Service misses joint briefing with US Army as it struggles to complete process to join Aerial Common Sensor
The US Navy is scrambling to gain approvals within the Pentagon bureaucracy to formally join the US Army's Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) programme by the end of this year - but time is running short.
Army officials blamed a no-show by their navy counterparts at a scheduled joint briefing last week on the navy's frantic efforts to complete the process. The army's funding for ACS development depends partly on the contributions from the navy.
The army is seeking to ease the development path for a maritime version of the ACS, which is being developed by a Lockheed Martin-led team based on the Embraer ERJ-145 regional jet. The army plans to buy 38 aircraft and the navy may follow with 19.
In selecting Lockheed Martin over a rival offer from Northrop Grumman based on the Gulfstream G450, the army focused on the ERJ-145's "major cost savings" and an operating tempo that is "most like army/navy missions".
Lt Col Steven Drake, army ACS programme manager, says a maritime design should require only software changes, but not new hardware. Although the navy wants six workstations aboard and the army wants only four, the army has designed its own version to be compatible with a six-member mission crew, says Drake.
Drake also revealed a development path for the army that should allow the service to demonstrate the aircraft's initial multi-intelligence sensor package by the second quarter of fiscal year 2007. The initial in-service capability for the army is due to be fielded in the second quarter of FY2012.
But the full capability of ACS will not be seen until well into the next decade. The first increment of production aircraft will provide only an initial multi-intelligence capability. After FY2015, the army will introduce an upgraded software package that dramatically increases the aircraft system's ability to pinpoint the location of hostile emitters, says Drake, adding that new sensors will also be added if new threats emerge.
STEPHEN TRIMBLE / WASHINGTON DC
Source: Flight International
