TIPS consortium proposing delivery of one Airbus A321 and three Global Hawk UAVs by 2010, with others to follow
NATO's Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) system will be rolled out in a two-tranche delivery programme with the Transatlantic Industrial Proposed Solution (TIPS) consortium proposing and delivery of one modified Airbus A321 and three Northrop GrummanRQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned air vehicles in the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase ending in 2010.
The total fleet is expected to comprise seven RQ-4Bs and five A321s equipped with the Transatlantic Cooperative AGS Radar (TCAR) with all of them to be in operational service by 2012.
Two or three ground-control stations, supporting both manned and unmanned platforms, would be delivered in the development phase, with up to 49 ground systems - comprising both fixed and mobile stations - delivered as part of the final architecture.
TIPS has also put forward options for delivery of one US Air Force configuration RQ-4B Global Hawk UAV as an interim operational capability and another A321 without the radar but able to operate as an Airborne AGS Communications Information System (A2CIS) platform.
The interim RQ-4B would carry the same sensor payload as the USAF Global Hawks, rather than the TCAR. If exercised the option could put a system into service with NATO's Rapid Reaction Force by late 2007.
The A2CIS aircraft would provide the same level of overall system command and control as provided by radar-equipped A321s, but would also be capable of tasking and controlling the RQ-4B fleet.
Decisions on both options remain dependent on contract negotiations.
Division of work "and cost" sharing arrangements for the project are expected to be finalised over the next six weeks pending final ratification by the NATO council at its summit in Istanbul at the end of June. This will be followed by release of a request for proposal to the TIPS consortium with a design phase contract award targeted for early 2005.
TIPS would be required to submit its final results from the design phase in mid-2006 with a developments phase award by the beginning of 2007. Current planning calls for the first TCAR radar to be delivered in late 2007. Decisions on what platform type is modified to accept the radar first are dependent on contract negotiations.
Source: Flight International
