--===============1626853789== Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="part1_64.546d6b66.2fa8537e_boundary" --part1_64.546d6b66.2fa8537e_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit << Whatever happened to Land Warrior anyway. Googling just seems to produce years-old vendor/program puffery >> Well, now that you ask... <<Land Warrior Background The Land Warrior program evolved from the Soldier Integrated Protective Ensemble Advanced Technology Demonstration (SIPE ATD). SIPE was successfully demonstrated during the fall of 1992, ending a three-year research effort. The most beneficial operational capabilities demonstrated by SIPE have been integrated into, and are the basis for, the Land Warrior program. The Land Warrior mission need statement (MNS), prepared by the U.S. Army Infantry School, was approved by HQ, Department of the Army, on 8 September 1993. The Land Warrior program was approved ...blah blah...>> Funny story. In keeping with the Government's central concerns for safety, conservatism, and CYA, they awarded the Land Warrior program to the largest proposing team: Hughes, Raytheon, Motorola, Honeywell, Omega, GENTEX and Battelle. Of course, $51 million is enough for maybe 4 meetings of these giants. so -- after spending about 80% of the money and 3/4 of the time, and delivering a "miniaturized" electronics Soldier System that weighed...uh... 80 pounds, they reported they needed more money or couldn't proceed. In a panic, the Army awarded the rest of the money to a tiny West coast company (Exponent, Menlo Park) who finished the job very successfully within the remaining budget and time. Shrunk it by 25 pounds and $80,000 per unit cost ($90,000 from Raytheon... to $10,000 from Exponent). Well that was terrific. Exponent and its tiny subcontractors saved the Army's biscuits. As a reward for that splendid save, the Army renamed it Objective Force Warrior and awarded the next contract ($59 million plus $30 million for Air Warrior) to --- General Dynamics... and its unnamed gigantic subcontractors. Where it is now, wandering forward. As one of the honchos in Army procurement said to me (horrified that my tiny Mountain View company had invented the basis systems technology) "Nobody ever faulted a procurement officer for awarding a contract to a large company. No procurement officer in his right mind would risk his career by awarding a major contract to a small company." There's still $2 Billion slated for procurement... if it is ever fielded. Git yours. Oliver --part1_64.546d6b66.2fa8537e_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><HTML><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Gen= eva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2"><<</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000"=20= FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2"> Whatever happened to Land W= arrior anyway. Googling just seems to<BR> produce years-old vendor/program puffery<BR> </FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"= 2">>><BR> <BR> Well, now that you ask...<BR> <BR> <<Land Warrior Background <BR> The Land Warrior program evolved from the Soldier Integrated Protective Ense= mble <BR> Advanced Technology Demonstration (SIPE ATD). SIPE was successfully demonstr= ated <BR> during the fall of 1992, ending a three-year research effort. The most benef= icial <BR> operational capabilities demonstrated by SIPE have been integrated into, and= are the basis <BR> for, the Land Warrior program. <BR> The Land Warrior mission need statement (MNS), prepared by the U.S. Army Inf= antry <BR> School, was approved by HQ, Department of the Army, on 8 September 1993. The= Land <BR> Warrior program was approved ...</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Genev= a" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2"><I>blah blah</I></FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#00= 0000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2">...>><BR> <BR> Funny story. In keeping with the Government's central concerns for sa= fety, conservatism, and CYA, they awarded the Land Warrior program to the la= rgest proposing team: Hughes, Raytheon,</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000"= FACE=3D"Times" FAMILY=3D"SERIF" SIZE=3D"3"> Motorola, Honeywell, Omega, GEN= TEX and Battelle. Of course, $51 million is enough for maybe 4 meetin= gs of these giants. so -- after spending about 80% of the money and 3/4 of t= he time, and delivering a "miniaturized" electronics Soldier System that wei= ghed...uh... 80 pounds, they reported they needed more money or couldn't pro= ceed. In a panic, the Army awarded the rest of the money to a tiny We= st coast company (Exponent, Menlo Park) who finished the job very successful= ly within the remaining budget and time. Shrunk it by 25 pounds and $= 80,000 per unit cost ($90,000 from Raytheon... to $10,000 from Exponent).<BR= > <BR> Well that was terrific. Exponent and its tiny subcontractors saved th= e Army's biscuits.<BR> <BR> As a reward for that splendid save, the Army renamed it Objective Force Warr= ior and awarded the next contract ($59 million plus $30 million for Air Warr= ior) to ---<BR> General Dynamics... and its unnamed gigantic subcontractors. Where it= is now, wandering forward.<BR> <BR> As one of the honchos in Army procurement said to me (horrified that my tiny= Mountain View company had invented the basis systems technology) <BR= > "Nobody ever faulted a procurement officer for awarding a contract to a larg= e company. <BR> No procurement officer in his right mind would risk his career by awarding a= major contract to a small company."</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"G= eneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2"><BR> <BR> There's still $2 Billion slated for procurement... if it is ever fielded.<BR= > Git yours.<BR> <BR> <BR> Oliver </FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" S= IZE=3D"2"></FONT></HTML> --part1_64.546d6b66.2fa8537e_boundary-- --===============1626853789== Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline _______________________________________________ Wear-Hard mailing listhttp://www.haven.org/mailman/listinfo/wear-hard --===============1626853789==--
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