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Airborne Systems  1. IntroductionTwin Cities operations have supported the Navy’s P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft since their introduction in 1962. Eagan engineers developed the CP-901 and the software making it the AN/ASQ-114 system, the AN/AYK-10, and later the CP-2044 avionics computers for Navy aircraft. [lab]
From Jim Rapinac: The main avionics computer programs that I recall over my years at DSD were:
I was the marketing rep in 1964 for the sale of computers to Naval Air Development Center, Johnsville, PA, for project ANEW, which resulted in production orders for the 1830A/CP901 computers for P3-C ASW aircraft. My boss, Marwood Clement, a retired USN Captain, who worked for Vern Leas, introduced the word Avionics to Defense Systems Division in about 1963. Clem was the driving force in getting CP-901 orders from the Navy on a sole source basis and I was the marketer of record and became known at NAVAIR and Lockheed as 'Sole Source Rapinac'.
The Canadian services used the Lockheed P3C aircraft and the S3A's AN/AYK-10 for their CP-140 Aurora ASW system. |  On this page, scroll down to:
- Introduction [left]
- P3C ASW by Blixt
- From P3 to S3A by Rapp
- ABCCC
- Others
In 1965, I was the Avionics marketing manager in charge of VSX, the development program for the S-3A computers, Univac 1832. We teamed exclusively with Lockheed who won the prime contractor award and DSD provided all production computers and subsequent upgrades and also did all operational software for the S-3A via our facilities in Valencia, CA. S-3 was the most profitable program in the history of DSD. Ernie Hams couldn't figure out how to spend excess S-3 profits and that is why we did the Mammogram Examination X-Ray enhancement program at the Valencia facility in 1974! Finally, as VP, Marketing, under VP/GM Seaberg, we bid and won the AN/AYK-14 second source contract that resulted in setting up a plant in Pueblo, Colorado. The marketing guy assigned to win this program was Tom Hanson. [rapp]
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 2. P-3C Early Computer Development at Univac Bob Blixt - 10 October 2006
In 1962 the Univac marketing folks located a promising Naval Air program at the Naval Air Development Center at Johnsville, PA, called ANEW. The objective of this program was to greatly improve the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capabilities of the P-3 aircraft. The then aircraft had an analog system that needed to be updated to the digital world. With our NTDS work and proven capability in building military digital computers, we were a good fit to help them with their program.
Our first attempt was the use of a “left over” computer from the Titan program called ADD (Advance Digital Development) and a display system to show the possibilities of a digital airborne ASW system. The programming of the ADD computer proved to be very difficult so it was abandoned early in the game.
In 1964 we sold the development of a computer (CP-823U) for the ANEW test aircraft. This aircraft made flights to St. Paul so our programmers could add programs and make changes. Some test flights were made from here, one to Lake Superior to test dropping sono-buoys with the digital system.
The system continued development and the flight testing was set up at the Patuxant Naval Air Testing Center (Pax river) in Maryland. These tests required some of our programmers to go on these test flights. Some of our guys came back very airsick after going through some of the flight maneuvers of the test. We decided to recognize their “beyond the call of duty” effort and created the “Flying Programmer” award for them. It was this dedicated, creative hard work by these programmers that made this system go.
The system did go. After many months of hardware and software problems, a sea test was set. An American submarine was used as the target and the ANEW system with our computer and software tracked it.
The next step was a pre-production system. In 1966 we received our first contract for the CP-901 computer. I was given the job to go to Washington and pick it up. Programming for the new computer was also our job. The system requirements were set by the Naval Air Development Center so a Univac programming office was set up at Johnsville, PA (Westminster.) Programming was also done in St. Paul.
Production required a new interface for us to work with, the Lockheed company in Burbank, CA. I believe we were the first to bring the new digital world to Lockheed. We had several meetings with their management to explain the ANEW system and to talk about planning for it.
After many months of software and hardware development the system was coming together: software at Johnsville, hardware and software in St. Paul, the aircraft and other system components in Burbank. It was a thrill for me to go to Burbank and walk through the first P-3C on the production line after all the struggles we went through to get to this point.
