Wolfpack contractors rounded up

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will pay seven contractorsto develop electronic warfare technologies under the Wolfpack program.

The Wolfpack program focuses on developing technologies and architecturesfor ground-based, close-proximity, distributed, networked systems that willaugment existing electronic warfare systems. DARPA officials envision portableand handheld applications as they are particularly interested in minimizingsize, weight, power and cost.

"I am confident that the technologies and system architecture we are developingwill provide a revolutionary new capability to our warfighters," Paul Kolodzy,DARPA's Wolfpack program manager, said in a written statement. "These distributed,networked electronic warfare technologies will offer enhanced capabilitiesfor the future. I look forward to seeing the results of our work now thatwe're truly getting started on the Wolfpack effort."

The contracts cover the program's second and third developmental phases.The second phase is designed to develop unique, high-risk, high-payoff technologies,and the third phase is designed to define systems, develop component technologyand refine the architecture.

The first phase assessed the validity of the Wolfpack concept. The fourthand final phase, which will begin in 2003, will require up to three contractorteams, potentially teamed with phase two developers, to develop and testa prototype Wolfpack system. Five companies are participating in Phase 2:

* AIL Systems Inc., $1,249,977.

* BBNT Solutions LLC, $1,349,436.

* Information Systems Laboratories Inc., $250,247.

* Rockwell Collins Inc., $619,885.

* Statistical Signal Processing Inc., $436,690.

Two companies are leading teams for Phase 3:

* BAE Systems, Information and Electronic Warfare Systems, $4,988,345.

* Raytheon C3I Systems, $4,997,000.