Lockheed Martin Corp. presented to the Army on Monday a revised plan for a spy-plane project that is initially being developed in Jefferson County.
The project, potentially worth $6 billion to $8 billion over 20 years, was temporarily shelved in September after the Army determined that the aircraft Lockheed planned to use couldn’t carry all of the required equipment.
Lockheed, based in Bethesda, Md., discussed three options Monday, Army officials said.
The options are likely to be the Embraer EMB-190, the Gulfstream G550 and the Bombardier Global Express, said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va.
All are bigger than the craft Lockheed initially recommended, the Embraer ERJ-145. All also are business jets rather than commercial jets because the Army doesn’t want “to buy a plane that’s so huge it would cost an arm and leg to support,” Thompson said.
The Army will decide by Dec. 14 whether to proceed with the Aerial Common Sensor program, Maj. Desiree Wineland said in a statement.
The spy plane will be used primarily to intercept enemy radio and radar transmissions. The brains of the plane are being developed by about 250 engineers at Lockheed’s Deer Creek plant in Jefferson County.
The Army awarded Lockheed an $879 million contract in August 2004 to develop the first phase of the project. The delays could reportedly raise the cost of the contract to $1.7 billion.
Initially, the project was to produce up to 38 planes for the Army and up to 19 planes for the Navy. But the Navy said last week it doesn’t consider itself a full member of the program.
“We put forward a number of options that address the current issues and enable the delivery of the ACS multi-intelligence capability,” Lockheed spokesman Keith Mordoff said Monday in a statement. “We remain committed to the development of this revolutionary war-fighting capability.”
Thompson said it is possible that the Army will postpone the aircraft decision and continue with the development of the plane’s electronics and computer system. Army officials have spoken highly of the electronics that Lockheed has developed, Thompson said.
Staff writer Andy Vuong can be reached at avuong@denverpost.com or 303-820-1209.
