The EADS/Northrop Grumman/Thales/Galileo Avionica bid to win NATO's
contract for a ground-surveillance platform is starting to center
on the ability to bring in new partners and add capability.
The multinational Transatlantic Industrial Proposed Solution (TIPS)
team hopes to beat out a rival BAE Systems/Raytheon bid, which
is based on Britain's Global Express-based Astor ground surveillance
platform. TIPS is offering an Airbus A321-based solution, although
the smaller, cheaper A320 would also be a candidate if NATO wants
to keep costs down, says Mathew R. Copija, Northrop Grumman's
AGS program director.
NATO expects to make a decision on what team to go with in February,
with bids to be solicited next month. The sensor to be used-regardless
of which team wins the ground-surveillance system contract-is
being developed by the multi-national Transatlantic Cooperative
Airborne Ground Surveillance Radar team.
One of the features that makes the TIPS proposal superior to its
competitor is room for growth, argue team members, who contend
the Astor option doesn't have the same long-term flexibility.
The A321 solution would initially provide 14 workstations, but
as missions expand, up to 24 workstations could be accommodated,
Copija said. TIPS officials reject the notion their proposal is
too manpower intensive, noting that if the alliance wanted, it
could operate the aircraft with far fewer than 14 operators.
Moreover, they assert that while the Airbus will be air-refuelable
to provide 20 hours' endurance, adding such a feature to the business
jet would be "a high risk factor."
Another aspect is growth of the industrial team. It has already
been expanded from the original three with the addition of Thales.
More are to follow before the bids are due to get the team close
to meeting its industrial offset requirements.
The TIPS team also recently decided to propose a mixed fleet of
manned and unmanned aircraft, with a Global Hawk derivative-likely
to be called NATO Hawk-serving as an adjunct. The high altitude
UAV would carry a 5- to 9-ft version of the TCAR radar, which
measures 18 ft long on the A321. The UAV also would feature electro-optical
and infrared sensors.
The number of manned and unmanned aircraft to be procured still
hasn't been determined. An all-manned aircraft fleet could reach
eight A321s, although a more likely scenario would call for about
five A321s and about seven UAVs. The unmanned air vehicle could
be controlled from the manned platform.
The two-year design and development program is expected to cost
$350 million, with production, including radar costs, to total
around $3.5 billion. An initial operational capability is slated
for 2010.
