The Navy’s Avionics Component Improvement Program (AvCIP) is prepared to accept proposals, from NAVAIR program offices, to award more than $10 million in funding toward fiscal 2017 projects, officials announced in December.

NAVAIR’s Air Combat Electronics Program Office (PMA-209) will manage the proposal process for the Office of Naval Operations (OPNAV). Nomination forms are due Jan. 29. Those that meet AvCIP criteria will then be requested to submit a detailed project proposal by Feb. 26. In April, submitters will brief their proposals to a working group comprising representatives from NAVAIR, Marine Corps avionics officers, Navy resource sponsors, Naval Supply Center Logistics managers and programmatic and acquisition subject matter experts.

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The working group reviews proposals and recommends the strongest for selection to PMA-209’s program manager. Selections are made based on cost, availability of proper funding types, extent of benefits, urgency, criticality and ability to successfully execute the project.

In 2015, nine out of the 10 proposals reviewed at the FY16 working group were approved for funding in FY16. Some of the projects included:

  • H-1 Optimized Top Owl Helmet Display Module obsolescence correction
  • Harpoon II Common Munitions Bit & O-Level Programming sustainment improvement
  • Shipboard Power Station Test Set obsolescence correction & performance improvement
  • EA-18G Electronic Warfare Range Signal Generator reliability enhancement

Projects will be selected by the end of May and can start executing as soon as October.

“Just about every platform has problematic systems that are either failing to meet reliability objectives or are facing obsolescence issues,” said Candace “Candy” Chesser, program manager for PMA-209. “Both cases usually present excessive sustainment or correction costs and present risk to user readiness. AvCIP resources enable acquisition managers to address these issues with near-term funds, rather than waiting for out-year Program Objective Memorandum (POM) money to arrive, or sacrificing existing internal funds that were planned for other uses.”

For nomination forms, contact Jerica Beavan at jerica.beavan.ctr@navy.mil. This preliminary step allows proposals to be reviewed for AvCIP applicability.

The program was established in 2006 by the Office of Secretary of Defense Business Initiatives Council and funded by OPNAV. AvCIP provides funds to address current avionics system problems, including decreased reliability and readiness degraders, impending obsolescence issues that threaten to stop sustainability, and high sustainment cost drivers.