23 Jan 04. The U.S. Department of Defense announced that it has selected 29 new
start projects and 26 previously approved continuing projects to receive fiscal 2004 funding under the Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT) Program
[http://www.dod.mil/news/Jan2004/ForeignCompTesting.pdf]. Authorized by Congress since 1980, the FCT Program is administered by the deputy under secretary of defense (advanced systems and concepts), Office of the under secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics).
The FCT Program demonstrates the value of using non-developmental items to reduce development costs and accelerate the acquisition process. The principal objective of the FCT Program is to support the U.S. warfighter by leveraging non-developmental items of allied and other friendly nations to satisfy U.S. defense requirements more quickly and economically. This is to increase U.S. capabilities in the war on terrorism and improve interoperability with our allies.
Given a first-rate foreign non-developmental item, U.S. user interest, a valid operational requirement, and good procurement potential, the FCT Program fields world-class systems and equipment not otherwise available. At the same time, by promoting competition and eliminating unnecessary research, development, test and evaluation expenses, the FCT Program reduces total ownership costs of military systems while enhancing standardization and interoperability, promoting international cooperation, and frequently serving as a catalyst for domestic industry partnering and U.S. industry overseas.
Each year, the military services and Special Operations Command nominate candidate projects to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Advanced Systems & Concepts) for FCT funding consideration. Each proposed project is screened to ensure the fully mature technology addresses valid requirements, to confirm a thorough market survey was conducted to identify all potential contenders, and to verify the U.S. military sponsor has developed a viable acquisition strategy to procure the foreign item if it tests successfully and offers best value.
Of the 29 new start projects for fiscal 2004, seven are sponsored by the
Army, five by the Navy, seven by the Marine Corps, four by the Air Force, and six by the Special Operations Command. Additional FCT Program information is available on the FCT Homepage on the Web site http://www.acq.osd.mil/fct/
[http://www.acq.osd.mil/fct/].
New FCT Projects Selected for FY 2004 Funding:
Army
Celluloid mortar increment containers, Austria
GammatTitanium sheets, Austria
Large scale display system, Japan, Republic of Korea
Lightweight smoke generator, Poland
Lithium-ion battery cells, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom
Mortar propellant, Switzerland
Regenerative drive system, Australia
Navy
Biosensors for explosives detection, Sweden
Mine countermeasures small unmanned underwater vehicle, Finland
Mobile acoustic support system, Canada
Naval active intercept and collision avoidance, Australia
Pitch adapting composite marine propeller, Germany
Marine Corps
40mm high explosive dual purpose (HEDP) improvement, Germany, Norway,
Biocular image control unit for M1A1 main battle tank, United Kingdom
Deployable multi-purpose moving target system, Germany
Joint service light-weight integrated suit technology alternative footwear solution, Canada
Joint service light-weight integrated suit technology block II glove upgrade, Canada
Mounted cooperative target identification system (MCTIS), United Kingdom
Self-destruct safety fuze for rocket artillery submunitions Israel
Air Force
20MM replacement round, Germany, Switzerland
Guidance components for missiles, United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, Sweden, Germany,France
Micro electro-mechanical system inertial measurement units, United
Kingdom
Radarsat II commercial high resolution SAR, Canada
U.S. Special Operations Command
Advanced family of interfaces for che