[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 62 (Thursday, March 31, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18598-18600]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-07267]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Transmittal No. 16-26]


36(b)(1) Arms Sales Notification

AGENCY: Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Department of Defense.

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: Heather N. Harwell, DSCA/LMO, (703) 
697-9217.
    The following is a copy of a letter to the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives,
    Transmittal 16-26 with attached Policy Justification and 
Sensitivity of Technology.

    Dated: March 28, 2016.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
BILLING CODE 5001-06-C

[[Page 18599]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN31MR16.013

Transmittal No. 16-26
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: United Kingdom
    (ii) Total Estimated Value:

Major Defense Equipment *...............................    $1.8 billion
Other...................................................    $1.4 billion
                                                         ---------------
  Total.................................................    $3.2 billion
 

    (iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or 
Services under Consideration for Purchase:
    Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
    Nine (9) P-8A Patrol Aircraft, which include:

Tactical Open Mission Software (TOMS)
Electro-Optical (EO) and Infrared (IR) MX-20HD
AN/AAQ-2(V)1 Acoustic System
AN/APY-10 Radar
ALQ-240 Electronic Support Measures (ESM)
Twelve (12) Multifunctional Informational Distribution System (MIDS) 
Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS)
Twelve (12) Guardian Laser Transmitter Assemblies (GLTA) for AN/AAQ-
24(V)N
Twelve (12) System Processors for AN/AAQ-24(V)N
Twelve (12) Missile Warning Sensors for AN/AAR-54 (for AN/AAQ-24(V)N)
Nine (9) LN-251 with Embedded Global Positioning Systems/Inertial 
Navigation System (EGI)


[[Page 18600]]


    Non-Major Defense Equipment (Non-MDE):

Associated training, training devices, and support

    (iv) Military Department: U.S. Navy (SAN, Basic Aircraft 
Procurement Case; LVK, Basic Training Devices Case; TGO, Basic Training 
Case)
    (v) Prior Related Cases, if any: UK-P-FBF, total case value $5.6M, 
implemented January 27, 2015.
    (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: 24 March 2016
    *as defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.

POLICY JUSTIFICATION

United Kingdom--P-8A Aircraft and Associated Support

    The Government of the United Kingdom (UK) has requested 
notification for the possible procurement of up to nine (9) P-8A Patrol 
Aircraft, associated major defense equipment, associated training, and 
support. The estimated cost is $3.2 billion.
    The UK is a close ally and an important partner on critical foreign 
policy and defense issues. The proposed sale will enhance U.S. foreign 
policy and national security objectives by enhancing the UK's 
capabilities to provide national defense and contribute to NATO and 
coalition operations.
    The proposed sale will allow the UK to reestablish its Maritime 
Surveillance Aircraft (MSA) capability that it divested when it 
cancelled the Nimrod MRA4 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) program. The 
United Kingdom has retained core skills in maritime patrol and 
reconnaissance following the retirement of the Nimrod aircraft through 
Personnel Exchange Programs (PEPs). The MSA has remained the United 
Kingdom's highest priority unfunded requirement. The P-8A aircraft 
would fulfill this requirement. The UK will have no difficulty 
absorbing these aircraft into its armed forces.
    The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the 
basic military balance in the region.
    The prime contractor involved in this sale is The Boeing Company, 
Seattle, WA. Implementation of the proposed sale will require 
approximately sixty-four (64) personnel hired by Boeing to support the 
program in the United Kingdom. Additional contractors include:

ViaSat, Carlsbad, CA
GC Micro, Petaluma, CA
Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, IA
Spirit Aero, Wichita, KS
Raytheon, Waltham, MA
Telephonics, Farmingdale, NY
Pole Zero, Cincinnati, OH
Northrop Grumman Corp, Falls Church, VA
Exelis, McLean, VA
Terma, Arlington, VA
Symmetrics, Canada
Arnprior Aerospace, Canada
General Electric, UK
Martin Baker, UK

    There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with 
this potential sale.
    There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a 
result of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 16-26
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to Section 
36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended
Annex Item No. vii
    (vii) Sensitivity of Technology
    1. The P-8A aircraft is a militarized version of the Boeing 737-800 
Next Generation (NG) commercial aircraft. The P-8A is replacing the P-
3C as the Navy's long-range anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface 
warfare (ASuW), intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) 
aircraft capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations.
    2. P-8A mission systems include:
    (a) Tactical Open Mission Software (TOMS). TOMS functions include 
environment planning tactical aids, weapons planning aids, and data 
correlation. TOMS includes an algorithm for track fusion which 
automatically correlates tracks produced by on-board and off-board 
sensors.
    (b) Electro-Optical (EO) and Infrared (IR) MX-20HD. The EO/IR 
system processes visible EO and IR spectrum to detect and image 
objects.
    (c) AN/AAQ-2(V)1 Acoustic System. The Acoustic sensor system is 
integrated within the mission system as the primary sensor for the 
aircraft ASW missions. The system has multi-static active coherent 
(MAC) 64 sonobuoy processing capability and acoustic sensor prediction 
tools.
    (d) AN/APY-10 Radar. The aircraft radar is a direct derivative of 
the legacy AN/APS-137(V) installed in the P-3C. The radar capabilities 
include Global Positioning System (GPS), selective availability anti-
spoofing, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), and Inverse Synthetic 
Aperture Radar (ISAR) imagery resolutions, and periscope detection 
mode.
    (e) ALQ-240 Electronic Support Measures (ESM). This system provides 
real time capability for the automatic detection, location, 
measurement, and analysis of Radio-Frequency (RF) signals and modes. 
Real time results are compared with a library of known emitters to 
perform emitter classification and specific emitter identification 
(SEI).
    (f) Electronic Warfare Self Protection (EWSP). The aircraft EWSP 
consists of the ALQ-213 Electronic Warfare Management System (EWMS), 
ALE-47 Countermeasures Dispensing System (CMDS), and the AN/AAQ-24 
Directional Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM)/AAR-54 Missile Warning 
Sensors (MWS). The EWSP includes threat information.
    3. If a technologically advanced adversary was to obtain access to 
the P-8A specific hardware and software elements, systems could be 
reverse engineered to discover U.S. Navy capabilities and tactics. The 
consequences of the loss of this technology, to a technologically 
advanced or competent adversary, could result in the development of 
countermeasures or equivalent systems, which could reduce system 
effectiveness or be used in the development of a system with similar 
advance capabilities.
    4. A determination has been made that the United Kingdom can 
provide substantially the same degree of protection for the technology 
being released as the U.S. Government. Support of the P-8A Patrol 
Aircraft to the Government of the United Kingdom is necessary in the 
furtherance of the U.S. foreign policy and national security 
objectives.
    5. All defense articles and services listed in this transmittal 
have been authorized for release and export to the United Kingdom.

[FR Doc. 2016-07267 Filed 3-30-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P