Boeing can offer both a medium size jet and mission suite for the Multi-mission Maritime Patrol Aircraft programme
The US Navy is leaning towards a jet-powered solution for its future Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) programme, prompting industry to request the requirement for a new airframe to be separated out from a system integration competition.
Boeing is the only prospective US airframe manufacturer able to offer both a medium-size jet and mission suite for MMA in the form of the proposed maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) version of the 737. This leaves potential prime contractor bidders Lockheed Martin and Raytheon searching for a turbofan-powered alternative to the current P-3C Orion turboprop.
Both companies are exploring a range of possibilities, including the Airbus A320 family, modernised BAE Systems Nimrod MRA4 and Fairchild Dornier 928JET. The USN has made it clear that potential foreign suppliers will not be allowed to compete as a prime contractor but only with a US partner (Flight International, 12-18 June).
EADS wants to offer an Airbus A321-based MMA proposal that will be fitted with the Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) developed in Spain for a Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion upgrade. EADS says that the sensor and weapons carriage locations of an A321 MPA have not been finalised.
An EADS source says initial talks have taken place with US companies. FITS includes some US-manufactured systems, including a Raytheon radar. Raytheon has a long-standing agreement with Airbus to offer its airliners as special mission aircraft such as aerial refuelling tankers.
US industry, however, is sceptical about the USN selecting a non-US designed airframe to replace its fleet of Orion MPAs and EP-3Es Aries II surveillance aircraft for political considerations. Potential US bidders instead are asking that they be allowed to compete for MMA mission systems and integration based on a common US platform.
This would require Boeing to provide Raytheon and Lockheed Martin with data and pricing for a green 737 airframe on which to base their proposals. The initial focus of MMA is on a manned platform, but it is envisioned that the eventual solution will be a system of systems approach encompassing unmanned aerial vehicles and space-based sensors.
Source: Flight International
