Next Generation Rotorcraft ASE Systems Reserved for Newer ...

we’ve been in the process of upgrading nearly all
fielded AAR-47 systems to the B(V)2 configuration.”
RF WARNING AND THE APR-39
Of all the ASE systems in service, the Northrop
Grumman AN/APR-39 RWR, in its many versions,
has to be the most widely installed across the DOD
rotary-wing fleet, and the longest-lived. To date,
over 6,000 APR-39 systems have been installed on
both US and international rotorcraft platforms including
the AH-1W/Z, UH-1N/Y, MV-22B, UH-60,
OH-58D, CH-46/47/53, and AH-64A/D. Although,
as observed by Overstreet, in recent conflicts such
as Iraq and Afghanistan, RF threats have not proven
as significant as IR and small arms fire for helicopter
platforms, “who knows what the future will
bring.”
Already, the Libyan conflict has highlighted this
point, but perhaps of even greater significance to
the importance of the APR-39, is the role it plays on
many helicopter platforms in also integrating and
displaying warning data from other ASE sensors
and systems. Integrated with both laser and missile
warning systems, the newer versions of the APR-
39 are increasingly serving as the overall controller
for a helicopter’s ASE suite.
Jeff Palombo, Northrop Grumman VP and General
Manager, Land and Self Protection Systems
Division (Rolling Meadows, IL), says this is one of
the larger next-capability functions for the AN/ APR-
39. Working through the company’s Rotorcraft Avionics
Innovation Laboratory (RAIL), Palombo says
Northrop Grumman has been continually working
to utilize and improve the APR- 39’s capabilities as
an integrated ASE suite controller. “We’ve already
demonstrated the ability to utilize all the targeted
analog hardware on existing platforms, piping their
information into a same-form-factor APR-39 where
it is fused with the data from other sensors to provide
an unambiguous, single set of threat information
to the pilot.” In 2010, the Army awarded
Northrop Grumman a $450M IDIQ contract to upgrade
770 APR-39s to the new configuration.In ad-
dition, the Naval Air Systems Command announced
last March that it intends to award a new sole
source contract to Northrop Grumman to upgrade
the APR-39 to a new AN/APR-39D(V)2 configuration.
As described by Overstreet, “It’s essentially an
ECP to the current system that corrects some current
deficiencies and provides greater capability,
but meets the same size and weight requirements
of the current system.” As part of the upgrade, the
39D(V2) will incorporate a new digital receiver to
handle environments that include greater threat
densities as well as more commercial and civilian
emitters that must be sorted from the threats. “It’s
one of the first forays into digital receivers in a small
form factor for the helicopter community,” says
Overstreet. “We’re leveraging our current APR-39
production requirements for new helicopters and
new MV-22s to upgrade to digital.” The MV-22 is
the lead platform to receivethe upgrade.
Although the Navy and Marines don’t currently
have a jamming requirement for their rotary-wing
aircraft, the size and
weight savings offered
by the digital receiver
design raises the possibility
of an electronic
attack capability being
incorporated into the
APR-39D(V2) configuration.
In fact, the Army
has expressed interest
in just that. Says Leapheart,
“This is a great
example of how the
Services can work together.
We’re watching
the Navy’s effort very
closely and hope to be able to get funding in the
2014-18 timeframe to follow in the same path, both
in terms of the digital RWR as well as having the
potential to expand it into a jammer.”
THE JOINT AND ALLIED THREAT AWARE-
NESS SYSTEM (JATAS)
When the Navy conceived its Joint and Allied
Threat Awareness System (JATAS) program
several years ago, it planned to replace most of
its AAR-47 RWRs, (as well as all of its AAR-57s
and Northrop Grumman AAR-54s), with the nextgeneration
system that could perform missile warning,
laser warning and HFI. The Navy expected
that fleet-wide installation of a common IR threat
warning system would achieve modernization
while limiting sustainment costs. However, the cost
of buying and installing enough JATAS systems to
cover most of the US Navy and USMC rotary-wing
fleets is no longer viable in the constrained DOD
budget. Overstreet now notes that “JATAS is designed
for the smaller platforms” and says, beyond
the lead MV-22B “Osprey” integration platform and
Marine AH-1Z “Viper” and UH-1Y “Venom” helicopters,
additional JATAS installations will be made on
a “to-be-determined” basis. “JATAS is targeted for
the newer platforms, older platforms will not get JA-
TAS, but those platforms will be phasing out,” says
Overstreet.
In addition, Overstreet says that, although the
Navy is configuring JATAS to be compatible with
Army platforms as well, the Army is not currently
committed to acquiring it. “The Army is not part of
our acquisition strategy in terms of procurement.
We are funded and planned for Navy and Marine
Corps platforms only. In the event that the Army
does decide to equip their helicopters with a new
MWS, however, OSD had directed that it must be
JATAS.”
