US may require electronic warfare defenses for air, sealift operations

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  July 29, 2020 | International, C4ISR

  BAE Systems Australia welcomes $30 million periscope contract

  July 29, 2020 - BAE Systems Australia has welcomed an additional two year, AU$30 million contract extension to ongoing sustainment of the Collins Class periscopes. The original five year contract began in 2015 and encompasses engineering, program management, supply support and highly specialised maintenance services. During this two year extension period, BAE Systems will continue to maintain Search and Attack periscopes and undertake the necessary updates to the periscope systems. BAE Systems has been maintaining and updating the Collins Class submarine periscopes for more than three decades, developing an important sovereign capability. The company began supporting the Collins Class submarines periscopes in 1988 at the start of the periscope build program. The company has continued to develop this sovereign capability through the provision of maintenance, repair and update services in two states. Periscope work is undertaken by 34 specialist employees working in purpose built facilities at Mawson Lakes South Australia and at HMAS Stirling Naval Base, in Western Australia. The largest update project undertaken during this time was the transition from analogue to digital periscopes which are now also transitioning into service. BAE Systems Australia Managing Director Defence Delivery Andrew Gresham said: “Now, more than ever, Defence programs will have an important role in Australia's post-COVID economic recovery. “We began supporting the Collins-class submarine periscope systems with an 11-year manufacturing and build program for attack and search periscope systems “Some three decades later, we continue to build and grow our experience in maintaining and updating this critical piece of defence equipment. During this time we have also supported the development of new capabilities in our local supply chain. “Defence projects are high value, create and sustain new industrial capabilities, require leading edge technologies and can run over decades which is why they are so important to our nation's economy.” Contact Default Profile ImageKaye Noske Media Manager BAE Systems Australia Mobile +61 (0) 401 121 444 View source version on BAE Systems Australia: https://www.baesystems.com/en-aus/article/bae-systems-australia-welcomes--30-million-periscope-contract

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  June 26, 2018 | International, Aerospace

  US Air Force announces rocket deal with SpaceX for military satellite

  By: Andrew C. Jarocki WASHINGTON — U.S. Air Force Space Command will send a new military satellite into space in 2020 with the help of SpaceX. The AFSC's Space and Missile Systems Center announced Friday a $130 million contract with the rocket design and manufacturing company. The relatively low-cost price tag secured the deal for SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket, beating out main rival United Launch Alliance (composed of Boeing and Lockheed Martin) by tens of millions of dollars and earning praise from the Air Force. Lt. Gen. John Thompson, program executive officer for the Space and Missile Systems Center, approved the contract, saying it “directly supports [the Center's] mission of delivering resilient and affordable space capabilities to our nation while maintaining assured access to space.” The agreement for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle service contract includes “launch vehicle production, mission integration and launch operations” from SpaceX, according to a news release. The Heavy Falcon can deliver a payload of 70 tons to low-Earth orbit. SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell highlighted the price savings in a statement, saying her company's services offer “the American taxpayer the most cost-effective” and “reliable” services for national space missions. https://www.defensenews.com/space/2018/06/22/us-air-force-announces-rocket-deal-with-spacex-for-military-satellite/

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  December 21, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Lockheed Martin to Acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne for $4.4 Billion

  By Will Wade and Max Zimmerman Lockheed Martin Corp. agreed to acquire the defense industry supplier Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc. in a deal valued at $4.4 billion. As part of the transaction, Aerojet declared a $5 per share special dividend, to be paid on March 24, to holders of record as of March 10. The payment of that special dividend will adjust the $56 per share consideration to be paid by Lockheed Martin, according to a statement Sunday. The shares surged in pre-market New York trading on Monday. At $51, Lockheed will be buying Aerojet at a 21% premium from the closing price on Friday. Chief Executive Officer Jim Taiclet, who stepped into the top job this year, has said he was keen to expand the world's largest defense contractor through acquisitions. With Aerojet, he's picking up a key U.S. supplier of propulsion systems for missiles, rockets and other space and defense applications. “Acquiring Aerojet Rocketdyne will preserve and strengthen an essential component of the domestic defense industrial base,” Taiclet said in the statement. Lockheed has been scouting for deals. In January, the company said it was flush with cash and open to deals as rival Raytheon Co. prepared to combine with United Technologies Corp. to create an aerospace-and-defense powerhouse. Lockheed has been seeking opportunities to “bring in the technologies faster into the company that we think are going to be crucial for the future,” Taiclet said during its October earnings call. “So we plan to be active, but we also plan to be very, very prudent.” The Aerojet transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2021 after getting regulatory approvals and a nod from Aerojet's shareholders. Aerojet advanced to $54.44 Monday before markets opened in New York. That's up 29% from Friday's close, which gave the El Segundo, California-based company a market value of $3.25 billion. Lockheed was little changed from its Friday close, which valued the buyer at about $100 billion. At the end of last week, Aerojet's stock was trading at 25 times expected earnings, compared with 16 times for Lockheed. Aerojet's shares have fallen 7.9% this year and Lockheed dropped 8.6%, both underperforming the S&P 500 Index, which climbed 15%. Lockheed's space division is its third-largest business, contributing 18% of its 2019 revenue. The company competes with Elon Musk's SpaceX for U.S. government rocket launches through the United Launch Alliance, its joint venture with Boeing Co. Lockheed was advised by Goldman Sachs, Ardea Partners and Hogan Lovells, while Citigroup and Evercore, as well as Jenner & Block and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher represented Aerojet. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-21/lockheed-martin-to-buy-defense-supplier-aerojet-for-4-4-billion