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.
