The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) today
selected three industry teams for Phase II of the joint
Navy/DARPA Arsenal Ship Program. The three selected industry
teams will each be awarded $15 million modifications to their
existing Phase I Arsenal Ship agreements using the provisions of
Public Law 103-160, Section 845, Other Agreements Authority. The
three Phase II industry teams are as follows:
General Dynamics, Marine/Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, Team
Leader, with: General Dynamics, Marine/Electric Boat, Groton,
Conn.; Raytheon Electronic Systems, Lexington, Mass.; and Science
Applications International Corp., McLean, Va.
Lockheed Martin, Government Electronic Systems, Morrestown,
N.J., Team Leader, with: Litton Industries/Ingalls Shipbuilding,
Pascagoula, Miss.; and Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News,
Va.
Northrop Grumman Corporation, Sykesville, Md., Team Leader,
with: National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, Calif.;
Vitro Corp., Rockville, Md.; Solipsys, Columbia, Md.; and Band
Lavis & Associates, Inc., Severna Park, Md.
The Arsenal Ship Program is a high-priority, joint
Navy/DARPA program which will develop a new capability for
delivery of large quantities of ordnance in support of land and
littoral engagements. The basic requirement for the Arsenal Ship
is to satisfy joint naval expeditionary force warfighting
requirements in regional conflicts by providing the theater
commander with massive firepower for long-range strike, naval
surface fire support, and air theater-defense through hundreds of
vertical launch system cells and a future advanced gun.
The Arsenal Ship Programs acquisition approach represents a
major departure from the way Navy ships have been acquired in the
past. The program turns the systems development process over to
industry at its earliest stage and challenges industry to develop
and design the optimum mix of performance capabilities which can
be accommodated within production and life-cycle affordability
constraints. In an effort to optimize streamlined technical and
business approaches, the program is using DARPAs Section 845
authority to conduct prototype development and acquisition
experiments outside normal constraints of the Federal Acquisition
Regulations.
In July 1996, DARPA awarded each of five industry teams $1
million Phase I agreements under full and open competition.
Since that time, the five teams performed various trade-off
studies and developed their initial Arsenal Ship design concepts
based upon the governments Ship Capabilities Document and the
Concept of Operations. The Phase I Arsenal Ship Concept Designs,
in conjunction with the three successful offerors Phase II
proposals, formed the basis for the Phase II selection and were
deemed as providing the best value to the government.
In Phase II, which will last one year, the three industry
teams selected today will continue to develop their concept
designs into functional designs consisting of an integrated
engineering and cost baseline for the Arsenal Ship Program.
After Phase II, DARPA will select one industry team to enter
into Phase III. During that phase, the industry team chosen will
complete its detail design and construct an Arsenal Ship
Demonstrator, as well as provide an irrevocable offer to
construct five additional Arsenal Ships and convert the Arsenal
Ship Demonstrator into a fully operational asset in the
production phase (Phase V). Phase IV consists of performance
testing and a fleet evaluation. The value of the research and
development portion (Phases I-IV) of the program is approximately
$520 million.
The Arsenal Ship Joint Program is managed by DARPA, and
includes representatives from the Naval Sea Systems Command and
the Office of Naval Research.
Because the winning teams are competing against each until
Phase III, limited information is available concerning their
concept designs. Questions should be addressed to the teams
public relations points of contact:
General Dynamics, Marine/Bath Iron Works Team: Contact
Kevin Gildart, (207) 442-2025, for information.
Lockheed Martin, Government Electronic Systems Team:
Contact Rich Palmay, (609) 722-2708 for information.
Northrop Grumman Corporation Team: Contact Dick Dunne,
(516) 346-9850, for information.
