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General Dynamics Proposes Piranha 5 for the Close Combat Vehicle Program (Source: General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada; issued August 29, 2011) LONDON, Ontario --- General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada announced today that it will offer the PIRANHA 5 vehicle fitted with Rheinmetall's LANCE 30mm Modular Turret System for the Government of Canada's Close Combat Vehicle (CCV) Program. The goal of the CCV program is to deliver a well-protected armoured vehicle with very high tactical mobility, able to deliver an infantry section in close combat, while operating in intimate support of main battle tanks. In response, General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada is leading an...

The U.S. Navy has discovered "aggressive" corrosion in Austal Ltd.'s first new combat ship designed for operating close to shore. The corrosion is in the propulsion areas of the USS Independence, the Littoral Combat Ship built by the Mobile, Alabama-based subsidiary of Australia's Austal and General Dynamics Corp. "This could be a very serious setback," said Norman Polmar, an independent naval analyst and author in Alexandria, Virginia. "If the ship develops a serious flaw, you're not going to continue producing them." Permanent repair will require drydocking the ship and removing its "water jets,". Aluminum-hulled ships such as Austal's tend to...

The last of the 14 Lewis and Clark-class cargo ships that General Dynamics NASSCO is building in San Diego will be named after Cesar Chavez, the late civil rights and labor leader. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus will visit NASSCO on Tuesday afternoon to make the formal announcement. Some members of the Chavez family are expected to be in attendance, says NASSCO, which recently laid the keel of the ship. "We suggested the name Cesar Chavez for the ship because we're in Barrio Logan and want to be good neighbors, and we want to show respect for our workers,"...

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The Navy is considering naming a cargo ship that's being built after farmworker activist Cesar Chavez. James Gill, a spokesman for General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego, said Monday the company suggested the name to honor its mostly Hispanic work force and the mostly Hispanic neighborhood, Barrio Logan, where the boat builder is located.

Pentagon Reports Billions of Dollars in Contractor Fraud The Pentagon paid hundreds of billions of dollars to defense contractors engaged in criminal or civil fraud -- in some cases paying the companies after they were convicted, according to a new Defense Department report. At least 91 contractors holding contracts worth $270 billion were the subjects of civil fraud judgments -- and in some cases CRIMINAL FRAUD convictions as well, many of which resulted in fines, suspensions or debarments. Even so, Defense Department contracting officers still assigned $4.9 billion worth of work with these companies after the fraud was uncovered, the...

Should the government be allowed to declare a contractor in default and then invoke a secrecy privilege to withhold information the contractor says it needs to dispute that finding in court? Two decades after the Pentagon canceled the Navy’s A-12 Avenger II stealth aircraft, the fight over who is at fault for the program’s delays and cost overruns has brought that question before the U.S. Supreme Court. Last week, justices on the court sharply questioned lawyers on both sides of the dispute. The court’s ruling, which is expected before the 2010-11 term ends in June, could have broad implications for...

Spain and Saudi Arabia negotiate 3 billion euro arms deal Interest in the tanks date back to a visit by King Juan Carlos to Jeddah in 2008, since when there have been regular contacts between the Spanish manufacturers and the Saudi Defence ministry. Spain and Saudi Arabia negotiate 3 billion euro arms deal Spain is negotiating with Saudi Arabia what could become its biggest ever arms deal, the daily El Pais said Monday Spain is trying to conclude a 3 billion euro ($4.17 billion) arms deal with Saudi Arabia for American defense group General Dynamics Corp's Spanish affiliate, El Pais...

General Dynamics to develop Namer APC for IDF By YAAKOV KATZ 10/24/2010 01:36 Move will increase the survivability of Israeli military forces; Israel in negotiations with several countries over Merkava sale Production will begin soon in the US of the IDF’s new Namer (leopard in Hebrew, pronounced nah-mer) armored personnel carrier (APC) after the Defense Ministry awarded General Dynamics a massive tender to develop the vehicle. The move is poised to increase the survivability of Israeli military forces, At the cutting edge of APC technology and claimed to be one-of-its-kind in the world by officers in the Ground Forces Command,...

The stakes could not be higher. When the Navy later this year picks a winner to build its littoral combat ship, no matter which contractor is selected, the decision will be seen as a turning point for the troubled program. For the Navy, it will be a chance to prove it can acquire relatively affordable ships. When LCS was first conceived earlier this decade, it was supposed to cost $220 million, but the price tag eventually more than doubled. Now, with a new acquisition strategy, Navy officials are hopeful that they can carry the program through, and procure 66 ships...

