E-7 Boeing 737 AEW
The Department of the Air Force awarded The Boeing Company a contract to begin work on the E-7A weapon system 28 February 2023. The value of this initial contract will not exceed $1.2 billion. The DAF selected the E-7A to replace the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System. The E-7A will provide advanced Airborne Moving Target Indication and Battle Management, Command and Control capabilities, and advanced Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array radar that enhances airborne battle management and enables long-range kill chains with potential peer adversaries.
AWACS is a rapidly deployable Command and Control (C2) and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) asset capable of rapid global deployment and 24-hour, all weather operations. AWACS provides Battle Management Command and Control (BMC2) to the Combat Air Forces with airborne systems and personnel for theater surveillance and warning as well as control of strategic, tactical, and special mission forces.
In fiscal year 2022, the DAF selected the E-7A to replace the E-3 AWACS and established an E-7A Program Management Office. The DAF is using the rapid prototyping acquisition pathway to acquire the first two E-7As.
Based on market research, the Department of the Air Force decided 26 April 2022 to replace a portion of the E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System fleet with the E-7 Wedgetail, which is produced by The Boeing Company. The Boeing E-7 is the only platform capable of meeting the requirements for the Defense Department’s tactical battle management, command and control and moving target indication capabilities within the timeframe needed to replace the aging E-3. A contract award was planned in fiscal year 2023.
The FY23 President’s Budget request includes $227 million in Research, Development, Test and Evaluation funds starting in FY23. These funds support the acquisition of a rapid prototype aircraft planned to deliver in FY27. The notional schedule plans for a second rapid prototype aircraft funded in FY24, and a production decision in FY25 to continue fielding aircraft. The FY23 PB proposes a partial divestment of the E-3 AWACS fleet, 15 of 31 aircraft, and redirects funding to procure and field its replacement.
The Air Force will develop a US-specific E-7A baseline derived heavily from the UK basi=iline, the most recent E-7 production program. In FY21, the E-3 exhibited its lowest-ever aircraft availability rates with less than 60% of aircraft mission capable and less than 20% fully mission capable at any given time. As Unlike the E-3 and its Boeing 707 airframe, the E-7 is built on the prolific and modern Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) platform. Leveraging a newer, widely-supported airframe allows the Air For~e to eventually access a wide pool of vendors for parts and sustainment. The E-7 also incorporates the Northrop Grumman Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar which Boeing has successfully integrated and tested on 14 E-7's to date and which has distinct, significant performance advantages over the E-3's mechanically-scanned array radar.
The US E-7A will also incorporate modifications required to render the E-7A compliant with US mandates for satellite communication and M-Code GPS as well as meet US cybersecurity and program protection requirements. Specifically, it will add Mobile User Objeiztive System (MUOS) radios into the communications subsystem ahead of the FY26 mandate. Also driven by mandates is the inclusion of the M-Code GPS receiver for mission computing which is a statutory requirement on all new US acquisitions as of FY17. Fim:1lly. US prototype E-7A's will differ from the UK baseline by incorporating updates to address Diminishing. Manufacturing Sources (OMS) issues, and a refactored mission computing system In order to meet US cybersecurity and hardening requirements. Under this contract, the Air Force would also establish initial development and test infrastructure necessary to support the delivery of the prototype aircraft.
Boeing has been producing the E-7 weapon system since 2009 and by 2023 had deliveted 14 operational units for the Commonwealth of Australia (six aircraft), Turkey (four aircraft); and the Republic of Korea (four aircraft) with three more on order for the UK. As the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of the integrated E~7A platform, only Boeing had the experience and insight necessary to meet the Government's performance and schedule requirements. No other contractor had been identified that can produce a platform which meets the Air Force's requirements of a certified aerial refueling system and 360-degiee advanced AMTI radar within the Government's schedule requirements.
