[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 194 (Thursday, December 5, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6884-S6885]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control
Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain
proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification,
the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be
reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the
notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant
information is available to the full Senate, I
[[Page S6885]]
ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications
which have been received. If the cover letter references a classified
annex, then such annex is available to all Senators in the office of
the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Defense Security
Cooperation Agency,
Arlington, VA.
Hon. James E. Risch,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: Pursuant to the reporting requirements
of Section 36(b)(5)(C) of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA),
as amended, we are forwarding Transmittal No. 20-0A. This
notification relates to enhancements or upgrades from the
level of sensitivity of technology or capability described in
the Section 36(b)(1) AECA certification 08-60 of August 1,
2008.
Sincerely,
Charles W. Hooper,
Lieutenant General, USA, Director.
Enclosures.
TRANSMITTAL NO. 20-0A
Report of Enhancement or Upgrade of Sensitivity of Technology
or Capability (Sec. 36(b)(5)(c), AECA)
(i) Purchaser: Government of Italy.
(ii) Sec. 36(b)(1), AECA Transmittal No.: 08-60; Date:
August 1, 2008; Military Department: Air Force.
(iii) Description: On August 1, 2008, Congress was notified
by Congressional certification transmittal number 08-60 of
the possible sale, under Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export
Control Act, of 4 MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), 3
Mobile Ground Control Stations, five years of maintenance
support, engineering support, test equipment, ground support,
operational flight test support, communications equipment,
technical assistance, personnel training/equipment, spare and
repair parts, and other related elements of logistics
support. These UAVs included AN/DPY-1 Synthetic Aperture
Radar/Ground Moving Target Indicator (SAR/GMTI) systems with
0.3 to 3 meter resolution. The estimated total cost was $330
million. Major Defense Equipment (MDE) constituted $50
million of this total.
On November 18, 2009, Congress was notified by
Congressional certification transmittal number 09-60 of the
possible sale, under Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export
Control Act, of two unarmed MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
(UAVs), one (1) Mobile Ground Control Station, maintenance
support, engineering support, test equipment, ground support,
operational flight test support, communications equipment,
technical assistance, personnel training/equipment, spare and
repair parts, and other related elements of logistics
support. These UAVs included AN/DPY-1 Synthetic Aperture
Radar/Ground Moving Target Indicator (SAR/GMTI) systems with
0.1 to 3 meter resolution. The estimated total cost was $63
million. MDE constituted $36 million of this total.
On December 17, 2009, Congress was notified by
Congressional certification transmittal number 0C-09 of the
possible sale, under Section 36(b)(5)(a) of the Arms Export
Control Act, of a performance upgrade of the AN/DPY-1 SAR/
GMTI systems aboard the four MQ-9s UAVs previously notified
on transmittal 08-60 from 0.3 to 3 meter resolution to the
same 0.1 to 3 meter resolution of the two MQ-9s notified on
transmittal 09-60. There was no increase in cost of MDE for
this upgrade.
This transmittal reports the addition of Major Defense
Equipment items beyond what was originally notified to
include:
1. Retrofit of five (5) existing MQ-9A Block 1 Unmanned
Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to Block 5;
2. Retrofit of two (2) existing MGCS Block 30;
3. Addition of three (3) MQ-9A Block 5;
4. Addition of eight (8) Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems
(MTS-B) AN/DAS-1A;
5. Addition of eight (8) General Atomics AN/APY-8 Lynx
(exportable) Synthetic Aperture Radar/Ground Moving Target
Indicator (SAR/GMTI) Systems, with Maritime Wide Area Search
(MWAS) capability;
6. Addition of two (2) Mobile Ground Control Station (MGCS)
Block 30, and;
7. Addition of twenty-seven (27) Honeywell H-764 Adaptive
Configurable Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial
Guidance Units (EGI) with Selective Availability Anti-
Spoofing Module (SAASM) (24 installed, 3 spares).
The retrofit, addition of aircraft, and inclusion of the
above listed MDE not enumerated in the previous notifications
will result in a net increase in MDE costs of $180 million
and non-MDE cost of $138 million. These notifications
represent the entirety of Italy's MQ-9 program, which will
now increase in value from $393 million to $711 million.
