Boeing submits proposal to NASA

The Boeing Company has submitted a proposal to NASA for the production of two next-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, known as the GOES R series, for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

"Boeing's proposal for GOES R is backed by 40 years of experience in building and delivering weather satellites for NASA and NOAA, coupled with a commitment to programme execution and providing a low-risk solution," said Craig Cooning, Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems VP and general manager. "Boeing is uniquely qualified to build GOES R on schedule and on budget."

Boeing received a GOES R risk-reduction contract from NASA in 2005 and remains committed to helping NOAA achieve its vision of a society that uses a comprehensive understanding of the role of oceans, coasts and atmosphere in the global ecosystem in order to make the best social and economic decisions.

General Dynamics C4 Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, has been awarded a five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract by the US Marine Corps to produce units of the next generation Tactical Data Network (TDN)-Data Distribution System-Modular (DDS-M), a modular, scalable Internet Protocol (IP) communications and networking system.

The initial award value of the contract is $130 million; it has a total potential value of $375 million if all options are exercised. The TDN-DDS-M system enables deployed Marines to establish secure, networked voice, data, video conferencing and other communication capabilities among commanders, joint and coalition forces.

"The TDN-DDS-M connects Marines to essential tactical networks wherever they deploy using advanced communication and networking technologies, at significantly reduced size, weight and power consumption than earlier versions," said Scott Butler, VP of computing technologies for General Dynamics C4 Systems.

According to their Web site, Saab has signed a contract for the delivery of five Giraffe radar systems to Lockheed Martin UK. The Giraffe is a key sensor in Lockheed Martin's system solution for the UK's Land Environment Air Picture Provision (LEAPP) programme.

LEAPP will provide tactical commanders an integrated air picture in near real time which gives commanders increased opportunity to plan and coordinate operations that reduce the risk of incidents and friendly fire.

"This is an important order for the whole Giraffe operation. The UK is a significant customer and the main supplier Lockheed Martin is one of the major players in the defence industry. We hope that this will be an important reference deal and that more potential customers will choose Giraffe AMB," says Janos Fugedi, sales and marketing VP and general manager at Saab Microwave Systems.