The Air Force is eying radar improvements for its B-1 and B-52 bomber fleets that could allow them to better conduct wide-area maritime surveillance and target enemy surface ships in support of the Navy.
On Feb. 18, the fighters/bombers directorate of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, as well as the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH, solicited industry for "information and recommendations on technology solutions for upgrading the existing legacy radar systems within part of its bomber fleet," according to a notice published in Federal Business Opportunities.
The notice states the Air Force is particularly interested in active electronically scanned array radar technology for its bombers.
"Specifically, the F/B Directorate is considering radar improvements to its B-1 and/or B-52 fleet and is interested in AESA radar technology," the notice states. A key requirement, according to the solicitation, is for the radar to detect maritime targets.
While the B-52, which can launch a Harpoon anti-ship cruise missile, has long had an anti-surface warfare capability, the information request by Air Force officials could signal a renewed interest in maritime missions -- and it bears the hallmarks of the AirSea Battle concept, which calls for the Navy and Air Force to explore ways to mutually support each other.
"I think this is a sign the Air Force is getting serious about this mission," said Mark Gunzinger, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. "But it was never a high priority for the Air Force and I think we are now beginning to see it become a higher priority than it was in the past." Gunzinger, a former senior Pentagon official, is also a former B-52 pilot.
Gunzinger said pairing an AESA radar with a bomber's inherent capabilities would deliver a mighty anti-surface warfare punch.
"You couple the long ranges and mission endurance of the bombers with the ability to carry a lot of anti-ship missiles, LRASM [Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile] in the future, with a suite of sensors that can do wide-area maritime surveillance and you have a really potent capability," he said. Built by Lockheed Martin, LRASM is a modified Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range that is being developed as a demonstration project by the Office of Naval Research and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
While the B-1 and B-52 do not have AESA radars, the technology has proliferated widely, benefitting the short-range tactical aircraft fleet, ground forces, airborne early warning aircraft and ground-based air-defense forces. Such radars aim a "beam" by "emitting separate radio waves interfering constructively at certain angles off the antenna," according to the notice.
Northrop Grumman and Raytheon are key AESA suppliers to the U.S. military.
"Northrop Grumman has produced thousands of airborne radars for the U.S. Department of Defense and numerous international customers over the years and has industry-leading active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar design, development and integration experience," Gina Piellusch, a Northrop Grumman spokeswoman, said in an email. "We are also the manufacturer of the original B-1B radar and have a long-standing and positive history with this platform. We are currently evaluating the USAF solicitation for AESA radar technology for the B-1B and B-52 fleets."
A Raytheon spokeswoman did not offer comment on the solicitation by press time.
The potential AESA radar upgrades are part of a "pilot application" of one of the Pentagon acquisition executive's Better Burying Power 2.0 initiatives. Interested parties, according to the notice, are to register their interest by March 5. The Air Force will select "relevant projects" and invite associated companies to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base "to explore potential areas of collaboration" in mid-April, according to the notice.
Among the technical requirements, the AESA radars for both bombers should include a 120-degree field of view and a maritime capability. Other key criteria include "high reliability" and "affordability," according to the solicitation.