USS Freedom (LCS 1), the Navy's first littoral combat ship (LCS), arrived at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., Jan. 26 to begin final preparations for her maiden deployment. While in Mayport, Freedom will undergo final counterillicit trafficking and airborne use of force training and certification in preparation for expected missions in the U.S. Southern Command/Commander, U.S. 4th Fleet Area of Responsibility. Readying for this deployment was a unique process for Freedom's Sailors. Starting in November 2009, Freedom engaged in independent training and certification exercises off the Virginia and Florida coasts, including maritime security surge training for both the Blue and Gold...

The Navy's future success depends on acquiring flexible and affordable weapons systems that can quickly switch missions depending on the threat, said Admiral Gary Roughead, the Navy's chief officer. Affordability and flexibility are critical given that the demand for the Navy's services has increased at a time when it also must cut costs, he said. This means controlling the urge to add new "bells or whistles" to existing programs, increasing the efficiency of maintaining ships and keeping the new F-35 fighter jet program on schedule, according to a Reuters article. "The stuff that we buy is going to be around...

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2009 – A recent agreement among the Defense Department, the Navy and shipbuilders will enable more efficient construction of the next-generation destroyer at one shipyard instead of two, a senior Defense Department official announced here today. The “swap” agreement calls for three DDG-1000 destroyers to be built at the Bath Iron Works in Maine, John J. Young Jr., undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told reporters at the Pentagon. Work on the DDG-1000 destroyers previously was to be split between General Dynamics’ Bath Works and Northrop Grumman’s Ingalls Shipyard in Mississippi, Young said. As part...

May 15, 2008 With naval battles on the high seas now virtually extinct for the U.S. armed forces, the navy's role has become more one of infantry invasion and airstrike support - and with this new role comes a need for vessels more suited to littoral (just offshore) operations. The initial order was placed back in 2005, and the first delivery, the U.S.S. Independence, has just been launched, a speedy trimaran with helicopter decks, a stealthy radar profile and a healthy array of arms. It's configurable to suit a wide array of littoral combat missions, including minesweeping, anti-submarine and surface...

I have no idea how GenDynamics is doing, but this first ship looks absolutley wicked! Its tri-maran hull combined with the capabilities and look of a warship makes it something out of this world!

Obama credits his presidential campaign with creating a "parallel public financing system" built on a wave of modest donations from homemakers and high school teachers. Small givers, he said at a fundraiser this week But those with wealth and power also have played a critical role in creating Obama's record-breaking fundraising machine, and their generosity has earned them a prominent voice in shaping his campaign. Seventynine "bundlers," five of them billionaires, have tapped their personal networks to raise at least $200,000 each. They have helped the campaign recruit more than 27,000 donors to write checks for $2,300, the maximum allowed....

New US Weapons Sale for Saudis By MATTHEW LEE and ANNE FLAHERTY – 6 hours ago WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic-led Congress is unlikely to block U.S. plans to sell $123 million worth of sophisticated precision-guided bomb technology to Saudi Arabia, despite concerns from some members that the systems could be used against Israel. The Bush administration on Monday notified Congress of its intent to sell the bomb-delivery systems as part of a multibillion-dollar arms package to bolster the defense of U.S. allies in the Gulf. Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, does not intend to...

General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, has delivered its first Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles to the U.S. Marine Corps from Anniston, Ala., less than 120 days after the company received its first production order for the new product. The vehicle's unique, V-shaped hull is designed to deflect the force of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast away from the vehicle, keeping soldiers inside safe and alive. General Dynamics and its our partners, Force Protection, Anniston Army Depot and local subcontractors, are engaged in building these vehicles while increasing its combined production capacity to deliver...

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich., July 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army has placed a $127 million order for 103 additional Stryker wheeled combat vehicles from a unit of General Dynamics Corp. The order increases the Army's fiscal year 2006 Stryker procurement to a total of 409 vehicles, the company said Wednesday in a statement. Work will be performed in Anniston, Ala.; Lima, Ohio; and London, Ontario, Canada, by existing General Dynamics employees. Additionally, the U.S. Army awarded General Dynamics a $9.5 million contract modification to procure additional parts for Stryker vehicle battle damage repair. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights,...

Associated Press FORT LEWIS — After logging thousands of miles during their first two years in Iraq, the Army's Stryker vehicles are getting an overhaul before being sent back with soldiers. The eight-wheeled, armored vehicles are being worked on by mechanics from General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc., which made the Strykers and has a $69 million Army contract to restore them. Maintenance is taking place at this post south of Seattle and at a company yard in Auburn. The Strykers arrived home by ship in late October. They were used for a year in Iraq by the 3rd Brigade, 2nd...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon will order an initial eight highly-automated DD(X) destroyers being developed by Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC - news) and General Dynamics (NYSE:GD - news) as the centerpiece of the U.S. Navy's 21st century fleet, a defense official said on Wednesday.

