NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
Contract: $4,859,929 - Department of the Air Force - Jul. 17, 2009
71% voted satisfied - 29% voted not satisfied - 7 vote(s) cast
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Award Description: This ARRA award enhances the existing Integrated Vehicle Energy Technology Development (INVENT) Phase I program, contracted by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Propulsion Directorate with Northrop Grumman as prime contractor, and The Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin as subcontractors. The enhanced statement of work incorporates an effort entitled 'Hybrid Electric UAV High Endurance Renewable Propulsion and Power System.' The overall purpose of the program is to investigate highly energy efficient technologies, currently being investigated under INVENT and related programs, to develop an air vehicle capable of staying continuously aloft with a goal of 15 - 30 days between refueling. The INVENT team will perform detailed integration modeling and analyses of conventional as well as alternative Persistent, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (PISR) unmanned air vehicles (UAV) and include preliminary plans for the INVENT Phase II program, where energy efficient technologies can be tested and study results validated. The INVENT program has identified near term electrical accumulators and battery technologies that could be applied to PISR variants. The study will include these energy storage technologies and others, and show how the performance (payload, altitude, speed) and life of the vehicle is benefitted by energy optimized architectures. The program is segregated into three activities designed to evaluate near-term, mid-term and long-term initial operational capability (IOC) technologies capable of achieving extended mission durations, with the vehicle continuously aloft. The near-term IOC study effort enhances the work being performed on the existing INVENT contract to include critical subsystem and vehicle system modeling and simulation of a UAV with an emphasis on extending the time aloft with conventional optimally integrated systems. In addition, Northrop Grumman (NG) will independently study a near-term PISR unmanned platform configuration. The NGC PISR will address capability for extended mission time aloft for up to 3 days. NGC will develop platform system and subsystem requirements for the NGC PISR platform, sufficient for developing system and subsystem architectures, designs, technology assessments, and platform-level performance evaluations, leveraging existing and evolving INVENT and other subsystem technologies such as the electric accumulator unit that can be applied to the NGC PISR. The Boeing Company (TBC) will independently study platform system and subsystem requirements for a mid-term PISR platform, sufficient for developing system and subsystem architectures, designs, technology assessments, and platform-level performance evaluations. TBC will evaluate existing and evolving INVENT subsystem technologies for applicability to the TBC PISR platform, and develop integrated subsystem and system models to simulate the performance of the TBC PISR design concept. Lockheed Martin (LM) will independently study platform system and subsystem requirements for a long-term PISR platform, sufficient for developing system and subsystem architectures, designs, technology assessments, and platform-level performance evaluations. LM will evaluate existing and emerging power technologies for applicability to the LM PISR platform, and investigate capabilities for extended unrefueled time aloft of 15-30 days. These vehicles would be environmentally clean in that they would use no fuel and leave no exhaust. The study results will be provided at an Interim Design Review and documented in reports. The program is subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). (Reference: Review Case Number 88ABW-2009-4353.)
Project Description: NG was awarded the program in the third quarter of 2009, and subcontract awards to The Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin were issued by NG. Program plans were developed for each of the activities included in the statement of work, and the work breakdown structure for the program was established. NGC, TBC and LM conducted kick-off meetings and received concurrence with their study approach and plans by the AFRL customer. (Reference: Review Case Number 88ABW-2009-4353.)
Jobs Summary: Jobs retained fall within the general category of Engineering, and more specifically within the disciplines of Program Management, Vehicle Systems Analysis, Thermal & Power Systems Analysis, Thermodynamic Analysis, Modeling and Simulation, Electric Systems Design, and Flight Controls Analysis. (Total jobs reported: 1)
Project Status: Less Than 50% Completed
This award's data was last updated on Jul. 17, 2009. Help expand these official descriptions using the wiki below.
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