[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 236 (Tuesday, December 8, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78999-79002]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26885]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Transmittal No. 20-35]


Arms Sales Notification

AGENCY: Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Arms sales notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Defense is publishing the unclassified text 
of an arms sales notification.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karma Job at [email protected] 
or (703) 697-8976.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 36(b)(1) arms sales notification is 
published to fulfill the requirements of section 155 of Public Law 104-
164 dated July 21, 1996. The following is a copy of a letter to the 
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Transmittal 20-35 with 
attached Policy Justification and Sensitivity of Technology.

    Dated: November 25, 2020.
Kayyonne T. Marston,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN08DE20.023


[[Page 79000]]


Transmittal No. 23-35
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 Switzerland
    (ii) Total Estimated Value:

Major Defense Equipment*.................  $4.08 billion
Other....................................  .50 billion
                                          ------------------------------
  TOTAL..................................  6.58 billion
 

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

Forty (40) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Conventional Take Off and Landing 
(CTOL) Aircraft
Forty-six (46) Pratt & Whitney F-135 Engines (40 installed and 6 
spares)
Forty (40) Sidewinder AIM-9X Block II+ (Plus) Tactical Missiles
Fifty (50) Sidewinder AIM-9X Block II Captive Air Training Missiles 
(CATMs)
Six (6) Sidewinder AIM-9X Block II Special Air Training Missiles 
(NATMS)
Four (4) Sidewinder AIM-9X Block II Tactical Guidance Units
Ten (10) Sidewinder AIM-9X Block II CATM Guidance Units
Eighteen (18) KMU-572 JDAM Guidance Kits for GBU-54
Twelve (12) Bomb MK-82 500LB, General Purpose
Twelve (12) Bomb MK-82, Inert
Twelve (12) GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) All-Up Round (AUR)
Eight (8) GBU-53/B SDB II Guided Test Vehicle (GTV)

    Non-MDE:
    Also included are Electronic Warfare Systems; Command, Control, 
Communications, Computer and Intelligence/Communications, Navigational, 
and Identification (C4I/CNI); Autonomic Logistics Global Support System 
(ALGS); Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS); Full Mission 
Trainer; Weapons Employment Capability and other Subsystems, Features, 
and Capabilities; F-35 unique infrared flares; reprogramming center 
access; F-35 Performance Based Logistics; software development/
integration; flight test instrumentation; aircraft ferry and tanker 
support; Detector Laser DSU-38A/B, Detector Laser DSU-38A(D-2)/B, FMU-
139D/B Fuze, KMU-572(D-2)/B Trainer (JDAM), 40 inch Wing Release 
Lanyard; GBU-53/B SDB II Weapon Load Crew Trainers (WLCT); Cartridge, 
25 mm PGU-23/U; weapons containers; aircraft and munitions support and 
test equipment; communications equipment; spares and repair parts; 
repair and return support; personnel training and training equipment; 
publications and technical documents; U.S. Government and contractor 
engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other 
related elements of logistical and program support.
    (iv) Military Department: Air Force (SZ-D-SAA; SZ-D-YAD), Navy (SZ-
P-LAY)
    (v) Prior Related Cases, if any: None
    (vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed to be 
Paid: None
    (viii) 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 30, 2020
    *As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.

POLICY JUSTIFICATION

Switzerland--F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft and Weapons

    The Government of Switzerland requested to buy up to forty (40) F-
35 Joint Strike Fighter Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) 
aircraft; forty-six (46) Pratt & Whitney F-135 engines; forty (40) 
Sidewinder AIM-9X Block II+ (Plus) Tactical Missiles; fifty (50) 
Sidewinder AIM-9X Block II Captive Air Training Missiles (CATMs); six 
(6) Sidewinder AIM-9X Block II Special Air Training Missiles (NATMS); 
four (4) Sidewinder AIM-9X Block II Tactical Guidance Units; ten (10) 
Sidewinder AIM-9X Block II CATM Guidance Units; eighteen (18) KMU-572 
JDAM Guidance Kits for GBU-54; twelve (12) Bomb MK-82 500LB, General 
Purpose; twelve (12) Bomb MK-82, Inert; twelve (12) GBU-53/B Small 
Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) All-Up Round (AUR); and eight (8) GBU-53/B 
SDB II Guided Test Vehicle (GTV). Also included are Electronic Warfare 
Systems; Command, Control, Communications, Computer and Intelligence/
Communications, Navigational, and Identification (C4I/CNI); Autonomic 
Logistics Global Support System (ALGS); Autonomic Logistics Information 
System (ALIS); Full Mission Trainer; Weapons Employment Capability and 
other Subsystems, Features, and Capabilities; F[dash]35 unique infrared 
flares; reprogramming center access; F-35 Performance Based Logistics; 
software development/integration; flight test instrumentation; aircraft 
ferry and tanker support; Detector Laser DSU-38A/B, Detector Laser DSU-
38A(D-2)/B, FMU-139D/B Fuze, KMU-572(D-2)/B Trainer (JDAM), 40 inch 
Wing Release Lanyard; GBU-53/B SDB II Weapon Load Crew Trainers (WLCT); 
Cartridge, 25 mm PGU-23/U; weapons containers; aircraft and munitions 
support and test equipment; communications equipment; spares and repair 
parts; repair and return support; personnel training and training 
equipment; publications and technical documents; U.S. Government and 
contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and 
other related elements of logistical and program support. The total 
estimated cost is $6.58 billion.
    This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national 
security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a 
friendly European nation that continues to be an important force for 
political stability and economic progress in Europe.
    This proposed sale of F-35s and associated missiles and munitions 
will provide the Government of Switzerland with a credible defense 
capability to deter aggression in the region. The proposed sale will 
also replace Switzerland's retiring F/A-18s and enhance its air-to-air 
and air-to-ground self-defense capability. Switzerland 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 principal contractors will be Lockheed Martin Aeronautics 
Company, Fort Worth, TX; Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East 
Hartford, CT; The Boeing Company, St. Charles, MO and Raytheon Missiles 
and Defense, Tucson, AZ. This proposal is being offered in the context 
of a competition. 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 require multiple trips to 
Switzerland involving U.S. Government and contractor representatives 
for technical reviews/support, program management and training over the 
life of the program. U.S. contractor representatives will be required 
in Switzerland to conduct Contractor Engineering Technical Services 
(CETS) and Autonomic Logistics and Global Support (ALGS).
    There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a 
result of this proposed sale.

