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Defense contractor Lockheed Martin upgraded the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) System, complete with the Aegis BSP, a new ballistic missile defense signal processor. From the press release:

“The Aegis BMD 4.0.1 system represents the next incremental capability upgrade that has been the hallmark of Aegis and its ‘build a little, test a little, learn a lot’ systems engineering philosophy. The upgrade’s new Aegis BSP processor improves the system’s ability to detect, track and target complex ballistic missiles and their associated countermeasures. The addition of BMD 4.0.1 also integrates the new Standard Missile-3 Block IB missile in late 2010.

“‘The signal processor is a major technical advance for Aegis BMD before it merges with the Navy’s Aegis Modernization Program’s fully open architecture, multi-mission combat system,’ said Orlando Carvalho, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s Surface/Sea-Based Missile Defense line of business. ‘The continued Aegis program emphasis on systems engineering excellence supports the Navy’s desire to expand BMD capability to additional cruisers and destroyers, and grow missile defense capability to pace the threat.’”

Read the rest here.

 
As part of a study into discarded disks, someone bought a disk on the online auction site eBay that contained launch procedures for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense ground-to-air missile defense system. (Source)

Who was responsible for the breach? Glenn Dardick, study researcher and associate professor of information systems at Longwood University in Virginia, said: “It could have been released by Lockheed, or a contractor of Lockheed — we don’t know. That’s where there will be an ongoing investigation to determine how this information got onto the open market.”

Dardick believes someone tried to reformat the disk to erase the information, but reformatting doesn’t completely erase the data. So why not simply destroy such disks? It also contained facility blueprints, security policies, and information on Lockheed Martin employees.

In all likelihood, there is more sensitive information available on eBay.

 
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has signed an agreement with U.S. defense contractor Raytheon for anti-aircraft missiles capable of being launched from the ground or air. (Media Line)

The UAE Air Force also will acquire Raytheon’s most advanced medium-range air-to-air missile as part of its effort to modernize defense technology. The UAE apparently is concerned about Iran’s weapons build-up and possible attacks if the U.S. and Iran escalate their conflict.

In other news, the U.S. Congress has cleared the way for the purchase of U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin’s Theater High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD). The UAE will buy the system for $6.9 billion. (Source)

Although the authorization process takes about 18 months, Lockheed spokesman Denis Cavin said, “We see no obstacle to meeting the timeline the UAE has asked us to meet.” From the article:

“The U.S. government is extremely cautious on releasing sensitive defense technology, and although some transfer might be granted, it was unlikely all would be released to the UAE, a U.S. executive said.”

 
**Defense contractor ATK was awarded a $55 million contract from the Navy for the advanced anti-radiation guided missile (AARGM). ATK will deliver a certain amount of AARGMs to meet the Navy’s Initial Operational Capability next year. (SPX)

**Defense contractor Raytheon-Lockheed Martin Javelin Joint Venture was awarded a $29.9 million contract from the Marine Corp to upgrade 404 Block 0 command launch units to Block I.

Raytheon’s Duane Gooden said, “One of the many advantages of the Block I is that it increases the radius of lethality by 38 percent. Enemy forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are engaging our warfighters with machine gun fire and mortars at a range of 2,500 meters (more than 8,200 feet). The upgrade to Block I gives U.S. Marines the ability to employ the Javelin missile within that same effective range.” (SPX)

**Raytheon won an additional $154 million Foreign Military Sales contract to upgrade Taiwan’s Patriot Air and Missile Defense Systems. The Army awarded a contract that included radar kit upgrades and command and control components.

Raytheon’s Sanjay Kapoor said, “Upgrading Patriot fire units from Configuration-2 to Configuration-3 will provide Taiwan with enhanced system capabilities to meet current and emerging threats.” (SPX)

(Photo credit: ATK)

 
**Good news for U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin. The company likely will post higher 4th quarter earnings, a trend that began under President George Bush. In fact, its earnings more than doubled under Bush. The higher profits may continue under Barack Obama. Bloomberg reports that Lockheed’s earnings rose one percent to $1.91.

