RC-7 Airborne Reconnaissance - Low (ARL)
The Airborne Reconnaissance Low (ARL) is a multifunction, day/night, all weather reconnaissance intelligence asset developed and fielded by the Army in support of an urgent requirement for a low profile intelligence aircraft. It consists of a modified DeHavilland DHC-7 fixed-wing aircraft equipped with communications intelligence (COMINT), imagery intelligence (IMINT), and Moving Target Indicator/Synthetic Aperture Radar (MTI/SAR) mission payloads. The payloads are controlled and operated via onboard open-architecture, multi-func-tion workstations. Intelligence collected on the ARL can be analyzed and recorded on the aircraft workstations in real-time or stored on-board for post-mission processing. During multi-aircraft missions, data can be shared between cooperating aircraft via ultra high frequency (UHF) air-to-air datalink to allow multi-platform COMINT geolocation operations. The ARL system includes a variety of communications subsystems to support near-real-time dissemination of intelligence and dynamic retasking of the aircraft.
The ARL system was developed to accommodate diverse mission requirements through the implementation of an open architecture, modular, reconfigurable mission sensors. These systems can be operated separately or can be used to cue each other for examining targets using different sectors of the electromagnetic spectrum. The systems are controlled from four workstations within the aircraft by the mission analysts.
The DeHavilland of Canada Dash-7, a four-engine, turboprop, commuter airplane was chosen as the platform for SIGINT and IMINT collection. The Dash-7 aircraft's ability to operate out of austere runways, its ability to carry the mission payload and its endurance led to the Dash-7's selection. It is an extensively modified aircraft that has a higher maximum gross weight and extended range capability added in the ARL conversions. The Dash-7 is a medium sized, four engine, passenger and cargo transport. It is pressurized and can operate at up to 20,400 feet with a full mission crew. Mission duration can be up to eight hours with a range of 1,400 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 230 knots. Proposed future engines and "wet wing" fuel tanks may extend the range to 2,800 nautical miles. The cockpit has been upgraded to Airspace 2000 standards.
A full complement of aircraft survivability equipment (ASE), including missile and radar warning systems, and flare dispensers (no chaff) are also installed. Kevlar armor plating protects the pilots and mission crew. ARL aircraft survivability equipment includes the AN/APR-39A(V1) radar warning receiver, the AN/AAR-47 infrared missile warning receiver, and the M-130 flare and chaff dispenser.
The RC-7 is self-deployable and self-sustaining for seven to 10 days. The system is designed for forward deployment to host countries and can provide an immediate down link. It also provides direct support for wartime contingency operations and operations other than war.
There are currently two configurations of the ARL system: the ARL-COMINT (ARL-C) configuration with a conventional communications intercept and direction finding (location) payload; and the ARL-Multifunction (ARL-M) configuration equipped with a combination of IMINT, COMINT, and MTI/SAR payload.
It is quite unusual for two different aircraft to be given the same basic designation. The designation C-7 had been applied to the DeHavilland Canada DHC-4, a turboprop-powered cargo plane. However, the RC-7B is a completely different aircraft, a DHC-7. The RC-7B is NOT a version of the C-7 Caribou. It is based on the four-engined De Havilland Canada DHC-7 commuter airliner as part of the Army's Airborne Reconnaissance Low (ARL) program. The RC-7B is the ARL-M (M=multipurpose). Earlier versions of the ARL (also based on the DHC-7) were the O-5A ARL-I (I=IMINT, imagry intelligence) and the EO-5B ARL-C (C=COMINT, communications intelligence). Why the DOD chose a variation on the C-7 designation (already assigned to the Caribou) instead of continuing with the O-5 designation is anyone's guess. Why this particular model was not designated the RO-5C, for example, is even more peculiar.
The system developed from a Commander in Chief U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) requirement for a manned aviation platform that could provide an IMINT and SIGINT collection capability in SOUTHCOM. The design requirements submitted stated that Airborne Reconnaissance Low should support nation-building, counternarcotics, and promote-democracy missions (now classified as stability and support operations or operations other than war) in SOUTHCOM's area of responsibility. The RC-7s were initially deployed with US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) in 1993 to assist in counterdrug surveillance operations and later deployed to Haiti in support of US peacekeeping operations. In 1996 an RC-7 was deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina to support NATO's IFOR peacekeeping force.