U.S. Army Small-Caliber Ammo Award Establishes General Dynamics As Second Source for Critical Small-Caliber Ammunition             ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The U.S. Army Field Support Command, Rock Island, Illinois, has awarded General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), a five-year contract to supply small-caliber ammunition to the U.S. armed forces. The initial award under the contract is for $171 million for approximately 300 million rounds. The contract has a total potential value of approximately $1.2 billion if all options are exercised. This contract establishes General Dynamics as...

....Designers of the high-tech vehicle hope it will just as nimbly maneuver around battlefields of the future, detecting and avoiding obstacles and relaying information to soldiers a safe distance away. It and several other robotic vehicles were put through their paces yesterday at the Westminster facility of General Dynamics Robotic Systems, which has obtained a $230 million contract to develop the technology for the Pentagon. ...This new technology allows a soldier to pay attention to the immediate surroundings for his own survival and not spend a lot of time guiding a robot." ........"We have to go low-tech as well as...

General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products Inc. in Burlington, VT received a $37.8 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for Reactive Applique Armor Tiles for the M2/M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle System. The Bradleys and AAV7 APCs, which played a central role in the armed operations in Iraq, have been fitted with armor by Rafael of Haifa, Israel in partial cooperation with the American General Dynamics company. The armor is some of the most advanced in the world, and includes both passive protection of strong material that diverts the rocket, and reactive protection comprised of plates that contain explosives. The add-on...

WASHINGTON — The powerful DDX Destroyer is nicknamed the "stealth" warship for its design that has several flat surfaces above the water to make it more difficult for the enemy to detect. The Navy wants to buy one DDX per year, paying about $3 billion per ship, but the place where the ships will be built is a point of disagreement between the Pentagon and Capitol Hill. The Pentagon wants the two shipyards that build the Navy's destroyers to compete, meaning only one would get the whole DDX contract. The two sites are Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., run by...

General Dynamics received a $206 million order from the U.S. Army on Thursday for 95 Stryker combat vehicles, including the first production of a new model that can detect nuclear, biological and chemical agents.The order is a part of $4 billion contract the company's General Dynamics Land Systems unit was awarded in 2000.The Army's latest Stryker order also includes delivery of a new mobile gun system model, which is armed with a 105mm tank cannon with "shoot on the move" capability. The Stryker is a class of eight-wheel armored vehicles that can travel up to 62 miles an hour, and...

NORFOLK, Va. -- With bells ringing and horns blaring, the Navy on Saturday commissioned the lead ship of its latest class of fast-attack submarines specifically designed for post-Cold War security threats. The $2.2 billion, nuclear-powered USS Virginia differs from other submarines because it can not only roam the deep blue ocean but also get close to shore in shallow water, which Navy officials say is important in fighting terrorism. Lynda Robb Johnson, daughter of President Lyndon Johnson and wife of former Sen. Charles Robb, D-Va., gave the traditional order to "man our ship and bring her to life" in ceremonies...

Americans may view their soldiers as knights in shining armor, but in Iraq, soldiers are often short on protection, particularly while riding their mechanized steeds. As casualties rise, the Pentagon is rushing to equip its soldiers and vehicles with new and better armor. In the short term, soldiers will get body armor upgrades that better guard previously vulnerable areas like the groin and sides of the body. Some vehicles, meanwhile, will be getting special reactive armor designed to thwart rocket attacks. In the long term, however, a soldier's best protection may come from new technologies being developed by military laboratories...

USS Jimmy Carter To Be Christened In CT Jimmy Carter Library Mar 28, 2004 1:32 pm US/Eastern (1010 WINS) (GROTON, Conn.) The third and final Seawolf-class submarine, the USS Jimmy Carter, will be christened June 5. The ceremony is conducted by Electric Boat, and kicks off the process for delivering the submarine to the Navy later this year. "The christening of the ship is a shipyard affair," said Navy spokesman Lt. Phil Rosi. "We participate, certainly, but they have the lead on it."

Robots for No Man's Land Defense Companies Developing the 'Brains' to Remake War By Yuki Noguchi Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, January 30, 2004; Page E01 The education of Stryker, an 18-ton military monster truck, begins in the warehouse lab of General Dynamics in Westminster, Md. There, Stryker, one of the U.S. Army's newest infantry vehicles, is fitted with a "ladar" scanner, the equivalent of a mounted pair of eyes that see by emitting 400,000 laser and radar beams and snap 120 camera images every second. Its brain -- a 40-pound computer system tucked inside its body -- processes that...

With new focus on the revolving door between the Pentagon and defense contractors, another case deserves further scrutiny: The January 2000 hiring of former Army Lt. General David K. Heebner by General Dynamics Corp., and the subsequent award 11 months later of a $4 billion contract to General Dynamics to build the Army's Stryker Interim Armored Vehicle. POGO has learned that the Pentagon's top independent tester warned the Secretary of the Army that the vehicle should not be deployed in Iraq because it is vulnerable to rocket propelled grenades. As one of Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki's top...

