U.S. Army Ready To Cancel ACS
By CHRISTOPHER P. CAVAS
Defense News:
The U.S. Army is expected to announce on Jan. 12 that it is canceling its troubled Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) program, according to Pentagon and industry sources.
The ACS, intended to replace a fleet of electronic intelligence-gathering aircraft in the Army and U.S. Navy, has been in trouble since shortly after Lockheed Martin’s Integrated Systems and Solutions, Gaithersburg, Md., was awarded an $879 million contract to design and develop the system in August 2004. The aircraft Lockheed chose to carry the system, Embraer’s ERJ-145, was quickly deemed incapable of fulfilling power and weight requirements. A search for a replacement began in the spring of 2005, but questions also arose about how the Army handled the contract award.
The program is meant to deliver 38 RC-20 aircraft to the Army by 2018, while the Navy has a requirement for 19 aircraft to replace its EP-3E Aeries electronic intelligence aircraft. The Navy would have become a full partner in the ACS program next year.
A Pentagon source said the Army and Navy are expected soon to begin a joint study on future requirements for electronic warfare aircraft.
Keith Mordoff, a Lockheed Martin spokesman, declined to comment Jan. 11 on the reports of the cancellation, other than to say, “We are expecting an announcement tomorrow.”
Defense News:
The U.S. Army is expected to announce on Jan. 12 that it is canceling its troubled Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) program, according to Pentagon and industry sources.
The ACS, intended to replace a fleet of electronic intelligence-gathering aircraft in the Army and U.S. Navy, has been in trouble since shortly after Lockheed Martin’s Integrated Systems and Solutions, Gaithersburg, Md., was awarded an $879 million contract to design and develop the system in August 2004. The aircraft Lockheed chose to carry the system, Embraer’s ERJ-145, was quickly deemed incapable of fulfilling power and weight requirements. A search for a replacement began in the spring of 2005, but questions also arose about how the Army handled the contract award.
The program is meant to deliver 38 RC-20 aircraft to the Army by 2018, while the Navy has a requirement for 19 aircraft to replace its EP-3E Aeries electronic intelligence aircraft. The Navy would have become a full partner in the ACS program next year.
A Pentagon source said the Army and Navy are expected soon to begin a joint study on future requirements for electronic warfare aircraft.
Keith Mordoff, a Lockheed Martin spokesman, declined to comment Jan. 11 on the reports of the cancellation, other than to say, “We are expecting an announcement tomorrow.”
posted by Marko at 1/12/2006 12:20:00 AM
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