JATAS is a two-color-IR-based system and, unlike
the AAR-47, does not incorporate a UV component.
Overstreet notes that “UV has challenges in
false alarm rate, range and operation in high-clutter
areas, making it unsuitable for use over urban areas.
Though we’ve largely corrected this with the
AAR-47B(V)2, it’s still an issue, and the fleet highly
emphasizes low false-alarm rate.” As described by
ATK’s Kasting, “the AAR-47 sensor is a single-pixel
staring array that identifies only the quadrant that
you are being attacked from, while the JATAS multispectral
imaging IR sensor can calculate angle-ofarrival
(AOA) and pinpoint the specific ground location
of the threat. JATAS also provides a significant
increase in HFI capability and laser detection over
what the AAR-47 has today.” Kasting adds that,
since JATAS was designed from the outset to be
form-fit-and-function compatible with the AAR-47,
it will make integration across the fleet that much
easier. “And, since both the hardware and software
architecture is completely open, it will also be easier
to integrate with other future capabilities over
time.”
Overstreet agrees that open architectures are
key to higher levels of integration. “As new aircraft
like the CH-53K, the new mission computer for the
MV-22, and the open-architecture CIRCM system
come along, this will enable us to do true plug and
play. We’ll be able to integrate many more systems
than we can now with the legacy systems. This is
where the ‘glass cockpit’ display will really come
into play.”
JATAS interfaces with the existing AN/ALE-47
Countermeasures Dispensing System (CMDS) as
well as the Department of the Navy (DoN) Large
Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) system,
and CIRCM. Though the system is designed
to be controlled by the host platform’s mission computer
and multifunction displays, in some cases,
control and indication for the JATAS will still be
through the AN/APR-39.
According to Overstreet, “The most basic integration
may use the existing APR-39 as a bus
controller and display head, but it’s a much more
advanced integration as we get away from the
APR-39 to mission computers and cockpit displays,
as with the MV-22 integration. Future integration
may tie JATAS to helmet displays like those in the
AH-1Z attack helicopter.”
A critical design review for JATAS is planned
for May of this year, and the First EMD model hardware
is scheduled to be delivered at the end of
December for integration on the MV-22B, at which
time it will also have an official military nomenclature.
First flight tests are planned for March of
2013, Low-rate initial production (LRIP) deliveries
are scheduled for early 2015, and initial operational
capability (IOC) is planned for later that year.
ACTIVE COUNTERMEASURES: LAIRCM
In general, the US military currently has four
active Directed IR Countermeasure (DIRCM) programs
at some stage of implementation. For large
rotorcraft, these include the Air Force’s (AAQ-
24(V) Large Aircraft IR Countermeasure (LAIRCM)
system, and the follow-on Department of the Navy
(DoN) LAIRCM effort. Since both of these systems
are produced by Northrop Grumman, they tend to
incorporate similar technology and sensor configurations.
Says Northrop Grumman’s Palombo, “Essentially
what we provide with LAIRCM and DoN LAIR-
CM is an open architecture system that enables our
customers to work with us to select the best capability
for their specific application. For example, the
USMC customer has a five-sensor solution on their
CH-53s that are in a podded configuration, allowing
the system to be transferred from aircraft to aircraft
to save costs.” To date, LAIRCM has been integrated
with five different missile warning systems, as
well multiple jam heads, cockpit displays and other
platform-specific subsystems.
Together, the Navy and Marine Corps are equipping
156 CH-53D, CH-53E and CH-46E transport
helicopters with DoN LAIRCM systems. The system
includes the Northrop Grumman “Viper” laser,
as well as the Guardian Laser Transmitter Assembly
and the AAR-54 missile warning system. The
Navy has contracted with Northrop Grumman to
begin replacing the DoN LAIRCM system’s UV missile
warning sensors with two-color IR Advanced
Threat Warning (ATW) sensors. Along the lines of
JATAS multifunctionality, ATW sensors will enable
the DoN LAIRCM system to perform missile warning,
laser warning and HFI, as well as potentially
provide video for situational awareness.
According to Palombo, “Through the ATW
multi-function sensor, we’ve been able to continually
physically shrink the hardware while providing
additional capability in the same form factor. This
approach allows you to remove other platform sensors
and their associated processors, potentially
saving 40-50 lbs on a helicopter platform.” Says
Overstreet, “The information is much more precise
with obviously lower false alarm rates. It’s probably
the most capable missile warning system out there
until JATAS comes on line together with a very capable
IR jammer.” A critical design review (CDR)
of the ATW sensor has been completed, and it will
go into flight test later this year. Overstreet says
it should be made available to the fleet sometime
next year.