General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp. (GD/EB) is being awarded a cost plus incentive fee contract worth $222 million for the conversion of the first Ohio Class Guided Missile Submarine (SSGN), USS Ohio (SSGN 726), and for Long Lead Time Material (LLTM) and Conversion Installation Planning for the Conversion of Ohio Class Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBNs), the USS Michigan (SSBN 727) and the USS Georgia (SSBN 729), to SSGN 727 and SSGN 729. Emphasizing the importance of SSGNs, Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England, said, “The SSGN is an example of the Navy's innovative transformation that supports our joint warfighters....

The good news is that the Pakistan Air Force has finally phased out its 36-year-old U.S.-supplied F-6 aircraft and inducted a fleet of 22 F-7PG jets, newly acquired from China over the past three months. The bad news is that China's F-7 (although much modernized, and beefed up with a MiG-29 engine) is basically a venerable Soviet-era MiG-21 Fishbed, which first flew in 1955. With more than 8,000 produced, the MiG-21 remains by far the most popular combat aircraft of the jet age. China has been producing the F-7 for even longer than the Pakistanis have had the old F-6...

When the Senate confirmed Eric Shinseki as the first Asian-American chief of Staff of the Army in June 1999, Bill Clinton’s “politically-correct” general had four years to leave his mark on the service. In a speech made on October 15 of that year, Shinseki stated. “In order to become more deployable and maintain lethality, the Army must field a prototype brigade-size force. The intent is to establish brigades in the next few months that will use off-the-shelf systems, as resources permit and as quickly as possible, to jumpstart development of concepts and doctrine, organizational design, and training.” It appears that...

General Dynamics unit moves to Charlotte Charlotte Business Journal – 07/28/2003 General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products Inc. is moving its headquarters and light-manufacturing operations to Charlotte. The relocation, from Burlington, Vt., will create 405 jobs and require a $30 million investment. The Vermont-based company, which designs, develops and manufactures aerospace and defense products, will move in September and plans to be fully operational by the fall of next year. The company says the positions will pay an average of $70,000 a year. Charlotte was selected from among 10 cities. In a release, company President Linda Hudson cites a central...

BAE Systems has informed the Government that it is planning a giant transatlantic merger with one of its US defence rivals, either Boeing or Lockheed Martin. The UK's biggest defence company has made it clear that its future lies in North America and has discussed the implications in recent weeks with Patricia Hewitt, the trade and industry secretary, and Geoff Hoon, the secretary of state for defence. A mega-merger is expected later this year, according to executives of the company. One said: "BAE has always said there will be more consolidation and that it would be part of that. It...

General Dynamics Awarded $30 Million Contract for Information Technology Support and Services of Counter-Drug Task ForceNEEDHAM, Mass. – General Dynamics Network Systems has been awarded a contract valued at $30 million over the next six years to provide information technology support and related services to the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force South (JIATF South). The contract has a total potential value of up to $98 million, if all options are exercised.  General Dynamics Network Systems is a business unit in the General Dynamics Information Systems and Technology group.The primary mission of the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force South is the coordination of...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon has approved the $14.92 billion development and demonstration phase of the Future Combat Systems program, a project led by Boeing Co. to modernize the U.S. Army, the Army said on Monday. The FCS is expected to become a lethal family of manned and unmanned air and ground weapons interlinked and tied to forces from other U.S. military services over a sophisticated command network. It aims for an initial operating capability by 2010. Defense Undersecretary Edward "Pete" Aldridge, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyer, signed an acquisition defense memorandum on Sunday approving the second phase, Army officials...

Boeing Wins Army Modernization Contact 1 hour, 46 minutes ago Add Business - Reuters to My Yahoo! WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Boeing Co. has won a $14.92 billion contract to design and test the tanks and weapons of the future as part of the Pentagon (news - web sites)'s plan to modernize the U.S. Army, The Washington Post reported on Friday. Related Quotes DJIANASDAQ^SPC 8713.141551.38946.67 +65.32+16.480.00 delayed 20 mins - disclaimerQuote Data provided by Reuters   The Pentagon's Defense Acquisition Board approved the contract, moving into the second phase of the Future Combat System late on Wednesday, the newspaper reported, citing a...

Protesters try to block entrance to arms plant By JEN FISH, Portland Press Herald Writer Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. SACO — Fifteen activists bound together by a mixture of roofing tar, chicken wire and nails wrapped around PVC piping were arrested Tuesday after trying to block the entrance to General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products Co. No one was hurt in the protest, which lasted about four hours. More than 30 police officers and firefighters used scissors and wire cutters to untangle the protesters enough to load them onto a waiting bus. Nearby, several dozen protesters chanted...