Military officials are pursuing an innovative fast-track method for developing the ship that they hope will save taxpayers money. Ordinarily the military gives contractors precise specifications for building a weapon, stating, say, that a certain bulkhead must be one-sixteenth of an inch thick. In this case, the Navy is telling bidders to draw up designs based on bare outlines of the arsenal ship's expected capabilities, for example, that it have room for 500 missiles. On previous ship programs, solicitations have droned on for 3,000 pa ges or so. First drafts of proposals by five competing teams of contractors are due Tuesday, only seven weeks after the Pentagon first briefed the firms.
Time saves money.
Once on station, the arsenal ship is expected to save funds through lean staffing. The Navy wants to keep crews to a minimum, perhaps flying them on and off by helicopter. It envisions shipboard machinery with sensors to be observed from a central site aboard ship or even off-board. In addition, it will use paints and floor waxes that n eed not be reapplied continually. The bridge on an aircraft carrier, for example, is crammed with 20 officers and sailors, plotting charts, handling communications and so on.