Radar risk reduction efforts to begin for JSTARS Recap program
NewsApril 07, 2016
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems will begin radar risk reduction efforts for the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) Recap Program.
"We have awarded these contracts to burn down key risks relative to scaling radar designs to work for a Recap Weapon System solution, ensuring an executable EMD [engineering and manufacturing development] phase," says Col. David Learned, JSTARS Recap program manager.
Under the the awarded sole-source undefinitized actions, Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. can receive up to $70.2 million and Raytheon up to $60 million for non-recurring hardware and software engineering activities that can ensure radars are scaled to meet JSTARS Recap Wide Area Surveillance requirements.
"This radar scaling and adaptation to a smaller platform with fewer crew is work that has not been done before. We want to prove feasibility in the TMRR [technology maturation and risk reduction] phase prior to launching into a full out EMD program," says Brian Carr, JSTARS Recapitalization Radar deputy IPT lead.
The program received an Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM) from the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. The contracts were awarded after this to execute planned radar risk reduction activities as part of the TMRR phase.
"This is our third ADM in less than 11 months," Learned says. "We are currently executing five contracts and on track for our EMD RFP release as planned."
Milstone B is expected by the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2017. A request for proposal for the EMD phase of the program is set to occur in the fourth quarter of this fiscal year.
Read more on radars:
Noise-encrypted radar tech is being developed by U.S. Army
HPEC radar processing architecture meets goals of USAF next-gen radar study
Funding for radar, electronic warfare, C4ISR, steady in DoD FY 2017 budget request
