GRAHAM WARWICK /WASHINGTON DC
Several tenders expected for $500 million deal to develop "backbone" for the MC2A
Lockheed Martin has teamed with Raytheon to bid for development of the battle management, command, control, computers, communications and intelligence (BMC4I) subsystem for the US Air Force's planned Multi-sensor Command and Control Aircraft (MC2A).
Boeing and Northrop Grumman are also expected to bid for the five-year, $500 million contract to develop the BMC4I "backbone" for the MC2A, which will initially succeed the E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System and may replace the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System, as well as RC-135 Rivet Joint electronic-intelligence and EC-130 Compass Call information-warfare aircraft.
The BMC4I is a "network-centric, real-time collaborative battle management system" that will enable airborne operators to perform time-critical targeting using sensors onboard and offboard the MC2A, says Lockheed Martin. Although the initial Spiral 1 MC2A is focused on the ground moving-target indication (GMTI) mission, the open-architecture BMC4I is intended as the backbone of the planned Spiral 2 airborne moving-target indication (AMTI) version and potential Spiral 3 Rivet Joint/Compass Call replacement.
Boeing's 747-400ER has been selected as the platform for the MC2A. Northrop Grumman, teamed with Boeing and Raytheon, will be weapon system integrator (WSI) for the Spiral 1 version. Northrop Grumman and Raytheon are also teamed to develop the active-array airborne ground surveillance radar for the Spiral 1 MC2A under the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Programme (MP-RTIP).
Industry responses to the US Air Force's MC2A technical requirements document were submitted in early January, and a final request for proposals for the BMC4I portion is expected in March or April, leading to a contract award by mid-year. The exact split of responsibility between the WSI and BMC4I contractors is still being debated, says Lockheed Martin MC2A vice-president Mike Schoultz.
If its team wins, Lockheed Martin will provide the systems architecture, integration and programme management. Raytheon will provide communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, unmanned air vehicle control, onboard and offboard sensor control, and information assurance. SAIC will lead the modelling and simulation required to validate the system; L-3 Communications will provide network-centric collaborative targeting; and Alphatech will support radar exploitation.
Although the MP-RTIP radar will have air-to-air capability, the USAF says the Spiral 2 MC2A will need a separate AMTI sensor. Power requirements mean Spiral 2 will almost certainly be a dedicated AMTI aircraft, while the still-undefined Spiral 3 MC2A will also be a distinct version because of the difficulty of combining sensors and jammers on one platform.
The USAF has established an initial requirement for up to five Spiral 1 MC2As, with an operational capability in 2011-12.
Source: Flight International
