Department of Defense Annual Report

The award of an Other Transaction in this instance has allowed the Government to share costs with the contractor to explore this mutually beneficial research area and has provided an environment conducive to close Government/contractor cooperation.

The demonstration bearing for this research project will be a ball bearing such as that installed on the F110 fighter engine. Data from current engine fleets show that damage initiated by hard-particle contamination and during assembly are the predominate causes of failure in highly loaded, high-speed bearings. The expected improvement in bearing surface-damage resistance with FNC or nitrided M50 and/or FNC M50NIL will be an attractive product improvement in existing bearing designs. Engine repair cost alone of a single unscheduled engine removal caused by mainshaft bearing failure ranges from approximately $200,000 to $1.8M, so the 10% to 20% bearing cost increase anticipated for FNC M50 or FNC M50NiL has the potential to be a very cost-effective way to reduce the overall cost of engine ownership to DOD.

The technical objectives of this effort are to design a low cost, lightweight fan system (LCLWFS) first stage and inlet system optimized for a military fan application considering cost, weight and performance. The LCLWFS design will include a first stage blade, disk, stator, front fan case, and endwall treatment. The inlet system will include the inlet case, inlet guide vane, inlet guide vane actuation system, and front bearing compartment. The program will include integration of an advanced engine second stage rotor and aft frame design.

A primary use of Other Transactions for Research has been to increase the DoD’s access to dual use technologies by supporting and stimulating research that has both commercial and military application. This project aims to develop this advanced technology by building upon Pratt and Whitney’s previous fan development successes.

Although the recipient of this Other Transaction for Research is a for-profit firm that has previously worked with DoD agencies, award of an Other Transaction in this instance has allowed the Government and the contractor to work closely together in a cooperative relationship to optimize a successful project outcome.

This project is potentially beneficial to DoD because newer higher performance engines require low system weight that is critical to emerging Vertical Short Takeoff and Landing (VSTOL) Programs. This project concentrates on designing the LCLWFS optimized for a military fan application considering cost, weight, and performance and will support the Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technology (IHPTET) initiative. The LCLWFS technology has transition potential to the Joint Strike Fighter and F18 Programs.

The objective of the Re-configurable Control and Fault Identification System (RCFIS) program is to demonstrate: 1) a system level fault identification and reconfiguration capability, and 2) component level diagnostic/prognostic capability that will increase safety of flight and reduce support costs. The combination of system and component level fault identification yields payoff by providing the ability to recover from a serious fault/damage condition and avoid such occurrences using anomaly detection and prognostics.

A primary use of Other Transactions for Research has been to increase the DoD’s access to dual use technologies by supporting and stimulating research that has both commercial and military application. This project aims to do that by developing a framework that is applicable to a range of military and commercial vehicles and by demonstrating application of such a system using F/A-18 flight simulation facilities.

The recipient of this Other Transaction Research is a for-profit firm that has previously worked with DoD agencies. However, use of an other transaction allows the Government to capitalize on commercial technology development that has potential for military application. The ability to do this is enhanced by the use of commercial-like agreements with more flexible terms than is possible with a FAR based contract. For example, this agreement contains alternate patent rights provisions and flexible termination provisions.

The objective of the program is to develop a more cost-effective method for producing advance super-alloy disks having a dual heat treatment (DHT) resulting in a fine-grain, high strength bore and a coarser grain, damage-tolerant rim for aircraft engines. The Phase 1 tasks are aimed at material procurement, definition of a thermo-mechanical processing window and forging of full-scale disks. Phase 2 activities are focused on development of a dual-heat treat process for the full-scale disk shapes and production of fully heat-treated full-scale disks. Phase 3 will include metallurgical and mechanical behavior characterization of the fully heat-treated full-scale disks. One full-scale forging will be available at the completion of the program for possible demonstrator engine test.

Use of an Other Transactions for Research increases the DoD’s access to dual use technologies by supporting and stimulating research that has both commercial and military application. This project aims to accomplish this objective by demonstrating the capability of the DHT process, via destructive evaluation of fully-processed high pressure turbine (HPT) disk forgings in a growth F414 shape. The results are intended to be directly leveragable to several GEAC disk shapes—both military and commercial, based on size similarity with the F414 shape.

The recipient of this Other Transaction Research is a for-profit firm that has previously worked with DoD agencies. However, use of an other transaction allows the Government to capitalize on commercial technology development that has potential for military application. The ability to do this is enhanced by the use of commercial-like agreements with more flexible terms than is possible with a FAR based contract. For example, this agreement contains alternate patent rights provisions and flexible termination provisions.

The technical objectives of this effort are to develop a lower thermal conductivity ceramic layer for greater insulating capability and reduce coating thickness requirements and consequently coating deposition time and cost.

A primary use of Other Transactions for Research is to increase the DoD’s access to dual use technologies by supporting and stimulating research that has both commercial and military application. By meeting the challenging requirements for military aircraft engines—including systems under development for the Joint Strike Fighter, this project will also benefit GEAC commercial product lines. Further, the potential commercial application of this technology warrants cost sharing by GEAC.

The recipient of this Other Transaction Research is a for-profit firm that has previously worked with DoD agencies. However, use of an other transaction allows the Government to capitalize on commercial technology development that has potential for military application. The ability to do this is enhanced by the use of commercial-like agreements with more flexible terms than is possible with a FAR based contract. For example, this agreement contains alternate patent rights provisions and flexible termination provisions.

