USA Upgrades Submarine Fleet Acoustics Under A-RCI Program
5-year Tech Insertion hardware contract for USA and Australia.
Sept 29/14: TI. DRS Laurel Technologies in Johnstown, PA receives a $171.1 million fixed-price-incentive, cost-plus-incentive fee, cost-plus-fixed fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract for combat control and sonar Technology Insertion Hardware. The equipment will upgrade systems currently installed on American SSN 688i Improved Los Angeles Class, SSN-21 Seawolf, SSN-774 Virginia class, and Ohio SSBN/ SSGNs (94.2%), and Australia’s diesel-electric SSK Collins Class (5.8%). It will also provide initial installed systems for SSN Virginia class Block III and future SSBN Ohio Replacement submarines. Funds will be committed as orders are placed. The SSBN-X submarines are very much a future project, but the contract has options that could bring its cumulative value to an estimated $384.3 million.
Work will be performed in Johnstown, PA (92%); Burnsville, MN (7%); and Manassas, VA (1%), and is expected to be complete by September 2019. This contract was competitively procured via FBO.gov, with 3 offers received by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Keyport in Keyport, WA (N00253-14-D-0004).
Acoustic Rapid Commercial-Off-The-Shelf Insertion (A-RCI) is a sonar system upgrade installed on the USA’s entire submarine fleet, including SSN-688 Los Angeles & SSN-688I Improved Los Angeles Class, SSN-21 Seawolf Class, SSN-744 Virginia Class, SSBN-726 Ohio Class nuclear missile boats, and the new SSGN Tactical Trident special ops and strike subs.
This DID Spotlight on ARCI adds a bit more explanation of exactly what the program entails and where its benefits were focused, as well as covers contracts placed under the A-RCI program from FY 2005 onward. The program’s concept is simple: you can upgrade the system without changing the sensors. By sharply upgrading ship sensor processing, it integrates and improves the boat’s towed array, hull array and sphere array sonars, running more advanced algorithms and providing a fuller “picture” of the surrounding environment. Sometimes, it really is all about what you can do with it. A-RCI’s open architecture concept also make it easier to integrate additional sensors, providing a dual-track improvement option for American submarines.
A-RCI: Specifics & Benefits
The Open Architecture Advantage
A-RCI Issues
A-RCI: FY 2005 – 2014 Contracts
FY 2013 – 2014
FY 2011 – 2012
FY 2009 – 2010
FY 2007 – 2008
FY 2006 and Earlier
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![USS Seawolf [SSN-21] into Guam](https://media.defenceindustrydaily.com/images/SHIP_SSN-21_USS_Seawolf_into_Guam_lg.jpg)
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