Bombardier for USAF JSTARS, Rivet Joint, AWACs and Compass Call replacements?

[MarkOttawa]

At AvWeek:

Boeing, Gulfstream, Bombardier Angle For USAF Special-Mission Work

As aircraft manufacturers line up to replace the U.S. Air Force’s radar-carrying Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (J-Stars) fleet, Boeing, Gulfstream and Bombardier have begun jostling for other pending special-mission aircraft programs. The Boeing airliner-based RC-135 Rivet Joint signals-intelligence aircraft, E-3 Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) and EC-130H Compass Call electronic attack turboprop are all nearing their expiration dates, and the service wants nimbler business jets in their stead.

The Rivet Joint and E-3 AWACS were introduced as niche capabilities during the Cold War in 1964 and 1978, respectively. Compass Call is a spring chicken compared to those aircraft, having been introduced in 1983, but operational requirements and a new mission package called Baseline 3 demand a higher-altitude, higher-speed aircraft rather than another turboprop, such as the C-130J Super Hercules.

U.S. Air Force Compass Call Highlights

Air Force sought to sole-source Compass Call to General Dyanmics-owned Gulfstream

Bombardier and lawmakers are pressing for a competition

Compass Call vendor might gain advantage for next-generation J-Stars, Rivet Joint and AWACS competitions

This month, the Air Force announced a Rivet Joint-focused Enterprise Capability Collaboration Team that will help it decide what type of capability should succeed the RC-135. Meanwhile, Air Combat Command (ACC) has begun refining its requirements for a future airborne early warning aircraft. And Compass Call has leapfrogged the J-Stars recapitalization program as an urgent operational need. The Air Force is seeking one new aircraft per year over the next decade. Sensing that the Compass Call aircraft could serve as the baseline for other programs, Bombardier and Gulfstream are preparing to battle for the business as Boeing offers its smallest airliner, the 737, which it says can more comfortably accommodate mission specialists and has the space, weight, power and cooling for future growth. Embraer may also submit a bid.

The companies are already teamed for J-Stars, which will carry a radar supplied by either Raytheon or Northrop. The procurement of 17 wide-area surveillance and battle-management aircraft is the centerpiece of the Air Force’s special-mission aircraft ambitions, but it has not issued a request for proposals. Meanwhile, a fight is brewing over Compass Call, which the Air Force had wanted to sole-source to General-Dynamics owned Gulfstream for the EC-37B Conformal Airborne Early Warning (CAEW) type, until Bombardier and U.S. lawmakers intervened [emphasis added].

Industry believes that the vendor the Air Force chooses for Compass Call might gain the upper hand in a competition for next-generation J-Stars, Rivet Joint and AWACS, because it would be naturally easier and cheaper to sustain common fleets.

...Bombardier...says it will offer the Global 6000 for Compass Call...
http://aviationweek.com/electronic-warfare/boeing-gulfstream-bombardier-angle-usaf-special-mission-work

Earlier:

Bombardier Airframe for New USAF ISR Plane? Part 2 [JSTARS replacement]
https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2016/03/28/mark-collins-bombardier-airframe-for-new-usaf-isr-plane-part-2/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

Meanwhile At Defense Industry Daily's "Rapid Fire" (further links at original):

...Saab are keen that their GlobalEye external link AEW&C platform would be an ideal replacement external link for the RAF’s current fleet of six Boeing E-3 Sentrys. The company believes that products such as its EyrieEye ER system – or a larger package like the Bombardier Global 6000-based GlobalEye – are still in the running in the UK market, even though London looks set to keep the E-3s operational until 2035. Until then, recent GlobalEye purchaser UAE may provide some operational reviews before the UK decides to go the full monty on GlobalEye...
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/syrian-rebels-to-get-beefed-up-weaponry-saab-eyes-uk-hopes-to-one-day-replace-e-3-sentry-kais-kuh-1-moves-to-redesign-to-correct-defects-034867/

Earlier on the GlobalEye:

Boeing, SAAB Promoting Military Versions of Bombardier Bizjets
...

...
https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/mark-collins-boeing-saab-promoting-military-versions-of-bombardier-bizjets/

Mark
Ottawa

 

[MarkOttawa]

USAF JSTARS, Compass Call replacements--possibly helping LockheedMartin/Bombardier 6000 bid too?

Gulfstream mounts pro-bizjet blitz ahead of major Air Force competitions

As Gulfstream waits to see whether its G550 will emerge victorious and become the Air Force’s new JSTARS and Compass Call airframe, the company has begun to fight a larger battle to win over the service as it begins contemplating future special mission aircraft requirements.

The first major obstacle: convincing the Air Force that its requirements can be met with a smaller business jet and not a larger airliner, the latter of which would force Gulfstream out of upcoming competitions...

Although Gulfstream officials never called out Boeing by name, it centered its entire presentation on why business jets — like the G550 that the company offered for JSTARS and Compass Call — would be a better fit than larger airliners like the Boeing 737-700...

Over the coming months, the Air Force is set to make critical decisions regarding two special mission aircraft that could influence the shape of later competitions. A downselect on the JSTARS recapitalization program is set to take place early next year at the latest. For that competition, Northrop Grumman partnered with Gulfstream and L3 and will face off against Boeing — which is offering a militarized 737-700 — and a Lockheed Martin-Bombardier team that will put forward a variant of the Global 6000 business jet.

Gulfstream is also presumed to be the preferred pick for the new Compass Call airframe. That program is currently under protest by both Boeing and Bombardier, who contend that the Air Force’s acquisition strategy gives Gulfstream a competitive advantage...

Interestingly, Gulfstream executives did not reference its competitors in the business jet industry, like Bombardier [emphasis added], during the Thursday [July 13] briefings. Instead, they mounted a broader argument that the G550’s lower cost and ability to conduct the mission at higher altitudes, faster speeds and longer ranges gave it the advantage over commercial airliners...
http://www.defensenews.com/articles/gulfstream-mounts-pro-bizjet-blitz-ahead-of-major-air-force-competitions

Earlier:

Boeing puts 737 up against small business jets for $6.9B defense contract

A conceptual rendering of the aircraft proposed by Lockheed Martin for the Pentagon’s JSTARS aircraft, based on a Bombardier Global 6000 business jet. (Lockheed Martin)
http://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/boeing-puts-737-up-against-small-business-jets-for-69b-defense-contract/

Bombardier protests Compass Call crossdeck, joining Boeing in challenging the program
http://www.defensenews.com/articles/bombardier-protests-compass-call-crossdeck-joining-boeing-in-challenging-the-program

Mark
Ottawa