[[Page 79001]]

Transmittal No. 20-35
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 Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) 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 
CTOL 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-lb 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 (BDA).
    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 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 IR and RF threats.
    f. The Command, Control, Communications, Computers and 
Intelligence/ Communications, Navigation, and Identification (C4I/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 aircraft C4I/CNI system includes two data links: the Multi-
Function Advanced Data Link (MADL) and Link 16. The MADL is designed 
specifically for the F-35 and allows for stealthy communications 
between F-35s. Link 16 data link equipment allows the F-35 to 
communicate with legacy aircraft 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 Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) 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, bi-ocular 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 Reprogramming Center is located in the United States and 
provides F-35 customers with a means to update F-35 EW databases.
    3. The AIM-9X Block II and Block II+ (Plus) SIDEWINDER Missile 
represents a substantial increase in missile acquisition and kinematics 
performance over the AIM-9M and replaces the AIM-9X Block I Missile 
configuration. The

[[Page 79002]]

missile includes a high off-boresight seeker, enhanced countermeasure 
rejection capability, low drag/high angle of attack airframe and the 
ability to integrate with a helmet mounted cueing system. The software 
algorithms are the most sensitive portion of the AIM-9X missile. The 
software continues to be modified via a pre-planned product improvement 
(P\3\I) program to improve counter-countermeasure capabilities. 
Purchase will include AIM-9X Guidance Sections.
    4. The GBU-54 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (LJDAM) is a 500 
pound JDAM which incorporates all the capabilities of the JDAM guidance 
tail kit and adds a precision laser guidance set. The LJDAM gives the 
weapon system an optional semi-active laser guidance in addition to the 
Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System (INS/GPS) 
guidance. This provides the optional capability to strike moving 
targets. The GBU-54 consists of a laser guidance set, KMU-572 warhead 
specific tail kit, and MK-82 bomb body.
    5. The GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb Increment II (SDB II) is a 250-
lb class precision-guided, semi-autonomous, conventional, air-to-ground 
munition used to defeat moving targets through adverse weather from 
standoff range. The SDB II has deployable wings and fins and uses GPS/
INS guidance, network-enabled datalink (Link-16 and UHF), and a multi-
mode seeker (millimeter wave radar, imaging infrared) to autonomously 
search, acquire, track, and defeat targets. The SDB II employs a multi-
effects warhead (Blast, Fragmentation, and ShapedCharge) for maximum 
lethality against armored and soft targets. The SDB II weapon system 
consists of the AUR weapon; a 4-place common carriage system; and 
mission planning system application.
    a. SDB II Guided Test Vehicles (GTV) is an SDB II configuration 
used for land or sea range-based testing of the SDB II weapon system. 
The GTV has common flight characteristics of an SDB II AUR, but in 
place of the multi-effects warhead is a Flight Termination, Tracking, 
and Telemetry (FTTT) subassembly that mirrors the AUR multi-effects 
warhead's size and mass properties, but provides safe flight 
termination, free flight tracking and telemetry of encrypted data from 
the GTV to the data receivers. The SDB II GTV can have either inert or 
live fuses. All other flight control, guidance, data-link, and seeker 
functions are representative of the SDB II AUR.
    b. SDB II Captive Carry Reliability Test (CCRT) vehicles are an SDB 
II configuration primarily used for reliability data collection during 
carriage. The CCRT has common characteristics of an SDB II AUR but with 
an inert warhead and fuze. The CCRT has an inert mass in place of the 
warhead that mimics the warhead's mass properties. The CCRT is a flight 
capable representative of the SDB II AUR but is not approved for 
release from any aircraft. Since all other flight control, guidance, 
data-link, and seeker functions are representative of the SDB II AUR, 
this configuration could be used for any purpose where an inert round 
without telemetry or termination capability would be useful.
    6. This sale will involve the release of sensitive and/or 
classified technology. The highest level of classification of 
information included in this potential sale is SECRET.
    7. 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 
advanced capabilities.
    8. A determination has been made that Switzerland 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.
    9. All defense articles and services listed in this transmittal are 
authorized for release and export to the Government of Switzerland.

[FR Doc. 2020-26885 Filed 12-7-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P