The Navy has released the final request for proposals (RFP) for the full production of its next generation tactical afloat network that will eventually be installed on most of the Navy’s fleet of ships.
The Navy is already in the process of installing the Consolidated Afloat Network and Enterprise Services (CANES) systems on ships under a low-rate initial-production (LRIP) contract with Northrop Grumman [NOC], which prevailed in a competition over Lockheed Martin [LMT] last year. The contract calls for building 29 units with 23 of them planned to be installed on ships.
But in order to drive down costs and push innovation the Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) had said it would hold a second competition for the full-production run that would be based on Northrop Grumman’s winning design. The Navy has complete data rights to the program.
“The CANES full deployment request for proposals represents the next stage in our effort to modernize the Navy’s afloat tactical network,” SPAWAR spokesman Steven Davis said of the RFP released late Thursday. “The business model we’ve adopted is designed to provide agile, timely and effective capability to the fleet.”
The Navy plans to award the contract by the end of March.
Northrop Grumman is expected to bid for the full production run. In addition to Lockheed Martin, Boeing [BA] and BAE Systems competed in earlier phases of the program. Other major defense firms that have shown interest are General Dynamics [GD] and Raytheon [RTN].
The first installation of CANES is taking place on the USS Milius (DDG-69), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in San Diego, and CANES units are being prepared for the another guided missile destroyer and for the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) aircraft carrier, SPAWAR said.
CANES is designed to eliminate multiple legacy information technology systems by effectively merging five stand-alone legacy networks for command, control, computers, communications, and intelligence (C4I) systems into a common shipboard computing environment.
It is a cornerstone of the Navy’s push to move toward more open architecture systems designed for easier upgrades while lowering total ownership costs, and to quickly counter emerging cyber or security threats.
The program is designed to strengthen network infrastructure, improve security, and reduce hardware space. It will also decrease the manpower burden by reducing operations and sustainment workloads through the use of common equipment, training and logistics.