In 1993, three ARL systems were deployed to SOUTHCOM, only two years after California Microwave Incorporated (CMI) received the contract, these were designated as RC-7. There were two different ARL configurations deployed to SOUTHCOM. Two ARL-COMINT (ARL-C) configured with a conventional communication intercept and direction finding (location) payload. The other system ARL-IMINT (ARL-I) configured with imagery payload consisting of a forward looking infrared (FLIR) sensor, an infrared line scanner (IRLS), and Daylight Imagery System (DIS). The RC-7 met SOUTHCOM's requirements very well, and the Army went onto request a more advanced version, designated RC-7B ARL-M (ARL Multifunction) that merged the functions of the 2 types of RC-7's.
Three interim capable ARL systems were fielded to the 470th MIBN(LI), Howard AFB, Panama to support SOUTHCOM requirements. These fielded systems are in two different configurations; two for performing signals intelligence (SIGINT) missions (ARL-C) and one for performing imagery intelligence (IMINT) missions (ARL-I). Two ARL-M, multiple mission (IMINT and SIGINT) capable systems, with the addition of an MJI/SAR have been fielded to Korea to perform the I and W mission of the retiring Mohawk (OV-ID). A third ARL-M was completed in FY97. In March 1998 Raytheon Systems Company announced the sale of two additional radar systems for the ARL-M program, bringing to five the total of Raytheon HISAR radars supporting the effort. All interim capable systems will be converted to the multiple mission capable ARL-M configuration.
Seven ARL systems had been fielded as of early 2002 [ARL-I crashed in 4QFY99]. Two ARL-Cs and one ARL-M are stationed at Ft. Bliss, TX and primarily support SOUTHCOM requirements; three ARL-Ms provide support to PACOM (Korea). One ARL-M (#5) was pending final system acceptance in early 2002, and one ARL-M (#6) was in production to be fielded in 3QFY03, with 1QFY02 final system acceptance of ARL-M #5 (Ft. Bliss). Projected activities in FY02 include efforts to evaluate and select imagery sensors for ARL-M#6, and fleet-wide upgrades for aircraft survivability equipment, over-the- horizon communications, SIGINT sensors, and IMINT sensors. This includes integration of measurement and signatures intelligence sensor onto ARL-Ms, and demonstration of hyperspectral imagery applications and multi-INT data fusion capabilities.
O-5A Airborne Reconnaissance IMINT (ARL-I)
Tragically, the single ARL-I (Airborne Reconnaissance Low-IMINT) aircraft and all five U.S. crewmembers were lost in an accident in Colombia in July 1999. The fielding of ARL-M4 (ARL-Multifunction) aircraft in September 1999 partially offset the loss of the airframe. This aircraft contains upgraded electro-optic and infrared (EO/IR) imaging systems and a combination synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) with a moving target indicator (MTI). New equipment training on this latest aircraft culminated in a Limited User Test in the December 1999-January 2000 time frame.
ARL-I had three separate imagery systems onboard: first-generation forward-looking infrared camera turret, a day-imaging system camera turret, and an infrared line scanner. The system can send RS-170 video imagery via downlink to commercial off-the-shelf systems, such as TACLINK II, which is a portable video receiver. Two onboard operators can record information on 8-millimeter videotape or transmit "live" to the ground forces commander.
EO-5B Airborne Reconnaissance COMINT (ARL-C)
Two separate systems, the ARL-IMINT (ARL-I) and the ARL-COMINT (ARL-C), designated the O-5A and EO-5B respectively, were initially developed to meet SOUTHCOM's requirements. The ARL-C has a high-frequency, very-high frequency (VHF), and ultrahigh frequency (UHF) direction-finding (DF) capability controlled by four onboard operator stations. Dissemination is through secure UHF (line-of-sight and SATCOM) or VHF-frequency modulation communications, or in the post-mission downloads of COMINT data.
In October 2003 Product Manager Airborne Reconnaissance Low (PM ARL) sought sources and information for Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) of the Prime Mission Equipment (PME) associated with the ARL-C aircraft. CLS shall include all supplies, mission related consumable materials, and services necessary to maintain the sys tem. The ARL PME consists of all prime and subsystem electronics (to include, but not be limited to, Imagery Intelligence (IMINT), Moving Target Indicator (MTI) Radar, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Communications, and Communications Intelligence (COMINT )), Government Furnished Property (GFP) voice communications transceivers installed in the mission racks, GFP Remote Control Units (RCUs) installed in cockpit, interfaces to COMSEC/CCI and mission antennas (including interfaces to PME antennas; assistance shall be provided to aircraft CLS maintainer with antenna replacement and repair).
