$41.4M in AMCM Common Consoles, Engineering for MH-60S
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The UIS Navy recently issued a pair of contracts related to specialized versions of the MH-60S Knighthawk. The contracts cover Common Console technology insertion by Lockheed Martin, and engineering design efforts from United Technologies subsidiary Sikorsky.
AMCM? Common console? All part of the US Navy’s new helicopter platform, and new focus on littoral warfare.
The Sikorksy MH-60S AMCM derivative stands for Airborne Mine Counter-Measures. If the USA plans to operate more often in littoral regions near shore and in shallower waters, mines become a much more prominent threat – and organic airborne mine defense for carrier and expeditionary strike groups becomes a much more urgent priority. Hence the need for helicopters that can quickly be converted to AMCM roles, additional options like UUV and USV drones, improved anti-submarine warfare capabilities, and reconfigurable combat vessels like the USA’s new Littoral Combat Ships.
AMCM adds an operator’s station to the MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter cabin, plus additional internal fuel stores, towing capability, and AMCM – a suite of five integrated but different air, surface and sub-surface mine countermeasures systems that can be mixed and matched.
The Contracts
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Lockheed Martin Systems Integration-Owego in Owego, NY received a $16.4 million modification to previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract N00019-05-C-0048. The contract covers non-recurring engineering services in support of MH-60S Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM) Common Console Technology Insertion Effort. The Common Console is common to all five AMCM systems, and provides a control, monitoring and display system for these aircraft and their associated systems.
Work will be performed in Owego, NY, and is expected to be complete in June 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD issued the contract.
Meanwhile, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in Stratford, CT received a ceiling $25 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-quantity/ indefinite-delivery contract for highly specialized engineering and design efforts. Sikorsky makes the MH-60S, and continues to work on integration of organic AMCM systems with full-production level MH-60S helicopters. Work will be performed in Stratford, CT (60%) and Panama City, FL (40%), and is expected to be complete by January 2011. The contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City, FL (N61331-06-D-0012).
