A US FEDERAL District Court has ordered the US Department of Defense to halt work on the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) programme.
The ten-day temporary restraining order (TRO) was granted on 10 July, after Hughes Aircraft filed a protest over the Pentagon's selection of Lockheed Martin and McDonnell Douglas (MDC) to begin JASSM research and development (Flight International 26 June - 2 July, P14). Hughes Aircraft lodged the objection with the US General Accounting Office (GAO) on 27 June.
A hearing to determine whether the TRO should be extended until the Hughes protest is resolved has been scheduled for 19 July.
The TRO action is designed to protect Hughes' legal rights. "Every day work continues on the JASSM programme is a day that provides added advantage to the current awardees," Hughes says.
The company told the GAO that its bid represents "the best value" for the Pentagon, offering the most favourable average unit procurement price and the "most effective" weapon. The company filed the protest after receiving its debriefing on the source selection decision.
Texas Instruments and Raytheon have elected not to dispute the Pentagon's decision. Experience shows that most GAO protests are rejected after being considered.
The JASSM programme is worth $3 billion. Lockheed Martin and MDC were selected on 17 June to compete in the 24-month programme definition and risk reduction phase of the joint US Air Force/US Navy project.
One contractor will be picked to begin 32 months of engineering and manufacturing development followed by production of over 2,400 missiles, starting in 2000.
Hughes is also bidding to meet the UK's requirement for a conventional stand-off missile for the RAF. Its failure to be selected as one of the two contractors to carry out research and development on the JASSM programme was a blow. A final decision on the UK programme is expected before the end of July.
Source: Flight International