Posted on 05/16/2008 3:14:39 AM PDT by too_cool_for_skool
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Lockheed Martin Corp. beat out Boeing Co. to win an Air Force contract worth up to $3.57 billion to build as many as 12 next-generation global positioning satellites, the Pentagon said Thursday.
The deal is the first of three awards to supply a total of 32 satellites for the Pentagon's new GPS III system. As the manufacturer of the first block of satellites, Lockheed will be in a strong position to win the two follow-on contracts.
Col. Dave Madden, commander of the Air Force's Global Positioning Systems Wing, said the Air Force hopes to work with the same company on all 32 satellites. Pentagon officials declined to speculate on how much all three awards could ultimately be worth.
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The first GPS III satellites are scheduled for launch in 2014, with all 32 satellites in orbit by 2022. The new GPS III network will have a more powerful military signal resistant to enemy jamming and a stronger commercial signal.
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Boeing and Lockheed both already hold satellite contracts for the military's existing GPS II constellation, but Boeing's part of that program has suffered technical problems, delays and cost increases. Those troubles may have contributed to its loss in the GPS III contest, said Loren Thompson, a defense industry consultant based in Virginia. Thompson consults for Lockheed, among other aerospace companies, but not on the GPS III program.
The GPS III deal is the latest in a series of big contract losses for Boeing in recent months ...
(Excerpt) Read more at biz.yahoo.com ...
Well, Lockheed Martin and Boeing won the Ares/Orion spacecraft contract. You will find that when one of the big three American contractors wins a big deal, at least one of the other two gets a large subcontract to build subsystems. Northrop Grumman won the electronics subsystem for the Ares/Orion. It allows the spreading of expertise, and the lessening of discontent from Senators in states that didn’t win the contract.
My brother works for Boeing (not in this division). They’ve had one screw up after another.
And some defensive capabilities like beefed up electronics, chaff, flares and the ability to change orbit. In future satellites I could believe that some may be armed with missiles to shoot down threats.
Feh. I'll bet they outsource the engineering and manufacturing to China.
So their CEO can afford more time at The Emperor's Club.
NO cheers, unfortunately.
bttt
I'll bet not.
It is hard to outsource stuff that requires a security clearance to work on.
Too bad they didn’t use STR in addition to PRN in the original GPS signal.
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