Europeans Eye Alternative to Huge U.S. Missile Project
Aviation Week & Space Technology
10/20/2003, page 34
Robert Wall
Washington
European effort could materialize if trans- atlantic guided-weapon project founders
Uncommon Missile
An alternative to one of the Pentagon's largest missile programs could be emerging in Europe, with Britain slated to take the lead if the U.K. government decides against collaborating with Washington.
The U.S. Army is entering the home stretch in deciding who will be responsible for the Joint Common Missile (JCM) project, worth more than $5 billion. Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and a Boeing/Northrop Grumman team are squaring off to provide more than 50,000 weapons intended to replace Hellfire, Maverick and potentially other missiles. Bids are due in mid-November.
But there are rumblings in European industry and the British defense ministry about creating an alternative, the European Common Missile (ECM), in case the U.K. pulls out of JCM. Although the U.K. doesn't have a proper requirement for JCM, it could address elements of various weapons needs, including an air-to-surface and anti-ship missile.
Britain contributed 6 million pounds ($10 million) during the JCM concept and technology demonstration in which the competitors had to show they have the technology to satisfy the key seeker demands. But the U.K. now has to decide whether to continue its involvement as the program moves into system design and demonstration. London would be expected to make its choice after the Pentagon picks its prime contractor early next year.
British industry executives claim there is unease in political and defense circles as to just how much high-value involvement the U.K. would garner in the U.S.-led effort. They suggest the ministry has not discouraged exploratory discussions on the ECM and may even have identified potential partner nations, such as Sweden.
But with the U.K. not firmly involved, British companies are largely on the sidelines watching. Even if their government were to enter the project later, most of the interesting, high-value design work would have been completed, leaving only production. That is bolstering the case in Europe to launch a common missile equivalent, U.S. and European industry representatives contend.
In addition to a new missile, some British industry officials argue that a Brimstone improvement program could do much of what the European govern- ments want. What could thwart a European effort is that some countries already have a number of missile procurements planned, leaving little room for another effort, noted one British industry official.
The U.S. project is intended to deliver a weapon that would double the range of helicopter-launched Hellfires to 16 km. (10 mi.)--with a fixed-wing goal of 28 km.--while remaining within the same size constraints of a 7-in. dia., 70-in. length and 108-lb. weight. The first missiles should be fielded in 2009 on U.S. Army AH-64D Apache and Marine Corps AH-1Z attack helicopters, with the first fixed-wing system, the F/A-18E/F, to receive the weapon in Fiscal 2010. U.S. procurement plans call for the Pentagon to buy 54,000 missiles.
All three competitors can point to past missile work in this area to show they are qualified to perform. Raytheon developed the Maverick, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin built Hellfire in a joint venture, and Boeing builds the Brimstone, a Hellfire derivative.
The Pentagon has set a requirement for the new weapon to provide both fire-and-forget and operator in-the-loop capability, with a high probability of killing the target. The core feature to realize that vision is a tri-mode seeker. All competitors had to build two tri-modes and provide them to the Army for its assessment in tower testing under a previous development phase.
The three modes are a semi-active laser, millimeter-microwave and imaging infrared sensor. With all three sensor inputs fused, the missile should be able to defeat most countermeasures.
To reduce risk, the winning contractor must maintain a second seeker design, either taking one from a losing bidder or creating a separate one. Government managers are concerned that a single-path seeker development effort could derail the entire project and want a fallback. Moreover, the Army has extended the development program to 48 months, from 36, with the first year focused on risk reduction in such key areas as the multi-mode warhead, seeker and propulsion.
All three teams also plan to use various smart rack configurations, which would be the interface point between the aircraft and the missile. That approach keeps the missile common and minimizes aircraft changes, which would otherwise be costly.
The Army, in 2008, also is planning a second step for the JCM project. Although not fully defined, it could include adapting the weapon for ground applications. The follow-on development phase would likely last 48 months.
