korean western sea border, while the DPRK has not accepted the concept.

The navies of the two sides once had two clashes in 1999 and 2002 around of the NLL waters, which resulted in heavy casualties on both sides.

South Korea and the DPRK held two rounds of general-level military talks in the Summer of 2004, during which the two sides agreed on a set of measures to defuse tension along the inter-Korean land border.

Drug-Busting Destroyer Returns Home

London February 21, 2006 - Portsmouth-based warship HMS Southampton returns from a wide-ranging Atlantic deployment on Friday (24/2) with a hat trick of successes to her name.

The Type 42 destroyer made global news last month when she seized 3,500 tonnes of cocaine – with a street value of £350m – from a cargo ship in the southwest Caribbean.

And just days before she took part in two separate rescue missions, helping save the lives of eight sailors.

Southampton left Portsmouth in August for a six-month deployment starting in West Africa and ending in the West Indies.

First stop was Freetown, Sierra Leone, where she paid a goodwill visit and helped rebuild a local school. After a short visit to Natal, northern Brazil, the ship headed for the Falklands where she spent two and-a-half months on patrol, protecting British interests and exercising with the RAF and Army units based in the region.

In Montevideo, Uruguay, ship’s company delivered clothes donated in the UK to an orphanage in the city and further north, in Rio, Brazil, help with reconstruction and repair work was given to the Casa Jimmy orphanage – a regular stop for visiting RN warships.

From there Southampton headed for the Caribbean, providing support to British Overseas Territories and carrying out counter-drug patrols.

It was during a drug patrol on January 22 when Southampton, along with Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Grey Rover, received a Mayday call from a sinking motor vessel – the Lady Sacha. The two vessels steamed at full speed for 40 miles to reach the scene and Southampton’s Lynx helicopter winched five of the six sailors on board to safety. The final sailor was rescued by the ship’s boat.

Just hours later Southampton headed at full speed into the Atlantic to help co-ordinate the rescue of two Cornish oarsmen whose boat, The Spirit of Cornwall, had capsized during the Great Atlantic Rowing Race.

Despite the heavy workload she paid goodwill visits to several islands in the region including the British Virgin Islands and the Dutch Antilles. A visit to Grenada coincided with the island’s Independence Day celebrations and to mark the occasion she ship provided a guard and platoon to march through the capital, St George’s.

Her Commanding Officer, Commander Rob Vitali, said: "Southampton has had a busy and immensely varied deployment in the Atlantic. Six months is a long time for anyone to spend away from home and for many of the younger members of my ship’s company this is the longest period they have been away.

"However, as a ship we can be proud of what we have done. We have been involved in activities ranging from air defense and counter drugs operations, to search and rescue and humanitarian work. We have enjoyed a successful six months away."

Tsar Nicholas II's Execution Politically Motivated - Lawyer

Moscow February 21, 2006 (RIA Novosti) - A lawyer for the Romanov Family Association said Tuesday that the execution by the Bolsheviks of Russia's last Tsar and his immediate family was politically motivated, and insisted that they should be fully exonerated.

"Nicholas II and members of his family were subjected to repression exclusively for political reasons," German Lukyanov said, commenting on the recent refusal by the Prosecutor General's Office to recognize the last Russian monarch as a victim of political repression.

"The Bolsheviks saw the Tsar as a class enemy. [Their leader Vladimir] Lenin called for Nicholas II's execution back in 1903, at the 2nd congress of the RSDRP [an acronym standing for the Russian Socialist Democratic Workers' Party, a predecessor of the Bolshevik Party]. It was then that the decision to execute him was made, and precisely for political reasons."

He said that the 1918 execution by firing squad was more than an ordinary case of homicide.

Commenting on the refusal by the Prosecutor General's Office to class the Tsar and his family as victims of repression, Lukyanov said it was not substantiated by reference to any specific regulatory act, and could not therefore be considered valid.

He also accused the prosecutors of delaying the transferal of the case to a high court, as prescribed by Russia's law on the exoneration of political repression victims.

On Monday, Romanov Family Association spokesman Alexander Zakatov confirmed that the Prosecutor General's Office had rejected a request from Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, who heads the Romanov association, to clear Nicholas II of all political charges brought against him by the Bolsheviks.

The office responded by saying, "there is no credible evidence proving the existence of any official decisions by judicial or non-judicial bodies to exert politically-motivated repression" against the emperor and members of his inner circle.

