Bridgestone has announced that they have acquired Pep Boys for $835 million in all cash via their shares. The shares are about $15.00 each. The transaction is being structured as a tender offer.

Gary Garfield, the CEO and President of Bridgestone America, commented on the companies:

The United States government has recently approved of the potential sale of four Lockheed Martin Freedom-class ship variants to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia will be using these ships in order to create the core for their Royal Saudi Navy’s Eastern Fleet. This foreign military sale, which is estimated to be valued at $11.25 billion, will include four Lockheed Martin Freedom-class variants which will come equipped with five COMBATSS-21 Combat Management Systems (4 installed, 1 spare), five Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) UPX-29 (4 installed, 1 spare), five Compact Low Frequency Active Passive Variable Depth Sonar (4 installed, 1 spare), as well as many more associated systems, munitions, and weapons. All of this equipment will serve as the basis for the Saudi Naval Expansion Program II (SNEPII), which is a program estimated to be valued at $20 billion in order to update the weathered United States-built Saudi fleet which is currently operating in the Persian Gulf.

Lockheed Martin is upgrading the battle command systems of the United States’ military branches. These battle command systems are in charge of all airborne assets which include the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy. This includes bombers, tankers, fighters, unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, and cruise missiles.

The United States Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has been working on a potential foreign military sale (FMS) to Saudi Arabia, who is interested in purchasing UH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopters along with the associated equipment. Under this potential sale, which is estimated to value $495 million, Saudi Arabia has requested a wide selection of supplies including nine UH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopters, 20 incorporated global positioning systems with inertial navigation systems, 21 T700-GE-701D engines (comprised of three spares and 18 installed), 12 AN/AAR-57, 20 M240H 7.62mm machine guns, as well as common missile warning systems. Additional equipment that Saudi Arabia has also requested includes M134 miniguns, aircraft survivability equipment, dual-mode controllable search lights, electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) system, external electric hoists, quick rope insertion and extraction system, dual patient litter system, internal auxiliary fuel tank system, and ballistic armor protection system.

Ceradyne, a 3M Company, has received a contract modification that is worth $34 million from the US Army to assist in the making of body armor pieces for enhanced small arms protective inserts (ESAPI) for the Solider Protection System Vital Torso program. This contract was created because the U.S Armed Forces were looking to seek improvement on their agility and mobility. The U.S. Army has been brainstorming ideas on how to reduce the weight of the soldier’s armor without losing much protection.

In an effort to meet California initiatives to combat global warming, the Irvine Company has decided to fit more than a dozen office buildings with battery-powered energy systems. The new energy saving systems will use batteries purchased from Tesla, and they will primarily be used during the peak summer months when tenants turn up their air conditioners. One of if not the main selling points of the new energy saving system is that they charge up during periods of lower use when electricity is fairly inexpensive. Tesla plans on teaming up with San Francisco-based Advanced Microgrid Solutions (AMS) to install and operate the energy storage systems. Each office building will be fitted with an “energy farm” of batteries roughly the size of 5 parking spaces.

iRobot has received an IDIQ contract with the potential value of $96 million from the U.S. Navy to deliver its new MK1 robots. iRobot is a leader in providing robotic technology-based solutions. According to the first multi-year IDIQ contract (which has a total ceiling of $46.7 million), it has support services, upgrades, and spares for the Man Transportable Robotic System (also known as the MTRS) MK1 robots. The MK1 robots are modeled after the iRobot’s multi-mission’s iRobot 510 PackBot.

The United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has recently and successfully tested its persistent close air support (PCAS) prototype system. This system was tested on the United States Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft. The most recent test, which took place near Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, marked the system’s initial debut on a United States Air Force platform. With 50 successful attacks made by troops coming out from a position of defense (also known as a ‘sortie’), the test demonstrated that a joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) on the ground is capable of commanding an airstrike with three simple clicks on a tablet.

Aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin has just received a $227 million contract from the US Army for its brand new Alternative Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System Unitary (GMLRS). The new US Army contract also includes provisions to provide for a Foreign Military sale of GMLRS rockets to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. GMLRS is an all-weather rocket designed to perform in any condition, with swift deployment and a range far greater than that of conventional weapon. Also, the new alternative version of the GMLRS vastly improves upon its predecessor. New features include a more precise accuracy processor, an enhanced anti-jam system, a 200 pound Unitary Warhead, one-round one kill capability, and reduced collateral damage. One of if not the largest improvement in the alternative GMLRS is the lowered risk of unexploded ordinance. This missile has one of the longest ranges of any submunition warheads, but it is also incredibly accurate.

