USMC's communication system to be upgraded in new IWRP agreement
NewsJanuary 17, 2019
CHARLESTON, S.C. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) Systems Center (SSC) Atlantic selected Advanced Technology International (ATI) for the first prototype project agreement (PPA) under the Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) for the Information Warfare Research Project (IWRP). The contract is valued at $1.3 million.
The focus of the prototype agreement is to develop a new Low Altitude Range Communication System (LARCS) for the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC). The goal of the upgraded technology is to replace the current LARCS in order to meet the critical communication requirements for Marine training ranges.
Once completed, the system is slated for installation at the Townsend Bombing Range at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina where the LARCS will undergo testing and Field User Evaluation in the final operational environment and configuration.
The project was awarded to ATI on behalf of Booz Allen Hamilton in collaboration with Intuitive Research Technology Corporation (IRTC). A significant portion of the work will be performed by IRTC, a non-traditional defense contractor, and is scheduled to be completed in 10 months.
The IWRP consortium utilizes white papers for prototype proposals versus traditional acquisition requests for the proposal process. The management of the IWRP consortium was awarded by SPAWAR to ATI on June 26, 2018. The IWRP allows the use of an alternative acquisition process, called an OTA, that works to streamline acquisition processes, develop prototypes, and rapidly provide advanced technologies to the fleet. Since opening the consortium, membership has grown to 219 and approximately 81 white papers have been submitted for review to address potential information warfare needs.
