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Aviation History
2002
2002 - 1241.PDF
DEFENCE GROUND SURVEILLANCE CHRISTINA MACKENZIE / PARIS Transatlantic solution proposed for NATO AGS EADS, Galileo Avionica and Northrop Grumman have pre sented a joint proposal to fulfil NATO's long-standing requirement for an airborne ground surveillance (AGS) capability owned and oper ated by the alliance. The companies, which say their initiative is open to other partners, have submitted a white paper to NATO presenting their Transatlantic Industrial Proposed Solution (TIPS). The partners say TIPS would provide NATO with an affordable, six-aircraft fleet with 24 ground stations, with a core capability to be available by 2010. This core capability, they suggest, could be complemented by surveillance assets owned by NATO member nations, such as helicopters, air craft and unmanned air vehicles. However, EADS says that, in order to have the system opera tional by 2010, NATO members must hone their requirement. "The request was not detailed and no budget ceiling has been fixed. The discussions must now turn to the concrete," EADS says, adding that "a decision must be made in the course of next year". The partners say they would co operate in developing a radar sensor and integrating it on a mid-size air craft such as the Airbus A320. The active electronically scanned array radar would be based on technology developed by European companies for the Stand-Off Surveillance and Target Acquisition Radar technology demonstrator, and by US companies for the Multi-Platform Radar Tech nology Insertion Programme. The TIPS team says that its "system of systems" approach would help meet the AGS capability identified in NATO's Defence Capa bilities Initiative. Although other solutions to NATO's AGS requirement have been submitted in the past 10 years, the TIPS offer is currently the only active one. EADS says no workshare has yet been agreed between the partner companies. "This question will be addressed when the requirement is more spe cific," says EADS. UPGRADES PAUL LEWIS / MESA, ARIZONA Longbow in for long haul US Army and Boeing planning to extend attack helicopter programme beyond 2006 Moves are afoot to keep AH-64D on course for Block 3 revamp The US Army and Boeing are seek ing additional funding to sustain the AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter programme bey ond 2006. Helicopter life would be extended through a proposed Block 3 package of upgrades and the remanufacture of the remain ing AH-64A now being transferred to the Army National Guard. Boeing faces a break in produc tion in 2006, when the US Army is due to receive the last of 501 remanufactured AH-64Ds. This will leave the army still operating 240 AH-64As, which Boeing estimates will cost $1.4 bil lion more to maintain over 20 years than remanufacturing all 741 machines according to a common configuration. The firm also says continued investment is needed for the Apache to remain competitive in the international market. Boeing has 161 export orders for new and remanufactured helicopters through to 2005. At stake are some 343 projected additional sales in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. US Army attention is focused on finding funds in 2004-09 for a fol low-on Block 3 of its Apache Longbows. Boeing says it needs money in the 2003 budget to begin long-lead work. Items include composite rotor blades to reduce operating costs by 50% and provide for increased 3,400shp (2,500kW) power, an open avionics architecture to allow for unmanned air vehicle connec tivity and introduction of the Joint Tactical Radio System; and imp roved transportability with folding blades, wing and stabiliser. The Block 3 wishlist includes: extending the range of the Lock heed Martin Longbow fire-control radar; introducing sensor and image fusion; upgrading the Gen eral Electric T700 engines to stan dard -701C or D configuration; an improved durability transmission, a new self protection suite; and an electronic maintenance system. Army plans call for as much of the Block 3 package as can be funded to be retrofitted to the Block 1 AH-64Ds already delivered. The improvements would also be incorporated into helicopters still to be remanufactured and which will be completed to Block 2 stan dard. This includes the Arrowhead sensor suite, replacement proces sors, expanded auxiliary fuel sys tem and digital map. • US Congress has formally been notified of the long-awaited pro posed sale of 16 Apache Longbows to Kuwait. The deal could be worth $2.1 billion, and includes the Lockheed Martin Arrowhead mod ernised target acquisition and des ignation system and eight Longbow fire-control radars. SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE US Army narrows aerial sensor choice Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman have been selected to proceed to the next phase of the US Army's Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) programme to replace RC-7 Airborne Reconnaissance Low and RC-12 Guardail signals intelligence air craft. A former Raytheon business unit now owned by L-3 Communications has been elimi nated from the competition. Teams led by Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems have each received contracts worth $35 million for the component advanced devel opment phase of the ACS programme. Work under this phase is to be completed by September 2004, after which one contractor will be selected to develop the system. The ACS is scheduled to become operational in 2009, with 35 aircraft to be fielded by 2017. It is expected to be based on a business-jet platform. The RC-7 is a Northrop Grumman-modi- fied de Havilland Canada Dash 7, while the RC-12 is a Raytheon Beech King Air equipped with a sensor system developed by TRW. For ACS, Lockheed Martin is believed to be proposing the Gulfstream 200 and Northrop Grumman the Gulfstream IV-SP www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 23-29 APRIL 2002 13
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