The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) awarded indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contracts to 3 small business qualifiers to provide advisory and assistance services to MDA’s Quality, Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate. Each contract has an ordering ceiling of $209.6 million.

The contractors will assist the directorate in assessing the engineering, technology, production and programmatic practices/ processes used to develop and operate the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system. MDA is developing a layered BDM system that is designed to destroy enemy missiles by engaging them in all phases of flight (see graphic).

The MDA has come under criticism for the slow pace of BMD development, cost overruns, questionable auditing practices, and repeated test failures. The 3 contracts are part of an effort by MDA to streamline is contracting processes. The winners of the contracts are:

• a.i. solutions’ Launch Services Division in Lanham, Md. (HQ0147-10-D-0027);
• A-P-T Research in Huntsville, AL (HQ0147-10-D-0028); and
• Bastion Technologies in Houston, TX (HQ0147-10-D-0029).

You can read more here.

The Missile Defense Agency is struggling with lousy quality control among its contractors, its executive director said during today’s budget briefing.

David Altwegg, a highly respected missileer and engineer, told reporters that he and his colleagues stood watching a recent THAAD test. A drogue parachute pulled the target out of a C-17. “We all stood there and watched it fall into the water,” said an obviously disgusted Altweg. A failure review board was convened and found the test failed due to “a quality control problem.”

But THAAD was not the only program with a quality problem, Altweg said. “Across the enterprise quality is a concern,” he said. The companies working for MDA suffer from “a lack of attention to detail. Missilery is all about detail,” he said with controlled passion. Altweg would not identify any particular companies but made clear there were very few that do no have quality problems.

“We are working this problem assiduously,” he said, saying that MDA send experts to companies to help them improve, “but we continue to have quality problems.”  [DOD Buzz]

Keep in mind this is not the first time THAAD has been set back because of a target failure.  Flight Test 10 back in 2008 experienced a target failure as well.

U.S. lawmakers scolded the Missile Defense Agency for a number of management problems and trimmed its budget in a recently enacted fiscal 2009 appropriations bill (see GSN, Oct. 21).

The appropriations bill criticized several aspects of missile defense operations, including funding priorities in the MDA budget request, flight-test delays and cancellations, and the availability of target missiles for use in testing.

Overall, Congress gave $9.02 billion to the Defense Department’s missile defense arm for the new fiscal year, a figure that largely satisfied agency advocates.

“The reduction was only $320.6 million out of a $9.3 billion request,” MDA spokesman Rick Lehner told Global Security Newswire last week. While some missile defense projects saw their annual budgets decreased, “the programs all were funded [at some level] … so we were pleased,” he said. [NTI Global Security Newswire]

Here is what Congress wants MDA to put emphasis on testing and fielding:

In the bill passed in September, lawmakers said the agency had shifted money into its more exotic, long-term technology development efforts, partially at the expense of fully funding missile defense systems being deployed today.

“In order to execute a balanced program, the Missile Defense Agency must continue to field the near-term missile defense programs, primarily Ground-Based Missile Defense, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, and Theater High-Altitude Area Defense programs,” the appropriations report states. “Funding for fielding these programs, however, is sacrificed each year to pay for the development of futuristic missile defense programs.”

The bill sought to remedy the problem by shifting $120 million into the three near-term efforts, financed by reductions to the longer-term Multiple Kill Vehicle, Airborne Laser and Space Test Bed programs. It directed the agency to report to Congress by Dec. 1 on how it would specifically allocate the additional funds.

Lawmakers also called on the agency to set as its “highest priority” providing additional Standard Missile 3 and THAAD interceptors to combatant commanders and to “budget accordingly” in its fiscal 2010 funding request.

Congress is obviously pushing to complete near term missile defense projects like the Aegis SM-3 along with Air Defense Artillery’s very own THAAD program. It is good to see THAAD is considered a Congressional priority which should protect the program from any potential Pentagon cutbacks coming in a new Presidential administration.