As NATO seeks to field a new generation of surveillance and control capabilities for its Allied Future Surveillance and Control Capability (AFSC) Program, L3Harris is responding to the call with a modern airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) capability. L3Harris’ AEW&C solution is built around a proven mission system design already operating in multiple theaters, resulting in a powerful capability with high readiness rates and low development and sustainment costs. This proven mission system is integrated using a modular open systems approach (MOSA) digital backbone. Incorporating MOSA enables affordable and rapid upgrades to address pacing threats, latest operational approaches, and interoperability requirements while using a business jet platform offers lower cost per operating hour than commercial derivative solutions, along with a higher altitude, longer range surveillance capability.
“We’re offering a NATO AFSC solution that is integrated, certified and already fielded with other international customers and conducting NATO-allied missions,” said Dave Johnson, Vice President, L3Harris International. “Our system, cross decked on Bombardier’s Global 6500, will rapidly enhance mission readiness while providing interoperability between partner nations to support future multi-domain operations.”
The NATO AFSC mission system will benefit from technologies and expertise of our international consortium, hosted on the Canadian Bombardier Global 6500™. When tied into the integrated ground stations, this platform system delivers unprecedented mission scalability, tactical coordination and responsiveness, and access to all-source intelligence from the Federated Mission Network – delivering continuous shared situational awareness across NATO allied and partner forces. The comprehensive Command and Control communication and data link suites are designed for Network Centric Operations with other NATO and NATO-partner assets and can be operated remotely from Ground Control Stations. This further reduces the staffing and exposure required for effective operations and significantly increasing surge capacity.
L3Harris and its industry partners has been investing in, designing and refining its Global 6500 special mission systems for more than four years to enable the cross-decking of various special mission systems onto the high-altitude aircraft. The result of this years-long investment includes the creation, testing and validation of custom aircraft sensor bays, and modular open system architecture digital backbone for rapid integration of new technology. L3Harris’ extensive heritage of aircraft missionization will reduce schedule risk in fielding this NATO AFSC aircraft capability, including:
More than 70 years of aircraft missionization experience with more than 15,000 modified aircraft delivered.
More than 50+ missionized business jet aircraft on contract or delivered.
More than 800,000 labor hours designing, building, integrating, testing and certifying Bombardier mission systems.
FAA Organizational Designation Authority to streamline the qualification and certification process. L3Harris has redesigned, tested, and certified seven unique Military Commercial Derivative Aircraft-based ISR platforms in the past 10 years.
U.K. design approval certification for military aircraft and airborne equipment
A Multi-Sensor Test Facility to enable rapid multi-discipline sensor certifications and calibrations, saving time and budget by reducing schedule, cost and flight hours for system validation.
This latest offering is part of L3Harris’ growing portfolio of multi-modal business jet solutions, hosted on a variety of commercial platforms supporting critical global security missions. Efforts include the Royal Australian Air Force’s MC-55A Peregrine program, Italy’s Joint Airborne Multi-Mission Multi-Sensor System program, the U.S. Air Force’s EC-37B Compass Call Cross Deck program, U.S. Army’s Airborne Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare System program, U.S. Army’s Theater Level High-Altitude Expeditionary Next Airborne ISR Radar program, the Republic of Korea Navy’s Peace Pioneer program, Japan Coast Guard’s Maritime Surveillance Program and an international Dassault Falcon 2000 maritime ISR program. L3Harris has decades of experience missionizing and testing aircraft for a variety of operations and multiple platforms and is a world leader in developing airborne ISR and EW solutions for U.S., NATO and allied forces.