The Romanov association, headed by a daughter of the last grand duke in the Romanov dynasty, advocates the revival of the Russian throne, suggesting that a new monarch should be elected by general vote of the Russian people, not necessarily from the Romanov-Gottorp line.

CBI Probe Into 'War Room Leak' in Navy HQ Deceptive: Fernandes

New Delhi February 19, 2006 (PTI) - Government's decision to order CBI probe into the "war room leak" in the Navy headquarters was a "diversionary" and "deceptive" move to block the unraveling of truth in a scandal allegedly involving "big guns" in Congress Party, former Defense Minister George Fernandes charged today.

Referring to reports about the scandal in the Rs 16,000 crore Scorpene submarine deal, Fernandes in a statement said the CBI probe is meant to "block, rather than reveal the shocking truth about the massive scandal".

He said the CBI investigation was aimed only at catching the "tail" while letting the "head" of the scandal go "unseen and unprobed." Fernandes asked Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee to assure Parliament that no "middlemen" were involved in the deal and the so-called integrity pact signed between the French armament company Thales and government was adhered to both in letter and spirit.

He wanted to know why the alleged middlemen as reported by the magazine had not been questioned though three navy officers were dismissed in the "war room leak".

He also sought answer from the government whether the alleged middlemen were in touch with the leaders of Congress during crucial stages of clearing the Scorpene deal.

Former Clemenceau Update

Paris February 21, 2006 - On Tuesday, 21 February 2006, at the session of questions on current affairs at the Assemblée Nationale, the Prime Minister declared that "confronted with this difficult situation, the government takes its responsibility, and looks for adapted solutions with a concern for openness […]. All the countries in the world with a fleet are concerned. Most of the countries sink their decayed ships and it is the honor of France to look for other solutions."

The President of the Republic declared, during a press conference in Bangkok on 18 February 2006, that, regarding the former Clemenceau, "the State has tried hard to lead the operations in a spirit of social and environmental responsibility […]. There is a real problem [for decaying ships], which all nations will have to face and which will have to be handled as such, notably at the European level, for our part, and at the international level […]. Finally, I demanded that measures be immediately examined, first at the European level – and we are currently submitting the matter to the concerned authorities – and then at the international level, in order to have the necessary channels for the cleanup and dismantling of decaying ships, the amount of which, I repeat, is increasing, and causes an increasingly serious problem."

During the press conference held on Wednesday, 15 February 2006, the Minister of Defense reminded that the sole aim of the action taken about the former Clemenceau was "to solve the problem which was put to us, with the twofold concern for the security of men and the preservation of the environment. We have always acted in accordance with the successive decisions of justice."

She added: "in May, 2002, when I took up my post at the ministry of Defense, I decided to end this situation which drove to let ships die in French ports. The asbestos removal and the dismantling of vessels, whether civil or military, is a problem that faces all countries with a navy today. It concerns and will concern dozens thousand vessels in the next 20 years. Currently, thousands of ships rust in ports, in maritime cemeteries or are sunk."

SECNAV Applauds Lean Savings, Safety Improvements at Norfolk Naval Shipyard

Portsmouth VA February 21, 2006 - Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter visited Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Feb. 15 and got a firsthand look at progress on two of the shipyard’s most important initiatives, lean savings and improving safety.

The tour began on the floor of Drydock number 8, directly below the enormous hull of aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).

Using a series of storyboards, Mike Zydron, NNSY’s Process Improvement director, briefed Winter on NNSY’s aggressive implementation of the NAVSEA Lean plan and how the process is being used to advance all naval shipyards under the "One Shipyard" strategy. Project Superintendent Glenn Edwards explained to Winter that customers are now "getting more bang for their buck" in applying Lean principles via Rapid Improvement Events.

"Cost reduction is very important, however, I’m also interested in scheduling. I’m interested in quality, [and] I’m interested in safety," Winter said.

Another aspect Winter discussed was public-private partnerships in what’s being learned with implementing Lean thinking. Shipyard Commander, Capt. Joseph F. Campbell cited the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) as a recent collaborative overhaul between Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipyard and NNSY as a great success.

"We are beginning to see pockets of unprompted actions being taken by members of our workforce at NNSY, resulting in cost savings on the job site," said Zydron. He then cited the increasing number of NAVSEA Lean Six Sigma College alumni being deployed at NNSY as Black Belts and Green Belts now trained in facilitating effective process improvements.

