$26M to Maintain US Navy REMUS UUVs

REMUS 100

Hydroid, LLC in Pocasset, MA received a $26 million firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed fee, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for maintenance, repair, alterations and upgrades of the torpedo-shaped Remote Environmental Measuring Unit (REMUS) Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) system, as well as upkeep of documentation used with these UUV systems. This is most probably connected to the contract for the “Swordfish” mine counter measures variant of the two-man portable REMUS 100. Hydroid recently delivered its 100th REMUS 100 vehicle; naval customers include Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK’s Royal Navy. The USA used them during Operation Iraqi Freedom for mine clearing, and it is part of an emerging constellation of reconnaissance UUVs.

This contract includes services and supplies required for the operation and maintenance of UUV systems, including maintaining them in state-of-the-art configuration. The contract will also provide for procurement of up to 24 additional UUV replacement vehicles/ auxiliary support equipment, should UUVs be lost or damaged beyond repair. Work will be performed in Pocasset, MA and is expected to be complete by May 2012. The contract was not competitively procured by the Naval Sea Systems Command, Indian Head Division in Indian Head, MD (N00174-07-D-0001).

$8M for 3 MK 30-Mod 2 ATS Sub Simulator UUVs

Mk 30 Mod 2, pre-launch

The Lockheed Martin Sippican/ Granite State Manufacturing Submarine Antenna Joint Venture in Marion, MA received an $8 million modification under previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-6102), to exercise an option for production of the MK 30 Mod 2 Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Target System (ATS) along with associated proofing support material and replenishment spares. This procurement satisfies the FY 2007 undersea weapons requirement for production of 3 Target Undersea Vehicles and associated support services. Work will be performed in Marion, MA (57.7%, Sippican); and Manchester, NH (42.3%, Granite State), and is expected to be complete by July 2007. The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC is the contracting activity.

The MK 30 Mod 2 ATS recoverable ASW target provides training services for submarine, surface ship and aircraft crews to employ their sensors and weapon systems in realistic and operationally representative situations. The ATS can be launched from a helicopter or surface ship, and simulates a submarine’s dynamics of speed, depth and maneuvers. Realistic signatures of passive and active acoustics and magnetic anomaly detection, along with tactics, can be preprogrammed into the TUV to increase realism and enhance training. The MK 30 Mod 2 ATS will replace the existing MK 30 Mod 1 system, and Lockheed Martin Sippican claims significant improvements in capability, reliability, maintainability/ availability, and affordability. See also the original contract win release from February 24, 2005.

AUV Fest 2007 Set to be Largest Ever Maritime UV Demonstration

BAE’s Talisman

Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City (NSWC PC) is busy preparing to host the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Performance Demonstration, called AUV Fest, on June 4-16, 2007. These events started in 1997, and are hosted at 18 month intervals or so. NSWC PC’s AUV Fest 2007 Coordinator Phil Bernstein said that this AUV Fest is expected to draw more than 100 teams from government, industry, academia, and foreign military, bringing in excess of 80 unmanned vehicles equipped with a variety of sensor packages. He believes this will be the world’s largest-ever in-water unmanned systems demonstration.

Underwater mines will be a particular focus of AUV 2007, and cooperative behavior will be another area of special interest. the center of operations will be conducted from NSWC PC’s Littoral Warfare Research Facility, but would also involve coordination with multiple facilities located throughout Naval Support Activity Panama City. AUV 2007 will operate from the Joint Gulf Test Range; there will be a total of 14 operational areas in St. Andrews Bay and the Gulf of Mexico involved in deploying and testing Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs), Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs).” See US Navy Newsstand release.

US Navy Spends Another $12.7M for ASW Module USVs

GDRS Concept

The U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in San Diego, CA awarded General Dynamics Robotic Systems a $12.7 million contract for 4 Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) for the Littoral Combat Ship’s Anti-Submarine Warfare Mission Module.

