Northrop Grumman [NOC] confirmed recently that it will submit a bid for the full production of the Navy’s next generation tactical afloat network, an expected move for the defense firm that is already under contract for the low-rate production (LRIP) phase of the program.
The Navy plans to install the Consolidated Afloat Network and Enterprise Services (CANES) on most of its fleet of ships, and awarded Northrop Grumman the LRIP contract for 29 units last year while planning to re-compete the program for full production, a move that began with the release of the request for proposals (RFP) late last week.
“With our experience on the development and limited deployment phase, we and our team members are confident we will offer a solution to best achieve the Navy’s mission and objectives,” Northrop Grumman’s vice president for defense information systems, Mike Twyman, said.
CANES is designed to eliminate multiple legacy information technology systems by in effect merging five stand-alone networks for command, control, computers, communications, and intelligence (C4I) systems into a common shipboard computing environment.
Northrop Grumman’s bid beat out Lockheed Martin [LMT] last year. The winner of the full production contract will build the systems based on the Northrop Grumman design, enabled by the Navy’s ownership of the data rights. A Lockheed Martin spokesman said the company is reviewing the RFP but has yet to decide whether it will jump into the competition.
“Lockheed Martin recognizes the importance of the CANES full deployment program, and we will review the final RFP,” spokesman Keith Little said. “After we have evaluated the requirements, we will be able to determine how this opportunity fits in our efforts to meet the critical ship computing needs of the Navy.”
Boeing [BA] and BAE Systems were also pursuing the CANES award but were eliminated in an earlier phase of the program. A Boeing spokeswoman said she does not expect the company to join the latest competition. A BAE Systems spokesman said, like Lockheed Martin, the company was reviewing the business “opportunity and evaluating our options.”
Among other major defense companies listed on the Navy’s online prospective bidders list are Computer Sciences Corporation [CSC], General Dynamics [GD] and Raytheon [RTN].
The Navy plans to award the contract by the end of March.
The first installation of CANES has begun on one destroyer with preparations for two more ships underway.
CANES 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.
Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) is re-competing the program because it believes that doing so will keep costs in check and drive innovation, also a key component of open architecture practices.
CANES 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.