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Open Skies Treaty Aircraft Recapitalization (OSTAR)

In 2019 Open Skies Treaty Aircraft Recapitalization was a New Start. The Government was considering awarding two separate contracts for the OSTAR program. The first contract was to have included the purchase of two commercial aircraft. The second contract would include aircraft modification and contractor logistics support. No Budget Year FY 2020 funding was requested. On 22 May 2020, the United States provided formal notice of its intent to withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies. As a result, this announcement was cancelled on 14 July 2020.

The program would have issued the Request for Proposals in April 2019 and award the Development contract by February 2020. The FY2020 budget supported modification and Treaty Certification of two commercial-off-the-shelf, small airliner class OC-135B replacement aircraft. The total program includes procurement of two commercial-derivative aircraft and Digital Visual Imaging System kits, design and development for mission system integration (structural design, interphone communications systems, flight deck avionics, and Digital Visual Imaging System hardware), test, and Federal Aviation Administration and Open Skies Treaty certification activities over a planned 24-month period. Additionally, the complete effort establishes pre-operational support for aircraft, mission systems and Digital Ground Processing Station. In FY19, the Air Force finalized the acquisition strategy, stood up the program office, conducted market research, began Request for Proposal development and pre-solicitation activates. In FY20, the program would have completed competitive source selection, award a contract, and begin preliminary design activities.

The Open Skies Treaty is of unlimited duration, so the government must plan replace the OC-135B at some point. As a consequence, the USAF has developed a set of proposed capabilities required to accomplish the Open Skies mission, and issued a Request for Information [RFI] in 2017 to find viable options. The USAF was interested in aircraft that can meet the capabilities stated in this RFI. It is also interested in suggested concepts and ideas for aircraft sustainment and aircrew training.

The Open Skies aircraft must achieve a threshold requirement of being able to remain within 300 meters of an agreed track on observation missions when using external inputs to the navigation system. A desired objective requirement of an Open Skies aircraft is an ability to remain within 300 meters of the agreed track on observation missions for a duration of 30 minutes when no external inputs are available to the navigation system (e.g. no GPS, GLONASS, etc.).

The Open Skies aircraft must achieve a threshold requirement of being able to operate in all civil and military airspace at time of aircraft delivery, including known future CNS/ATM requirements, with redundant systems. It must have a capability to inhibit CNS/ATM emissions and prohibit transmission of CNS/ATM-related data accumulated during portions of a mission. It must have a capability of Civil ATC data link media for LOS and BLOS communications. The aircraft must also have the capability operate in the air traffic control systems environments of declared Open Skies airfields.

The Open Skies aircraft must achieve a threshold flight range requirement of 7200 kilometers, including a mid-point 300 kilometer segment at 10,000 feet, after takeoff at mission configuration and initial spiral to 35,000 feet with sufficient fuel reserves remaining under standard day conditions. A desired objective flight range requirement of an Open Skies aircraft is 9400 kilometers, including a mid-point 300 kilometer segment at 10,000 feet, after takeoff at mission configuration and initial spiral to 35,000 feet with sufficient fuel reserves remaining under standard day conditions. The Open Skies aircraft must achieve a threshold requirement of a mission capable rate 85%. A desired objective requirement of an Open Skies aircraft is a mission capable rate of 90%.

In order for an aircraft to be usable for Open Skies missions it has to be Treaty compliant. There are Treaty obligations that govern acceptable aircraft types. If an aircraft cannot meet Treaty stipulations and relevant bi- and multilateral agreements, it cannot be used as a Treaty aircraft.

The Treaty permits specific types of sensors that can be installed on Open Skies observation aircraft to be used on observation flights which include optical panoramic and framing cameras (30 cm maximum resolution); video cameras with real-time display (30 cm maximum resolution); infra-red line-scanning devices (50 cm maximum resolution); and, sideways-looking synthetic aperture radar (SAR) (3m maximum resolution). These parameters are contained in Article IV, para 1 and 2. OSCC Decision No. 8/13, Infrared Sensor Technology, 16 September 2013 added an additional type of IR sensor (focal plane array) due to technology evolution.

The US Open Skies aircraft must have size, weight, and power (SWAP) to accommodate desired Treaty-permitted sensors. Currently, the US is transitioning to the Digital Visual Imaging System (DVIS) camera system. Any aircraft suitable for the Open Skies mission must have a SWAP capability to accommodate DVIS, as well as a potential capability to carry the other permitted treaty sensors at the same time. The objective requirement expresses the desire to reuse sensor system components as much as possible.

In February 2018 the Joint Capabilities Board reviewed and endorsed the Joint Doctrine, Organization, Training, materiel, Leadership and Education, Personnel, Facilities, and Policy Change Recommendation which updated platform requirements for Open Skies Treaty aircraft and recommended moving the capability onto a small-airliner class aircraft and existing materiel solutions. The Joint Capabilities Board revised thirteen requirements to represent the full range of capability necessary for optimized support to Treaty missions and endorsed the Air Force's efforts to determine and pursue the best method for procuring an existing aircraft for platform recapitalization to include commercial-off-the-shelf solutions.

The Air Force Milestone Decision Authority approved the Open Skies Treaty Aircraft Recapitalization Materiel Development Decision and Acquisition Strategy on 11 September 2018. This acquisition leveraged the rapid fielding pathway authorized by section 804 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114-92). The program will award a single supply contract with embedded services for Contractor Logistics Support and Engineering Services. The program will utilize Full and Open Competition under Part 15 and Part 12 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. The program would procure two new aircraft capable of achieving Open Skies Treaty Missions, integrate two new treaty certified commercial-off-the-shelf Digital Visual Imaging Systems, and perform required Developmental Test, Operational Test, and Treaty Certification Data Gathering.

The program would establish Pre-operational Support for aircraft, mission systems and the Digital Ground Processing Station necessary to deliver an aircraft, ready for Treaty Certification, by 2022. The program provided for Engineering Services necessary to support the Treaty Certification process. Contractor Logistics Support elements include worldwide supply chain management, establishment of a Contractor Managed Base Supply, program management, depot maintenance, training services, field support, and engineering services for the aircraft, engines, and mission systems.