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par alain57 Dim 26 Avr 2009 - 17:23Australia’s Troubled E-737 “Wedgetail” AWACS Program
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Australias-Troubled-E-737-Wedgetail-AWACS-Program-05173/
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/images/AIR_E-737_AEWC_Wedgetail_NSW_Coast_lg.jpg
The island continent of Australia faces a number of unique security challenges that stem from its geography. The continent may be separated from its neighbors by large expanses of ocean, but it also resides within a potential arc of instability, and has a number of important offshore resource sites to protect. Full awareness of what is going on around them, and the ability to push that awareness well offshore, are critical security requirements.
In 1997 Australia’s AIR 5077 Project aimed to field a next generation aircraft that could monitor the airspace and even the waters around Australia.
Rather than picking the larger E-767, as the Japanese had done, they wanted to be able to buy a larger number of smaller and less expensive aircraft within their allotted budget. “Project Wedgetail” had 3 finalists, and the winner was a new variant of Boeing’s 737-700, fitted with an MESA radar from Northrop Grumman. That radar exchanges the traditional AWACS rotating dome for the E-737’s stationary antenna and its “top hat” look.
Project Wedgetail’s flight has not been smooth. The real turbulence began in 2006, when a project that was held up as a model of acquisition reform, and reported as on time and on budget, suddenly “found” itself way behind schedule and over cost. The first 2 E-737 aircraft were supposed to be delivered in November 2006, and enter service in 2007. They will now be at least 4 years late for their in-service date. Boeing is also unhappy, as the A$ 3.45 billion contracts were structured in a way that shifted risk to them. That has forced
the firm to take hundreds of million of dollars in write-offs.
DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. This one covers contracts, events, and key milestones within Australia’s E-737 program, from inception to the current day. The latest developments includes ongoing capability controversies, a flight simulator delivery, and a clever effort by Boeing to boost 2 birds with one… datalink.
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Australias-Troubled-E-737-Wedgetail-AWACS-Program-05173/
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/images/AIR_E-737_AEWC_Wedgetail_NSW_Coast_lg.jpg
The island continent of Australia faces a number of unique security challenges that stem from its geography. The continent may be separated from its neighbors by large expanses of ocean, but it also resides within a potential arc of instability, and has a number of important offshore resource sites to protect. Full awareness of what is going on around them, and the ability to push that awareness well offshore, are critical security requirements.
In 1997 Australia’s AIR 5077 Project aimed to field a next generation aircraft that could monitor the airspace and even the waters around Australia.
Rather than picking the larger E-767, as the Japanese had done, they wanted to be able to buy a larger number of smaller and less expensive aircraft within their allotted budget. “Project Wedgetail” had 3 finalists, and the winner was a new variant of Boeing’s 737-700, fitted with an MESA radar from Northrop Grumman. That radar exchanges the traditional AWACS rotating dome for the E-737’s stationary antenna and its “top hat” look.
Project Wedgetail’s flight has not been smooth. The real turbulence began in 2006, when a project that was held up as a model of acquisition reform, and reported as on time and on budget, suddenly “found” itself way behind schedule and over cost. The first 2 E-737 aircraft were supposed to be delivered in November 2006, and enter service in 2007. They will now be at least 4 years late for their in-service date. Boeing is also unhappy, as the A$ 3.45 billion contracts were structured in a way that shifted risk to them. That has forced
the firm to take hundreds of million of dollars in write-offs.
DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. This one covers contracts, events, and key milestones within Australia’s E-737 program, from inception to the current day. The latest developments includes ongoing capability controversies, a flight simulator delivery, and a clever effort by Boeing to boost 2 birds with one… datalink.
