Actually I read the other day that the army is looking for another airframe....the E145 couldn't handle the weight of all the equipment they were trying to stuff in it....or maybe they realized it would be too loud in the back to get anything done in the WSCoD.
[ QUOTE ]
Aerial Common Sensor program plans to change airframes
Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
06/30/2005, page 01
Marc Selinger
The U.S. Army-led Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) program has concluded that it
will need a larger airframe than the Embraer ERJ-145 regional jet that it
selected less than a year ago, according to prime contractor Lockheed
Martin.
Responding to questions, Lockheed Martin told The DAILY in a statement
June 29 that ACS designers have found "additional integration weight" that
will prevent the program from using a modified ERJ-145.
Based on a thorough analysis, the U.S. government and Lockheed Martin
"have concluded that a larger airframe is necessary to provide the best
solution" for ACS, Lockheed Martin said. "We are assessing the
cost/schedule/technical implications of using a larger aircraft. Our goal
remains to bring this revolutionary capability to the warfighters as
quickly as possible."
An industry source told The DAILY that the program is looking at several
Embraer and non-Embraer alternatives. An Embraer spokesman referred
questions to Lockheed Martin.
Although Lockheed Martin did not elaborate on the weight problems, and the
Army had no immediate comment, the Defense Department's office of the
director of operational test and evaluation (DOT&E) warned in a recent
report that integrating multiple forms of intelligence onto a single
aircraft could be a challenge for the ACS program (DAILY, Jan. 21).
Lockheed Martin was awarded an $879 million, five-year contract in August
2004 for the program's system development and demonstration (SDD) phase.
ACS is intended to carry sensors providing signals intelligence,
measurement and signatures intelligence, electro-optical/infrared imagery,
synthetic aperture radar imagery and a ground moving target indicator.
The weight problems have led the Navy to put off its formal entry into the
ACS program. Responding to questions, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR)
told The DAILY in a statement that its decision to officially become a
program participant is "on hold" while the Army and Lockheed Martin "work
the solution set for mitigating integration weight growth."
Despite its hesitations, NAVAIR insisted that it still intends to join the
program eventually.
"The Navy is committed to ACS and working with the Army to make the
program a success," NAVAIR said.
The Navy had been slated to finalize its involvement in the program in
late 2004, but a Navy official indicated in January that it was taking
longer than expected to prepare for a key review that was supposed to lead
to the Navy's integration into the program (DAILY, Jan. 10).
Lockheed Martin said that while the Navy "has not signed onto the program,
they are participating in the program reviews and aircraft analysis."
The Navy has been planning to buy 19 jets to replace its EP-3E Aries II
aircraft, while the Army has intended to produce 38 jets to replace its
Guardrail Common Sensor and Airborne Reconnaissance Low aircraft. Previous
announcements indicated that fielding would begin in fiscal 2010 for the
Army and FY '12 for the Navy.
- Marc Selinger (marc_selinger@AviationNow.com)
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