Under this project, achieving the same TBC benefits with 50% of the thickness could save DoD over $8 million per year for 200,000 blades.

The technical objectives of this effort are to develop and demonstrate a ceramic-matrix composite (CMC) airfoil manufacturing process that produces components having the desired structural integrity. The project will also demonstrate the capability of the process to consistently yield the desired properties in an integrated high-performance turbine engine technology (IHPTET) engine test component and develop an improved thermal/environmental barrier coating to demonstrate enhanced temperature capability for the overall ceramic material system.

A primary use of Other Transactions for Research is to increase the DoD’s access to dual use technologies by supporting and stimulating research that has both commercial and military application. This project will develop and demonstrate cost effective fabrication processes for ceramic matrix composite airfoils (CMC) for current and future Navy and Air Force aircraft propulsion systems as well as for commercial jet engine applications.

The recipient of this Other Transaction Research is a for-profit firm that has previously worked with DoD agencies. However, use of an other transaction allows the Government to capitalize on commercial technology development that has potential for military application. The ability to do this is enhanced by the use of commercial-like agreements with more flexible terms than is possible with a FAR based contract. For example, this agreement contains alternate patent rights provisions and flexible termination provisions.

The technical objectives of this effort are to:

2. Investigate and benchmark software porting method and costs

3. Identify and justify an optimum sparing approach

4. Identify a phased transition plan for implementing GP architecture and reusing replacement components

as spares

5. Identify an overall Total system Life-Cycle Cost Report encompassing the information gained from

these trade studies and demonstration
The SQQ-89(V) Surface Ship Undersea Warfare Combat System is comprised of several subsystems, each of which supports the overall system mission by providing capabilities supporting USW detection, alert, classification, localization and fire control. The technology area is signal processing architecture.
Extent to which the cooperative agreement or other transaction has contributed to a broadening of the technology and industrial base available for meeting Department of Defense needs:
This effort is not complete, therefore; the contributions are not known. However, There may be other vendors available as a result of surveys of existing COTS technology. The expected result will be enhanced processing efficiency at lower cost as new generation COTS technology and software replaces older technology, some of which is military-specific.
Extent to which the cooperative agreement or other transaction has fostered within the technology and industrial base new relationships and practices that support the national security of the USA:
See following paragraph.
Other benefits to the DOD through use of this agreement:
Northrop Grumman would normally be expected to participate in a study and analyses of the subject matter at hand, regardless of what procurement technique was employed. The primary benefit of an "other transaction" versus a traditional contract is the elimination management and administrative tasks that do not add value to the deliverable, thereby increasing the value received for program dollars expended.

Agreement Number: F08630-00-2-0001
Type of Agreement: Cooperative Agreement
Title: Compositional Development of a Low Cost High Strength, High Fracture Toughness Non-Cobalt Steel
Awarding Office: Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate Contracting Division
Awardee: National Forge Company
Effective Date: 31 May 2000
Estimated Completion or Expiration Date: 30 Aug 2002
U. S. Government Dollars: $ 216,175
Non Government Dollars: $ 216,175
Dollars Returned to Government Account: 2% of gross revenues from material sales less taxes received from non-government purchases
Technical objectives of this effort including the technology areas in which the project was conducted:

The technical objective of this effort is to develop revolutionary low cost steel with minimal mechanical properties for use in future warheads.

The use of a cooperative agreement allowed the Air Force to enter into an agreement with National Forge to develop steel as good as expensive steel but as economical as low grade steel. Using the Cooperative Agreement allowed early transition of this technology developed by the Air Force into the industrial base by accelerating its commercial application Dual Use Science and Technology (DUS&T) program. Since the basic research for this technology was provided by the Air Force, the recoupment provision of the agreement makes early commercial application mutually beneficial.

The use of a cooperative agreement allowed the Air Force the flexibility to negotiate recoupment terms that recognizes the Air Force’s contribution to the technology. The recoupment provision allows the Air Force to benefit from the contractor’s commercial application and sales of products produced with this new technology.

The technical objective of this effort is to develop and test an ultra-tightly coupled Global Positioning System (GPS) /Inertial Navigation System (INS). The design must show a path to a unit that will reside within a single cylindrical package for use in a small smart bomb and maintain current GPS/INS system accuracy.

The use of an Other Transaction for Research agreement has great potential to broaden the technology and industrial base in the area of guidance technology because it brings a teaming arrangement between Boeing, Honeywell and Rockwell. Each company contributes its expertise and cost sharing to accomplish broad program objectives that none is individually able to accomplish. Boeing, as the prime, has not previously participated in this technology and, upon completion of the program, can be expected to improve the competitive market for this technology. Because of the investment by the contractor and the close involvement between the contractor and the government, the other transaction for research was determined to be the most advantageous agreement type. Bringing this team of contractors into this technology should increase the competition for future efforts and could result in future cost savings for the Air Force. This agreement would not have been possible under a traditional Government contract or cooperative agreement. The flexibility provided by the Other Transaction for Research authority allowed the Air Force and the contractor team to negotiate a Patent Rights provision that recognizes the extensive contribution by the contractor team.

The use of an Other Transaction agreement has contributed toward the teaming of three outstanding individual companies (with Boeing as the prime). Each company brings forward its own expertise and funds for approximately 66% of the total program cost. Teaming is a concept that works well in programs such as MINT where integration of several technologies is required. As stated above, the flexibility provided by the Other Transaction for Research authority allowed the Air Force and the contractor team to negotiate a Patent Rights provision that recognizes the extensive contribution by the contractor team.