UCLASS Contracts

The Pentagon yesterday evening announced $15 million "preliminary design review assessment" contract awards to Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and General Atomics for the Navy's Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) Air Vehicle.

"The objective of the UCLASS system is to enhance aircraft carrier/air wing operations by providing a responsive, world-wide presence via an organic, sea-based Unmanned Aerial System, with persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting, and strike capabilities," according to a Defense Department contract announcement.

Inside the Navy reported last week that the UCLASS program had cleared a major hurdle when lawmakers released the remaining funds -- nearly $600 million -- needed to launch the effort. This puts the Navy on track to release a request for proposals for the program before the end of the fiscal year, ITN reported:

The service plans to invest $2.3 billion in the program from fiscal years 2013 to 2017, Congress has restricted some early funding due to concerns over the Navy's acquisition plans. In the FY-12 and FY-13 defense authorization bills, lawmakers directed that not more than 75 percent of the funds appropriated for the program be obligated until the Navy submitted a report on the threshold and objective key performance requirements for the program, a certification that these requirements are achievable and a description of system requirements.

These reports and certifications were received by Congress on June 10. Following a 60-day waiting period, the Navy has gotten word from Capitol Hill that the program will receive the funds today, Navy spokeswoman Capt. Cate Mueller confirmed to ITN on Aug. 8. The funds will be obligated shortly, she said, and "the RFP is still on track timing wise and expected before the end of the fiscal year."  This would be the draft request for proposals for the program ahead of the final version in fiscal year 2014.

Essentially, the Navy, the Joint Staff and the under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics "sufficiently met the reporting requirements specifically outlined in the legislation and further expounded on information that the Congress previously considered lacking in detail," allowing lawmakers to move forward with releasing the $575 million -- or 25 percent -- of the appropriated funds for the program, a congressional aide told ITN Aug. 9.