Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Methods, Melbourne, Florida, is awarded a $26,081,921 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and cost-only contract for security, logistics, engineering, and depot companies in help of AN/AES-1
Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS). This contract contains choices which, if exercised, would convey the cumulative worth of this contract to $95,925,337. Work might be carried out in Melbourne, Florida, and is anticipated to be accomplished by March 2023. Fiscal 2022 operation and upkeep funds within the quantity of $400,000 might be obligated at time of award and can expire on the finish of the present fiscal 12 months. If all choices are exercised, work will proceed via March 2029. The U.S. Naval Sea Methods Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting exercise.
The AN/AES-1 ALMDS might be among the many preliminary airborne OMCM methods fielded. The mission of ALMDS is to detect, classify and localize floating and near-surface moored mines. The ALMDS might be built-in into the MH-60S helicopter to supply a speedy wide-area reconnaissance and evaluation of mine threats in littoral zones, confined straits, choke factors and amphibious goal areas for Service and Expeditionary Strike Teams (CSG/ESG). ALMDS might be embarked as a part of the mine countermeasures (MCM) mission package deal on the brand new Littoral Fight Ship (LCS). ALMDS gives speedy wide-area reconnaissance and evaluation of mine threats in sea lanes, littoral zones, confined straits, choke factors and amphibious areas of operations.
Commercial
Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS)
By way of availability, selection, cost-effectiveness, ease of deployment and potential affect on joint expeditionary warfare; mines are maybe probably the most engaging weapons accessible to forestall U.S. naval forces from reaching sea management and energy projection ashore. To satisfy future necessities for high-tempo operations as a part of a joint struggle combating marketing campaign, the naval companies are enterprise a change in mine warfare. It’s based mostly on the event of recent natural mine countermeasure (OMCM) methods that may permit naval forces to maneuver in mined waters with out an operational pause.
The ALMDS makes use of pulsed laser mild and streak tube receivers housed in an exterior gear pod to picture your complete near-surface quantity probably containing mines. ALMDS is able to day or night time operations with out stopping to stream out or get better gear and with out towing any gear within the water. With unteathered operations, it will probably attain excessive space search charges. ALMDS additionally gives correct goal geo-location to help observe on neutralization of the detected mines. The ALMDS pod is mechanically hooked up to the MH-60S with a normal Bomb Rack Unit 14 (BRU-14) mount and electrically by way of a major and auxiliary umbilical cable to the operator console. Knowledge is saved on a mass reminiscence unit for put up mission evaluation. The operator’s consol is widespread to all MH-60S AMCM methods.