Boeing asserted proprietary data rights on technical data describing the design of the E-7 and the manufacturing processes required to convert a 737NG into an integrated E-7 weapon system. Boeing stated that it would not sell its proprietary E-7 data to the Government or another contractor as such a sale would result in severe degradation of their competitive advantage and be counter to their corporate Interest. To date, all E-7 programs had been international sales and Boeing assected limited data rights on the contract. While Boeing's data rights were an impediment to competition, the US E~7A prototyping program would seek unlimited rights for operation, maintenance, installation, and training (OMIT) data and all software; to inclode source code, object code and executable code, developed under the prototyping contract.
Boeing's established supplier bsse and ongoing partnerships with major sub-contractors including Northrop Grumman (MESA radar) and Collins Aerospace (737NG avionics) also rendered them best qualified to develop and deliver US configutation E-7A weapon systems without significant impact to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness certification and the Government's schedule. Given their experience with the components of the E-7 and trusted supplier sources, Boeing carried the ieast risk of schedule delay due to supply chain issues or subcontractor performance.
This program, designated "E-7A" to denote the US conflguratlon, will begin usihg DoD 5000.80 Rapid Prototyping Middle Tier Acquisition {MTA) authorities with an ACAT 1B equivalent designation program to prototype and deiiver two USAF E-7A aircraft with associated deveiopment test,and ground systems. This prototyping program is in response to an E-7 A Rapid Prototyping Requirements Document (RPRD), Air Force Decision Memorandum (AFRDM) 09-21-05, signed 05 0ctober 2021. The RPRD directs the delivery of two prototype E-7A aircraft as the first articled in a final fleet of 22 E-7As.
The RPRD places an emphasis on the need for E-7A speed to ramp. The current US Battle Management Command and Control (BMC2) and Airbotne Moving Target Indicator(AMT!) platform, the E-3 Sentry AWACS, has been in service since 1977 and is experiencing diminishing lethaiity in operationally relevant environments. The sensor is no longer adequate for near-peer engagements and the USAF requires a sensor capable of enabling the long-range kill chain without delay.
Additiohally, the E-3 AWACS is experiencing rapidly declining mission capabie rates. A major driver of this decline is that the E-3 is based on a Boeing 707 airframe, which is no longer in production. As a resuit, replacement parts are either refurbished with limited life expectancy or they must be remanufactured at great expense, also causing significant delay. These challenges have exacerbated the difficulty of providing modifications to the E-3, resulting in a widening gap between threat capabilities and E-3 performance.
The E-7 will resolve the declning availability and readiness of the E-3 while also reducing cost per flying hour. For these reasons, time is of the essence for an E-3 replacement and E-7 production must commence no later than FY25.
In addition to the prototyping and production programs, other actions Will be required to support the beginning of the E-7A program and replacement of the E-3 fleet. These include requirements for the development and acquisition of necessary trainers, Intelligence Community Standards (ICS) lab support infrastructure, organic software development infrastructure, technlcal data, spares, and ground support equipment to enable operations of the E-7A fleet. Initial sole-source awards will be necessary to ensure the timely stand"UP of the initial fleet to meet operational needs, given the rapidly deteriorating condition of the E-3 fleet. These contracts may be awarded as one contract activity or.separate actions depending on the Air Force's requirements and funding profile. Withoat these contract activities; the acquired fleet of E~7A weapons systems woutd not be operationally effective nor sustainable.
These requirements will be defined during the prototyping program and all associated contracts will be awarded by the enf of FY26 with performance ending once the E-7A achieves ioitiai Operational Capability (IOC) (estimated FY30) wtth the possibie exception of Intelligence Community Standards (ICS) , which is planned for a period of up to five (5) years. This class J&A would provide the authority to award contract actions for performance of these ancillary requiremeots on a non-competitive basis, if within scope and as necessary, using various contract types; contract actions to be awarded for these requirements beyond FY26 will either be competed or require a new Justification and Approval. The program office projects that performance of these activities wiil cover FY23 through IOC (estimated for FY30} and their value is rolled into the estimates of-for pro~otyping activities (3600 funds starting in FY23) and-for production activities (3010 funds starting in FY25) required to field the 22 aircraft US fleet. Pursuant to.FAR 6.303-1d, the contracting officer will document in the relevant contract file that any contract action taken pursuant to the authority of this class J&A is within its scope.
