Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Pascagoula, Miss., is
being awarded a $15,137,977 cost plus fixed fee contract to
compare and evaluate the performance of aluminum and composite
primary and secondary structural components in high speed
vessels in similar hull form and displacement by designing and
building the composite
high speed vessel (CHSV), further the
understanding of material requirements for advanced marine
composite structures and generate associated, design criteria,
develop a lifting body design optimized to improve the at sea
performance of the CHSV, document the at sea load response
performance of advanced
composite marine structures, demonstrate
the effects of drag reduction technology for on-the-surface
vessel applications, and demonstrate at sea performance of
integrate high speed, power dense, propulsion system technology.
Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss., and is expected to
be completed by October 2004. Contract funds will not expire by
the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was
competitively procured under an Office of Naval Research Broad
Agency Announcement. Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Va.,
is the contracting activity (N00014-03-C-0209).