Underwater Gliders for the US Navy

Slocum Glider

Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc., in Huntsville, AL recently received approval from the U.S. Navy to move into the Full Rate Production (FRP) Phase on the underwater Littoral Battlespace Sensing-Glider (LBS-G) Program. The first Full Rate Production option calls for the manufacture of 35 gliders, with additional options for 100 more, and a total contract value of $53.1 million if all options are exercised. US Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command manages the contract.

The Teledyne Team has already delivered 15 Low Rate Initial Production LBS-Gs to the US Navy’s Program Executive Office for C4I, under a December 2010 contract. That team includes Teledyne Brown (System Integration), Teledyne Webb Research in East Falmouth, MA (Slocum Glider development and production), and the University of Washington – Applied Physics Lab (Glider Operations Center software). Their 2m long design features a very innovative propulsion concept.

Navmar’s LADAR and Probe Sensor SBIR Research

AFRL LADAR image

Navmar Applied Sciences Corp. in Warminster, PA is not the only firm to win “Laser Radar” related contracts, nor are they the only firm to invest in LADAR for various uses. But they have received a series of contracts dating back from 2000, and collectively worth over $240 million, in order to develop the technology into deployed systems.

Navmar’s contracts have been issued under the auspices of the US Navy’s Small Business Innovation Research program, under SBIR Solicitation Topics N92-170 (Laser Detection and Ranging Identification Demonstration) and N94-178 (Air Deployable Expendable Multi-parameter Environmental Probe).

Up to $257.4M to APL-UW for Marine Research

RSN project concept

The Applied Physics Laboratories at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA received a $120.4 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity task order contract for up to 657,115 staff hours. Multiple appropriation types will be utilized throughout contract performance, and no funds are obligated by award of this contract, only on individual task orders. A contract option could bring the cumulative value of this contract to $257.4 million for up to 1,314,230 staff hours. Work will be performed in Seattle, WA, and is expected to be complete by April 2015. This contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC (N00024-10-D-6618).

The lab does a lot of civilian and military work, and even civilian programs like the Regional Scale Nodes Project ocean observatory would expand ocean access in ways that apply to both civilian and military systems. APL-UW will provide research, development, and engineering to US NAVSEA in 7 core competency areas that NAVSEA has deemed essential to support a variety of specific military programs. While this sort of work is less visible than buying a $700 million Littoral Combat Ship/ frigate, the combined effects of these efforts could be very significant in maintaining the US Navy’s future edge:

• Experimental oceanography
  
• Acoustic propagation
  
• Underwater instrumentation and equipment
  
• Marine corrosion
  
• Acoustic and related systems
  
• Simulations and signal processing; and
  
• Mission related research and development

MAR to Operate, Maintain US Navy’s M/V Independence Research Ship

US Navy’s M/V Independence
(click to view larger)

MAR Inc., a Rockville, MD-based small business qualifier, received a maximum $30 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for operation, maintenance, and repair of the US Navy’s M/V Independence research ship.

The M/V Independence is a diesel-powered vessel designed to operate as an ocean-going, world-wide research ship. The vessel’s home port is the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Port Hueneme, CA, approximately 70 miles north of Los Angeles.

Originally built for the USAF to support space shuttle operations on the West Coast, the Independence is now owned by the Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center (NFESC) and leased for oceanographic research…

Lockheed Martin Wins Contracts for Thin Line Towed Arrays

Towed arrays create a longer baseline than other types of underwater sensors, which enhances detection capabilities. According to the 2002 edition of the US Navy’s Vision…Presence…Power: A Guide to U.S. Navy Programs, the TB-29A is a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) version of the legacy TB-29 towed array:

“[The TB-29A] arrays will be used for back-fit on Los Angeles (SSN-688 and SSN-688I) and Seawolf (SSN-21) submarines and forward-fit on the Virginia (SSN-774) class. TB-29A will also be used for the SURTASS [Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System] Twin-line towed array system. It will provide greater capability than the current TB-23 Thin Line towed arrays and achieve enhanced supportability through commonality. TB-29A uses COTS telemetry to significantly reduce unit cost while maintaining superior array performance. These arrays were recently tested with SURTASS ships and will support the IUSS [Integrated Undersea Surveillance System] community…Coupled with the submarine A-RCI system, TB-29A arrays are expected to provide the same 400-500 percent increase in detection capability against quiet submerged platforms in blue-water and shallow-water areas, as the current TB-29 has demonstrated recently.”

