Danger Room’s Dialogue With DARPA’s Director

Our friend Noah Shachtman, who ran Military.com’s Defense Tech for several years, has left for a new job with WIRED as the editor of “Danger Room.” Here’s one of the stories on the new site:

Tony Tether

“Tony Tether has headed up the Pentagon’s way-out research arm, Darpa, since 2001. That makes him the longest-serving director in the agency’s nearly 50-year history. He sat down with me for an interview in his office, on the top floor of a blandly menacing Northern Virginia office building, last December. For my story in the March issue of Wired (online next Tuesday), Tether and I talked about everything from bio-terrorists to zombie rodents to thinking machines to the golf courses in Iraq. Here’s the transcript…”

If you’ve ever wanted to meet the director behind all of those DARPA stories DID runs… here’s your chance.

DRS Gets $19.7M to Develop PMM for Naval IPS’

Zumwalt Class

DRS Power Technology Inc in Fitchburg, MA received a $19.7 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Integrated Power Systems research, and development of a Permanent Magnet Motor (PMM) System Land Based Test Site and Next Generation Design. Work will be performed in Fitchburg, MA, and is expected to be complete by the end of Sep. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $1.1 million will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was competitively procured and advertised on the Internet, with 15 proposals received by the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C. (N00024-07-C-4202)

The choice of an integrated power systems (IPS) based on in-hull permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMMs) or Advanced Induction Motors (AIM), in order to meet growing power demands, was controversial at the time. As ships pack bigger electronics arrays, and take advantage of the efficiency and acoustic benefits of all-electric ships, the efficiency and power output of one’s IPS matters more and more.

After DRS’ PMM technology hit some early roadbloacks, the Navy switched to Alstom’s AIM system for the Zumwalt Class in February 2005 – even though PMM technology would be lighter, take up less space, meet noise requirements more easily, and produce over twice the electric power output. DRS later fixed the issue, but the decision was made and altering it again would have thrown the program off schedule. It would be almost impossible to fit the first 2 DDG-1000 ships with PMM systems now, and even installing them on subsequent ships of class would require significant redesign. A PMM option would be very beneficial if the USA was prepared to make those changes on ships 3-6, however. Ditto if they chose to move ahead with a derivative CG (X) heavy cruiser class or FFG (X) frigate/destroyer class, or saw PMM systems as viable options for future versions of the Littoral Combat Ships. Hence the potentially big deal about DRS’ small contract.

$71.9M to Complete USS Virginia Post-Shakedown Work

SSN 744: shakedown cruise

Getting a new class of submarine fully tweaked takes a while. General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp. in Groton, CT received a $71.9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-96-C-2100) on Mar. 6, 2007, establishing the final price for the execution of the first-of-class USS Virginia [SSN 774] Post Shakedown Availability to accomplish the maintenance, repair, alterations, testing, and other work. It will be performed in Groton, CT (99%) and Quonset Point, R.I. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair in Groton, CT issued the contract.

Work of this nature has been ongoing; $15.5 million was spent in December 2005 on similar efforts. The 2nd ship USS Texas [SSN 775] is also in the middle of post-shakedown modifications.

$70M to Draeger for Medical Supplies

Draeger Medical Inc. in Telford, PA received a maximum $70 million fixed price with economic price adjustment for anesthesia, ventilation and patient monitoring systems on behalf of the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Federal civilian agencies. There were 45 proposals solicited and 31 responded. This is a 5-year base contract with 5 one-year options. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is March 08, 2012. Contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, PA (SPM200-07-D-8003).