During late 1948, both Douglas and Curtiss-Wright were awarded preliminary design contracts to further develop and refine their proposals. While Douglas managed to maintain the take-off weight at 68,000 lb, Curtiss were unable to meet the more generous 100,000 lb target during this phase, and thus were eliminated from consideration. During April 1949, the USN's critics succeeded in getting the "United States"-class carriers cancelled; this outcome validated Heinemann's decision to focus on a design that could operate from the navy's smaller s. During July 1949, the USN, recognizing the suitability of Douglas' design, awarded a contract for the production of two flight-capable prototypes and a single static airframe to the company.