Acquisition: Acquisition of the EA-6B Improved Capability III Program
Abstract
Who Should Read This Report and Why? Civil service and military managers involved in the management, support, and oversight of the EA-6B Improved Capability (ICAP) III Program should read this report because it discusses acquisition issues that must be addressed before the EA-6B ICAP III Program progresses further through the acquisition process. The Services use the airborne electronic attack capability to suppress and degrade an opposing force's air defense and communication systems with airborne electronic jamming before offensive airborne strikes. The Navy's EA-6B Prowler (EA-6B) is the only DoD platform that provides the Services with an airborne electronic attack capability and must be able to suppress and degrade current and future threats through 2015. The EA-6B ICAP III Program will provide the EA-6B aircraft with upgraded selective-reactive jamming and threat emitter geo-location capabilities. In June 2003, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development, and Acquisition) approved the program for low-rate initial production. The Program Manager for the EA-6B (the Program Manager) subsequently awarded the prime contractor, Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems, Bethpage, New York, a firm-fixedprice modification to the development contract for low-rate initial production of 10 ICAP III system kits for $102 million. The Navy plans to acquire 35 ICAP III system kits for installation on 35 EA-6B aircraft. As of June 2004, the ICAP III Program costs consisted of an estimated $335 million in research, development, test and evaluation funds, $458 million in procurement funds, and $109 million in operations and support funds for a total program cost of $902 million.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 31, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA432585
Entities
Organizations
- Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense