News From Washington
US Air Force Awards Northrop Grumman $181 M to Modernize ICBM Guidance
Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Mission System sector was awarded a $181 M contract to continue full-rate production of the ICBM Guidance Replacement Program (GRP), which is upgrading the guidance system electronics in the Minuteman III missile to extend its service through 2020. This is the fourth of eight production awards from the US Air Force ICBM Systems Project Office at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The total value of the GRP Program to the ICBM Prime teams is $1.57 B.
Northrop Grumman's teammate, Boeing Electronic System Missile Defense, Anaheim, CA, produces the missile guidance sets for the GRP. Honeywell Space Systems division, Clearwater, FL, is a major subcontractor to Boeing and provides the system's computer.
In addition to Northrop Grumman's annual sustainment award in October for $135 M, new modernization efforts awarded this year include the Safety Enhanced Reentry Vehicle Program, awarded in April for $170 M, which transfers Peacekeeper reentry vehicles onto the Minuteman III to enhance the safety and maintain reliability of the reentry vehicle; the Rapid Execution and Combat Targeting Service Life Extension Program worth $65 M to upgrade the launch command centers; and the Minuteman Minimum Essential Emergency Communication Network program worth $46 M to upgrade launch control communications.
Prior to the ICBM prime role, Northrop Grumman served as system engineering and technical advisor to the Air Force helping it manage the ICBM fleet for almost 45 years. Under this arrangement, the ICBM System Project Office directed a number of associate contractors that provided various elements of the ICBM system.
US Army Awards Raytheon $265.8 M for Expanded Excalibur Contract
Raytheon Co. has been awarded a $265.8 M US Army contract modification that expands the capability of the Excalibur program to meet the war fighter needs of both the US Army and the Kingdom of Sweden (KOS). The program modification merges the guidance development of Raytheon's on-going Excalibur program with the airframe concepts developed by Bofors Defense of Sweden, a subsidiary of United Defense Industries, as part of the US-Swedish Trajectory Corrected Munitions (TCM) program.
The revised Excalibur program responds to the need for precision-guided projectiles for the US Army's Future Combat System Cannon (FCS-Cannon). The Excalibur program will be in a position to enhance the performance of near-term Army platforms, to respond to Objective Force indirect fire requirements, and to encompass unique operational requirements for the Swedish Army. The KOS has agreed to contribute $57 M to the Excalibur program.
Excalibur is a member of the family of precision-guided projectiles under development at Raytheon. Other programs include the US Navy's 127 mm Extended Range Guided Munitions (ERGM) and the 155 mm Advanced Gun System (AGS), Long Range Attack Projectile (LRLAP). These products dramatically improve both the accuracy and the effectiveness of gun-launched artillery through the incorporation of a tightly coupled global positioning system/inertial measurement unit (GPS/IMU) guidance package that allows targets to be hit with the accuracy demonstrated by air-launch weapons in recent conflicts. A recent ERGM guided gunfire test at White Sands Missile Range, NM, flew over 70 km and hit within four meters of the aim point - demonstrating capabilities long desired for Marine Corps units ashore.
The revised Excalibur program provides for a robust development and test program that addresses Army lessons learned on other gun-launched development programs. "By planning a robust test program at both the subsystem and system level and allowing for multiple system iterations, we have put together a program that will provide a reliable and accurate projectile for the war fighter," said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Wilson, Excalibur product manager. "Additionally, together with Raytheon, Bofors and its teammates, we will continue to drive down the cost of the projectile through a series of structured Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) initiatives. By combining the needs of the US and Swedish Army at this point in time, and the capability of industry from both countries, we will provide the war fighter with an extremely capable weapon by leveraging the development expertise and funding from both nations." Both countries have signed a Memorandum of Agreement that will allow for a cooperative program between both the KOS and the US Government.
Raytheon Awarded $20 M Contract to Develop Submarine Weapons Control
Raytheon Co. has been awarded a $20 M contract from the Naval Sea System Command to develop the Combat Control System CCS Mk2 Weapons Control System. The contract has a potential value of $205 M (without material) over the four option years in addition to the base year. Raytheon is currently providing the baseline combat control system for Los Angeles class and Virginia class submarines, as well as for the Collins class submarines in Australia. To bring best value to the effort, Raytheon has identified a team of key strategic partners called "Team Subnet." Team Subnet includes small and large businesses that possess the technical domain expertise to most effectively meet Navy requirements. Current team members include: Orincon Defense; Trident Systems, Inc.; Progeny Systems; 21st Century Systems; Architecture Technology Corp.; DynCorp Range Technical Services; Advanced Solutions for Tomorrow; Rite Solutions; Aquidneck Management Associates; Control Systems Analysis; Sohar; and Purvis Systems Inc., as well as the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC).
As part of the overall submarine combat system, the Weapon Control System is responsible for the control and launch of Tomahawk missiles, and Mk48 heavy weight torpedoes. The program potentially includes production, systems upgrades, prototype development and retrofit kit builds for existing combat systems. The work will build from the existing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)-based CCS Mk2 open architecture and will support the Navy Advanced Processing Build technology refresh.
Lockheed Martin Receives $341 M Contract for PAC-3 Missile Production
Lockheed Martin has received a contract for $341 M from the US Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) for the production of the Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) Missile. Under the contract, Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control will produce 88 PAC-3 missiles plus other associated hardware. Production of all equipment will take place at the company's manufacturing facilities in Dallas and Lufkin, TX, and the PAC-3 Missile All-round facility in Camden, AK. The first production PAC-3 missile were delivered to the Army in September 2001.
Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control is the prime contractor responsible for the PAC-3 missile segment upgrade, which consists of the PAC-3 missile, missile canisters, the Fire Solution Computer (FSC) and the Enhanced Launcher Electronics System (ELES). The PAC-3 missile is a high velocity, hit-to-kill missile and is the next generation Patriot missile being developed to provide increased capability against advanced theater ballistic missile, cruise missile and hostile aircraft. The PAC-3 missile kills incoming targets by direct, body-to-body impact. The PAC-3 missile, when deployed in a Patriot battery, will significantly increase the Patriot system's firepower, since 16 PAC-3 missile load-out on a Patriot launcher, compared with four Patriot PAC-2 missiles.
The performance of the PAC-3 missile during its testing phases over the past several years is unequaled by any other air defense missile. All PAC-3 missile testing to date has been deemed by the Army and DOT&E community as threat representative and operationally realistic. During the flight test program, the PAC-3 missile demonstrated hit-to-kill lethality against tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs) and advanced cruise missiles, as well as full-scale aircraft.