U.S. Navy Procures Unmanned Minesweeper

AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Maryland, is being awarded a $33,893,014 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for the purchase of the Unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS). The UISS is one of the systems that will allow the Littoral Combat Ship to perform its mine warfare sweep mission. It will target acoustic, magnetic and magnetic/acoustic combination mine types only. The UISS program will satisfy the U.S. Navy's need for a rapid, wide-area coverage mine clearance capability, required to neutralize magnetic/acoustic influence mines. The UISS seeks to provide a high area coverage rate in a small, lightweight package with minimal impact on the host platform. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $118,129,603. Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, Maryland (72 percent); Slidell, Louisiana (24 percent); Hauppauge, New York (2 percent); Columbia, Maryland (1 percent); and Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2017. Fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $4,750,000 will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with five offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-14-C-6322).