Our first quantity production contract for the CP-901 computer was received in 1968. The P-3C went on for many years with many updates.
3. A History of the Relationship between Sperry Univac Defense Systems Division and Lockheed California Aircraft Company by Jim Rapinac
In 1963, Univac Defense Systems Division designed, developed and delivered a new airborne computer, CP-823U (Univac 1830) to the Naval Air Development Center, Warminster, PA, for U.S. Navy’s ANEW program, an advanced airborne digital avionics system for anti submarine warfare. The CP-823U design was based on the instruction set of the USQ-20B and was also software compatible. Future production versions were assigned a USN nomenclature of CP-901.
In 1965, Univac was selected as the contractor to supply CP-901 computers to the US Navy for the P-3C program, a digital avionics upgrade for new land based Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) aircraft.
Lockheed California Aircraft Company, Burbank, CA, also known as CALAC, was the principle contractor for the P-3C, and Univac and other suppliers were called associate contractors. Univac CP-901 computers and other sub-systems were contracted by the US Navy and shipped to CALAC as government furnished equipment (GFE).
The Univac field office at Naval Air Development Center, Warminster, PA, developed the P-3C operational programs which were also GFE'd to CALAC. Over 40 programmers worked on site at NADC and Univac continued work on various projects until NADC was closed in the late 1980’s. Jim Rapinac's high school friend's father, C.J. Henkel, had been chief engineer at CALAC but was now retired. He introduced Mr. Rapinac to several CALAC executives including George Papen, P-3C chief engineer, and Bert O'Laughlin, VP of Marketing. We had open access to Don Wilder, President of CALAC, and his successors, Fred Lashley and Fred Jacques. These high level contacts provided Univac marketing and technical managers direct access to the CALAC P-3C program office. CALAC was then an airframe company with little or no computer or software expertise. We convinced them that to sell off P-3C aircraft to the US Navy they had to have a system test program. George Papen finally saw the light and bought the idea. The P-3C system test software was one of Univac's largest software development programs at that time, 1968. More importantly, CALAC began to rely on Univac for software development and support!
The open and honest management style of Univac personnel combined with proven on time and on target performance forged a new and mutually beneficial relationship with CALAC for the P-3C program and future programs. Over 285 new P-3C aircraft were bought under the original program and several upgrade programs have extended the life of the P-3C, the first digital airborne anti-submarine warfare system.
In 1967 the U.S. Navy announced a new program, VS-X, a replacement for the Grumman S-2 carrier based ASW aircraft. Unlike the P-3C program, the VS-X would be a total package procurement with a single prime contractor. Grumman, McDonnell, Douglas, GD Convair, and CALAC were the initial competitors for a Concept Definition Phase Competition between 2 prime contractors followed by a down select to a single prime contractor.
The 5 bidders all contacted Univac DSD since at that time DSD had the only technical expertise in airborne ASW digital systems. Mr. Rapinac was assigned as VS-X marketing manager. We met with all 5 bidders several times over a period of 6 months. Our strategy was to select and team with one company. In 1967 Grumman and McDonnell Aircraft were the only bidders currently making carrier based jet aircraft. Douglas and GD Convair made carrier based propeller aircraft during World War II and CALAC had never designed or built carrier based war planes.
Grumman decided to pursue the F-4 replacement, VF-X, the F-14 Tomcat, which had planned quantities of over 1000 aircraft versus the VS-X by of 183 planes. They informally announced their no-bid decision, Grumman had been our first choice for teaming and now we decided that the second best choice was McDonnell Aircraft.
Then, McDonnell announced a merged with Douglas. The two VS-X bidding teams, one in St. Louis and the other in Long Beach, CA, were merged but frictions developed. We were within weeks of finalizing a teaming agreement with McDonnell Douglas when negotiations broke off. We decided to team with Lockheed Aircraft.