RC-7B Airborne Reconnaissance Low-Multifunction (ARL-M) Crazy Hawk AN/ASQ-223
Army RC-7Bs equipped with moving target indicators (MTI), synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and infrared and video sensors (IR/EO) patrol the demilitarized zone in Korea. Tasked to monitor military and civilian movement along possible North Korean invasion routes, the RC-7Bs provide both theater and tactical commanders with a vital intelligence source. When combined with intelligence data from other national and theater assets, including GR/CS, the RC-7B provides an indispensable contribution to the overall picture of the battle space.
The SIGINT subsystem has a HF/VHF/UHF intercept and direction finding (DF) capable Electronic Support Measures (ESM) system. The IMINT subsystem is equipped with infrared line scanner (IRLS), forward looking infrared (FLIR), and daylight imaging system (DIS). The core complement of sensors may be augmented with low-light level TV (LLTV), MTI cueing radar, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), multi-spectral camera, acoustic range extension system, precision targeting subsystem, and remote configuration using a direct air-to-satellite datalink.
The RC-7B, the ARL-M (Multifunction) includes upgrades to systems already installed on ARL-I and -C, and added MTI SAR capabilities. Planned SIGINT collection improvements include the Superhawk radio intercept and DF system. Four onboard operators manipulate IMINT, SIGINT, and MTI SAR data. ARL-M has growth potential to include systems like the Communications High-Accuracy Location System Exploitation (CHALS-X), a second-generation FLIR, the Radar Ground Display System, and improvements to the airframe.
Unlike similar existing systems, ARL-M does not require a dedicated ground processing facility. Most communications are via SATCOM, which can pass data to any ground station within line of sight or via satellite communications. The system processes data on board and can then pass the data, including imagery, to most of the Army's existing intelligence systems. The ARL-M system is designed to be deployable to any theater within four hours of notification. The individual aircraft can depart with the mission crew and expect to be self-sustaining for seven to ten days given minimal local logistics. A deployment of thirty days can be supported by two C-130 sorties.
The Airborne Reconnaissance Low-Multifunction (ARL-M) radar provides high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images in all weather, day or night. The ARL-M is a multi-mode X-band SAR reconnaissance and surveillance system that has two modes of operation. Its Wide Area Moving Target Indicator (WAMTI) mode scans a 10,000-square-kilometer area in less than a minute, detecting ground movers, which are depicted on a cartographic map of the area. The depicted symbols provide target direction and location information. The SAR spot mode provides 1.8 meter resolution imagery of a 10-square-kilometer area. The WAMTI mode detects movers and provides a cue to invoke the spot mode for a SAR image of the same area. With its high-quality imagery and moving target indication capabilities, the ARL-M can be used for border surveillance, ground force movement, littoral region activities, land mapping, and resource management.
The ARL-M program represents US domestic sales of the program known internationally as the Highly Integrated Surveillance and Reconnaissance System (HISAR). HISAR leverages military technology pioneered by Raytheon' Sensors and Electronic Systems Segment to provide all-weather, day or night synthetic aperture radar coverage from the same family of radars used on U-2 spy plane and the B-2 Bomber. The system is capable of both air-to-air and air-to-ground standoff imaging with six-meter resolution and a moving target indicator facility, making it a versatile and affordable multi-role surveillance platform. At the core of this multimission system are the SAR and the DB-110 long-range optical sensors derived from the same family of sensors used on the U-2 spy plane, as well as forward looking infrared, signals intelligence sensors, and a variety of radios, datalinks, and ground stations. Another variant of the HISAR package is in flight test for the US Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Global Hawk High Altitude Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
In April 2000 California Microwave Systems (CMS), a unit of Northrop Grumman Corporation's Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector, was awarded a $3 million contract by the US Army to modify three RC-7B Airborne Reconnaissance Low-Multifunction (ARL-M) aircraft with upgraded airborne sensors. Work was performed at the CMS aircraft modification and system integration facility located in Hagerstown. The aircraft were modified over a six-month period beginning in April 2000. The Army rotated the aircraft through modification for installation and integration of the Wescam M-20 forward looking infrared sensor and the wideband Tactical Common Data Link (TCDL). This data link is the Army's newest and enables real time transmission of synthetic aperture radar images from the ARL-M.
The M-20 system is a state-of-the-art electro optic sensor with a laser range finder which greatly enhances the imagery collection and real-time dissemination capability of the unit. It provides operators in the air and at the ground terminals with imagery of targets five-to-10 miles away. The addition of a real-time wideband data link creates a unique multifunction capability. The M-20 sensor upgrade standardized the Army's aircraft with other ARL-M systems available for worldwide deployment. The TCDL installation was a first for the ARL multifunction system. It provided a wideband data link for timely dissemination of intelligence products to ground stations.
