BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin successfully fired two Long-Range Land Attack Projectiles (LRLAP), with full-scale rocket motors at Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah, to demonstrate the Navy’s 155-mm LRLAP program is on track for guided flight tests in June.

LRLAPs are precision guided projectiles fired by the Navy’s Advanced Gun System (AGS), a fully automated, 155-mm, stabilized gun mount. The primary mission of the LRLAP is land attack warfare in support of ground and expeditionary forces beyond the line of sight.

“Without extended range, precision guided munitions, the Navy is limited in its ability to provide critical, long-range fire support from ship to maneuver forces,” said Jim Schoppenhorst, vice president and general manager for U.S. Combat Systems at BAE Systems. “This test shows that 155-mm LRLAP is on schedule to provide DDG 1000 an extremely capable precision guided munition.”

The BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin LRLAP team is in the final stages of systems design and demonstration and preparing for system qualification and verification following system level critical design review in 2010.

B/E Aerospace has announced that The Boeing Company has selected B/E Aerospace as its manufacturer of cabin lighting for the next generation Boeing 737 aircraft program. This innovative B/E Aerospace supplier furnished equipment (SFE) system will become standard equipment on all next generation Boeing 737 aircraft, and is part of B/E Aerospace’s $2.3 billion unbooked SFE backlog. Program deliveries are expected to commence in late 2010, with volume deliveries commencing in 2011.

B/E Aerospace’s digital light-emitting-diode (LED) lighting system will play a critical role in the new Boeing “Sky Interior” for the 737. This innovative, lightweight LED system features adjustable lighting with full spectrum color capabilities, providing superior cabin ambiance and unprecedented lighting control. Studies have provided conclusive evidence that cabin illumination enhances passenger comfort.

“We are honored to have been selected by Boeing as the supplier partner of next generation lighting for the new 737 “Sky Interior”. We look forward to continuing our long-standing and excellent relationship with Boeing as we both develop ways to enhance aircraft performance and passenger comfort,” commented Amin J. Khoury, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of B/E Aerospace, Inc. “This award is part of our strategic “OEM direct”, or SFE, focus to substantially increase our revenue content per aircraft. The value of the OEM direct awards which the company has won currently totals over $2.3 billion, only a very small portion of which is included in the company’s backlog. Our current backlog of $2.8 billion, along with unbooked SFE awards, is in excess of $5 billion. As we deliver products from our total $5 billion plus backlog (booked and unbooked) we expect to substantially add to our current $7.3 billion installed base, which in turn should facilitate growth in our spares business over time.”

B/E Aerospace has announced that its vacuum waste systems have been selected by a number of major business jet manufacturers for next generation aircraft platforms. These programs are initially valued in excess of $150 million, with volume production commencing in 2011.

B/E Aerospace’s vacuum waste management systems were selected for the following new aircraft platforms, including: Bombardier Learjet 85, Dassault Falcon 7X, and Embraer Legacy 450 and Legacy 500.

The B/E Aerospace vacuum waste system incorporates a proprietary design which eliminates the primary failure cause in other vacuum waste systems. In addition, B/E Aerospace’s systems include advanced proprietary components and systems that significantly lower the overall cost of ownership, simplify maintenance and improve lavatory hygiene, all of which enhance the overall passenger experience. The cost of ownership savings is a direct result of weight savings and reliability improvements achieved by combining B/E Aerospace’s proprietary composite components into optimized integrated systems. The B/E Aerospace systems are configurable so these savings can be realized on both new aircraft and existing in-service aircraft. The design modularity provides for simplified, extremely fast maintenance, ease of removal that reduces service time by up to 60 percent and a reduction of airframe corrosion issues.

B/E Aerospace also announced that its vacuum waste management system has won the prestigious Crystal Cabin Award. The annual Crystal Cabin Award is sponsored by Aircraft Interiors International Magazine and the Aircraft Interiors Expo and recognizes excellence in aircraft interior products. This unique honor for outstanding cabin products and concepts is highly esteemed within the aircraft cabin interior industry. B/E Aerospace was presented the award at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, the world’s largest exhibition exclusively dedicated to airline cabin interior design and engineering.