Winter also stopped at NNSY’s machine shop, where Jack Harris, mechanical group superintendent and Lean champion, discussed the many Lean improvements made there as part of the shipyard’s overall Lean Transformation Initiative. Harris said improvements were made in the pump regional repair center, the large machines section, and the hydraulic repair and main propulsion shafting sections.

"We’ve had 35 Rapid Improvement Events in the past year-and-a-half, and we have plenty more to do," Harris said.

Then, taking part in the NNSY Shop Safety Award presentation for the Inside Machine Shop, Winter saw how the shipyard’s recent safety drives have led to NNSY’s designation as a Voluntary Protection Program "Star" Site by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The "Star" site status means that the shipyard has operated at a safety rate superior to the national average for injury and illness incidence in similar workplaces and recognizes continued excellence in work health and safety. The machine shop boasted a safety record that included no injuries for the month of December and no lost workdays in the past two months.

"If you’ve got an organization that’s doing the right thing and showing the right statistics and the right results, you want to reward them," said Winter. "So I ask only one thing of you - try to keep it up!"

"We are really thankful that [Winter] was here to present the safety flag and talk to our people right there in the shops," said Campbell. "He saw the way the shipyard is headed, both in the ships and throughout the shops."

Flag Officer Announcements

Washington February 21, 2006 - Secretary of Defense Donald R. Rumsfeld announced today that the President has made the following nominations:

• Navy Reserve Captain Michael W. Broadway has been nominated for appointment to the grade of rear admiral (lower half) while serving as deputy director of Intelligence for the Combined Air Operations Center, United States Central Command, Al Udeid Air Base Qatar.

• Navy Reserve Captain Patrick E. McGrath has been nominated for appointment to the grade of rear admiral (lower half) while serving as deputy commander for Readiness Commander Southwest, San Diego, Calif.

• Navy Reserve Captain John G. Messerschmidt has been nominated for appointment to the grade of rear admiral (lower half) while serving as Reserve chief of staff for Commander, Submarine Force, US Atlantic Fleet, Norfolk, Va.

• Navy Reserve Captain Timothy D. Moon has been nominated for appointment to the grade of rear admiral (lower half) while serving as commanding officer for Navy Reserve Area Air Defense Command Atlantic, Norfolk, Va.

• Navy Reserve Captain Michael M. Shatynski has been nominated for appointment to the grade of rear admiral (lower half) while serving as deputy commander for Naval Coastal Warfare Group ONE, San Diego, Calif.

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Curtiss-Wright Awarded $14.6 Million in Contracts US Navy's CVN-21 Aircraft Carriers

Roseland NJ February 21, 2006 - Curtiss-Wright Corporation announced today that it has been awarded $14.6 million of contracts from Northrop Grumman Newport News to design and manufacture engineered pumps for use on the United States Navy's next generation CVN-21 Class aircraft carriers. The pumps will be manufactured by Curtiss-Wright's Flow Control segment located in Phillipsburg, NJ, and delivered in 2008 and 2009.

"As a nation, we continue to face grave threats to our freedom and our way of life, and the men and women of Curtiss-Wright are proud to have a role in assuring a safe future for all of us," said Curtiss-Wright Chairman and CEO Martin R. Benante. "These next generation of carrier is regarded by the Navy as a critical component of our national defense and we are pleased to be partnering with Northrop Grumman on this important project."

The CVN class carrier is the largest, most advanced warship in the world. Construction on the first aircraft carrier is scheduled to begin in 2007, but Curtiss-Wright began development work for the program in 2001 and will provide many of the carrier's long-lead products, including pumps, valves and generator systems.

The newly designed CVN-21 is more than 1,000 feet in length, boasts a flight deck width of 252 feet, and will accommodate 75 military aircraft, as well as more than 4,600 crew members. The carrier will be powered by two nuclear reactors. The carrier is the Navy's premier forward asset for crisis response and early decisive striking power in a major combat operation and key to our nation's ability to engage in sustained independent operations in war.

Spectrum Partners with Communications Research Center Canada for Core Framework Software

Burnaby BC February 21, 2006 - Spectrum Signal Processing Inc. announced today the availability of SCARI++, the Communication Research Center Canada's implementation of the Software Communications Architecture (SCA) Core Framework, on Spectrum's flexComm(TM) SDR-4000 rugged software defined radio (SDR) platform. The SCA defines a software operating environment that includes an application framework known as the Core Framework. The Core Framework standardizes how waveform applications are loaded, unloaded and configured on the radio platform and defines Base Application Interfaces to simplify porting. The SCA was originally developed for the US Department of Defense Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program and is being adopted worldwide as a standard technology for software defined radios (SDR).