$49.1M to NGC to Maintain MH-53E’s Minesweeping Gear

AQS-24 loading, MH-53E

Feb 25/10: Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. in Annapolis, MD received a $49.1 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for services and materials for depot level repair and maintenance of AMCM systems including the high-speed, high-resolution AN/AQS-14A side-scan sonar; AN/AQS-24 mine hunting system; AN/ALQ-141 acoustic minehunting/ minesweeping system; CP-2614/T common post mission analysis; and USM-668 intermediate level test equipment and swivel slip-ring assembly.

All of these systems are used by the US Navy’s MH-53E Sea Dragon mine hunting helicopters. With tensions rising around critical global shipping chokepoints, the USN’s new Osprey Class minehunters retired early and sold to other countries, its Littoral Combat Ship program late, and its associated MH-60S AMCM systems still a years away from full deployment, the MH-53Es and their gear are extremely important to the US Navy.

Work will be performed in Panama City, FL, and is expected to be complete by February 2015. Contract funds in the amount of $100,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, on Sept 30/10. This contract was not competitively procured by The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division in Panama City, FL (N61331-10-D-0009).

RAPVLA: Tracking Stealth Submarines in Deep Water

Submarines with improving stealth and attack capability – particularly modern diesel attack submarines – are proliferating worldwide. Locating these relatively inexpensive but extremely quiet boats presents a challenge to the US Navy, then Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Mullen warned Congress in 2007 testimony [pdf].

To counter this threat, the Navy is investigating a distributed and netted approach to anti-submarine warfare (ASW). Among the ASW programs the Navy is considering is the Reliable Acoustic Path Vertical Line Array (RAPVLA). The RAPVLA is a deep water, bottom-mounted, high-grain sensor system that can automatically detect, classify, localize, track and report contacts of interest, such as stealth submarines.

Lockheed Martin recently received a $7 million order for applied research in support of the RAPVLA program…

Sperry Gets $10.9M Order to Support US Navy Integrated Bridge Systems

Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine business unit in Charlottesville, VA received a $10.9 million modification to a previously awarded contract (N65540-06-D-0009) for engineering and technical services and equipment in support of Sperry Marine-manufactured integrated bridge systems and steering/ ship control systems installed on US Navy vessels and at land-based test facilities.

The work will involve analysis, repair, alteration, maintenance, and production improvement on existing integrated bridge systems and steering/ ship control systems…

OM Group to Acquire Defense Battery Supplier EaglePicher Technologies for $171.9M

OM Group in Cleveland, OH agreed to acquire EaglePicher Technologies, a Joplin, MO-based manufacturer of batteries, battery management systems and energetic devices for the defense, aerospace, and medical industries, from EaglePicher Corp. for $171.9 million.

In fiscal year 2009, EaglePicher recorded revenues of approximately $125 million, of which approximately 60% came from its defense business, approximately 31% from its aerospace business, and the balance from its medical and other businesses…

Raytheon’s AN/AQS-20 Mine Detection Sonar (AMCM)

MH-60S w. AQS-20

Advances made in American mine detection technologies during the mid 2000s included the AQS-20A mine detecting sonar array and airborne laser systems mounted to MH-60S helicopters. All of this is in the service of the USA’s new naval emphasis on littoral warfare and accompanying doctrinal changes. So, what’s the AN/AQS-20? And how is it also related to a new US ship class, not to mention a new undersea robot?

• The AN/AQS-20, AMCM, and Future Fleet Capabilities
  
• AQS-20 Contracts & Key Events [different article]