In May 2001, California Microwave Systems was awarded a $10 million increment as part of an estimated $27.4 million contract by the U.S. Army to begin work on a sixth RC-7B Airborne Reconnaissance Low-Multifunction aircraft. The contract included aircraft purchase and modification, prime mission equipment, nonrecurring engineering and integration and test. Work was performed in Belcamp and Hagerstown, Md., and was expected to be completed in 24 months.
Northrop Grumman, Belcamp, Md., was awarded on Nov. 20, 2001, an $8,933,993 modification to cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price contract DAAB07-01-C-L304 for material and services to procure and integrate a replacement Airborne Reconnaissance Low-Multifunction (ARL-M) System. Aircraft modifications will be performed on a firm-fixed-price basis; all other efforts will be performed on a cost-plus-fixed-fee basis and will be funded with emergency supplemental funds. This action is required to replace the Airborne Reconnaissance Low-Imagery System aircraft lost in a crash in July 1999 with an ARL-M System aircraft. Work will be performed in Belcamp, Md. (15%), and Hagerstown, Md. (85%), and completion is expected by July 23, 2003.
In June 2002 California Microwave of Belcamp won a $7.04 million contract from the Army for logistical contractor support services for the ARL-M aircraft program.
In July 2002 General Atomics (GA) sold to the Army [through Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)] three LYNX systems for installation on a US Army DH-7 Airborne Reconnaissance Low aircraft. In addition, one LYNX, previously leased, but recently purchased, had been in use with the US Army since July 2000. Newly designated the AN/APY-8 by the U.S. Military. Based on leading-edge technology developed for GA by Sandia National Laboratories, the 115-pound LYNX offers unequaled day/night, all-weather reconnaissance, surveillance and target tracking for military, civil, and commercial customers. Operating in SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) mode, LYNX provides photographic-like images of up to 4-inch resolution. Depending on weather conditions and imaging resolution, the sensor can operate at a range of up to 85 kilometers. LYNX can produce 1-foot resolution imagery at standoff distances of up to 55 kilometers. At 4-inch resolution, the radar can image scenes 40 kilometers away in fair weather and 25 kilometers away (about 16 miles) even through clouds and rain. The radar can detect very small changes in a scene (including footprints) by using a technique called coherent change detection. In GMTI (Ground Moving Target Indicator) mode, it can detect moving targets with up to 4-inch resolution. LYNX's CLAW system has a user-friendly interface similar to that of optical systems and is capable of cross-cueing multiple sensors with the same analysis tools as an electric light table-type program.
In October 2003 Product Manager Airborne Reconnaissance Low (PM ARL) sought sources and information for Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) of the Prime Mission Equipment (PME) associated with the ARL-M aircraft. CLS shall include all supplies, mission related consumable materials, and services necessary to maintain the sys tem. The ARL PME consists of all prime and subsystem electronics (to include, but not be limited to, Imagery Intelligence (IMINT), Moving Target Indicator (MTI) Radar, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Communications, and Communications Intelligence (COMINT )), Government Furnished Property (GFP) voice communications transceivers installed in the mission racks, GFP Remote Control Units (RCUs) installed in cockpit, interfaces to COMSEC/CCI and mission antennas (including interfaces to PME antennas; assistance shall be provided to aircraft CLS maintainer with antenna replacement and repair).
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
May 90 JCS validated Grisly Hunter and ARDF Requirements.
Nov 90 Congress mandated combining of Grisly Hunter and ARDF into a single program called Airborne Reconnaissance Low.
Apr 91 ARL-C and ARL-I Contracts Awarded.
Apr 93 Delivery of first ARL production system.
Jul 93 MSIII Decision for Production of 9 ARL-M.
Sep 93 Multifunction option exercised.
Jun 94 Successful CDR/IPR.
Jun 95 MDS designation RD-7B approved.
Nov 95 MTI/SAR program start.
Jan 96 MTI/SAR CDR.
Sep 96 Delivery fielding of first 2 ARL-M systems.
REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT: Grisly Hunter Revised SON approved Mar 90. ARDF SON approved Apr 90.
TYPE CLASSIFICATION: LPU approved May 90; TC Standard expected Jun 96.
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EVENT SCHEDULE FISCAL YEAR |
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97 |
98 |
99 |
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01 |
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QTR |
1 2 3 4 |
1 2 3 4 |
1 2 3 4 |
1 2 3 4 |
1 2 3 4 |
1 2 3 4 |
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System 6 FOC |
1-------4 |
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SYSTEM SUMMARY
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PHYSICAL PARAMETERS:
PERFORMANCE AND CHARACTERISTICS:
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