"The bundling of SCARI++ on the SDR-4000 delivers a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) SDR modem platform for the tactical military communications market. This integrated package frees our customers to focus exclusively on the development of their applications," said Mark Briggs, VP Marketing at Spectrum Signal Processing. "A key feature of the SCARI++ SCA is that it was designed in Canada and allows us to market an internationally recognized Canadian solution to the international MILCOM community. It is licensed without a run-time royalty, which is attractive to customers supporting high volume deployments."

"This is a partnership between two internationally recognized leaders in the field that will greatly benefit the industry in North America and around the world," says Claude Belisle, Acting-VP, Satellite Communications and Radio Propagation Research at CRC. "We have worked informally with Spectrum for several years promoting software defined radio technology but it is great to be formally partnered with this Canadian firm."

Spectrum's SDR-4000 3U CompactPCI(R)-based rugged platform provides tactical military radio providers with an integrated system on which they can develop and deploy their SDR applications. The platform includes advanced hardware comprised of the PRO-4600 processing engine and the XMC-3321 dual-transceiver input/output card. Also provided on the SDR-4000 are comprehensive software examples that demonstrate application data flows that simplify and accelerate development initiatives. Technical support services and training courses are part of this extensive product offering.

SCARI++ is a full-featured implementation of the SCA v2.2 completely implemented in C++ that runs the Domain Manager and Device Manager. SCARI++ supports stand-alone remote devices for deployment and features a Device Manager capable of launching node components by reading their XML descriptor files. The SCARI++ Software Suite is the latest generation of the SCARI product that began with SCARI-Open, an open source reference implementation of the SCA developed by the Communications Research Center for the SDR Forum. Using lessons learned during the development and testing of SCARI-Open, SCARI++ was built from the ground up for real-time systems. The SCARI-Open suite recently received a more than 97 percent passing score in tests conducted by the JTRS Technology Laboratory, which is believed to be the highest score ever received.

ICS-8550 Rugged ADC XMC Module Delivers

Ottawa February 21, 2006 - Responding to customer demand for higher sampling frequencies, higher performance and greater flexibility, ICS Sensor Processing – part of Radstone Embedded Computing – today announced the ICS-8550 ADC XMC module. Designed for high speed data acquisition applications such as Software Defined Radio, SIGINT, tactical communications and radar, the ICS-8550 – which is available for both benign and rugged environments – can simultaneously sample two RF/IF inputs at frequencies up to 210 MHz at a resolution of 12 bits without data loss: total aggregate I/O bandwidth is 12.5 Gbits/second. The XMC interface makes the ICS-8550 an ideal partner for XMC-equipped single board computers such as Radstone’s V4DSP Hybrid FPGA/PowerPC processor. Onboard processing is provided by a Xilinx Virtex-4 FX60 FPGA, enabling algorithms such as digital downconversion (wide- or narrowband), FFT and filtering to be executed at the highest speed possible.

"The ICS-8550 really pushes the performance boundaries in applications such as Software Defined Radio, and is a further demonstration of our leadership in rugged signal conversion applications," said Scott Hames, Director of Product Management at ICS Sensor Processing. "The combination of eight lanes of high speed serial I/O via the XMC connector, state of the art analog to digital conversion and the power and flexibility of the Virtex-4 gives us a solution which is unmatched in the industry."

Analog to digital conversion is provided by two Analog Devices AD9430 converters, while the onboard Xilinx Virtex-4 means that IF/UHF signals can be processed directly on the ICS-8550 board itself, freeing the host board for other tasks. Some 95% of the Virtex-4’s resources are available for user applications. As well as the high-speed serial connection offered by the XMC interface – which, dependent on the protocols used, could give throughput in excess of 1 GByte/second – the ICS-8550 features a 64/66 PCI interface supporting sustained aggregate data rates in excess of 400 MBytes/second. The Pn4 I/O port allows the user to define direct point to point communications, eliminating interrupt latencies.

ICS also provides a complete hardware development kit for the Xilinx ISE Foundation development environment, together with drivers for VxWorks, Linux and Windows.

V4DSP Responds to Demand for Power, Flexibility; Provides Support for ICS-8550 ADC XMC Module

Billerica MA February 21, 2006 - Reflecting the trend towards reconfigurable computing and providing a solution for applications demanding increasingly powerful front end signal processing, Radstone Embedded Computing today announced the V4DSP FPGA/PowerPC Processor.

