Contract awards moving long-range radar program forward

  • Published
  • By Patty Welsh
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  The Theater Battle Control Division here recently awarded three contracts for continued technology development, preliminary design review and prototype capability demonstration of the Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar (3DELRR).

The 3DELRR system will be the primary Air Force long-range, ground-based sensor for detecting, identifying, tracking and reporting aerial targets in support of theater commanders. It will replace the Air Force's aging AN/TPS-75 radar.

The three contracts were awarded Aug. 20 to: Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors, Liverpool, N.Y., for $35,980,000; Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. Electronic Systems Division, Linthicum Heights, Md., for $34,748,186; and Raytheon Co. Integrated Defense Systems in Sudbury, Mass., for $35,195,000.The official posting is available online at www.defense.gov/contracts/.

"By awarding to these three contractors, we'll conclude our Technology Development Phase with three unique, matured designs driving down technical risk and overall system cost to fulfill the requirements," said Lt. Col. Brian McDonald, 3DELRR program manager. "This is competition at its finest."

Earlier this year, the program's acquisition strategy changed to award up to three contracts, instead of one, as the outcome of the full and open competition to complete the Technology Development Phase, or Pre-Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (Pre-EMD) period. In March, McDonald held an Industry Day to explain acquisition strategy and request for proposal (RFP) changes to potential offerors.

Awarding to multiple bidders strictly complies with the duration of competitive prototyping set forth by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (USD(AT&L)) in 2007 that required, "two or more competing teams producing prototypes through Milestone B."

This policy was later echoed in a 2009 USD(AT&L) directive-type memorandum on implementing the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009. It stated, "The technology development strategy for each major defense acquisition program shall provide for prototypes of the system... before Milestone B approval."

McDonald emphasized that requirements refinement, informed by cost versus capability data from the three contractors, is the first order of business.

"The 3DELRR Program Office has been preparing to receive these extensive data from the successful offerors shortly after contract award," he said. "In cooperation with Air Combat Command, we will quickly substantiate an affordable set of requirements that meet the warfighters' needs."

In accordance with the contract statement of work, all three contractors will conduct requirements analyses to create multiple 3DELRR design configurations of varying performance with the top ten system capability or requirement cost drivers reported to the government. Pre-defined system affordability targets, including average procurement unit cost and total ownership cost, anchor several of the design configurations.

The 3DELRR program is also the Air Force designated system as part of the Defense Exportability Features Pilot Program, which could potentially allow for increased sales and lower production costs. Accordingly, contractors must look at how to incorporate differential capability and enhanced protection for exportable versions of 3DELRR.

According to McDonald, addressing exportability this early in a weapon system's development is groundbreaking.

By the end of the 15-month period of performance, each contractor will have produced a functioning system prototype. These prototypes must demonstrate the current state of system development, outcome of risk reduction efforts and successful performance of all critical technology elements in a relevant environment at Capability Demonstration C.

Some prototype elements that will be included are: a full scale antenna structure, partially populated array of gallium nitride-based transmit/receive modules, signal and data processing and data display to show radar output. The prototype will also need to demonstrate attributes such as functional modularity, net-centricity and scalability.

"The prototype capability demonstration is the climactic activity on these contracts. Capability Demonstration B, which served the same purpose for our prior two contracts, surpassed expectations. I anticipate nothing less this time," said McDonald.

Three post-award conferences at the contractor facilities are being planned in succession after Labor Day.

McDonald is pleased to be back on contract.

"After a great deal of scrutiny and change, the 3DELRR program is underway again with industry," he said. "I can't say enough about the dedication of the men and women of the 3DELRR Program Office who worked so hard to get us here. They deserve the credit for this big occasion."

In fact, the 3DELRR RFP Team was selected as the former Electronic Systems Center's team category award winner for April to June 2012.

More information on the 3DELRR program can be found on the FedBizOpps website at www.fbo.gov.