The Arsenal Ship acquisition program was unique in two respects: it represented a new operational concept for Navy weapon systems, and its management structure and process represented a significant departure from traditional military ship-building programs. The Arsenal Ship program was, in effect, an experiment; while Navy envisioned an array of mission capabilities for thw ship, it set the project budget as the single immovable requiremnet.

The Arsenal Ship Acquisition Process Experience: Contrasting and Common Impressions From the Contractor Teams and Joint Program Office

Engineering & Transportation

Drezner, Jeffrey A.

Leonard, Robert S.

Sommer, Geoffrey

Engineering

RAND Corporation

The past three decades have seen a number of lessthansuccessfulefforts to develop highaltitude unmanned aerial vehicles. In 1994, theDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency, in conjunction with the DefenseAirborne Reconnaissance Office, initiated an effortdesignated theHighAltitude Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrator (HAE UAV ACTD) whose goal was to facilitate the developmentof UAVs through the use of a new and innovative acquisition strategy. This report addresses the effect of that acquisition strategy on the flight testprogram of the two air vehicles: the conventional Global Hawk and thelowobservable DarkStar. The authors found that because DarkStar was canceled after having logged only 6.5 flight hours, not enough flightexperience was accumulated to allow for an understanding of the vehicle'sflight characteristics or military utility. By contrast, Global Hawkaccumulated ample experience to permit a demonstration of its militaryutility, achieving a level of performance that was close to predicted goals.The precise effect of the HAE UAV acquisition strategy remains the subjectof debate. The strategy did, however, influence some key aspects of theflight test program, most notably its increased contractor involvement andits early operational testing in the form of user demonstrations. The flighttest program also served to illustrate the vital need for early involvementof operational users to bolster the capabilities and perspective of thecontractor.

Innovative Development: Global Hawk and DarkStar in the HAE UAV ACTD--Program Description and Comparative Analysis (Innovative Development 1)

Reference

<p>The past three decades have seen a number of less-than-successful efforts to develop high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles. In 1994, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, in conjunction with the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office, initiated an effort — designated the High-Altitude Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrator (HAE UAV ACTD) — whose goal was to facilitate the development of UAVs through the use of a new and innovative acquisition strategy. This report addresses the effect of that acquisition strategy on the flight test program of the two air vehicles: the conventional Global Hawk and the low-observable DarkStar. The authors found that because DarkStar was canceled after having logged only 6.5 flight hours, not enough flight experience was accumulated to allow for an understanding of the vehicle's flight characteristics or military utility. By contrast, Global Hawk accumulated ample experience to permit a demonstration of its military utility, achieving a level of performance that was close to predicted goals. The precise effect of the HAE UAV acquisition strategy remains the subject of debate. The strategy did, however, influence some key aspects of the flight test program, most notably its increased contractor involvement and its early operational testing in the form of user demonstrations. The flight test program also served to illustrate the vital need for early involvement of operational users to bolster the capabilities and perspective of the contractor.</p>

Innovative Development: Global Hawk and DarkStar--Flight Test in the HAE UAV ACTD Program (2001)

Science & Math

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