“We are very pleased to have had our technologically advanced vacuum waste system validated by such premier business jet customers including, Bombardier Learjet, Dassault and Embraer. In addition, we are privileged to have been recognized by our industry for the celebrated Crystal Cabin Award. This award further validates the technological reliability and cost advantages of our vacuum waste management systems. The significantly improved reliability and lower cost of ownership of the B/E Aerospace systems were important factors in our launch customers’ decisions to award these programs to us. As we expand our supplier furnished equipment (SFE) business, we look forward to broadening our OEM direct partnerships with these and other aircraft manufacturers, and to introducing our new systems to our commercial aircraft OEM customers,” commented Amin J. Khoury, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of B/E Aerospace, Inc. “These awards are part of our strategic “OEM direct”, or SFE, focus to substantially increase our revenue content on new aircraft platforms. The value of the OEM direct awards which we have won currently totals over $2.3 billion, only a very small portion of which is included in the company’s current backlog. Our backlog of $2.8 billion along with the unbooked SFE awards is in excess of $5 billion. As we deliver our backlog, our installed base of $7.3 billion is expected to grow very substantially. This increase in our installed base should eventually drive a significant increase in the size of our spares business.”

BAE Systems received an indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for U.S. federal information technology work including infrastructure, applications, and IT management services under the government’s new Alliant program.

The selection qualifies the company to compete for an estimated $50 billion in future task orders awarded under the contract, administered by the General Services Administration (GSA). It has a base period of five years and a five-year option period.

“Our focus will be on supporting the government’s growing need for innovative solutions that reduce cost and increase the mission effectiveness of GSA’s client agencies,” said Gene Glazar, president of BAE Systems’ Information Solutions. “This award expands our company’s long-term partnership with the U.S. General Services Administration and enables us to offer IT solutions to any federal agency, anywhere in the world.”

BAE Systems has been providing enterprise information technology services to the GSA and its client agencies for almost 30 years.

BAE Systems has delivered two different M-ATV (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles) prototypes to the U.S. Government for two months of testing and evaluation. Two different segments of the company’s Land & Armaments operating group produced a version for consideration.

M-ATVs are tactical vehicles designed for U.S. soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan. They are lighter, more mobile versions of the first-generation MRAPs, that can provide comparable protection from roadside bombs, explosively formed projectiles, and rocket propelled grenades when using appliqué armor.

USCS M-ATV

The M-ATV developed by BAE Systems’ U.S. Combat Systems (USCS) line of business is the product of more than 30-months of mine-protected light tactical vehicle development. This USCS M-ATV has completed thousands of test miles and scores of blast and ballistic tests.

“This vehicle has the survivability of an MRAP and the mobility of a HMMWV,” said Matt Riddle, Vice President and General Manager of USCS. “It has the optimum capabilities needed by our troops in Afghanistan.”

The vehicle drew on the developmental experience of the nine RG-33 MRAP variants, providing the same level of armored protection at a reduced vehicle weight. The company quickly designed, developed, produced and fielded over 2,000 RG-33 vehicles from 2007 to 2008 to meet the urgent government need for armored tactical vehicles.

With a curb weight of less than 9 tons and an incredibly high power-to-weight ratio, this USCS M-ATV offers better dash and slope speeds than any other ground vehicle in the U.S. inventory. The vehicle has a low center of gravity to prevent roll-overs and ensure maximum off-road mobility.

The vehicle features a rugged, commercial turbo-charged diesel V8 engine with a top speed of 80 mph and best-in-class fuel economy. It features a fully independent suspension that ensures superior mobility over rocky and steep terrain when compared to the standard straight axle systems of traditional MRAP vehicles. It also generates 10 kilowatts of vehicle host power and an additional 20 kilowatts of power for export and mission equipment.

The company’s USCS business is a leader in the creation and fielding of combat vehicles, including the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the M113, the RG-33 series, MRAPs, the Medium Mine Protected Vehicle, and the Amphibious Assault Vehicle, and is the lead developer on several of the ground combat vehicles for the U.S. Army’s Future Combat Systems.

GTS M-ATV

The company’s Global Tactical Systems (GTS) line of business submitted the GTS M-ATV prototype. GTS M-ATV incorporates the many lessons learned from development of the prototype Caiman Light MRAP and the rapid development and manufacturing of nearly 3,000 Caiman MRAPs from 2007 to 2008.

“Our M-ATV provides urgent life-saving technology, multi-mission effectiveness, and operational agility not currently available to the Army,” said Regis Luther, Vice President of Light Tactical Vehicles. “We combined the industry’s best in combat vehicle survivability and mine blast resistant platforms to develop our M-ATV.”

The GTS M-ATV balances the priority for crew protection and tactical mobility requirements against the rapid transition to high-rate production, vehicle delivery, and life-cycle sustainment requirements.

