Description
Organization: NAVAIR, Air Force
Team Name: test
Related Acquisition Topic(s): Acquisition Practices Streamlining, Cost As an Independent Variable (CAIV), Integrated Product Teams (IPT), Partnering, Specifications and Standards
Description:
The AIM-9X, a joint Navy and Air Force program, will provide U.S. warfighters with the world's pre-eminent next generation "dogfight" air-to-air missile for the 21st century. On December 13, 1996 the Naval Air Systems Command awarded a $169.2 million Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract to Hughes Missile Systems Company (HMSC) of Tucson, Arizona, to complete the development and test of the next Sidewinder tactical short range air-to-air missile. This missile has a focal plane array imaging sensor integrated with a seeker with improved off-boresight angle, improved performance against infrared countermeasures, greater acquisition ranges in various backgrounds, and a highly maneuverable airframe. It will be integrated with the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System to take advantage of the high off-boresight seeker and agile airframe. During development AIM-9X will be integrated on the Navy F/A-18C/D and the Air Force F-15C/D aircraft. In its early production years it will be integrated on the F/A-18E/F by the Navy and on the F-15E, F-22 and F-16 aircraft by the Air Force. For almost fifty years, the Navy has been the design agent for the world-renowned AIM-9 Sidewinder missile lineage. The Sidewinder Class missile is employed by over 30 countries around the world.
AIM-9X get started in Acquisition Reform in 1992 when the Navy and the Air Force embarked on a joint missile. A Cost and Operational Effectiveness Analysis (COEA) was conducted to determine if a new short range missile was required, and if so, to examine various development options. The COEA process determined that existing components were suitable for future use and only the airframe and seeker needed to be upgraded. Cost performance upgrade happened right off the bat. Following the MS-I review, the AIM-9X program office awarded 18-month Demonstration and Validation (DEM/VAL) contracts to HMSC and Raytheon Electronic Systems. The program office formed small integrated product teams (IPTs) with each contractor. Team members expedited Government actions needed to assist the contractor.
In order to pursue Acquisition Reform as it has evolved, the AIM-9X Program Office has adopted multiple improved and reformed business practices. The program office and HMSC are partners in a contractor-led IPT. HMSC will have control of the technical drawing package, configuration control, total system performance responsibility and will operate the repair depot. The Government/Contractor team established a mission that will deliver to the warfighter an affordable weapon system within schedule that meets stated performance requirements. In August 1995, AIM-9X was designated a Navy Cost As an Independent Variable (CAIV) Flagship Program charged with pioneering the way for other Navy programs to reduce the cost of quality weapons systems by using innovative business practices. An aggressive producibility program during AIM-9X DEM/VAL and the use of an innovative procurement price commitment curve (PPCC) are driving down the cost of the first production missile. The Program Office radically reduced the number of Military Specifications and Standards (MIL-SPECs & MIL-STDs) and data reporting requirements for this phase of the program. This new approach to managing AIM-9X has already saved the Government millions of dollars in development costs and will continue to reap even greater savings in management oversight and production costs. The Hughes design for the AIM-9X builds on the foundation of the previous Sidewinder missiles with improvements that will give the AIM-9X unmatched performance for a short range missile in the 21st century. This will enable AIM-9X to be fielded ahead of schedule and under the cost projected for the program at the time it entered the DEM/VAL phase in 1995.
The streamlining methods and practices most beneficial to other programs would be to conduct a good scrub of contract data requirement lists (CDRLs) and MIL-SPECs and MIL-STDs. Also recommended is in-plant government representation. The government representative is chartered to help the contractor succeed in his contract efforts and to be an advocate in bringing those efforts needing clarification, concurrence or help to the Government for resolution and assistance. The success of this experiment led the program office to permanently adopt teaming with the contractor for EMD. The use of teaming eliminates the need for written work going back and forth between the government and contractor.
From here,the next big step is Design Review 1 (Preliminary Design Review). DR1 will be more of a status review, because there has been consistent interface with the contractor. There have been 54 peer reviews over the last 2.5 months. These peer reviews allow the entire team to be more knowledgeable about issues and to address them as they occur rather than at some pre-determined event. The Critical Design Review will be conducted the same way. The AIM-9X Program will continue to build on innovative acquisition reform initiatives.