Designed for the harsh environments typical of military and defense applications and featuring dual Virtex-4 FPGA processing nodes together with a Freescale MPC7448 PowerPC processor operating at speeds up to 1.4 GHz, the V4DSP also provides support for Radstone’s acclaimed AXIS Advanced Multiprocessor Integrated Software environment, enabling the development of highly scalable multiprocessor systems.

"With this announcement, Radstone now has perhaps the industry’s most advanced, most complete rugged signal processing solution," said Stuart Heptonstall, Product Marketing Manager at Radstone Embedded Computing. "The V4DSP provides a powerful solution for front-end signal processing; the quad processor G4DSP family delivers outstanding performance in back-end signal processing; the StarSwitch StarFabric switch enables multiple V4DSPs and G4DSPs to be physically configured in highly scalable multiboard systems – and the AXIS software environment substantially eases development of leading edge, multiprocessor solutions."

At the heart of the V4DSP are two of the latest Virtex-4 FX 60/100 FPGA nodes from Xilinx, together with a top-end MPC7448 PowerPC featuring the AltiVec general purpose processing node, which can be used as the first back-end application processing stage - potentially saving on chassis slot count. Speed and ease of development and deployment are enhanced by the provision of wide-ranging software support including a Radstone Board Support Package to simplify user operations, and a comprehensive FPGA Intellectual Property (IP) wrapper called V-Wrap, which is Radstone’s pre-prepared set of VHDL interfaces to the Virtex-4’s embedded I/O and memory.

The V4DSP features two StarFabric ports at the P0 connector to enable multiboard connectivity, and a choice of mezzanine support: either a 64-bit/66 MHz PMC site can be configured, or an XMC site equipped with eight MultiGigabit Transceivers to the two Virtex-4 nodes, each operating at up to 3.125 GHz to yield exceptional mezzanine bandwidth. Taking advantage of this bandwidth, the ICS-8550 ADC XMC module from ICS provides 210 MHz per channel simultaneous sampling and uses an on-board Virtex-4 FX device for filtering and pre-processing. "The combination of V4DSP and ICS-8550 gives an unrivalled front-end data acquisition and signal processing solution," noted Heptonstall.

Raytheon Awarded Project Hercules Follow-On Contract for Next-Generation Ballistic Missile Defense Technology

Tewksbury MA February 21, 2006 - Raytheon Company has been awarded a follow-on Missile Defense Agency contract valued at $49 million over the five-year period of performance for Project Hercules.

"This award acknowledges Raytheon's capability as a systems integrator for advanced technologies and underscores our leadership in developing groundbreaking technologies to support the missile defense mission," said Pete Franklin, vice president of Raytheon IDS Missile Defense.

Under the contract, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) will develop advanced technologies and system-wide architectures to improve the capabilities of the Ballistic Missile Defense System and will prototype these technologies in fielded systems.

Raytheon IDS has been one of the prime contractors for Project Hercules since 2003. The program is a national effort to develop advanced algorithms, or complex mathematical instructions, to improve the performance of ballistic missile defense systems and to address increasingly sophisticated missile threats. IDS provides algorithm development and engineering expertise in threat discrimination and tracking, as well as the architectures to fuse infrared, radar and electro-optical sensor data for robust threat discrimination.

Northrop Grumman Awarded Follow-on Contract for System That Predicts Structure Failures

Bethpage NY February 21, 2006 - Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract to continue development of its Structural Integrity Prognosis System (SIPS) for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

The $17.8 million contract is a two-year follow-on to the original two-year, $14.2 million effort awarded to Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector.

The company's Advanced Capabilities Development team in Bethpage is developing SIPS. By applying newly developed sensor systems, analytical models of how metals begin to fail at the microstructural level and advanced reasoning methodologies, the team designed a system that can predict when a wing, for example, will begin to develop cracks.

"The potential benefits from SIPS are huge," said Joseph Garone, director of advanced capabilities development for Northrop Grumman. "Just imagine that you can anticipate major structural failures in an aircraft or other structure before they happen. Or that you can schedule maintenance according to the usage and stresses imposed on an aircraft, instead of at fixed intervals, which would save operators significant amounts of money and ensure greater availability of aircraft.

"DARPA's goal is to develop a system that will give military commanders quantitative performance predictions for every piece of equipment, so they can operate each combat system to the limit of its capability," Garone said.