The CALAC VS-X team included Fred Jacques, Program Director; Dick Heppe, Chief Engineer; Wally Weber, Marketing Manager; and a new face, Sherm Mullen - who was brought to Burbank from Lockheed Electronics, Plainfield, NJ, to develop a technical group for digital computers, software and systems. Mullen later became President of the Lockheed Skunk Works and was responsible for the F-117 and F-22 fighter programs.
After numerous private off-site meetings at local Burbank restaurants, Univac DSD and CALAC signed an exclusive VS-X teaming agreement. Univac would be responsible for the computer and all operational programs and systems software. As part of the teaming agreement, Univac agreed to locate a technical team in Burbank, housed in Lockheed facilities.
In 1967, the U.S. Navy awarded 12 month Concept Definition Phase contracts to CALAC and GD Convair. It was no contest. CALAC won the VS-X development and production contract for 183 aircraft and support systems in 1968. The Univac portion of the initial contracts exceeded $200 million and was the largest single award in the history of the division (at that time.) Each 1832 airborne computer that was installed in S-3A aircraft had an initial price of $1 million! The names of CALAC and Univac became synonymous with success! As part of the Univac contract with CALAC for the S-3A program, DSD established a site in Valencia, California, near the CALAC Rye Canyon Facility. Over 40 programmers and systems engineers were relocated from St. Paul and Warminster, PA to staff the new site.
Univac DSD people directly involved in the VS-X program were Forrest Crowe, VP & General Manager, Dewaine Osman, VP, Marketing, Forrest Lowe, Marketing Director, Avionics Systems, Arnie Hendrickson, Bob Blixt, and Dan Brophy, DSD Avionics and Aerospace Engineering and Jim Rapinac. There were also many other contributors in other functional organizations.
Univac technical, management, and marketing personnel had CALAC contractor badges that allowed open access to CALAC buildings at the Burbank airport. Access to CALAC buildings was shown on our contractor badges.
The S-3A program became one of the most successful programs in U.S. Navy history. The program was completed on schedule, within target costs and was very, very profitable to both companies. Today, over 25 years after the initial contract award, S-3B aircraft, upgraded versions of the S-3A, are still fully operational.
In 1971, Jim Rapinac was named as General Manager, Sperry Univac, DSD, Salt Lake City, a division that supplied drone control systems and wide band data links. While in Salt Lake City, the business relationships with CALAC expanded to include the Skunk Works. We worked with Kelly Johnson and, later, his successors, Ben Rich and Sherm Mullen. The Salt Lake City group became a primary supplier of data links for the U2, SR-71 and other covert aircraft. Our long term management relationships with CALAC combined with a consistent record of or performance continued to pay dividends and was mutually beneficial and profitable to both companies.
The current Lockheed Martin facility in Eagan has a long, successful and storied history in the global defense and aerospace industry and has survived numerous corporate changes and names including Engineering Research Associates (ERA), Remington Rand Univac (RRU), Univac Defense Systems Division, Sperry Univac Defense Products Group, Unisys, PARAMAX, Loral, and finally, Lockheed Martin MS2.
Many current LM employees along with retired Univac DSD personnel, including me, owe our career successes, whatever they may be or have been, to the S-3A program and our association with CALAC. For some, it was their life’s work!
I know that I speak for all retirees of Sperry Univac Defense Systems Division when I say that nothing could be more appropriate or fitting than to have the name of Lockheed Martin on Plant 8 in Eagan, MN. [Jim Rapinac]
4. ABCCC The Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center (ABCCC III), loaded in a capsule aboard an EC-130E aircraft, provided an automated airborne command and control capability featuring computer generated color displays and digitally controlled communications. It went into immediate, successful service in Operation Desert Storm. It is best described by the 'system engineer', Bob Chappelear's career summary. [lab]
5. Others  5.1 Lamps - This project put computers and systems aboard shipboard based helicopters for Anti-Submarine Warfare problems. {We need someone to write about this project/program.}
5.2 Drone Systems - See the Links page for a connection to the U of MN for control research.
VIP Page 62 updated 01 May, 2008 |
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