The competition to provide the UK's Airborne Stand-off Radar (ASTOR) requirement for the next 30 years hotted up yesterday at Farnborough as the two major protagonists - Raytheon and Lockheed Martin - came clean for the first time about their individual solutions.
The decisions will intensify what is already a hugely competitive battle between the two makers of ultra-long range business jets ... for while Raytheon has opted for Bombardier's Global Express as its airborne element, Lockheed Martin has chosen the Gulfstream V.
Lodged
Submissions have to be lodged with Britain's Ministry of Defence by Friday 13 September (unlucky for one!) and a decision is expected by late next year or early in 1998.
Britain's MoD issued the project definition contract some time ago on behalf of the Royal Air Force and the British Army, and both competitors have been engaged in choosing their various co-suppliers for the major components of the system as laid down in the Ministry's cardinal points specification. Both proposals are for five airframes - although Lockheed Martin has gone for nine ground stations compared with Raytheon's 14.
While Raytheon will launch a new UK-based company to mastermind its participation (Raytheon E-Systems which will be based near to Raytheon sister-company Cossor Electronics at Harlow in Essex), its competitor will base its activities at British subsidiary company Lockheed Martin UK Government Systems at Portsmouth.
As the original MoD specification demands 100% offset for the purchase cost, both bidders have gone for British partners. Raytheon will work with Shorts Brothers, GEC Marconi Avionics, Marshall SPV, Cossor Electronics, Raytheon Aircraft and the Defence Research Agency, while Lockheed Martin's partners are Racal, Texas Instruments, Marshall of Cambridge, GEC Marconi Defence, Logica, MSI and CA Imitron.
Both competitors say that the UK should have an operational ASTOR system in place by the planned date of 2002, plugging the gap in the country's limited airborne long-range surveillance, targeting and reconnaissance capability.
The presence of the US-based JSTARS Boeing E-8C aircraft in the static park at Farnborough indicates that Northrop Grumman, the main contractor for the similar USA system, is still hopeful that both NATO and the British MoD might buy its system.
Competition
While Lockheed Martin is still in competition with itself, the ageing U2 high-altitude ‘spy plane' is apparently still being touted by elements in Whitehall as the major element in a possible alternative system.
Both Raytheon and Lockheed Martin say that their ASTOR fixed-price programmes would be cheaper, more flexible and longer-lasting than any of the alternatives - especially impressive as they both feature new generation equipment with a planned life of at least 30 years.
ASTOR would also have a potential export future for the UK - and both lead companies say that Australia is top of their potential customer lists.
Source: Flight Daily News
