Naval airborne anti-mine system update

Raytheon has been awarded a $7,733,484 contract modification for three Low Rate Initial Production units of the Airborne Mine Neutralization System (AMNS). The purpose of the AMNS is to reacquire and neutralize mines after detection. The AMNS will be employed by the MH-60S helicopter to explosively neutralize unburied bottom, close tethered and moored sea mines that are impractical or unsafe to counter using existing minesweeping/mine neutralization techniques.

Work will be performed in Portsmouth, R.I., (56 percent); Waterlooville, United Kingdom (23 percent); Claremont, N.H., (11 percent); Windber, Pa., (5 percent); West Wareham, Mass., (3 percent); Biddford, Maine (1%), and Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (1 percent) and is expected to be completed by Nov. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

Source: DoD
Photo: Sikorsky

Lots of activity at Tata

India's Tata Group is a huge industrial organization. This week has seen several major announcements.

Tata and Boeing announced a collaboration to handle an initial 500 million dollars of defence-related aerospace component manufacture. Then Sikorsky and Tata have firmed up in a joint helicopter manufacturing project in India. Finally,EADS and Tata have joined together to bid on a one-billion dollar program to supply tactical communication systems to the Indian army.

Sources: Various