“We integrate modular EFP and RPG protection systems into a highly survivable M-ATV baseline chassis,” Luther said. “Our combat-proven RPG protection is the system of choice for lightweight RPG protection for blast resistant vehicles currently in theater.”

BAE Systems has a proven record of rapid production ramp-up and delivery of critical tactical vehicles. In 2006, it designed and tested the Caiman MRAP in an unprecedented contract to delivery time of 43 days. In 22 months of production, 2,868 Caimans were built. Caiman is one of the U.S. Army’s most successful MRAPs in Iraq and boasts unmatched dependability, survivability and a 94 percent operational readiness rate.

GTS MAT-V, and its Caiman predecessor, come from a long line of battle-tested, combat-proven tactical vehicles in the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicle (FMTV) line. This arrangement allows the GTS MAT-V to share a full 90 percent of its automotive systems with the FMTV. The GTS M-ATV and FMTV also use the common armor systems, power generation systems, seats, windows, and fire suppression systems, which greatly reducing logistics requirements Army-wide.

GE Aviation played a significant role in The Boeing Company’s successful first flight of the U.S. Air Force’s third C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) aircraft (the H-3) on Jan. 17, three weeks ahead of schedule. The flight marked another milestone for the most comprehensive C-130 avionics modification ever conducted.

The H3 aircraft accomplished both functional check flight and acceptance check flight tests. Boeing test pilot Mike Leone conducted the two-hour flight from the Boeing facility in San Antonio.

The avionic modernized C-130 features the proven flight management system originally designed for the Boeing 737 commercial airliner. The GE system meets Communication Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) requirements and the CNS/ATM upgrade allows the C-130 fleet to be deployed worldwide.

GE provides the following hardware and software systems for the C-130 AMP:

Hardware elements:

• Mission display processor consisting of general processing modules, graphics processing modules, interface modules, video distribution modules, and power supply.
• Multi-function control displays

• Flight data recorder/cockpit voice recorder
• Integrated standby instrument system
• Aircraft interface unit/Engine interface unit
• Regulated transformer rectifier

Software:

• ARINC-653 operating environment
• Flight management application

GE facilities in Bishops Cleeve, UK, Florida, Michigan and New York are providing the hardware and software.

The C-130AMP provides enhanced digital avionics that increase situational awareness for the warfighter over old analog cockpits, dramatically increasing information available to aircrews at a glance, simplifying tasks and decreasing workload. Upgrade commonality brought by the AMP offers additional flexibility in assigning aircrews regardless of the model design type.

Boeing completed the major modification and upgrade package on H3 about 13 percent faster than the upgrade to H2.5. H3 will soon join aircraft H2 and H2.5 in the flight test program, which is 81 percent complete.

SpaceX announced its Falcon 9 launch vehicle was successfully raised to vertical on Saturday, January 10, 2009, at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) in Cape Canaveral, Florida — two days ahead of schedule. This operation was a critical step in validating a variety of system interfaces and launch processes in preparation for the maiden flight of Falcon 9 later this year.

“Any engineered system has requirements that can only be recognized through actual assembly of real hardware,” stated Brian Mosdell, Director of Florida Launch Operations for SpaceX. “This rapid integration and stand-up provided our engineers and technicians with invaluable insights that will greatly streamline our efforts towards the first Falcon 9 launch in 2009.”

SpaceX completed the Falcon 9 vehicle integration in a horizontal position on December 30, 2008. After integration, Falcon 9 was lifted and mated to a transporter erector system, designed and built by SpaceX, which carried the 17 foot diameter, 180 foot long rocket to the launch pad. On January 10, 2009 at 12:45 PM EST, SpaceX began the process of raising Falcon 9 and approximately 30 minutes later, Falcon 9 stood vertical at the Cape.

“This entire process has helped us validate key interfaces and operations prior to executing our launch campaign with the vehicle in its final flight configuration,” said Elon Musk, CEO and CTO of SpaceX. “We encountered no show-stoppers or significant delays. I am highly confident that we will achieve our goal of being able to go from hangar to liftoff in under 60 minutes, which would be a big leap forward in capability compared with the days to weeks required of other launch vehicles.”

This latest accomplishment follows closely on a series of recent successes for SpaceX. In November 2008, SpaceX successfully conducted a full mission duration firing of Falcon 9, validating SpaceX’s use of nine engines on the first stage, as well as the ability to shut down engines without affecting the remaining engines. In December 2008, NASA selected the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft as the primary means of transporting cargo to and from the International Space Station after the Space Shuttle retires in 2010.