This award follows a successful demonstration held in Bethpage last August where SIPS delivered real-time predictions of the eventual outcome of live fatigue tests of EA-6B Prowler aircraft structural components.

The Advanced Capabilities Development team is also running full-scale fatigue tests with SIPS on a retired EA-6B outer wing panel at the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) base in Patuxent River, Md., and a retired A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog" fuselage at the Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems facility in El Segundo, Calif. They have also successfully evaluated SIPS' ability to detect cracks in the rotating components of an H-60 helicopter gearbox, also at NAVAIR in Patuxent River.

Led by Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems, the SIPS team comprises: Alcoa Technical Center, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.; Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta; Impact Technologies, Rochester, N.Y.; JENTEK Sensors Inc., Waltham, Mass.; Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa.; Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Miss.; Oceana Sensors, Virginia Beach, Va.; Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Matech, Los Angeles; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y.; Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn.; and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa.

Northrop Grumman, US Navy Brief Indian Navy on Hawkeye 2000

Bethpage NY February 21, 2006 - Representatives from Northrop Grumman Corporation and the US Navy gave detailed technical briefings in December about the Hawkeye 2000 battle management and airborne early warning system to officials of the Indian Navy.

The Indian Navy is interested in the export configuration of the Northrop Grumman Hawkeye 2000 as a possible solution for its requirement for an airborne early warning aircraft with extensive surveillance and command-and-control capabilities. The aircraft would be used to patrol India's coastline and support deployments of the Indian fleet.

"The more we talk to India's military leadership, the more we understand the complexity of their airborne early warning requirement and the importance they place on a system that can meet those mission requirements on a continuous basis," said Tim Farrell, vice president and integrated product team leader for airborne early warning programs at Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector. "The more we learn about the Indian Navy's requirements, the more we feel confident that no system being offered worldwide can more consistently and reliably meet and exceed those mission parameters, than the E-2C Hawkeye 2000."

The Hawkeye 2000, now in production for the US Navy, is the most advanced airborne early warning and command-and-control system in the world. According to Farrell, while all systems under consideration by the Indian military have sensor capability, only the Hawkeye has proven itself with the US and six other nations as a command-and-control asset that is interoperable with the US Navy. One third of the world's Hawkeye aircraft flying peacetime and wartime missions are operated by nations other than the United States.

"Hawkeye is more than a system that watches the skies," Farrell said. "It fuses data from onboard and off-board sensors from the air, sea surface and littorals to give decision-makers in the aircraft and around the network a single, comprehensive picture of what is occurring.

"Such capabilities enable Hawkeyes to take over management of air and surface rescue operations during a natural disaster, or be immediately able to serve as an airborne command post in threats to homeland security," said Farrell. "Our customers understand its power and are continually finding new ways to use the Hawkeye."

Northrop Grumman and US Navy representatives expect to have additional meetings with the Indian Navy in the coming weeks and months. Northrop Grumman is also continuing discussions with several Indian defense companies about ways in which they can participate in the Hawkeye program, both for US and international customers.

Northrop Grumman Dedicates New Missile Engineering Center in San Bernardino

San Bernadino CA February 21, 2006 - Securing the future of Northrop Grumman Corporation operations in San Bernardino, the company cut the ribbon today on its newly-constructed Missile Engineering Center, located on Hospitality Lane near the junction of Interstates 10 and 215.

Northrop Grumman's presence in San Bernardino spans more than 43 years of critical support to our nation's defense. With more than 230 scientists, engineers and other professionals in the area, the company occupies 85,000 sq. feet in this new three-story location known as Brier Corporate Center.

Highlighting the event, which focused on the company's legacy in San Bernardino and its recruiting and nurturing of the next generation of missile engineers, were remarks by US Rep. Joe Baca, (D-CA) 43rd Congressional District; Jerry B. Agee, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Mission Systems; Frank Moore, sector vice president and general manager of the Missile Defense Division for Northrop Grumman Mission Systems; and Ben Overall, division director of the Missile Engineering Center for Northrop Grumman Mission Systems.

"We have a rich and historic legacy in San Bernardino with the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) program and we are moving forward to develop the next generation of missile engineers and scientists who will provide the skills needed to support a broader customer base," said Overall.

"Extending the ICBM technology made possible everything from going to the moon to commercial communication satellites to TV between continents...not to mention a whole slew of spacecraft satellites for command and control, intelligence, reconnaissance and other military applications," said Simon Ramo, co-founder of the former TRW Inc. (acquired by Northrop Grumman in 2002) who addressed employees at the event via videotape. "There are many great needs ahead of us today and this group is going to have ideas that will further explore the basic ICBM technology in the next decade."

