The US Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) has awarded a contract to Alion Science and Technology to provide support for technology development, integration and evaluation of unmanned and automated weapon systems.
Under the $24m deal, Alion will provide technical engineering to increase unmanned and automated weapon systems capabilities with limited modifications for tasks, including implementation of unmanned systems payloads on commercial off-the-shelf or existing non-developmental unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).
The company will provide work for the NSWC PCD, which includes UUVs, unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Alion Distributed Simulation Group senior vice president and manager Terri Spoonhour said that the company would provide capabilities and prototype systems for use by the US Navy and other homeland security-focused agencies, including the US Coast Guard, joint services and Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
"These technologies comprise configurations operating from several types of weapons platforms and other vehicles such as navy warships and experimental boats, explosive ordnance disposal operating craft and various other craft, as well as shore-based facilities," Spoonhour added.
The NSWC PCD supports research development test and evaluation for weapon systems development associated with mine and naval special warfare, as well as amphibious/expeditionary manoeuvre warfare systems, and other littoral missions.
The contract has been awarded under the Defense Technical Information Center’s (DTIC’s) Weapon Systems Technology Information Analysis Center (WSTIAC) contract and runs through to September 2015.
Operated by Alion, WSTIAC is one of nine DTIC Information Analysis Centers (IACs), which provide access to scientific and technical information for the Department of Defense (DoD) and contractors, including researchers, designers and engineers.
