Power Alliance Wins DARPA Contract

On July 11, an alliance consisting of Lockheed Martin, Ingalls Shipbuilding and Newport News Shipbuilding was awarded a $1- million contract by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Navy to provide initial design concepts for the Arsenal Ship program. The team will reportedly be led in the initial phases by Lockheed Martin Government Electronic Systems, of Moorestown, N.J.

This contract is the first element of a six-phase program, which is planned to ultimately include construction of arsenal ships — floating missile batteries with as many as 500 vertical launch missiles that could be directed against multiple threats from another ship, from aircraft, or from land-based control sites. Ship design plans call for the incorporation of stealth technology for improved survivability, and highly automated control systems for reduced crew levels and lower operating costs.