Boston-based analyst Cai Von Rumohr said, “Defense stocks were pretty awful in the fourth quarter on a growing recognition of pension issues and concern Obama would be worse for the industry…With Obama wanting to create jobs it’s much less likely he’ll be looking at the defense budget as a way to save money. That would be counterproductive.” (Bloomberg)

**In other Lockheed news, UPI reports that the company’s F-35 stealth Lightning Joint Strike Fighter is designed to destroy Russia’s S-300, some of which Russia may have sold to rogue state Iran. With Israel in Syria’s and Iran’s sights, the U.S. is ready, willing, and able to supply our ally with missile defense technology like the F-35. (UPI)

**According to the AFP, India’s latest missile defense test was a failure. Indian scientists said the Russia/India-developed BrahMos missile “had flown only in the general direction of its target.” The missile was fired from the Pokhran range near the Pakistan border. (AFP)

Incidentally, India has been in talks with the U.S. to buy a missile defense system. An American embassy official reportedly said, “India is a partner of ours, and we want to provide it with whatever it needs to protect itself…This fits into the overall strategic partnership we are building.”

 
**U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $6.3 million contract to provide support for the MK 41 Vertical Launching System work on the Ticonderoga Class guided missile cruiser modernization program, as well as Turkey’s MEKO Track IIA and IIB frigates.

Lockheed’s vice president and general manager Dan Schultz said, “The MK 41 is the world’s most reliable below-deck, multi-mission naval missile launching system with a launch success rate of more than 99 percent.” (defense.professionals)

**A Kansas City Star editor says President-elect Barack Obama should move forward on missile defense, and that he has a “tendency to straddle the missile-defense issue.” He notes, as we have, that Russia has threatened to install missiles near Poland if the U.S. moves forward with its plan to build a missile defense shield in the country. Obama’s support for the plan is lukewarm at best and apathetic at worst.

Message for Obama:

“With the Iranians proceeding on their missile technology and nuclear programs, it would be better to have a Central European missile defense capability operational sooner rather than later.” (McClatchy Newspapers)

**Last week we blogged India and the U.S. meeting to discuss India buying missile defense shields from us. Both countries signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement last October after more than three decades of sanctions. A senior official in Pakistan, India’s rival, said his country would “have to take counter-measures to respond…For the past many years, we have been considering the possibility of such an outcome one day.”

Journalist Peter J. Brown said China may have problems with India’s missile plans. He writes: “The US seems determined to surround China with US-built anti-missile systems. Using North Korea as a valid excuse at first, the US anti-missile footprint could soon extend from Japan – including Japanese cruisers stationed offshore – and South Korea to Taiwan and India .” (Asia Times)

 
The Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) program provides early warning of missile launches, and Lockheed Martin has delivered the latest component of flight software for the first geosynchronous orbit spacecraft for SBIRS.

An excerpt:

“The software is an interim version of the second of two major blocks of enhanced flight software designed to provide highly reliable spacecraft command and control operations. It provides the functionality necessary to begin Baseline Integrated System Testing (BIST), which will characterize the performance of the integrated satellite and establish a performance baseline prior to entering thermal vacuum testing next year.”

Jeff Smith, Lockheed Martin’s SBIRS vice president and program manager, said, “This delivery enables our team to begin baseline integrated system test which represents a key milestone on our path to integrate, test and deliver this system.”

Source: (PRNewswire)

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency, working in concert with Lockheed Martin, successfully conducted a test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Weapon System in Hawaii last night. The intercept was the fifth successful test for THAAD system in five attempts.

KGMB9 News noted that this was first time the military needed to identify a mock warhead that separated from booster rockets. “Six minutes later,” the station reported, “an interceptor was launched from the Pacific Missile Range. It hit the mock warhead destroying it.” See the video at right.

The Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin have more details on the successful test, which marked the 29th of 30 successful tests conducted since September 2005.

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency and Lockheed Martin both praised the operation.

“Preliminary indications are that planned flight test objectives were achieved,” the agency reported in a release from Lt. Gen. Henry “Trey” Obering. “This test involved the intercept of a separating target (mock warhead separated from the booster rockets) in the ‘midendoatmosphere’ (inside the earth’s atmosphere). The target, representing a threat ballistic missile, was launched from a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft flying over the Pacific Ocean at 4:16 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (10:16 p.m. EDT). Approximately six minutes later the interceptor missile was launched from a mobile THAAD launcher on the range facility.”

One additional THAAD test is scheduled at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii, by the end of the year.

“This successful mission once again proves THAAD’s outstanding performance, this time against a new target type. The THAAD Team has again met the challenge and delivered mission success,” said Tom McGrath, program manager and vice president for THAAD at Lockheed Martin. “As we meet our increasing flight test objectives, the protection THAAD will provide to our Warfighters, friends and allies around the world becomes more significant.”

Photos and video of the test are available on the Missile Defense Agency website.