[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 149 (Thursday, September 14, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4516-S4518]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
Mr. MENENDEZ. 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
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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 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,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Robert Menendez,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: Pursuant to the reporting requirements
of Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as
amended, we are forwarding herewith Transmittal No. 23-65,
concerning the Air Force's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and
Acceptance to the Government of the Republic of Korea for
defense articles and services estimated to cost $5.06
billion. We will issue a news release to notify the public of
this proposed sale upon delivery of this letter to your
office.
Sincerely,
James A. Hursch,
Director.
Enclosures.
Transmittal No. 23-65
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as
amended
(i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of the Republic of
Korea.
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment * $3.08 billion.
Other $1.98 billion.
Total $5.06 billion.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or
Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
Up to twenty-five (25) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) Aircraft
Up to twenty-six (26) Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 Engines
(25 installed, 1 spare)
Non-MDE: Also included are AN/PYQ-10 Simple Key Loaders
(SKL); KIV-78 Cryptographic Appliques; Electronic Warfare
(EW) Reprogramming Lab support; Cartridge Actuated Devices/
Propellant Actuated Devices (CAD/PAD); classified software
delivery and support; Contractor Logistics Support (CLS);
aircraft and munitions support and support equipment; spare
parts, consumables, accessories, and repair/return support;
aircraft engine component improvement program (CIP) support;
secure communications, precision navigation, and
cryptographic devices; major modifications, maintenance, and
maintenance support, to include Block 4 upgrade;
transportation, ferry, and refueling support; personnel
training and training equipment, including simulators;
classified and unclassified publications and technical
documents; studies and surveys; U.S. Government and
engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and
other related elements of logistics and program support.
(iv) Military Department: Air Force (KS-D-SAF).
(v) Prior Related Cases, if any: KS-D-SAC, KS-D-QGC.
(vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed
to be Paid: None.
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology Contained in the Defense
Article or Defense Services Proposed to be Sold: See Attached
Annex.
(viii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: September 13,
2023.
*As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control
Act.
POLICY JUSTIFICATION
Republic of Korea (ROK)--F-35 Aircraft
The Government of the Republic of Korea has requested to
buy up to twenty-five (25) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) aircraft; and up to
twenty-six (26) Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines (25
installed, 1 spare). Also included are AN/PYQ-10 Simple Key
Loaders (SKL); KIV-78 Cryptographic Appliques; Electronic
Warfare (EW) Reprogramming Lab support; Cartridge Actuated
Devices/Propellant Actuated Devices (CAD/PAD); classified
software delivery and support; Contractor Logistics Support
(CLS); aircraft and munitions support and support equipment;
spare parts, consumables, accessories, and repair/return
support; aircraft engine component improvement program (CIP)
support; secure communications, precision navigation, and
cryptographic devices; major modifications, maintenance, and
maintenance support, to include Block 4 upgrade;
transportation, ferry, and refueling support; personnel
training and training equipment, including simulators;
classified and unclassified publications and technical
documents; studies and surveys; U.S. Government and
engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and
other related elements of logistics and program support. The
estimated total cost is $5.06 billion.
This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals
and national security objectives of the United States by
improving the security of a major ally that is a force for
political stability and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific
region.
The proposed sale will improve the Republic of Korea's
capability to meet current and future threats by providing
credible defense capability to deter aggression in the region
and ensure interoperability with U.S. forces. The proposed
sale will augment Korea's operational aircraft inventory and
enhance its air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defense
capability. Korea already has F-35s in its inventory and will
have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into
its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not
alter the basic military balance in the region.
The principal contractors will be Lockheed Martin
Aeronautics Company, Fort Worth, TX, and Pratt & Whitney
Military Engines, East Hartford, CT. The purchaser typically
requests offsets. Any offset agreement will be defined in
negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor.
Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the
assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor
representatives to the Republic of Korea.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness
as a result of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 23-65
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act
Annex Item No. vii
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology:
1. The F-35A aircraft is a single seat, single engine, all-
weather, stealth, fifth-generation, multirole aircraft. It
contains sensitive technology including the low observable
airframe/outer mold line, the Pratt and Whitney F135 engine,
AN/APG-81 radar, an integrated core processor central
computer, a mission systems/electronic warfare suite, a
multiple sensor suite, technical data/documentation and
associated software. Sensitive elements of the F-35A are also
included in operational flight and maintenance trainers.
Sensitive and classified elements of the F-35A aircraft
include hardware, accessories, components, and associated
software for the following major subsystems:
a. The Pratt and Whitney F135 engine is a single 40,000-
pound thrust class engine designed for the F-35 and assures
highly reliable, affordable performance. The engine is
designed to be utilized in all F-35 variants, providing
unmatched commonality and supportability throughout the
worldwide base of F-35 users.
b. The AN/APG-81 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA)
is a high processing power/high transmission power electronic
array capable of detecting air and ground targets from a
greater distance than mechanically scanned array radars. It
also contains a synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which creates
high-resolution ground maps and provides weather data to the
pilot, and provides air and ground tracks to the mission
system, which uses it as a component to fuse sensor data.
c. The Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) provides
long-range detection and tracking as well as an infrared
search and track (IRST) and forward-looking infrared (FLIR)
capability for precision tracking, weapons delivery and bomb
damage assessment (BOA). The EOTS replaces multiple separate
internal or podded systems typically found on legacy
aircraft.
