MINNEAPOLIS, July 29 (UPI) -- An ATK-BAE Systems team received a $109 million contract to develop a Joint and Allied Threat Awareness System for U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps aircraft.
The JATAS would enhance aircraft survivability by providing advanced missile warning capability; aircrew warning of laser-based weapon systems such as range finders, illuminators and beam riders; and hostile fire indication for small arms, rockets and other unguided threats.
It would interface with the existing AN/ALE-47 Countermeasures Dispensing System.
"The ATK-BAE Systems industry team brings tremendous engineering and operations expertise that is focused on making JATAS a success," said Mike Kahn, president of ATK Missile Products Group.
"Our collective experience in the design, development and production of combat-proven aircraft survivability equipment brings together the very best capabilities of our industry to successfully execute and deliver JATAS for our customer."
The ATK and BAE Systems team was one of two industry teams competing under a Technology Demonstration phase awarded in October 2009. As the manufacturers of the AAR-47 and AAR-57 missile warning systems, respectively, ATK and BAE Systems have experience with installations on more than 5,000 fixed and rotor winged aircraft -- including the MV-22, C-5, C-17, C-130, P-3, CH-53/MH-53, CH-46, HH/SH/MH-60, AH-1W/Z, AH-64 and UH-1N/Y -- that span the U.S. military services and several allied nations.
The JATAS is planned for integration onto the MV-22B, MH-60R, MH-60S, AH-1Z and UH-1Y platforms. Future platform integration requirements will be determined by the military services.
ATK said its team will start the 48-month EMD phase, which will focus on transitioning the design from development prototypes to production representative systems.
Contract work will be performed in ATK's Clearwater, Fla., and Woodland Hills, Calif., facilities, and BAE Systems' Nashua, N.H., facility.
Work is expected to be completed in September 2015.
Other members of the JATAS industry team include DRS and Goodrich.
