[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 9, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41036-41039]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-16315]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Transmittal Nos. 13-40]


36(b)(1) Arms Sales Notification

AGENCY: Department of Defense, Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Defense is publishing the unclassified text 
of a section 36(b)(1) arms sales notification. This is published to 
fulfill the requirements of section 155 of Public Law 104-164 dated 
July 21, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. B. English, DSCA/DBO/CFM, (703) 
601-3740.
    The following is a copy of a letter to the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives, Transmittal 13-40 with attached transmittal, policy 
justification, and Sensitivity of Technology.

    Dated: July 2, 2013.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN09JY13.001

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    Transmittal No. 13-40
    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: France
    (ii) Total Estimated Value:

Major Defense Equipment*................  $ .765 billion
Other...................................  $ .735 billion
                                         -------------------------------
  Total.................................  $1.500 billion
 
* As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.

    (iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or 
Services under Consideration for Purchase:

16 MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft
8 Mobile Ground Control Stations
48 Honeywell TPE331-10T Turboprop Engines (16 installed and 32 spares)
24 Satellite Earth Terminal Substations
40 Ku Band Link-Airborne Communication Systems
40 General Atomics Lynx (exportable) Synthetic Aperture Radar/Ground 
Moving Target Indicator (SAR/GMTI) Systems
40 AN/DAS-1 Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems (MTS)-B
40 Ground Data Terminals
40 ARC-210 Radio Systems
40 Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation Systems
48 AN/APX-119 and KIV-119 Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) Systems

    Also provided are spare and repair parts, communication, test, and 
support equipment, publications and technical documentation, 
airworthiness and maintenance support, site surveys and beddown 
planning, personnel training and training equipment, operational

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flight test, U.S. Government and contractor technical and logistics 
personnel services, and other related elements of logistics support.
    (iv) Military Department: Air Force (STE)
    (v) Prior Related Cases, if any: None
    (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: 27 June 2013

POLICY JUSTIFICATION

France--MQ-9 Reapers

    The Government of France has requested a possible sale of:

16 MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft
8 Mobile Ground Control Stations (GCS)
48 Honeywell TPE331-10T Turboprop Engines (16 installed and 32 spares)
24 Satellite Earth Terminal Substations
40 Ku Band Link-Airborne Communication Systems
40 General Atomics Lynx (exportable) Synthetic Aperture Radar/Ground 
Moving Target Indicator (SAR/GMTI) Systems
40 AN/DAS-1 Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems (MTS)-B
40 Ground Data Terminals
40 ARC-210 Radio Systems
40 Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation Systems
48 AN/APX-119 and KIV-119 Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) Systems

    Also provided are spare and repair parts, communication, test, and 
support equipment, publications and technical documentation, 
airworthiness and maintenance support, site surveys and bed down 
planning, personnel training and training equipment, operational flight 
test, U.S. Government and contractor technical and logistics personnel 
services, and other related elements of logistics support. The 
estimated cost is $1.5 billion.
    France is one of the major political and economic powers in Europe 
and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and an ally of the 
United States in the pursuit of peace and stability. It is vital to the 
U.S. national interest to assist France to develop and maintain a 
strong and ready self-defense capability. This potential sale will 
enhance the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) 
capability of the French military in support of national, NATO, United 
Nation-mandated, and other coalition operations. Commonality of ISR 
capabilities will greatly increase interoperability between the U.S. 
and French military and peacekeeping forces.
    France requests these capabilities to provide for the defense of 
its deployed troops, regional security, and interoperability with the 
U.S. The proposed sale will improve France's capability to meet current 
and future threats by providing improved ISR coverage that promotes 
increased battlefield situational awareness, anticipates enemy intent, 
augments combat search and rescue, and provides ground troop support. 
France, which already has remotely piloted aircraft in its inventory, 
will have no difficulty absorbing this additional capability.
    The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the 
basic military balance in the region.
    The principal contractor will be General Atomics Aeronautical 
Systems, Inc. in San Diego, California. There are no known offset 
agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.
    Implementation of this proposed sale will require multiple trips to 
France and deployed location for U.S. contractor representatives to 
provide initial launch, recovery, and maintenance support.
    There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a 
result of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 13-40
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 MQ-9 Reaper is a long-endurance, high-altitude, 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 data 
link is maintained that uplinks control commands and downlinks video 
with telemetry data. The data link can be a C-Band Line-of-Sight (LOS) 
communication or Ku-Band Over-the-Horizon Satellite Communication 
(SATCOM). Payload imagery and data are downlinked to a GCS. Pilots can 
change mission parameters as often as required. The aircraft can also 
be handed off to other strategically placed ground- or sea-based GCS. 
The MQ-9 air vehicle is a Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) 
Category 1 system, designed to carry 800 pounds of internal payload 
with maximum fuel and 3000 pounds of external payload. It can carry 
multiple mission payloads aloft with a range of 1800km. The MQ-9 will 
be configured for the following payloads: Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/
IR), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), and laser designators. The MQ-9 
systems will include the following components:
    a. The 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 AN/DPY-1 Block 30 and AN/APY-8 Block 20 Lynx IIe Synthetic 
Aperture Radar and Ground Moving Target Indicator (SAR/GMTI) system 
provides all-weather surveillance, tracking and targeting for military 
and commercial customers from manned and unmanned vehicles. The AN/DPY-
1 3 meter resolution can image up to a 10-km wide swath for wide-area 
surveillance. The Lynx IIe-9 (exportable) SAR/GMTI radar system and 
technical data/documents are Unclassified.
    c. The Raytheon AN/DAS-1 Multi-Spectral Targeting System (MTS-B) is 
a multi-use infrared (IR), electro-optical (EO), and laser detecting 
ranging-tracking set, developed and produced for use by the U. S. Air 
Force on the MQ-9 Reaper. This advanced EO and IR system provides long-
range surveillance, high altitude, target acquisition, tracking, range 
finding, and laser designation all tri-service and NATO laser-guided 
munitions.
    d. The Raytheon AN/AAS-52 Multi-Spectral Targeting System (MTS-A) 
is a multi-use infrared (IR), electro-optical (EO), and laser detecting 
ranging-tracking set, developed and produced for use by the U. S. Air 
Force on the MQ-1 Predator. This advanced EO and IR system provides 
long-range surveillance, high altitude, target acquisition, tracking, 
range finding, and laser designation for all tri-service and NATO 
laser-guided munitions.
    e. The MQ-9s systems offered to France are not capable of carrying 
external payloads and armament.
    2. The MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft is Unclassified. The 
highest level of classified information required for training, 
operation, and maintenance is Secret.
    3. If a technologically advanced adversary were to obtain knowledge 
of the specific hardware or software in this

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proposed sale, the information could be used to develop countermeasures 
which might reduce weapon system effectiveness or be used in the 
development of a system with similar or advanced capabilities.

[FR Doc. 2013-16315 Filed 7-8-13; 8:45 am]
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