The Pentagon’s Inspector General issued a report last week that faulted the Navy’s development of a minesweeping system intended to operate off Littoral Combat Ships, questioning the reliability and cost of the Organic Airborne and Surface Influence Sweep (OASIS) program.
The IG report said the Navy has not adequately defined the shock absorbing requirements for the system and therefore does not have sufficient information to support a decision scheduled for early next year to move OASIS into low-rate initial production (LRIP).
“Without fully defined capability requirements, the Navy cannot determine whether OASIS is effective, suitable, and affordable to produce and deploy,” the June 13 IG report said.
OASIS, a torpedo-shaped system being developed under a contract with ITT Exelis [XLS], is designed to be towed at sea by an MH-60S helicopter based on a Littoral Combat Ship when mines are difficult to detect in a mine hunting operation. OASIS would travel through the mined area and generate a magnetic field to engage and detonate the mines before ships pass through.
But the IG report raised questions about the survivability of the OASIS in handling the shock waves generated by the explosions. The report cited an analysis by the contractor that found OASIS would not function after sustaining a shock wave of 65 percent of the capability required.
The Navy did not adequately fund studies needed to determine the lowest shock threshold OASIS would need to operate effectively, the IG said. The program office also did not adequately plan a testing schedule in conjunction with operating off the MH-60S.
“As a result, the Navy could commit to acquiring four LRIP units, costing $15 million, which may not meet testing needs to support the full-rate production decision in FY 2015,” the report said.
The report added that the Navy plans to buy 38 additional units at a cost of $140.6 million.
The OASIS acquisition program began 2002 and has since experienced “significant” cost growth and delays, the IG said. A 2005 estimate put the research, development, testing and evaluation cost at $55 million, but as of January more than $135 million has been spent on a program currently in the engineering and manufacturing development phase.
The projected cost to develop and procure OASIS now stands at $290.5 million, the IG said.