The center was built by OPUS Corporation under contract to Glenborough Realty Trust Incorporated. Among its many features, the building is wired with a robust communications network and boasts an expansive research and demonstration laboratory to accommodate the latest software and hardware computer equipment in support of the company's US Department of Defense customers.

"I am very pleased that Northrop Grumman is maintaining its operations here in San Bernardino and drawing upon our young talent in the community to foster a workforce that will be the next generation of missile engineers," said US Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA), 41st Congressional District.

The Missile Engineering Center serves as a vital proving ground for missile technology development and provides support to several key government missile programs. The center's flagship programs include the ICBM Minuteman III modernization program where Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor responsible for maintaining, sustaining and modernizing the nation's fleet of Minuteman III missiles; and the Kinetic Energy Interceptor program -- a critical boost/ascent or midcourse-phase missile defense program where Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor developing and testing this capability.

The center's leadership made a strategic commitment to recruiting additional talent and creating opportunities for the development of its junior staff members with mentoring programs, a lecture series and other developmental initiatives. As a long-standing participant in the community, Northrop Grumman continues its partnerships with the University of California, Riverside; the International Council for Systems Engineering (INCOSE), Empire Chapter; the Assistance League of San Bernardino; the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; Santa Claus Inc.; and other charitable organizations.

Northrop Grumman came to San Bernardino in 1962 when the former TRW Inc. moved into the area from Los Angeles. The company co-located with its customer at Norton Air Force Base to work on the Titan missile and the Minuteman II missile programs. When Norton was closed in 1994, the company temporarily moved off the base while offices were being refurbished by the Inland Valley Development Agency. In February 1996, Northrop Grumman returned to become the first major tenant in the redeveloped former Air Force base.

Lockheed Martin F-22 and F-35: The 5th Generation Revolution in Military Aviation

Singapore February 21, 2006 - With the F-22 Raptor reaching US Air Force Initial Operational Capability last December and the scheduled first flight of the F-35 later this year, the 5th Generation of fighter aircraft is now a reality. Lockheed Martin, which produces both aircraft, detailed some of the battle-changing advantages and unmatched capabilities the world's only 5th Generation fighters now bring to the United States and its allies.

George Standridge, vice president and deputy for business development at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, presented an in-depth look at the state- of-the-art attributes uniquely integrated in the F-22 and F-35 5th Generation fighters. "These fighters bring an order of magnitude increase in capability, survivability and supportability over legacy fighters, at a significantly lower cost and will transform defense worldwide," said Standridge, who briefed the press at the Asian Aerospace air show here today. Asian Aerospace is the region's foremost aerospace and defense technology exhibition.

"Lockheed Martin has launched the world into the fifth generation of military aviation," said Standridge. "We believe the F-22 and F-35 represent a major inflection point in military aviation and all aviation for that matter. The F-22 and F-35 are battle changing systems. These two aircraft, the only 5th Generation fighters being produced or developed today, are the only fighters that can survive and defeat the threats of tomorrow."

Standridge said numerous analyses of tactical aircraft operations from a variety of government sources have all reached the same conclusions: 5th Generation fighters are significantly more effective than legacy fighters in all air dominance mission requirements and are the best value for the money.

Without getting into detailed, classified information, Standridge noted that the F-22 Raptor's unique combination of stealth, speed, precision, agility, situational awareness, air-to-ground and air-to-air combat capabilities make it unlike any other military aircraft in the world. It is faster to the fight, two times more reliable, and three-plus times more effective than the F-15 it replaces. The Raptor also requires 1/3 less airlift to deploy.

Standridge added that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be:

• Four times more effective than legacy fighters in air-to-air engagements

• Eight times more effective than legacy fighters in prosecuting missions against fixed and mobile targets
• Three times more effective than legacy fighters in non-traditional Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) and Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses and Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD/DEAD) missions
• About the same in procurement cost as legacy fighters, but requires significantly less tanker/transport and less infrastructure with a smaller basing footprint

"The synergy that results from combining stealth, speed, maneuverability, persistence, information fusion and situational awareness, improved sustainability, lean deployment and the ability to work within and interact with a broad array of networked systems in a single platform represents a quantum leap in capability and survivability over previous fighters," said Standridge.

"No other fighter in the world today besides the F-22 and F-35 can make those claims."

