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NSWC Indian Head MEMS Technology Team Receives Cheapskate Award

NAVSEA News

By NSWC Indian Head Division Public Affairs

INDIAN HEAD, Md. -- The Office of Naval Research (ONR) recently presented its Cheapskate Award for Affordability to Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division's MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) Technology Team.

MEMS technology miniaturizes complex electromechanical devices by combining sensing and actuating capabilities on a single silicon chip. This technology was originally found commercially in the communications, automotive, and biomedical fields. Indian Head Division has been developing MEMS Safe and Arm (S&A) technology for future Navy undersea weapons since 1995. As an enabling technology for small, multi-mission torpedoes, fuze S&As are ten times smaller, more capable, more reliable, and have a lower life cycle cost than previous methods.

In accepting the award for Indian Head Division, Lawrence Fan, Fuze/S&A and Microsystems Project Leader, cited the advantages realized by the Navy's CCAT (Anti-Torpedo Torpedo) and Advanced Technology Ordnance Surveillance (ATOS) programs. "The benefits are clear that MEMS provides miniaturization and enhanced performance over the legacy systems," he said. "But moreover, we have developed MEMS systems that will reduce acquisition and total ownership cost for the Fleet."

Fan was referring to the $10,000 per unit cost avoidance for each MEMS exploder S&A device used in the CCAT torpedo, which saves $10 to $20 million on procurement for this program alone. In addition, the success of Indian Head Division's MEMS development for long shelf life and the greatly reduced need for in-service maintenance is projected to save the Fleet additional millions of dollars.

Indian Head Division's research and development of MEMS is sponsored by ONR, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. "Their commitment and support have, and will continue, to ensure that this crucial technology is sufficiently mature for transition into the Fleet and for enhancing warfighter capabilities," said Fan.

Fan also acknowledged Indian Head Division employees Don Garvick, Ed Johnson, and Bob Kavetsky, who formed the core of the program coordination and management team. "They garnered support and got the word out on the potential of MEMS to the science and technology, acquisition and OSD communities," he said. "As a result, our technical team was empowered to innovate and to execute technology development that is transitioning into both undersea weapons and other DOD applications."

ONR's Cheapskate Award for Affordability celebrates technological improvements that have had the greatest impact on the future availability of affordable technologies for Naval forces.