Northrop Grumman is also now in production
on a new missile warning system design for the US
Air Force’s LAIRCM program. The USAF awarded
the company a $79 million contract last year for the
“NexGen MWS,” which will be installed on Air Force
Special Operations Command CV-22s, as well as
C-17, C-130 and C-5 aircraft.
ATIRCM
In the meantime, for the Army, the BAE Systems’
AN/ALQ-212(V) Advanced Threat IR Countermeasures
System (ATIRCM) continues to play
a role for that Service’s larger rotorcraft platforms.
In September of last year, the Army increased the
number of CH-47s that will be fitted with the ALQ-
212 ATIRCM from 83 helicopters to 120. As described
by Leapheart, “ATIRCM has enjoyed higher
reliability than anyone thought it would, with reliability
numbers in theater three-to-four times projections.
Because of this, we’ve actually been able
to pull spare LRUs off the shelf and assemble end
items to equip some of the CH-47s in advance of
the production units. We don’t want any CH-47s in
theater flying without that protection aboard.” Leapheart,
expects this will be the final procurement for
ATIRCM, so as units rotate home, the Army will rely
on a plan to regularly transfer its existing inventory
of ATIRCM systems to deploying aircraft.
CIRCM
The big EW news of the year thus far is the
Army’s awarding of two Technology Development
(TD) contracts for the Common Infrared Countermeasures
(CIRCM) system. Northrop Grumman
($31.4 million) and BAE Systems ($38 million)
received the awards on January 31 to develop
the next-generation countermeasures system for
rotary-wing, tilt-rotor, and small fixed wing aircraft
across the DOD. The 21-month TD phase contracts
include both cost plus fixed-fee (CPFF) and firmfixed
price (FFP) elements and will utilize competitive
prototyping.
The open-architecture, lightweight (85-lb max.),
laser-based countermeasure system is intended
to protect aircraft from all types of IR-guided missiles,
especially man-portable air defense systems
(MANPADS) such as the SA-7, -14, -16, -18 and
-24. An alternative to the larger and heavier LAIR-
CM and ATIRCM systems, the baseline CIRCM will
be fully integrated with an ASE suite that includes
passive missile warning, an improved countermeasures
dispenser, and advanced expendables.
Ultimately, CIRCM may have additional capabilities
as well, such as “dazzling” to counter small
arms fire, and laser-based inter-helicopter communication.
As explained by Colonel Leapheart, the
actual capabilities development document (CDD)
for CIRCM won’t be due until the follow-on Milestone
B, Engineering Manufacturing Development
(EMD) phase. “In the TD phase we’ll be looking at
where the technology is, the designs being brought
forward by the vendors, as well as opportunities to
provide some of these other capabilities. They’re
not part of the current requirement, but we anticipate
that, as we go through the TD phase, we’ll
do some exploration on those capabilities and see
how feasible it is at that time to make those a requirement
for CIRCM – maybe not as an initial capability,
but as part of evolutionary growth.”
Says Northrop Grumman’s Jeff Palombo, “CIR-
CM has the opportunity to do a lot of things, but it all
depends on what the customer asks for. For us, the
linchpin is our open-system architecture that allows
for the integration of systems and equipment, not
only from Northrop Grumman, but others as well.
For example, Daylight Solutions (San Diego, CA)
is providing the laser, and Selex Galileo (Lincoln,
UK) is providing the jam head for our CIRCM system.
So, if the Government asks us to put ‘different
light’ through the CIRCM jam head – i.e., a potential
dazzle capability, or to provide for laser communication
– we can enable our system to do this.”
As reported in the January 2012 JED, the Army
has said it wants to equip 1,075 Apache, Black
Hawk, upgraded Kiowa Warrior and other helicopters
with the CIRCM system, while the Navy and
Marine Corps are looking for a system suitable for
their SH-60, AH-1Z, and other rotorcraft platforms.
However, with a first-unit- equipped date now
pushed out to the first quarter of FY19, the actual
mix and number of platforms receiving CIRCM
could vary dramatically.
INTEGRATED ASE – THE SHAPE OF THE
FUTURE
As improvements to existing systems and the
development and deployment of the next generation
of ASE equipment continues, the Services and
industry are already looking ahead to the requirements,
design and development of the next generation
capability. Leapheart says the Army sees
this as a two-phase effort. “The difference between
the two really comes down to the generation of aircraft
you’re talking about – what you can do on the
current generation of aircraft and what you can do
on the next, i.e., Joint Multi-Role (JMR) rotorcraft,
Joint Vertical Heavy Lift and other new development
efforts like the Air Force-led Joint Future Theater
Lift (JFTL) effort.”
In September of last year, the Army reorganized
its PM-ASE project office toward this objective,
including the creation of an Assistant Product
Reprint Courtesy of Journal of Electronic Defense (March 2012) Reprint Courtesy of Journal of Electronic Defense (March 2012)