UCLASS RFP Endgame moves to fall ISR Budget Review

X47-B UCAS-D

I hope the competitors aren't holding their breaths. Lack of a clear and firm requirements base and realistic budget typically sets up a program for failure.
US Navy’s X-47B Ends Trials aboard TR >> Naval Today

US Navy delays start of bidding for unmanned carrier-based drone

UCLASS RFP Delayed Again Following Pentagon Meeting - USNI News

The final request for proposal (RFP) for the Navy’s planned carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been delayed pending a review of the service’s information, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) portfolio as part of the service’s budget process this fall, Navy officials told USNI News on Friday afternoon.

US Navy poised for UCLASS bidding after unmanned demo - 8/20/2014 - Flight Global

The unmanned carrier launched airborne surveillance and strike (UCLASS) programme will solicit bids from Boeing, General Atomics Aeronautics Systems, Lockheed Martin and Northrop, with the goal of developing a carrier-based, tailless, unmanned aircraft that can evade radar, collect intelligence and launch weapons.

The Defense Acquisition Board – a panel of senior US military and civilian leaders – has a meeting scheduled on 10 September, Winter says. Their authorization will allow NAVAIR to release the request for proposals, with bids due in 60 days, he says.

As one of the few new weapons acquisition programmes available for bidding, UCLASS has received great attention from inside and outside the military. As an all-new capability with no manned equivalent in operation today, UCLASS also has invited controversy, with industry officials, the intelligence community, naval aviators and Congress expressing a diverse range of opinions over how such a system should be operated.

RFP for Navy’s UCLASS Drone Waiting on Final Approval - Blog

Industry will have a finalized request for proposals for the Navy’s first operational carrier-launched drone by early September, its program officer said Aug. 17.

The final RFP for the unmanned carrier launched airborne surveillance and strike, or UCLASS, will be released only to the four companies competing for the contract: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Atomics and Northrop Grumman. 

“We have had continuous dialogue with our industry partners, and they have provided us feedback, corrections,” said Rear Adm. Mat Winter, program executive officer for unmanned aviation and strike weapons.

Could UCLASS end up as the Pentagon's next runaway program? - Washington Business Journal

 ... much still remains uncertain — including whether the UCLASS will be primarily a surveillance aircraft, as is the case for most military drones in the Pentagon's fleet now, or a bomber, snagging some functionality from other aircraft, including the existing B-2 as well as the replacement program getting off the ground. Breaking Defense did a thorough writeup on the Navy’s perspective on requirements and outside commentary on what’s realistic and practical.


But some question whether clarity will even come with the RFP, or whether the solicitation will keep specifics intentionally vague, allowing for the Navy to adjust as it goes along. If it's the latter, then both the Navy and the contractors alike will be embarking on a program that could suffer the kind of challenges that were faced by debunked programs like the original presidential helicopter and even the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter— budget overruns and schedule delays spurred largely by failure to establish a firm plan from the beginning.

Unmanned Aerial Systems at a Crossroads - Blog

The delay is significant and underscores issues around the evolution of unmanned flight that have major implications for the aerospace and defense industry. UCLASS is notable for its budget alone, projected at $1 billion over the next two years. But more importantly, it is the last major new start, fully open U.S. military unmanned aerial system competition planned for the foreseeable future. The program’s much debated requirements are a reflection of how far the Navy is willing to push the service’s acceptance of unmanned capabilities, especially if it comes at the expense of legacy priorities around manned aviation.

Unmanned aircraft are at an evolutionary crossroads embodied by this troubled competition. The fundamental questions faced by UCLASS decision makers ring true for more than just the program alone. Will the next unmanned platforms represent incremental developments that primarily draw upon the demonstrated, capable technology of the past decade? Or is the United States on the precipice of an airpower revolution? This revolution would be brought about by investment in advanced but less battlefield tested technology that provides more of the capabilities that increasingly encroach upon the well defended turf of manned aircraft.

previously:

spendergast: Forces converge for imminent UCLASS final RFP&decision
spendergast: UCLASS stumbles again - Navy wants baby steps - Congress great leap forward