Arms Sales Notification, 44645-44648 [2024-11038]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
• Office of the Secretary

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 99 (Tuesday, May 21, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44645-44648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-11038]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Transmittal No. 22-28]


Arms Sales Notification

AGENCY: Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Department of Defense 
(DoD).

ACTION: Arms sales notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Neil Hedlund at 
[email protected] or (703) 697-9214.

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 22-28 with 
attached Policy Justification and Sensitivity of Technology.

    Dated: May 15, 2024.
Aaron T. Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
BILLING CODE 6001-FR-P

[[Page 44646]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN21MY24.000

BILLING CODE 6001-FR-C
Transmittal No. 22-28
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 Australia
    (ii) Total Estimated Value:

 
 
 
Major Defense Equipment *................  $350 million
Other....................................  $ 35 million
                                          ------------------------------
  TOTAL..................................  $385 million
 

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

Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
    Twenty (20) M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS)
    Thirty (30) M30A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS)
    Thirty (30) Alternative Warhead (AW) Pods with Insensitive 
Munitions Propulsion Systems (IMPS)
    Thirty (30) M31A2 GMLRS Unitary (GMLRS-U) High Explosive Pods with 
IMPS
    Thirty (30) XM403 Extended Range (ER)-GMLRS AW Pods
    Thirty (30) EM404 ER GMLRS Unitary Pods
    Ten (10) M57 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS)
Non-MDE:
    Also included are Reduced Range Practice Rocket Pods (RRPRP); 
Vehicular Intercom System (AN/VIC-3) 3-Station; radio communication 
mounts; machine gun mounts; battle management system vehicle 
integration kits;

[[Page 44647]]

wheel guards; ruggedized laptops; training equipment publications; 
spare and repair parts; support equipment; tools; test equipment; 
technical data; U.S. Government and Contractor support; technical and 
logistical support services; and other related elements of program and 
logistic support.

    (iv) Military Department: Army (AT-B-UMK)
    (v) Prior Related Cases, if any: AT-B-UMJ, AT-B-UKI
    (vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed to be 
Paid: None known at this time
    (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: May 26, 2022
    *As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.

POLICY JUSTIFICATION

Australia--HIMARS Launchers

    The Government of Australia has requested to buy twenty (20) M142 
High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS); thirty (30) M30A2 
Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS); thirty (30) Alternative 
Warhead (AW) Pods with Insensitive Munitions Propulsion Systems (IMPS); 
thirty (30) M31A2 GMLRS Unitary (GMLRS-U) High Explosive Pods with 
IMPS; thirty (30) XM403 Extended Range (ER)-GMLRS AW Pods; thirty (30) 
EM404 ER GMLRS Unitary Pods; and ten (10) M57 Army Tactical Missile 
System (ATACMS). Also included are Reduced Range Practice Rocket Pods 
(RRPRP); Vehicular Intercom System (AN/VIC-3) 3-Station; radio 
communication mounts; machine gun mounts; battle management system 
vehicle integration kits; wheel guards; ruggedized laptops; training 
equipment publications; spare and repair parts; support equipment; 
tools; test equipment; technical data; U.S. Government and Contractor 
support; technical and logistical support services; and other related 
elements of program and logistic support. The total estimated program 
cost is $385 million.
    This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national 
security objectives of the United States. Australia is one of our most 
important allies in the Western Pacific. The strategic location of this 
political and economic power contributes significantly to ensuring 
peace and economic stability in the region. It is vital to the U.S. 
national interest to assist our ally in developing and maintaining a 
strong and ready self-defense capability.
    The proposed sale will improve Australia's capability to meet 
current and future threats, and will enhance interoperability with U.S. 
forces and other allied forces. Australia will use the capability to 
strengthen its homeland defense and provide greater security for its 
critical infrastructure. Australia will have no difficulty absorbing 
this equipment 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 Inc., Bethesda, 
MD; Chelton Inc., Marlow, United Kingdom; and L3 Harris Corp., 
Melbourne, FL. The purchaser typically requests offsets. Any offset 
agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the 
contractor(s).
    Implementation of this proposed sale will require the assignment of 
two (2) U.S. Government and five (5) U.S. contractor representatives in 
Australia for a period of one year.
    There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a 
result of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 22-28
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 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is a C-
130 transportable wheeled launcher mounted on a 5-ton Family of Medium 
Tactical Vehicles truck chassis. HIMARS is the modern Army-fielded 
version of the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) M270 launcher, and 
can fire all of the MLRS Family of Munitions (FOM) including Guided 
Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) variants and the Army Tactical 
Missile System (ATACMS). Utilizing the MLRS FOM, the HIMARS can engage 
targets between 15 and 300 kilometers with Global Positioning System 
(GPS)-aided precision accuracy.
    2. The M31A2 GMLRS Unitary is the Army's primary munition for units 
fielding the M142 HIMARS and M270Al MLRS Launchers. The M31 Unitary is 
a solid propellant artillery rocket that uses GPS/Precise Positioning 
Service (PPS)-aided inertial guidance to accurately and quickly deliver 
a single high-explosive blast fragmentation warhead to targets at 
ranges from 15-70 kilometers. The rockets are fired from a launch pod 
container that also serves as the storage and transportation container 
for the rockets. Each rocket pod holds six (6) total rockets.
    3. The M30A2 GMLRS Alternative Warhead shares a greater than 90% 
commonality with the M31A1 Unitary. The primary difference between the 
GMLRS-U and GMLRS-AW is the replacement of the Unitary's high explosive 
warhead with a 200-pound fragmentation warhead of pre-formed tungsten 
penetrators which is optimized for effectiveness against large area and 
imprecisely located targets. The munitions otherwise share a common 
motor, GPS/PPS-aided inertial guidance and control system, fusing 
mechanism, multi-option height of burst capability, and effective range 
of 15-70km.
    4. The M57 ATACMS-Unitary is a conventional, semi-ballistic missile 
that utilizes a 500-pound high explosive warhead. It has an effective 
range of between 70 and 300 kilometers, and has increased lethality and 
accuracy over previous versions of the ATACMS due to a GPS/PPS aided 
navigation system.
    5. The Extended Range (ER) GMLRS provides a persistent, responsive, 
all-weather, rapidly deployed, long range, surface-to surface, area- 
and point-precision strike capability. The XM403 Alternative Warhead 
(AW) carries a 200- pound fragmentation assembly filled with high 
explosives which, upon detonation, accelerates two layers of preformed 
penetrators optimized for effectiveness against large area and 
imprecisely located targets. The XM404 Unitary variant is a 200-pound 
class unitary with a steel blast-fragmentation case, designed for low 
collateral damage against point targets. The ER GMLRS maintains the 
accuracy and effectiveness demonstrated by the baseline GMLRS out to a 
maximum range of 150 km while also including a new Height of Burst 
(HOB) capability.
    6. The highest level of classification of defense articles, 
components, and services 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 or 
advanced capabilities.
    8. A determination has been made that Australia 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

[[Page 44648]]

objectives outlined in the Policy Justification.
    9. All defense articles and services listed in this transmittal 
have been authorized for release and export to the Government of 
Australia.

[FR Doc. 2024-11038 Filed 5-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6001-FR-P