US
Navy awards $212M contract to Textron for ship to shore connector (SSC)
contract
The
Navy awarded on July 6 2012 a $212,722,820 fixed-priced incentive-fee
contract for the detail design and construction of a Ship-to-Shore Connector
(SSC) test and training craft to Textron, Inc., New Orleans, La. The
contract also includes options for up to eight additional craft which,
if exercised, brings the cumulative value of this contract to $570,451,044.
The award was based on full and open competition.
The SSC is an evolutionary replacement for the current Landing Craft,
Air Cushioned (LCAC) vehicle, and benefits from more than 20 years of
lessons learned from LCAC operations and maintenance. (Picture:
Textron)
“The Ship-to-Shore Connector program demonstrates
the Navy’s commitment to competition, while reducing acquisition
and total ownership costs in the process,” said Secretary of the
Navy Ray Mabus. “This is the first major naval acquisition program
in more than 15 years to be designed in-house. The level of detail provided
by the government design increased competition, reduced overall procurement
costs and leads to smooth transition to full production.”
The SSC program will significantly enhance the Navy and Marine Corps
team’s capability to execute a broad spectrum of missions well
into the 21st century, from humanitarian assistance and disaster response
to multidimensional amphibious assault. Deliveries will begin in fiscal
2017 with initial operational capability projected for fiscal 2020.
(Video:
Textron)
The SSC will be a high-speed, fully amphibious landing
craft with a 30-year service life capable of carrying a 74-ton payload
that can travel at speeds of more than 35 knots, day or night. Ship-to-Shore
Connector supports rapid movement of Marine Expeditionary Forces from
the sea base to shore and can tactically deliver personnel and heavy
equipment to trafficable terrain well beyond the beach with the built-in
reliability to operate in the harshest littoral environments.
Ship-to-Shore Connector will also bring improved technology and increased
performance to handle current and future missions, plus better fuel
efficiency and reduced maintenance through existing shore-based infrastructure.
The Navy-led contract design, released to industry in a full and open
competition, allowed for mid-tier builders without air-cushioned vehicle
experience to compete for the detail design and construction contract.
This approach uses the government’s expertise in air-cushioned
vehicles and provides industry with the flexibility to make component
selections and complete design details for optimal producibility and
lowest possible acquisition costs.
