Tim Ripley

Champagne was flowing in the Raytheon chalet at Le Bourget and in Paris last night after the US defence electronics giant won a $1.3-billion contract to supply the UK with a ground surveillance radar system, ending a marathon contest.

In a simultaneous announcement in London and Paris, British defence chiefs signalled they were going to Raytheon's airborne stand-off radar (ASTOR) bid, leaving rival proposals from Northrop Grumman/British Aerospace Wizard and Lockheed Martin/Racal Team ASTOR out in the cold.

In the New Labour government's first major procurement decision, Defence Secretary George Robertson has apparently stuck to his "smart procurement" rhetoric and not backed two "home team" bids involving major UK players, including the specialist radar house, Racal.

The hard-fought contest caused the contract to slip and it is now expected that the Royal Air Force and British Army will have to wait until 2005 for their revolutionary battlefield surveillance system.

Derivative

The system is based on five Bombardier Global Express business jet airframes and a derivative of the ASARS-2 radar.

Under-secretary of state for defence John Spellar told a packed Society of British Aerospace Companies conference room at the Paris air show that ASTOR was "a big deal for the UK armed forces, a big deal for the companies concerned and big deal for the UK. And it's a good deal for all three."

Raytheon president and chief executive Dan Burnham said the ASTOR programme was a great example of the new world of international defence partnership. "We have come together with our customers."

Spellar says the UK will now be pushing hard for its NATO allies to adopt an ASTOR-based solution to fulfil the alliance's airborne ground radar requirement. He is confident that the UK contract would be finalised and signed before the end of the year. Ministry of Defence programme director Keith Smith says the in-service date was "realistic".

To emphasise that the ASTOR is likely to be the workhorse of the UK's surveillance capability until well into the next century, Smith comments that, "alas the leather seats, sofas and soft cushions are unlikely to be included" in the Global Express aircraft to be delivered to RAF.

Package

The minister confirms that the intention is to buy the package offered by Raytheon and there would be no massaging components of the system to bring in players from the rival teams.

Spellar offers little comfort to the losing teams. "It is just unfortunate but only one contender can win," he says. "All the bids were extremely good and creditable.

Source: Flight Daily News