First F-35 Exits Lockheed Martin Factory, Prepares for Testing

Fort Worth February 20, 2006 - The Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter team has completed assembly of the first F-35 aircraft and moved it out of the factory in preparation for an intensive period of ground testing. First flight of the F-35, a conventional takeoff and landing version, remains on schedule for this fall.

The move on Feb. 19 capped a thorough design update from the Concept Development Phase of the program, and an innovative production process that yielded unprecedented levels of assembly accuracy, fit and finish.

"Our team's engineers, mechanics and assemblers deserve high praise for the precise way in which this airplane came together with very few issues," said Dan Crowley, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and JSF program general manager. "The fact that this level of quality was achieved on our first aircraft, at the beginning of our learning curve, signals good things for the reliability and affordability of the thousands of F-35s that will follow."

Mechanics transferred the airplane to a nearby fueling facility where it will initially undergo a thorough fuel-system checkout. Structural coupling and ground-vibration testing will follow. Engine runs will begin in late spring and will lead into taxi tests in advance of first flight.

"I look at what this airplane is going to do, how it is going to change the nature of tactical warfare, and I am amazed," said Air Force Brig. Gen. C.R. Davis, deputy executive officer of the Joint Strike Fighter program. "This program is young, and plenty of hard work remains ahead, but the F-35's move to the flightline is a major milestone. It's a great day."

The stealthy F-35 is a supersonic, multi-role, 5th-generation fighter designed to replace aging AV-8B Harriers, A-10s, F-16s, F/A-18 Hornets and United Kingdom Harrier GR.7s and Sea Harriers.

Navy Awards Lockheed Martin Contract Modification for MK 41 VLS Support Services

Baltimore February 20, 2006 - Lockheed Martin received a $5.4 million modification to an existing contract from the US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to continue providing technical and engineering support services for the MK 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) program.

The modification provides $4.4 million for Lockheed Martin to perform VLS Baseline VII design engineering support to the MK 41. The work includes VLS tactical software updates, auto test equipment maintenance, and other engineering support for Baseline VII that will be performed at Lockheed Martin's Baltimore facility. In addition, $1 million goes to support the VLS Depot at the company's Life Cycle Support facility in Ventura, CA.

"This funding enables our industry partner, Lockheed Martin, to continue MK 41 VLS product improvement initiatives and maintenance activities in support of our nation's war fighters," said Toan Nguyen, Surface Launching Systems Project Manager for the US Navy's Program Executive Office, Integrated Warfare Systems.

"The most widely used vertical missile launcher in the fleet, the MK 41 is a high performance, survivable and versatile system that requires minimal manning and training, and is integral to the United States' sea-based ballistic missile defense program. Our open architecture design also enables us to continually upgrade the MK 41 and meet current and future threats to our nation's security," said Dave Broadbent, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Littoral Ships & Systems line of business. "We greatly appreciate the US Navy's continued support of the combat-proven MK 41 VLS program."

A below deck missile launching system developed by Lockheed Martin, the MK 41 VLS was originally designed for the US Navy's Aegis-equipped guided missile cruisers to provide air threat protection for naval battle groups. The launcher's capabilities have been continually enhanced through a series of product improvement initiatives with the latest, VLS Baseline VII, being fielded in 2004. Through its evolution into a multi-missile, multi-mission launcher, the MK 41 has revolutionized the way world navies think about sea- launched weapons. No other naval missile launcher is capable of launching missiles for every threat in naval warfare, including anti-air, anti- submarine, ship self-defense, land attack and ballistic missile defense. More than 11,000 MK 41 VLS missile cells have been delivered or are on order for 178 ships in 11 navies around the world.

VSI Receives Additional Scope for F-35 Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS)

San Jose February 21, 2006 - Vision Systems International, LLC (VSI) has been awarded additional content from Lockheed Martin on the F-35 System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase. The value of the firm fixed price contract is $156 million.

This new contract expands the company's effort to include provision of pilot flight gear, including the oxygen mask and chemical/biological hazard protection. VSI was previously awarded a contract to design the advanced Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS) for the F-35.

In a related action, Lockheed Martin informed VSI that it has been selected to supply helmet mounted displays (HMDs) to all domestic and international F-35 customers.

The HMDS has been designed to integrate with the advanced avionics architecture of the F-35, providing the pilot with video imagery in day or night conditions combined with precision symbology to give the pilot unprecedented situational awareness and tactical capability.

Additionally, VSI is incorporating advanced head tracking capability to provide the pilot with a virtual head-up display.