Intelsat Chooses Orbital Sciences To Build Satellite

Intelsat Ltd. selected Orbital Sciences Corp. [ORB] to design, build and deliver the Intelsat-18 (IS-18) commercial communications satellite.

The satellite will be based on the Orbital STAR-2 platform and will generate approximately 4.9 kilowatts of payload power.

It will carry 24 C-band transponders to cover the Northern and Southern hemispheres and 12 Ku-band transponders to provide services to the United States, French Polynesia, Australia, New Caledonia and other Pacific Islands.

Following its launch and deployment, the spacecraft will be located in geosynchronous orbit (GEO) at 180 degrees East longitude.

This latest order for an Orbital GEO communications satellites is the 24th by customers throughout the world and will be the eighth in the Intelsat fleet. The IS-18 satellite will replace the Intelsat IS-701 spacecraft.

Raytheon Gains $895.3 Million Excalibur Projectiles Contract

The Army gave Raytheon Co. [RTN] an $85.3 million contract to provide Excalibur projectiles for the Army and Marine Corps, and also for Australian Defence Forces, the company announced.

Excalibur, a cooperative effort between Raytheon Missile Systems and BAE Systems Bofors of Sweden, is an artillery projectile that provides precision-strike capability at extended ranges for current and future 155 mm howitzers.

Excalibur is the only precision projectile currently fired from U.S. Army (Paladin and LW155), U.S. Marine Corps (LW155) and Canadian (LW155) 155 mm howitzers. The objective Excalibur has a 40-km (24.8 miles) range that demonstrates better than 10 meter-(32.8 feet) accuracy.

Raymond Sicignano, the Army deputy product manager for Excalibur, said the Excalibur precision capability takes out targets without collateral damage to civilians and property.