Lockheed: New missile defense system upgrades will produce more comprehensive battlefield picture

Sur le même sujet

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  10 juin 2022 | International, Aérospatial

  MBDA-led team to demo new European anti-tank kit this summer

  The idea is for a new anti-tank missile that can take cues from a variety of sensors on the battlefield or in the air.

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  29 avril 2020 | International, Naval

  U.S. Navy pays contractors $600 million held back to ensure performance

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy has paid defense contractors $600 million it had withheld to ensure contract performance, hoping the funds would shore up finances for suppliers ravaged by the coronavirus-driven economic downturn, a Navy official said on Tuesday. The move, which follows a similar action taken by the Air Force that released billions of dollars in payments, is aimed at replacing revenue vital Pentagon suppliers have lost in their non-military businesses as the spreading coronavirus has halted business activity nationwide. “We were immediately able to infuse about $600 million of funds that we had on withholds,” James Geurts, the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, told reporters on a conference call. A Navy spokesperson said “for example, with the ship repair industry, withholds were reduced to one percent.” The Navy was unable to say whether a portion of the $600 million was withheld due to poor contractor performance. The Department of Defense has also accelerated contract awards as it leverages its portion of the more than $700 billion annual defense budget to help keep suppliers afloat. Geurts wrote a memo on March 24 to his staff directing them to release or reduce the withholds. It did not discuss rectifying the root causes. Government waste watch-dogs criticized the move. “This current emergency shouldn't be an excuse to avoid accountability for poor performance that predated this outbreak,” said Mandy Smithberger, of the Project On Government Oversight in Washington. Earlier this month, Geurts said he had authorized “hundreds of millions” of dollars to be paid out to top suppliers like General Dynamics (GD.N) and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII.N) which could flow to the supply chain. Representatives from Huntington Ingalls and General Dynamics said the Navy was not withholding money from them for poor performance. While the Navy did not name any companies that received payments, industry sources have said the biggest contractors have been filtering coronavirus-related funds to their suppliers and subcontractors who, because of their smaller size, are on much shakier financial footing. The Navy's multi-layered supply chain is comprised of companies building out President Donald Trump's vision for a 350 ship here Navy. The funding will help pay salaries and ensure hard-to-replace workers are not lost to other industries or early retirement. Geurts has said the Navy is pushing money into the defense industrial base by speeding up contract payments, hastening contract awards and releasing funds withheld for poor past performance. The U.S. Air Force said it would release $882 million in payments to Boeing (BA.N) that were held back due to flaws in the KC-46 air refueling tanker. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-navy-procurement/u-s-navy-pays-contractors-600-million-held-back-to-ensure-performance-idUSKCN22A33L

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  9 décembre 2019 | International, Aérospatial

  Lockheed Martin contracted for test equipment, special tooling for F-35s

  The company received a $153.4 million contract to procure test equipment and special tooling for current and future production of the F-35. ByChristen McCurdy Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has received a $153.4 million contract to procure test equipment and tooling for the F-35 Lightning II. The deal covers special tooling and special test equipment "required to meet current and future F-35 Lightning II low-rate initial production as well as full-rate production rates," the Department of Defense said Friday in a news release. The modification to a previous contract uses aircraft funds from fiscal 2018, 2019 and 2020 and combines purchasing funds of $55.8 million from the Air Force, $51.9 million from the Navy and and $22.2 million from the Marine Corps, as well as $17.6 million from non-U.S. Department of Defense partners and $5.8 million from foreign military sales funds. The full amount of the contract has been obligated to Lockheed at the time of the award, $39.9 million of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Work on the contract will take place at a variety of locations inside and outside the United States, with the bulk of the work taking place in Rome, Italy, and Redondo Beach, Calif. Work is expected to be completed in December 2023. https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2019/12/06/Lockheed-Martin-contracted-for-test-equipment-special-tooling-for-F-35s/1831575675959