LM brings Vigilance to export market

18 November 2011 - by Beth Stevenson – Shepard Group

Lockheed Martin is preparing its Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Vigilance podded mission system for the export market, company representatives announced on 17 November.

Speaking at a media briefing in the UK, Neil Morphett, future helicopter programme engineer for the company, said that while looking at potential mission systems for the UK Royal Navy's Merlin Mk II helicopter, Lockheed Martin had developed this self-contained variant for integration onto 'any sort of multirole platform'.

It is understood that Vigilance will be exhibited to potential customers in Malaysia towards the end of the month, although company officials were unable to disclose any information on this.

The 300 kg ‘role-on/role-off’ sensor payload is designed for applications such as anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; ground and air surveillance; command and control; and search and rescue. It is based on an 'out-of-the-box' concept that is podded onto the side of aircraft such as a Merlin Mk II helicopter or the C-130 Hercules.

The company is also exploring a larger pod for aircraft such as the C-130, however, Morphett said Lockheed Martin’s intention is not to have multiple sized pods.

‘It is the same core computer capability as the Merlin Mk II,’ Morphett explained. ‘We are aiming it to be as minimally disruptive to the aircraft as possible.’

For 360-degree coverage, two pods can be added with one on either side of the aircraft, and the system only needs access to a single power source, with integration taking between two and four hours depending on the platform. As a cost-saving measure for customers, the system can be re-deployed as required, it was added.

The Vigilance already has ‘several customers’ Morphett told Shephard, covering a range of different aircraft types. He also said that there will ‘probably be another generation’ of prototype before production standard, although it should be delivery-ready ‘within two years’.

In development since 2009, Lockheed Martin is currently working on the second prototype for the system, with the first having had a fixed radar and the second a gimbal, although both types will be available depending on the customer requirement.

‘Dedicated platforms are becoming more and more expensive to run,’ a Lockheed Martin representative pointed out, describing how it was aimed at customers with ‘limited resources’ who cannot afford an entirely new platform for each different application.

Flight tests are expected to be conducted in the UK next year for three months on a medium-sized helicopter, although the specifics of the testing are undisclosed at this stage.

The integrated AESA radar on offer is being provided by Northrop Grumman. However, both companies admitted that each sale will be made on a ‘case by case basis’ and therefore the fourth-generation radar that Northrop is providing may not necessarily be the one integrated on a customer’s system.

Northrop Grumman representatives said it is ‘fair to assume’ that using the company’s radar would be a cheaper option because it is tested and works, and therefore is confident that potential customers with a lower budget would be inclined to pick it.

Representatives from both companies were quick to point out that they could not comment on the system’s connection with the UK MoD’s Crow’s Nest programme, going so far as to say that the programme ‘doesn’t exist’.

However, an industry source told Shephard that Crow's Nest was designed to replace the Royal Navy's Sea King ASaC capability, although a contract has yet to be awarded.