Arms Sales Notification, 27301-27303 [2019-12413]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
• Office of the Secretary

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 113 (Wednesday, June 12, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27301-27303]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-12413]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Transmittal No. 19-27]


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 19-27 with 
attached Policy Justification and Sensitivity of Technology.

    Dated: June 7, 2019.
Aaron T. Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN12JN19.005


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Transmittal No. 19-27
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 Belgium
    (ii) Total Estimated Value:

Major Defense Equipment *...............................    $275 million
Other...................................................    $325 million
                                                         ---------------
    TOTAL...............................................    $600 million
 

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

Four (4) MQ-9B, Remotely Piloted Aircraft
Two (2) Fixed Certifiable Ground Control Stations
Five (5) AN/DAS-4 Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems (4 installed, 1 
spare)
Fifteen (15) Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation 
Systems (EGI) (12 installed, 3 spares)
Five (5) AN/APY-8 Lynx Synthetic Aperture Radars (4 installed, 1 spare)
Five (5) Detect and Avoid Systems (4 installed, 1 spare)

    Non-MDE: Also included are an Initial Spares Package (ISP) and 
Readiness Spares Package (RSP) to support a 5-year period of 
performance; communications equipment; Identification Friend or Foe 
(IFF) equipment; spare and repair parts; support and test equipment; 
publications and technical documentation; personnel training and 
training equipment; 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 (BE-D-SAE)
    (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: March 25, 2019

    * As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.

POLICY JUSTIFICATION

Belgium--MQ-9B SkvGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)

    The Government of Belgium has requested to purchase four (4) MQ-9B, 
RPA; two (2) Fixed Certifiable Ground Control Stations; five (5) AN/
DAS-4 Multi-Spectral Targeting Systems (4 installed, 1 spare); fifteen 
(15) Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation Systems 
(EGI) (12 installed, 3 spares); five (5) AN/APY-8 Lynx Synthetic 
Aperture Radars (4 installed, 1 spare); and five (5) Detect and Avoid 
Systems (4 installed, 1 spare). Also included are an Initial Spares 
Package (ISP) and Readiness Spares Package (RSP) to support a 5-year 
period of performance; spare and repair parts; support and test 
equipment; publications and technical documentation; personnel training 
and training equipment; U.S. Government and contractor engineering; 
technical and logistics support services; and other related elements of 
logistical and program support. The total estimated program cost is 
$600 million.
    This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national 
security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a 
NATO ally. It is vital to the U.S. national interest to assist Belgium 
to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. 
This potential sale enhances the intelligence, surveillance, and 
reconnaissance (ISR) capability of the Belgian military in support of 
national, NATO, United Nation-mandated, and other coalition operations. 
Commonality of ISR capabilities increases interoperability between the 
U.S. and Belgian military and peacekeeping forces.
    Belgium intends to use these defense articles and services to 
provide for the defense of its deployed troops, regional security, 
domestic security, and interoperability with the U.S./NATO partners. 
The current fleet of Belgian Air Component aircraft have proven 
insufficient to support sustained and persistent ISR operations. The 
proposed sale will enable the Belgian Air Component to conduct 
persistent and wide area ISR, including target acquisition, target 
designation, providing precision coordinates for Global Positioning 
System (GPS)-aided munitions, battle damage assessment, signal 
intelligence, communication, and data relays. Belgium will have no 
difficulty absorbing this equipment and support into its armed forces.
    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., San Diego, California. There are no known offset 
agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.
    Implementation of this proposed sale may require multiple trips to 
Belgium and potentially a 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. 19-27
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-9B SkyGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) is a 
weapons capable aircraft designed for Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance 
(MALE) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Target 
Acquisition and strike missions. The MQ-9B SkyGuardian RPA is not a 
USAF program of record but has close ties to, and builds upon, the 
proven success of the MQ-9A Reaper. The MQ-9B RPA is a Missile 
Technology Control Regime (MTCR) Category 1 system with a designed 
maximum payload of 4,800 pounds (800 pounds internal and 4,000 pounds 
external) and is capable of carrying multiple mission payloads aloft 
with a maximum range of greater than 5,500 nm. The MQ-9B provides up to 
40 hours endurance, speeds up to 220 knots true air speed (KTAS) and a 
maximum altitude of 45,000 feet. The system is designed to be 
controlled by two operators within a Certifiable Ground Control Station 
(CGCS). The CGCS is designed to emulate a reconnaissance aircraft 
cockpit, giving users extensive means to operate both the aircraft and 
sensors. The MQ-9B is able to operate using a direct Line-of-Sight 
(LOS) datalink or Beyond Line-of-Sight (BLOS) through satellite 
communications (SATCOM). The design enables unmanned aerial vehicle 
(UAV) control to be transferred between multiple CGCSs, thus allowing 
remote-split operations and centralized mission control with other 
assets. The MQ-9B system can be deployed from a single site that 
supports launch/recovery, mission control, and maintenance. The system 
also supports remote-split operations where launch/recovery and 
maintenance occur at a Forward Operating Base and mission control is 
conducted from another location or Main Operating Base (MOB). The basic 
MQ-9B Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) is UNCLASSIFIED. However, inclusion 
of various sub-systems, capabilities, and potential weapons results in 
a maximum classification of SECRET.
    2. The Belgian MQ-9B system will include the following components:

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    a. A secure Certifiable Ground Control Station (CGCS) with 
workstations that allow aircrew to operate the aircraft, execute the 
mission, and record/exploit downlinked payload data.
    b. The AN/APY-8 Lynx IIe Block 20A Synthetic Aperture Radar and 
Ground Moving Target Indicator (SAR/GMTI) system provides an all-
weather surveillance, tracking and targeting capability. The system 
operates in the Ku-band, using an offset-fed dish antenna mounted on a 
three-axis stabilized gimbal. It has a large field of regard, produces 
a strip map, and can image up to a 10km wide swath. Swaths from 
multiple passes can be combined for wide-area surveillance.
    c. The AN/DAS-4 Multi-Spectral Targeting System (MTS-D) is a multi-
use highly advanced EO/IR sensor providing long-range surveillance, 
high altitude, target acquisition, tracking, range finding, and laser 
designation developed and produced for use by the U.S. Air Force.
    d. COMSEC is necessary for full functionality of the Embedded GPS-
INS (EGI) and the AN/DPX-7 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF)/
Transponder.
    e. The Detect and Avoid System (DAAS) with Active Electronically 
Scanned Array (AESA) Due Regard Radar (DRR) is a multi-sensor system 
that detects and tracks cooperative and non-cooperative air traffic, 
and enables an autopilot response for deconfliction maneuvers.
    f. The Belgium MQ-9B is intended to be used in the near-term only 
for ISR-type missions. As such, the system is not requested to be 
armed, but is requested to preserve the option to arm the systems 
should the need arise at a later time. If weaponized, the system is 
capable of being equipped with the U.S. Army AGM-114 Hellfire missile 
and various guided and unguided bombs.
    3. If a technologically advanced adversary were to obtain knowledge 
of the specific hardware and software elements, the information could 
be used to develop countermeasures or equivalent systems which might 
reduce weapon system effectiveness or be used in the development of a 
system with similar or advanced capabilities.
    4. This sale is necessary in furtherance of the U.S. foreign policy 
and national security objectives outlined in the enclosed Policy 
Justification. A determination has been made that Belgium can provide 
the same degree of protection for the sensitive technology being 
released as the U.S. Government.
    5. All defense articles and services listed in this transmittal 
have been authorized for release and export to Belgium.

[FR Doc. 2019-12413 Filed 6-11-19; 8:45 am]
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