d. The Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System (EODAS)
provides the pilot with full spherical coverage for air-to-
air and air-to-ground threat awareness, day/night vision
enhancements, a fire control capability and precision
tracking of wingmen/friendly aircraft. The EODAS provides
data directly to the pilot's helmet as well as the mission
system.
e. The F-35 Electronic Warfare (EW) system is a
reprogrammable, integrated system that provides radar warning
and electronic support measures (ESM) along with a
fully integrated countermeasures (CM) system. The EW
system is the primary subsystem used to enhance
situational awareness, targeting support and self-defense
through the search, intercept, location and identification
of in-band emitters and to automatically counter JI and IF
threats.
f. The F-35 Communications, Navigation, and Identification
(CNI) system provides the pilot with unmatched connectivity
to flight members, coalition forces and the battlefield. It
is an integrated subsystem designed to provide a broad
spectrum of secure, anti-jam voice and data communications,
precision radio navigation and landing capability, self-
identification, beyond visual range target identification and
connectivity to off-board sources of information. It also
includes an inertial navigation and global positioning system
(GPS) for precise location information. The functionality is
tightly integrated within the mission system to enhance
efficiency.
g. The F-35 CNI system includes two data links: Multi-
Function Advanced Data Link (MADL) and Link 16. MADL is
designed specifically for the F-35 and allows for Low
Probability of Intercept (LPI) communications between F-35s.
Link 16 is a command, control, communications, and
intelligence (C3I) system incorporating jam-resistant,
digital communication links for exchange of near real-time
tactical information, including both data and voice, among
air, ground,
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and sea elements. It provides the warfighter key theater
functions such as surveillance, identification, air control,
weapons engagement coordination, and direction for all
services and allied forces. Link-16 equipment allows the F-35
to communicate with battlespace participants using widely-
distributed J-series message protocols.
h. The F-35 Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment (ALGS)
provides a fully integrated logistics management solution.
ALGS integrates a number of functional areas, including
supply chain management, repair, support equipment, engine
support and training. The ALGS infrastructure employs a
state-of-the-art information system that provides real-time,
decision-worthy information for sustainment decisions by
flight line personnel. Prognostic health monitoring
technology is integrated with the air system and is crucial
to predictive maintenance of vital components.
i. The F-35 Operational Data Integrated Network (ODIN)
provides an intelligent information infrastructure that binds
all the key concepts of ALGS into an effective support
system. ALIS establishes the appropriate interfaces among the
F-35 Air Vehicle, the warfighter, the training system,
government information technology (IT) systems, and
supporting commercial enterprise systems. Additionally, ALIS
provides a comprehensive tool for data collection and
analysis, decision support and action tracking.
j. The F-35 Training System includes several training
devices to provide integrated training for pilots and
maintainers. The pilot training devices include a Full
Mission Simulator (FMS) and Deployable Mission Rehearsal
Trainer (DMRT). The maintenance training devices include an
Aircraft Systems Maintenance Trainer (ASMT), Ejection System
Maintenance Trainer (ESMT), Outer Mold Line (OML) Lab,
Flexible Linear Shaped Charge (FLSC) Trainer, F135 Engine
Module Trainer and Weapons Loading Trainer (WLT). The F-35
Training System can be integrated, where both pilots and
maintainers learn in the same Integrated Training Center
(ITC). Alternatively, the pilots and maintainers can train in
separate facilities (Pilot Training Center and Maintenance
Training Center).
k. Other subsystems, features, and capabilities include the
F-35's low observable air frame, Integrated Core Processor
(ICP) Central Computer, Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS),
Pilot Life Support System (PLSS), Off-Board Mission Support
(OMS) System, and publications/maintenance manuals. The HMDS
provides a fully sunlight readable, binocular display
presentation of aircraft information projected onto the
pilot's helmet visor. The use of a night vision camera
integrated into the helmet eliminates the need for separate
Night Vision Goggles. The PLSS provides a measure of Pilot
Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Protection through use
of an OnBoard Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS); and an escape
system that provides additional protection to the pilot.
OBOGS takes the Power and Thermal Management System (PTMS)
air and enriches it by removing gases (mainly nitrogen) by
adsorption, thereby increasing the concentration of oxygen in
the product gas and supplying breathable air to the pilot.
The OMS provides a mission planning, mission briefing, and a
maintenance/intelligence/ tactical debriefing platform for
the F-35.
2. The AN/APQ-10 Simple Key Loader is a handheld device
used for securely receiving, storing, and transferring data
between compatible cryptographic and communications
equipment.
3. The KIV-78 is, a cryptographic applique for IFF. It can
be loaded with Mode 5 classified elements.
4. The Electronic Warfare Reprogramming Lab is used by USG
engineers in the reprogramming and creation of shareable
Mission Data Files for foreign F-35 customers.
5. The highest level of classification of defense articles,
components, and services included in this potential sale is
SECRET.
6. If a technologically advanced adversary were to obtain
knowledge of the specific hardware and software elements, the
information could be used to develop countermeasures that
might reduce weapon system effectiveness or be used in the
development of a system with similar or advanced
capabilities.
7. A determination has been made that the Republic of Korea
can provide substantially the same degree of protection for
the sensitive technology being released as the U.S.
Government. This sale is necessary in furtherance of the U.S.
foreign policy and national security objectives outlined in
the Policy justification.
8. All defense articles and services listed in this
transmittal have been authorized for release and export to
the Republic of Korea.
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