2009 Draper Annual Report - Draper Laboratory

A COLLABORATIVE DEVELOPMENT PROCESSFOR EXCALIBUR ENABLED DRAPER AND ATKTO DELIVER A SOLUTION THAT MET THEARMY’S COST AND SCHEDULE CHALLENGES.When Draper partnered with Alliant Techsystems (ATK) to bid on the development ofthe next generation of the Army’s Excalibur guided artillery program, it was with fullknowledge that a collaborative development and test effort was required to deliver asolution that adhered to the Army’s challenging schedule.The Army was looking for increased system reliability and decreased system cost, allwhile improving the range and accuracy of the weapon. Draper and ATK modeled theirsolution after the successful Ballistic Trajectory Extended Range Munition (BTERM)program, which featured Draper’s Low-Cost Guidance Electronics Unit. Looking toreduce parts count and production costs, the team went through an intensive processto look at alternatives. What emerged was a guidance section design that incorporatedall of the electronics into a single integrated package: GPS receiver, anti-jam electronics,microprocessors, inertial sensors, power, communication, and safe and arm electronics.The team next developed an innovative software sharing agreement for the exchangeof sensitive intellectual property. This agreement allowed Draper to create an integrateddevelopment and test environment containing all the key system functions andinterfaces, a common asset for successful collaboration. This role exemplifies the valuethat Draper brings to joint development programs—an organization that can be trustedwith our teammate’s most important technologies, and a facilitator of the businesspartnerships required to deliver the best value to our government sponsors.Image: To maintain a rapid development schedule, the Draper-ATK team created a software sharing agreementfor Excalibur that enabled the exchange of sensitive intellectual property.4DRAPER ANNUAL REPORT 09496098.CS4.indd 49/24/09 10:54 PM