Saudis Look to USA for Towed Light Artillery

M119 105mm

Sept 21/11: The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announces Saudi Arabia’s formal request for up to $886 million of equipment to augment the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s existing light artillery capabilities. The Royal Saudi Land Forces already have towed 155mm and 105mm howitzers and support vehicles and systems, and DSCA says they will have no difficulty absorbing these additional howitzers into their armed forces. If a contract is negotiated, implementation of this sale will not require the assignment of any U.S. Government or contractor representatives to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

As a Foreign Military Sale mode purchase, any contract will be managed by a US Army department, probably the Rock Island Arsenal, IL. The specific items requested include:

DTRA & Achaogen Targeting Class A Bacterial Pathogens

Latest updates[?]: Another research contract; WSJ Top 50.

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Achaogen in San Francisco, CA is working on “preclinical development of novel therapeutics that reduce the virulence of, and inhibit resistance in, Class A Bacterial Pathogens.” Achaogen closed a $26 million round of venture financing in October 2006, and they had raised $103 million in equity by March 2011. Their approach focuses on small molecules that inhibit the emergence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Initial efforts had the goal of making the bacteria susceptible to existing fluoroquinolones, and potentially to other classes of antibacterial drugs.

So, just what are “Class A bacterial pathogens?” You certainly know some of them by name.

Rapid Fire 2011-09-25 | CVLSP Draft RFP Delayed; Defense Job Cuts

• USAF delays the release of its CVLSP draft RFP, a platform meant to replace its fleet of 62 UH-1Ns with up to 93 helicopters.

• The US Army transferred the buying office in charge of the Information Technologies Enterprise Solutions-3 Hardware (ITES-3H) competition from the Contracting Command National Capital Region (ACC-NCR) to the Contracting Command Rock Island (ACC-RI).

• BAE set to cut up to 3,000 jobs in the UK? More details expected in the days to come.

• Hedging Pascal’s wager. In case prayer doesn’t do it, a rally to save Avondale Shipyard in Louisiana is set on October 1st. The shipyard is scheduled to close in 2013 after the last LPD-17 built there is finished. Reliability improvements noted by the Navy a case of too little too late given the track record? There are still many jobs at stake.

• Airbus bought 51% in German subcontractor PFW Aerospace said to face a “severe liquidity crisis”. The company manufactures tube & duct systems, cargo loading solutions and metal structures, and lists the Typhoon, EC 135, EH 101 Merlin, and A400M among the military programs it participates in.

• Closet diplomat. The Economist ponders the future of America’s lasting alliances in Asia. Maybe Admiral Lord Alan “We’re Not Bloody Belgium” West could help?

• Stock buybacks: Raytheon, Lockheed Martin.