12 Jun 15. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) through its Aerospace Systems sector, has formed an industry team with General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) and its subsidiary, Gulfstream, and L-3 (NYSE: LLL) to pursue the U.S. Air Force’s Joint STARS recap program. This complementary team leverages Northrop Grumman’s role as the prime industry contractor for the Joint STARS E-8C wide area ground surveillance, and battle management command and control mission for the U.S. Air Force for more than 30 years, Gulfstream’s award-winning business aircraft, and L-3’s expertise in aircraft modification and world-class communications solutions.
“We have unmatched, proven expertise to advance the U.S. Air Force’s battle management command and control, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission,” said Tom Vice, corporate vice president and president, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. “We meet, or exceed, the Air Force’s acquisition requirements by integrating our team’s independently developed, mature and proven systems at the lowest cost, with the lowest risk to provide an innovative acquisition solution.”
“Gulfstream offers the best possible combination of performance, cost-effectiveness and availability,” said Larry Flynn, president, Gulfstream. “This team’s Joint STARS recap proposal marries the extensive and varied experience of this team with the advanced and proven technology of Gulfstream business aircraft, resulting in a mature, non-developmental, ramp-ready solution for the Air Force.”
The Gulfstream aircraft will provide the Air Force with key mission system requirements – speed, range, altitude, endurance and reliability – well positioning the team to deliver a highly capable, cost-effective and innovative battle management command and control/intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance solution to the Air Force, integrated on an efficient, business jet platform.
“L-3 is excited to join a world class team to recapitalize a critical program for the U.S. Air Force,” said Mark Von Schwarz, senior vice president and president of L-3 Aerospace Systems. “Our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft integration capability and performance are industry-leading, as demonstrated by the delivery of 56 aircraft 100% on-time or early and within budget, over the past 30 months. We are joining an equally impressive Northrop Grumman industry team to ensure affordable, next-generation performance not only today but into the future.”
Using open architecture and commercial-off-the-shelf technologies, the growth potential of the Next Generation Joint STARS platform will ensure it remains relevant to meet evolving threats the warfighter may encounter for decades to come.
11 Jun 15. The U.S. government has cleared Raytheon’s AN/TPY-2 ballistic missile defense radar for sale to several allies in its forward-based mode. The large but mobile and air-transportable X-band radar is already cleared for export as part of the Lockheed Martin Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system. But when it can be positioned near to hostile territory, the TPY-2 can acquire ballistic missiles in the boost (ascent) phase of flight. That gives more time for air defense command and control systems to react. Additionally, it allows the radar to cue three-stage SM-3 missiles–another Raytheon product–that can perform an early or mid-course intercept of ballistic missiles. Only software changes are required to convert the radar for forward-basing. The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has already forward-deployed five of the 10 TPY-2 radars that it has acquired–to Guam, Israel, Japan, Turkey and “a country in the US CENTCOM region,” which is reported to be Qatar. Four more of the radars are under contract, two for the U.S. and two for the international customers of the THAAD system–Qatar and the UAE. Meanwhile, SM-3 Block IB missiles will be deployed on European soil for the first time by the end of this year. They form part of t