Materials Tests to Proceed in Pascagoula

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).