(iv) Significance: As Italy continues with its plans to
develop a robust MQ-9A fleet, it has requested additional
aircraft. Enhancement of Italy's MQ-9A aircraft will provide
strike capability to augment intelligence, surveillance, and
reconnaissance (ISR) capability. The proposed sale increases
Italy's capability to participate in Europe and NATO security
operations and supports the foreign and national security
policies of the US by enhancing the ISR and strike capability
of a major ally.
(v) Justification: Italy is a major political and economic
power in NATO and a key democratic partner of the United
States in ensuring peace and stability around the world.
Italy requests these capabilities to provide for the defense
of deployed troops, regional security, and interoperability
with the United States.
(vi) Sensitivity of Technology:
1. The MQ-9A Block 5 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) is
UNCLASSIFIED. The highest level of classified information
required for training, operation, and maintenance is SECRET.
The MQ-9A Block 5 is a Medium Altitude, long-endurance (MALE)
remotely piloted aircraft that can be used for surveillance,
military reconnaissance, and targeting missions. Real-time
missions are flown under the control of a pilot in a Ground
Control Station (GCS). A datalink is maintained that uplinks
control commands and downlinks video with telemetry data.
Line-of-Sight (LOS) communications is enabled through C-Band
datalink and Beyond-Line-of-Sight (BLOS) communications is
enabled through Ku-Band Satellite Communication (SATCOM).
Control of the aircraft and payload are done through direct
manual inputs by the crew or through preprogrammed mission.
Preprogrammed missions are planned and uploaded by the pilots
via the GCS and are executed through the control of an
onboard suite of redundant computers and sensors. Payload
imagery and data are downlinked to the GCS. The pilot may
initiate pre-programmed missions once the aircraft is
airborne and lands the aircraft when the mission is
completed. Pilots can change preprogrammed mission parameters
as often as required. When operated BLOS, aircraft control is
given to other strategically placed Ground Control Stations--
permitting remote split operations (RSO). The MQ-9A Block 5
is designed to carry 850 pounds of internal payload with
maximum fuel and can carry multiple mission payloads aloft.
The MQ-9A Block 5 will be configured for the following
payloads: Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR), Synthetic
Aperture Radar (SAR), Electronic Support Measures (ESM),
Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), laser designators, and various
weapons packages. The MQ-9A Block 5 systems will include the
following components:
a. The Ground Control Station (GCS) can be either fixed or
mobile. The fixed GCS is enclosed in a customer-specified
shelter. It incorporates workstations that allow operators to
control and monitor the aircraft, as well as record and
exploit downlinked payload data. The mobile GCS allows
operators to perform the same functions and is contained on a
mobile trailer. Workstations in either GCS can be tailored to
meet customer requirements. The GCS, technical data, and
documents are UNCLASSIFIED.
b. The Raytheon Multi-Spectral Targeting System-B (MTS-B)
integrates electro-optical (EO), infrared (IR), laser
designation and laser illumination capabilities to provide
detection, ranging, and tracking capabilities specifically
for high-altitude applications. This advanced EO and IR
system provides long-range surveillance, high altitude target
acquisition, tracking, range finding, and laser designation
for the Hellfire missile and for all tri-service and NATO
laser-guided munitions.
c. The AN/APY-8 Lynx Block 20 Synthetic Aperture Radar and
Ground Moving Target Radar system provides all-weather
surveillance, tracking and targeting for military and
commercial customers from manned and unmanned vehicles. The
AN/PY-8 Lynx Block 20SAR/GMTI radar system and technical
data/documents are UNCLASSIFIED.
d. The Honeywell H-764 Adaptive Configurable Embedded
Global Positioning System/Inertial Guidance Unit (EGI)
contains the Force 524D GPS Receiver card with Selective
Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM). The Force 524D is
a 24-channel SAASM based GPS receiver with precise
positioning service capability built upon Trimble's next
generation GPS technology. The Force 524D retains backward
compatibility with the proven Force 5GS while adding new
functionality to interface with the digital antenna
electronics to significantly improve anti jam performance.
The host platform can select the radio frequency of digital
antenna electronics interface. In the digital mode, the Force
524D is capable of controlling up to 16 independent beams.
(vii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: December 4, 2019.
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