Aerial Common Sensor [ACS] Component Advanced Development
On April 12, 2002 Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Littleton, Colo., was awarded a $6,000,000 increment as part of a $35,000,000 cost-plus-award fee contract, for the Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) Component Advanced Development (CAD) Phase. Work will be performed in Denver, (53.13 percent), Philadelphia, (15 percent), Owego, N.Y. (2.64 percent), Palmdale, Calif. (9.19 percent), Litchfield Park, Ariz., (4.79 percent), Fairfax, Va. (16.12 percent), Nashua, N.H. (5.63 percent), Melbourne, Fla., (2.64 percent), and Orlando, Fla., (4.01 percent), and was to be completed by Sept. 30, 2004.
On April 12, 2002 Northrop Grumman Corp., Electronics System, Linthicum, Md., was awarded a $6,000,000 increment as part of a $35,000,000 cost-plus-award fee contract for the Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) Component Advanced Development (CAD) Phase. Work will be performed in Linthicum, Md., (31.4 percent), Belcamp, Md., (nine percent), Rolling Meadows, Ill., (1.1 percent), Melbourne, Fla., (19.6 percent), Manassas, Va., (9.2 percent), Sunnyvale, Calif., (36.8 percent), and Eatontown, N.J. (five percent), and is to be completed by Sept. 30, 2004.
A Lockheed Martin-led team conducted architecture development activities as part of a 15-month Component Advanced Development contract awarded in 2002. Lockheed Martin was one of two contractors selected in 2002 to continue development of the ACS system as a result of a competitive Concept Exploration design phase. On June 11, 2002 Harris Corporation announced that it had been selected by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Littleton, Colorado, to lead the communications portion of the Core Information Systems (CIS) Integrated Product Team for the 15-month Component Advanced Development Phase of the U.S. Army's Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) program. Harris is leading the communications portion of the Core Information Systems (CIS) Integrated Product Team for Component Advanced Development Phase of Lockheed Martin's Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) program. During this phase of the program, Harris assisted Lockheed Martin in risk reduction initiatives by developing the best-value communications architecture for ACS including various VHF and UHF radios, an airborne SATCOM capability, and a common data link (CDL) capability. The component advanced development phase of the program will be followed by the system development and demonstration phase. On July 7, 2003 Lockheed Martin announced that Harris Corporation and Embraer had joined its team in the competition to develop the Aerial Common Sensor (ACS).
Northrop Grumman was one of two contractors selected in 2002 to continue development of the ACS system as a result of a competitive Concept Exploration Design phase. Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector is the prime contractor for the company's ACS program, with key involvement from the company's Integrated Systems and Information Technology sectors. TRW Inc.'s Electromagnetic Systems Laboratory in Sunnyvale, Calif., was the team's lead for ACS signals intelligence subsystem development and integration. On Oct. 21, 2002 Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Electronic Systems sector announced the addition of L-3 Communications (NYSE:LLL) as a key supplier on Northrop Grumman's Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) technology development program. The Northrop Grumman-led ACS team was performing on a $35 million, 15-month Component Advanced Technology Development contract with the Army's Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors at Fort Monmouth, N.J., for technology demonstration and risk reduction efforts associated with critical system elements. L-3 enhanced networking capability brought real-time radar images, electro-optical/infrared, moving target indicator/synthetic aperture radar, video and other sensor information from the ACS platform to commanders stationed in worldwide airborne or surface locations.
Lockheed Corp. and Embraer of Brazil were competing against Northrop Grumman Corp. Lockheed Corp. and Embraer proposed to mount the sensors on the Embraer ERJ145 jet. Northrop's entry was the Gulfstream G450 jet produced by General Dynamics and assembled in Georgia. On July 7, 2003 Lockheed Martin announced that Embraer had joined its team in the competition to develop the Aerial Common Sensor (ACS). For the Lockheed Martin designed ACS system, Embraer would provide an airframe based on the ERJ 145/EMB 145 already in service around the world. Along with exterior modifications to accommodate a range of antennas the aircraft will be modified for extended range and payload capacity. Embraer's announcement of producing aircraft in Jacksonville, Florida, fully qualified the company as a compliant US government supplier for defense and homeland security programs. On Oct. 7, 2003 Northrop Grumman announced that Gulfstream Aerospace, a unit of General Dynamics, had joined its team as airframe provider in the competition to develop the Aerial Common Sensor (ACS). Gulfstream would provide its newest aircraft, the G450, as the ACS RC-20 platform.
The ACS program completed a series of technology demonstrations in FY03. The two contractor teams (Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin) participated in the technology demonstration phase. Each contractor team set up a series of demos in their systems integration labs that was used to reduce the risk to the SIGINT sensor design, MULTI-INT integration, and man-machine interface design. The contractors had to demonstrate their ability to meet key performance parameters and to demonstrate a mature system architecture. The government approved the plans for the demonstrations and then subsequently witnessed their execution. Data from this phase, along with other analyses, was used to support a contract award in FY04.
The ACS program completed a Test and Evaluation Master Plan in FY03 that laid out a robust test program. A series of developmental tests will verify that the ACS has achieved its technical performance goals, including airworthiness certification of the aircraft and performance specifications for the various sensors. Force developmental tests and experimentation will focus on developing and refining the tactics, techniques, and procedures required to operate the system. The operational test phase will assess the ability of the ACS to accomplish its MULTI-INT intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions in support of a range of different operations.
The Technology Demonstration phase conducted in FY03 allowed the Army to assess the technology readiness level of the SIGINT and MULTI-INT portions of the ACS system. The technology was sufficiently mature to proceed to the system design and development phase. The demonstrations also provided the Army with valuable information in selecting a system contractor.
According to the FY03 DOT&E Report, several issues were of importance to the successful execution of the ACS program. The ACS calls for the MULTI-INT integration of COMINT, ELINT, IMINT, and electro-optic/infrared sensors onto a single aircraft. This integration is complex and will have to overcome the potential co-site interference between the different sensors. Processing the data from the different sensors also requires a system architecture that can prosecute MULTI-INT missions at both the aircraft and at the DCGS-A ground station. A significant amount of processing will have to occur at the DCGS-A in order to complete many missions. The ACS also needs to be interoperable and integrated with joint Service networks to conduct joint operations with other Services.
The DOT&E Report also stated that there are concerns about the size, weight, and power requirements of the aircraft required to carry and operate the MULTI-INT sensor payload. Associated with this issue, there are concerns about the growth potential of the aircraft to add additional systems and capabilities in the future, consistent with the growth experienced with most other U.S. aircraft platforms.
The Navy joined the program in June 2003, with the EP-3 SIGINT role absorbed in Army Aerial Common Sensor. Since the Navy decided to join the Army's Aerial Common Sensor program, the services have sought to reconcile the relatively few differences between the service's requirements. The program is being adapted to meet Navy requirements for a multi-intelligence airborne system, including adding two additional workstations to the aircraft. The Army's aircraft will feature the planned four workstations, but the service could upgrade later.
In December 2003 the Army delayed the release of its request for proposals for the Aerial Common Sensor program. The program's next phase award was then anticipated to come during the first quarter of 2004. This phase was for four years. Low-rate production was slated to begin after this phase.
The ACS began as a joint Army / Navy program, but in 2004 the Navy decided to defer participating. The Navy had preferred a larger plataform than the Army, and was considering adding ACS capabilities to the new Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) progam to replace the P-3 Orion.
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