Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC
The US Navy is re-opening its $100 million Supersonic Sea-Skimming Target (SSST) competition. The contest was terminated earlier this year because of USN concerns that the bidders could not replicate the advanced anti-ship missiles now in development.
The USN was originally due to select an SSST earlier this year - either AlliedSignal Aerospace's Sea Snake, an extended range MA-31 from Boeing or an Orbital Sciences/Raytheon proposal to modify surplus SRAM missiles. A full-scale development award was not made as no single bidder met all the terms and conditions outlined in the specification, according to industry sources.
Programme officials say the SSST requirement remains valid, although timescales are being adjusted to maintain development, production and fielding schedules. A draft request for proposals (RFP) is expected by the end of the year with a final RFP to follow.
The aim is for a contract award "within the next six to nine months" to allow a supersonic target to enter service in 2003-4 as planned in the original competition.
While the earlier competition would have resulted in a fixed-price contract, placing all risk with the winning bidder, programme officials are now considering either a cost-plus-fixed-fee or a cost-plus-incentive-fee award that would share risk between the contractor and the USN. Programme officials expect all original SSST contestants to re-bid, but this may be difficult for AlliedSignal, which is disbanding its target systems team.
The SSST is intended to test shipboard defences against the Russian Raguda 3M-80 (SS-N-22 Sunburn) anti-ship missile. The target will also have to emulate future anti-ship missiles such as France's planned Mach 2-plus ANF (future anti-naval missile). The MA-31 is a target version of the 3M-80, 13 of which were supplied to the USA through Boeing several years ago.
Source: Flight International