Description
Organization: NAVSEA, NUWC, Newport
Team Name: Submarine High Data Rate (SubHDR) Antenna Team
Related Acquisition Topic(s): Acquisition Practices Streamlining, Commercial and Non Developmental Items (CANDI), Integrated Product Teams (IPT), Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD), Partnering, Performance Based Acquisition, Performance Specs and Standards, Specifications and Standards
Description:
The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport is the Technical Direction Agent (TDA) for the acquisition of the Submarine High Data Rate (SubHDR) Antenna Program. This program is critical to providing the Submarine Force with adequate data rate and bandwidth to ensure operability with the Fleet-wide Information Technology for the Twenty First Century or IT-21. In direct support of the SubHDR Program Manager, SPAWAR PMW 173, Division Newport’s Submarine Electromagnetic Systems Department has assembled a team of government and contractor personnel with specific expertise and understanding of all aspects of the system design. Under the leadership of Mr. Tom Downie, the SubHDR Team has initiated a wide variety of acquisition ideas that have streamlined the process and reduced technical risk.
A variety of innovative approaches have been implemented in SubHDR acquisition:
- Designing a system using Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) and Government-Off-The-Shelf (GOTS) that enabled leveraging other Navy acquisition dollars and focusing SubHDR efforts on the truly unique requirements and challenges of a new submarine mast and outboard electronics. - Use of a contract structure with the SubHDR contractor that enabled flexible ordering. Pricing by range of units procured allows purchases to fluctuate in accordance with deviations from planned program funding. - Acquisition of Low Rate of Initial Production (LRIP) units based on demonstration of critical performance requirements and technical achievement that provided high confidence of qualifying production units. This low risk approach provides units to support parallel government and contractor testing, acquires hardware for TECHEVAL/OPEVAL, and supports early Fleet introduction. Subsequent LRIP decisions based on achievement of defined performance. - Acquisition streamlining guidelines were followed to minimize mandatory deliverables by the contractor, and Military Specifications and Standards were greatly reduced by using performance based specifications - Evaluated an innovative one-piece fairing that had been qualified through the Foreign Comparative Test program providing improved performance without developmental cost to the SubHDR program - Division Newport supporting industry development of TWT technology for smaller size, higher power, and cooler operating tubes enabling placement of TWT in submarine mast. Dual sources supported for this vital technology.
Extensive use has been made of government and industry teams in an innovative manner that capitalizes on the capabilities of each partner to resolve technical issues and expedite acquisition:
- Radar Cross Section (RCS) reduction: Division Newport performed RCS testing using government facilities and expertise to provide an early determination of the effectiveness of shaping techniques to reduce RCS. This information allowed cost/performance trade-offs in applying radar absorbent material to various surfaces. Testing results and technical information provided to the contractor were the basis for invoking a performance requirement that was known to be achievable and deliverable at reasonable cost. Division Newport testing was undertaken in parallel with contractor design and analysis resulting in early resolution of this important performance requirement.
- The test program has been streamlined by using a government/industry team approach to testing that avoids the lengthy serial test path for qualifying new development hardware. The contractor test phases emphasize testing of new design and features that require hardware/software integration and troubleshooting. The government is leveraging its unique satellite terminal testing facilities and, engineering knowledge base to perform extensive regression and operational testing of the modified terminal hardware and software. Government engineers who are regularly on-site to witness contractor testing remain current on test progress and problem resolution. This provides valuable first-hand knowledge to the program office and provides a cadre of qualified personnel for government land-based and at-sea testing.
- Qualification of a new material for outboard submarine use: A government/industry team was used to identify and qualify an alloy of titanium that provided the combination of strength, light weight, and corrosion resistance needed to satisfy program performance requirements in the sea water environment. Division Newport drew upon government expertise at NAVSEA and Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, while the contractor coordinated industry efforts in selecting and validating manufacturing methods for this new material. Required testing was performed to verify and document metallurgical and performance properties for this new material which will be available for other defense and commercial applications.
The Division Newport SubHDR Team has played a major role in ensuring the timely procurement, testing and Fleet implementation of this vital submarine communications capability.
