A -- Affordable Weapons System(s)

Solicitation N00019-07-R-0095, issued by the Naval Air Systems Command under the Department of Defense, seeks proposals for the research and development of innovative Affordable Weapons Systems (AWS). The program focuses on creating sea-based land attack and strike capabilities designed to defeat a variety of strategic, tactical, and irregular warfare targets in net-centric environments. A primary objective is to establish a capability-based definition and systems architecture for implementation by 2016, with a strict fly-away cost limit of 250,000 dollars per unit. This cost limit excludes research, development, test, and evaluation expenses but must include tooling and startup costs. The procurement process included multiple revisions to the Broad Agency Announcement and several rounds of clarifications regarding proposal formatting, bidder eligibility, and technical constraints. Major defense contractors, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon, were identified as bidders. Contractual requirements include a detailed Contract Data Requirements List specifying the delivery of status reports, technical reports for studies and services, and cost analysis reports. The solicitation explicitly noted that Level of Effort Term Contracts would be considered unresponsive.