Innovative management in the DARPA high altitude endurance unmanned aerial vehicle program: phase II experience

296 Pages·1999·2.07 MB·English

by  Jeffrey A. Drezner

Innovative Management in the DARPA
title: High Altitude Endurance Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle Program : Phase II Experience
Drezner, Jeffrey A.; Sommer, Geoffrey,
author:
1957-; Leonard, Robert S.
publisher: RAND
isbn10 | asin: 0833027174
print isbn13: 9780833027177
ebook isbn13: 9780585243504
language: English
subject Drone aircraft.
publication date: 1999
lcc: UG1242.D7D74 1999eb
ddc: 623.7/469
subject: Drone aircraft.
The research described in this report was sponsored by the United
States Army under Contract No. DASW01-96-C-0004.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Drezner, Jeffery A.
Innovative management in the DARPA high-altitude endurance
unmanned aerial vehicle program : phase II experience / Jeffery A.
Drezner, Geoffrey Sommer, Robert S. Leonard.
p. cm.
"prepared for the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency
(DARPA) by RAND's National Security Research Division"
"MR-1054-DARPA."
ISBN 0-8330-2717-4
1. Drone aircraft. I. Sommer, Geoffrey, 1957-
II. Leonard, Robert S. III. Title.
UG1242.D7D74 1999
623.7' 469dc21 99-19844
CIP
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Page i
Innovative Management
In the DARPA High Altitude Endurance Unmanned
Aerial Vehicle Program
Phase II Experience
Jeffery A Drezner
Geoffrey Sommer
Robber S. Leonard
Defense Advance Research Institute
National Defense Research Institute
Approved for public release; distribution unlimited
Page iii
Preface
The High Altitude Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (HAE UAV)
program, a joint program conducted under the direction of the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), incorporates
a number of innovative elements in its acquisition strategy. The
objectives of this research are to understand how the various
innovations affect the program outcomes and to identify the lessons of
the HAE UAV program that might be applied to a wider variety of
projects to improve DoD acquisition strategies.
The HAE UAV program includes two air vehicle programs, the Tier II
Plus Global Hawk and the Tier III Minus DarkStar, and a Common
Ground Segment. The program is divided into four phases. This study
was initiated in 1994. The RAND study approach is to observe and
report on the program, phase by phase. A report covering the Phase I
experience of the Global Hawk was issued in 1997.1 This report
covers the Phase II experience of all three components of the HAE
UAV program; neither DarkStar nor the Common Ground Segment
experienced Phase I. The information is complete through August
1998.
The reports covering the HAE UAV program are intended to be
cumulative; that is, each successive report provides coverage of the
entire program up to that point. Thus, some of the data presented in
the earlier report on Phase I of the Global Hawk program is
reproduced here in an abbreviated form.
1 Sommer et al., The Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Acquisition
Process: A Summary of Phase I Experience, Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND,
MR-809-DARPA, 1997.

Page iv
This report should be of interest to analysts and decisionmakers
concerned with reforming the defense acquisition process.
This research was sponsored by the HAE UAV Joint Program Office
in DARPA and was conducted in the Acquisition and Technology
Policy Center of RAND's National Defense Research Institute, a
federally funded research and development center (FFRDC)
sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff,
the unified commands, and the defense agencies.
Page v
Contents
Preface iii
Figures ix
Tables xi
Summary xiii
Acknowledgments xxi
Acronyms xxiii
Chapter One 1
Introduction
Background 1
The UAV in the United States Through 1993 4
Objectives and Approach 7
HAE UAV Program Overview and Outcomes 11
Organization of Report 20
Chapter Two 21
Analyzing the Acquisition Strategy
A Comment on Acquisition Strategy 21
Innovative Elements of the HAE UAV Program 23
Acquisition Strategy
ACTD Designation 23
Section 845 OTA 25
Integrated Product and Process Development 28
Unit Flyaway Price and Cost-Performance Trades 29
Page vi
Other Elements of the Acquisition Strategy 30
Small JPO 30
Design for Low Risk 31
Summary of Differences 32
Chapter Three 35
Tier II + Global Hawk
Description of Original Plan 35
Summary of Phase I Experience 39
Phase II Baseline 42
Other Attributes of the Agreement 47
Phase II Events, Outcomes, and Explanations 48
Renegotiated Phase II Agreement 59
Phase IIB Amendment 60
Summary of Phase II Issues and Outcomes 61
Chapter Four 65
Darkstar
Genesis 66
Tier III Agreement 66
Schedule 69
Program Management 70
Funding 71
System Description 72