It looks like it’s a great holiday season for BAE Systems who has received Level 5 certification against the Software Engineering Institute Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI). This is the highest level rating that an engineering organization can achieve. The designation was awarded after an independent two-week investigation led by the Systems and Software Productivity Consortium which involved in-depth interviews and document reviews.

“This is a great achievement; CMMI Level 5 is an indicator of how our process improvements compare to our competitors and has been a factor in our ability to win contracts over the last several years,” said Ann Hennon, director of Core Process and Training for Ground Systems. “Achieving and maintaining this rating lets our customers know that they can count on us to provide the products and services they expect.”

More than 100 Ground Systems employees from three different sites – Santa Clara, California; Orlando, Florida; and York, Pennsylvania – in 10 different functional areas from Engineering and Project Management – were surveyed. As part of this process, the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, now requires validation of the results certified by the appraisal team, thus raising the bar of the appraisal process. In all, more than 2000 artifacts such as drawings, designs, documents and video were reviewed.

CMMI is a process improvement approach that provides organizations with the essential elements of effective processes. It can be used to guide process improvement across a project, a division, or an entire organization. CMMI helps integrate traditionally separate organizational functions, set process improvement goals and priorities, provide guidance for quality processes, and provide a point of reference for appraising current processes.

A rating of CMMI Level 5 requires Ground Systems to have and follow a defined set of processes, evaluate implementation of those processes and seek ways to improve the company’s methods used to develop and build products.

“We are continually seeking ways to improve our ability to develop products for our customers,” Hennon continued. “Our focus over the last couple of years has been expanding industry best practices across all engineering functions and development sites within Ground Systems. Achieving a rating of CMMI Level 5 is a clear indication the organization is implementing those best practices.”

In client news this week, LynuxWorks distributed a press release that announced that Lockheed Martin has selected LynxOS 5.0 real-time operating system (RTOS) and Luminosity 3.0 development toolkit for the radar design and development portion of the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program.  MEADS, under development by MEADS International for the United States, Germany and Italy, is designed to replace the Patriot and Hawk missile systems.

Combining battlefield protection with flexibility, MEADS protects maneuvering ground combat forces and provides homeland defense against tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and aircraft. The LynxOS 5.0 migration enables Lockheed Martin to take advantage of the latest LynuxWorks network stack and Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP) technologies — both of which are now integrated into the software, while still maintaining POSIX conformance.

“Our decades of experience in the military market continue to be applied toward growing our partnership with Lockheed Martin and improving military technology,” said LynuxWorks CEO Gurjot Singh. “We have already demonstrated that our software was powerful enough to handle the stringent security demands of the MEADS launcher. We’re now going to prove it has the mettle to handle the MEADS radar controls.”

When completed, MEADS will be the only air defense system capable of immediate deployment upon arrival, beginning operations with a “plug-and-fight” capability. The system will provide greater firepower with less manpower than current systems, dramatically decreasing operations and support costs.

LynxOS 5.0 is a real-time POSIX-conformant operating system designed for real-time, mission critical systems. The high performance software supports application programming and Linux application binary interfaces (APIs/ABIs).

Luminosity 3.0 is a Java-based integrated development environment (IDE) that is based on the popular open-source Eclipse IDE platform. The third generation of Luminosity supports the latest LynuxWorks operating systems, including LynxOS 5 and LynxOS-SE and provides a simplified, flexible platform to create, edit, compile, manage and debug embedded and real-time applications. The easy-to-use interface gives developers easy access to a wide array of both enterprise and embedded plug-in tools to speed development and reduce time to market via the unique Luminosity Validated Plug-In Program.

We are always excited when our clients are awarded new contracts, and October has been a great month for Northrop Grumman.  The U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman a contract to provide engineering services to the 542nd Combat Sustainment Group at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Ga., that will demonstrate an electronic countermeasures pod concept aimed at increasing operational capability along with improving sustainability and reduced life-cycle costs.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.

The cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is worth more than $4 million over two years.

Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor, teamed with Raytheon, Goleta, Calif. Work will be performed primarily at the Electronic Warfare Avionics Integration Support Facility at Warner Robins.

“Our team was selected not only because of the tremendous enhancements provided by the digital receiver exciter, but also because of our excellent long-standing performance record supporting our customer,” said Kevin Benoit, Northrop Grumman Technical Services program manager for the contract. “We’re excited to provide the warfighter with a critical capability update while also maintaining our role as the life cycle support organization of choice for these pods.”