As the prime contractor in this team effort, General Dynamics will provide the Navy with an 11-meter USV that can perform long endurance missions due to its efficiency. The USVs will employ towed arrays, dipping sonar sensors and acoustic sources as payloads to carry out their Anti-Submarine Warfare mission. General Dynamics’ teammates on this project include:

Denmark to Invest in Saab’s Double Eagle UUV

Double Eagle Mk.III UUV

Saab Underwater Systems will upgrade all of the Royal Danish Navy’s Double Eagle UUV(unmanned underwater vehicles). The order is worth more than SEK 100 million including options (about $13.7 million). The Double Eagle Systems are remotely operated underwater vehicles used for mine hunting and other operations, and Denmark ordered Saab’s Mk.II version in the mid 1990s for use from their SF300 Standard Flex ships.

The contract includes upgrades to the electronic system and next-generation sensor systems. The upgraded Double Eagle Mk.III systems will be prepared for SAROV configuration, which means that the vehicles can be operated as fully autonomous Unmanned Underwater Vehicles. The Royal Danish Navy’s Naval Materiel Command and Saab have also agreed to collaborate on future studies, development, tests and operational improvements of the Double Eagle System, which is also being delivered to Sweden, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Rapid Fire 05-10-2006: IT Modernization Delayed

RU-38 Twin Condor

• US Army meets 2006 recruiting goals early.

• No slowdown in India-Israel defense cooperation.

LCS Modules: $23.4M to Support First 3 WLD-1 USVs

WLD-1 USV

Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors Electronics Park in Syracuse, NY received a not-to-exceed $23.4 million cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price modification under previously awarded letter contract (N00024-05-C-6237) as part of the remote minehunting system (RMS) program. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC is exercising an option for production of three installation and checkout (INCO) kits and supporting equipment and engineering services for 3 remote minehunting vehicle (RMV) units. Lockheed will also overhaul the first 2 remote minehunting engineering development models (RMS EDMs), which have already been produced. Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY (60%), and Riviera Beach, Fla. (40%), and is expected to be completed by August 2007.

Of course, this effort is part of a larger contract set…

$8.5M for 2 Littoral Combat Ship Anti-Submarine USVs

Spartan Scout USV

General Dynamics Robotic Systems in Westminster, MD received an $8.5 million cost-plus-fixed-fee completion pricing arrangement contract for two unmanned surface vehicle (USV) systems for the littoral combat ship anti-submarine warfare mission module. This contract contains options, which, if exercised will bring the potential cumulative value of this contract $11.3 million. Work will be performed in Owings Mills, Md., and is expected to be complete May 2007. This contract was competitively procured via a broad agency announcement released via the Federal Business Opportunities web site and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central web site, with eight offers received. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center San Diego in San Diego, CA issued the contract (N66001-06-C-2016).

See also GDRS’ May 5, 2005 news release; note that they are a subsidiary of General Dynamics Land Systems. The company plans to adapt its land robotics command and control system for the new USVs; indeed, Scott Myers President Scott Myers cited this expertise as a key reason the Navy chose them.

$25M SBIR Contract for Air-Droppable SeaScout UAV-USV

Sea Scout USV-UAV

Small business qualifier Oregon Iron Works, Inc. in Clackamas, OR won a $25 million not-to-exceed, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity Phase III Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program contract for Topic N04-044: “Airdroppable High Speed, Low Signature Craft.” DID has covered the SBIR process before, and explained that Stage III is one step below full commercialization and procurement.

The SBIR Q&A associated with this subject is very interesting. SeaScout is a mixed UAV-USV (unmanned surface vessel) flying boat design, though a Q&A excerpt for the program reads:

N-G Gets $159M Littoral Combat Ship Mission Package Integration Contract

LCS Flight 0 Basics

The US Navy has awarded a 10-year, cost plus award fee/award term contract with a potential dollar figure of $159 million to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. in Bethpage, NY. Northrop Grumman will serve as mission package integrator for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Mission Modules program. The FY 2006 portion of the contract award is $4.5 million.

The integrator’s role is to as a system-engineering partner responsible for bringing the systems and technologies of the mission modules together, and act as a conduit for technology to be harnessed and incorporated into the LCS seaframe and mission module architectures. They will work closely with the government’s Mission Package Integration Laboratory at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, FL, strengthening the production team that is slated deliver the first mission packages in Fiscal Year (FY) 2007.

Mission modules are integrated packages of mission-specific equipment that can be swapped in and out of the LCS. The ships will initially draw upon modules for Mine Warfare (MIW), Anti-submarine Warfare (ASW) and Surface Warfare (SUW).