The United States Navy has cleared Raytheon to begin full-rate production on the AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II infrared air-to-air missile, according to reports out of Tucson.

Jet2.com, a low-cost British airline in the United Kingdom, has recently finalized a deal with Boeing for 27 next-generation 737-800 aircraft. Under this contract, which is estimated to be valued at $2.6 billion, Jet2.com will be receiving 737-800NG airliners over the span of the next two years. The company will be using these aircraft to serve its holiday package and flight-only customers by deploying these airplanes to leisure destinations in the Mediterranean, such as the Canary Islands and other European leisure cities. Jet2.com hopes that this new fleet with help to strengthen its business, as well as to provide the company with reliable, comfortable, and cost-effective aircraft.

The United States Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has advised to Congress that there may be a potential foreign military sale (FMS) of AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters, along with all of the associated equipment, to the United Kingdom. Under this sale, which is estimated to have a value of $3 billion, the United Kingdom’s government has requested the remanufacture of 50 WAH-64 Mk1 attack helicopters into AH-64E Apaches equipped with 110 T-700-GE-701D engines. In addition to this, the sale will include the refurbishment of 53 AN / AAR-11 modernized pilot night-vision sensors, 53 AN / ASQ-170 modernized target designation and acquisition sights, and 52 AN / APG-78 fire control radars. That’s not it though. The package will also include the upgrade of 300 Apache aviator integrated helmets, 52 AN / APR-48B modernized radar frequency interferometers, 55 radar electronics units (longbow component), 60 AAR-57(V) 3 / 5 common missile warning systems with 5th sensor and improved countermeasure dispenser, as well as 120 embedded global positioning systems (GPS) with inertial navigation.

Harris Corporation has received a $97 million contract from the United States Navy for an Airborne Jammer order.

On August 7, 2015, the State Department approved a potential Foreign Military Sale to Japan for technologies including the guided missile destroyer 7 (DDG), AEGIS Combat System (ACS) 8, Underwater Weapon System (UWS), and Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) for an estimated cost of around $1.5 billion.

In an effort to revitalize the city of Flint, Michigan, who was synonymous with the meteoric rise of Ford in the first half of the twentieth century, General Motors plans to invest $877 million dollars into the Flint Assembly Plant. This overhaul and investment is expected to be part of a plan to open up and expand three U.S. truck plants to install new assembly lines, body welding shops, and paint operations for future production of Silverado pickups and SUVs such as the Chevrolet Tahoe and Cadillac Escalade, while avoiding shutting down the plant and delay ongoing production.

Bombardier Inc. has delayed the commercial debut of its Global 7000 business jet by two years, the most recent in a string of setbacks.

Teledyne Technologies announced in July 2015 that they have secured a USD$15 million contract with NASA to provide hyperspectral remote-sensing imagery from an instrument to be installed on the International Space Station (ISS). The instrument, built by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), will be integrated into the multi-user system for earth sensing (MUSES) earth-observation platform at the station. It is said to be the first instrument to be installed in the MUSES platform which will also house three other Earth observation tools.

At the end of last week, word broke that the Canadian government is reportedly planning on cancelling a USD$55 million contract with Thales Canada to deliver new radar units in order to support its CF-18 fighter jet squadrons in Cold Lake, Alberta and Bagotville, Quebec. Signed in November of 2010, the deal called for Thales Canada to deliver two Ground Master (GM 400) air-defense tactical-control radar systems, scheduled to begin in 2013. According to Defense Department documents, costs of the equipment had increased to over USD$78 million which led to the Public Works Department being called in to negotiate with Thales and try to resolve the issue.

The British Broadcasting Corporation has released its new Micro Bit (stylized as “micro:bit”), a new device for the company’s computer literacy project designed to capture the imaginations of the next generation of programmers.

With a scheduled date of June 26, the upcoming hearing on the US space launch strategy is bound to get heated. The forthcoming hearing, dubbed “Assuring National Security Space: Investing in American Industry to End Reliance on Russian Rocket Engines,” will feature a panel of government speakers followed by one from private industry. The House Armed Services - Strategic Forces Committee, the agency that oversees the nation’s ballistic missile defense, strategic weapons, space, and Department of Energy national security programs, wants the public to understand that Congress meant it when it mandated the US Air Force to end its reliance on Russian-made launch systems by 2019.