After the RPRD was signed in October 2021, the Air Force conducted internal market research to identify available AMTI and BMC2 platforms. This research was comprised of consultation with industry experts anf review of publicly available information. Research was completed in November 2021 and concluded that the E-7 was the only platform that can meet the requirernents laid out in the RPRD. No identified aircraft surpassed the suitability of the Boeing E-7 which was identified as the solution in the RPRD necessary to meet Air Force requirements.
On 08 February 2022, the Air Force posted a Request for Information (RFI) to SAM.gov to identify industry partners to replace the US E-3.AWACS aircraft. The goal of this RFI was to validate the Air Force's internal research and assess what platforms might be ayailable to satisfy Air Force BMC2 and AMTI mission requirements on the schedule necessaiy to avoid a degradation in capbility as set forth io the RPRD. The RFI was slated to close to close 10 March 2022, but was extend¢d to 16 March 2022 to allow time for additional respondents.
While market research did identify alternative solutions, they came with decreased capability and greater program risk. One key requirement for the E-3 replacement is a certified aerial rerueiing capability. The only advanced AMTI platform that had integrated, tested, and certified aerial refueling capability is Boeing's E-7. Market research indicated that other platforms wouId stiil require development installation, testing, verification, and certification to implement aeriai refueling and, according to Government experts, it would take three years to design and fully implement an aerial refueling system with an additiona! one to two years to test and certify it.
Saab's bizjet-based GlobalEye Bombardier 6000/6500 featuring a suite of sensors. The Swedish company planned to fit two Erieye radars to the A330 to overcome possible wing blanking issues. While both were capable of performing BMC2 and AMTI missions, neither platform currently had 350-degree integrated radar coverage, a capability which was required and was already available on the E-7. Both responses asserted a plan for integration of two additional radar sensors to the fore and aft of the aircraft. The addition of the fore and aft sensors would require an integration and testing process for the structural changes to the aircraft and integration within the BMC2 software would need to occur during the prototyping phase. This process would add overall schedule and technical risk to their prototyping efforts. The existing 360-degree radar coverage capability of Boeing's E-7 avoided injecting the additional schedule and techriical risk into a prototyping program. Of the three platforms discussed, only the E-7 had existing certified aerial refueling capability with both the KC-135 and KC-10. E-7 certification with the KC-46 was in-progress.
As detailed in the Market Research Report, the Boeing E-7 was the only aircraft that met the Air Force's requirements for certifi¢d aerial refueiing capability and integrated 360-degree radar sensor coverage. It was aiso the only p1atform capable of supporting the transition to production in FY25 due to the unique opportunity for collaborative flight testing with Australia and the UK. If a production program is not started in FY25, the Air Force will not be able to field an E-3 replacement at the speed necessary to fulfill Combatant Comniand Long Range Kill Chain requirements.
"The E-7A will be the department's principal airborne sensor for detecting, identifying, tracking, and reporting all airborne activity to Joint Force commanders," said Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. "This contract award is a critical step in ensuring that the department continues delivering battlespace awareness and management capabilities to U.S. warfighters, allies and partners for the next several decades. The E-7A will enable greater airborne battlespace awareness through its precise, real-time air picture and will be able to control and direct individual aircraft under a wide range of environmental and operational conditions."
The USAF plans to begin production in fiscal 2025, with the first E-7A expected to be fielded by fiscal 2027. The service anticipates procuring 24 additional E-7As by fiscal 2032. The E-7A total aircraft inventory is projected to be 26.
The ongoing modernization of the E-3 AWACS meets the intent of the 2022 National Defense Strategy by continuing worldwide Battle Management, Command and Control and Airborne Moving Target Indication Operations as required by the DAF.
"We conducted a thorough analysis of viable industry options to ensure the selected E-3 replacement could meet the specific needs of the U.S. Until the E-7A is fielded, we will continue to rely on the E-3 AWACS," Hunter said. "The rapid prototyping program will integrate U.S.-based mission systems into the existing airborne platform to meet DAF requirements while simultaneously ensuring interoperability with coalition and allied partners already operating the E-7A."
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
