Compass Call
Abstract
COMPASS CALL is the Air Force's wide-area, standoff, Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) Command and Control Warfare/Information Operations (C2W/IO) weapon system. The employment of this weapon system interrupts adversary's use of the electronic battlespace and is a key active component in the information battlespace and prosecution of Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO). Compass Call's sophisticated electronic attack system is capable of surgical denial and/or disruption of adversary Radio Frequency (RF) communications, radar, and sensor systems. The COMPASS CALL system was fielded in 1983 and employs an incremental development and fielding strategy that puts capability into the warfighter's hands as soon as practical and ensures each iteration of the weapon system is effective against the highest priority threats such as military and commercial communications, command and control operations, and new/emerging sensors. Due to the rapid advances in electronic attack techniques and technology, Compass Call was designed to be adaptable and must continuously modernize and evolve to keep pace with adversary tactics and emerging technologies. Sustaining that process requires a steady stream of system development funds. Development funding is required to perform trade studies, accomplish system upgrades and associated test activities, and develop and test Quick Reaction Capabilities (QRCs). The EC-130H Baseline 2 (BL2) configuration and the EC-130H mid-Baseline 2 (MBL2) enhancements are the latest in a line of fielded mission system upgrades to the EC-130H. The BL2 configuration and MBL2 enhancements currently fielded have advanced Compass Call's electronic attack capabilities significantly over the two previously fielded baselines. On 23 March 2016, a Doctrine, Organization, Training, materiel, Leadership & Education, Personnel, Facilities (DOTmLPF) Change Recommendation (DCR) was approved. This requirement drives the re- hosting of Compass Call PME from the EC-130H to a modern, more cost-effective, survivable and operationally suitable commercial derivative aircraft which meets the range, speed, endurance and operating altitude needs of the combatant commands in an Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2AD) environment. As a result, in FY2017, the Compass Call re-host program was initiated to begin the transition to the EC-37B platform. The re-hosted Compass Call platform is based on a commercially-available modified G550 aircraft that already holds Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Supplemental Type Certificates (STC) for airworthiness. The platform will undergo modifications to host Compass Call's PME and antenna arrays and receive additional STCs and Military Type Certificates (MTC). The EC-37B aircraft utilize PME harvested from the MBL2 EC-130H aircraft and upgraded to the latest Baseline. The EC-37B program is highly concurrent with developmental and procurement activities occurring in parallel. Transitioning to the re-host effort, the program of record has procured six (6) new commercial derivative aircraft to date. The first five (5) EC-37B aircraft procured in FY2017 - FY2020 will be configured with Baseline 3 (BL3) PME. These aircraft will receive PME from legacy donor EC-130H aircraft, as well as new and updated PME. The sixth EC-37B aircraft procured in FY2021 will be the first Baseline 4 (BL4) configured aircraft. In FY2022, the Compass Call program has deferred the planned procurement of the seventh EC-37B aircraft in FY2022 and associated installations and PME kit buys. The funding associated has been realigned within the program and is described below. The decision to defer procurement of the seventh EC-37B out of FY2022 was critical in order to maintain an aggressive BL4 development and fielding schedule as well as address deferred requirements that cannot be deferred further. These requirements include BL4 development activities, procurement of BL3 and BL4 support equipment for the PME and modified aircraft, procurement of the BL4 CCMCS, execution of change orders, modification of the sixth EC-37B aircraft to a BL4 configuration, and procurement of non-developmental hardware for BL4 integration activities. EC-37B BL3 updates existing, fielded MBL2 capabilities with the exception of the low band capability while significantly increasing operating altitude and standoff distances through re-host onto a new airframe. EC-37B BL4 adds incremental low-band capability, transitions the software baseline to an agile software framework, implements Open Mission Systems architecture to enable rapid integration of new capabilities offering a multiplicative increase in target capacity and addresses Diminishing Manufacturing Sources (DMS), along with other upgrades discussed in subsequent paragraphs. The realignment of EC-37B BL4 scope to include an incremental upgrade of low band via extension of an existing band was the result of cost constraints and prioritization from the user community. The Air Force determined that based on emerging threat priorities the delivery of a flexible and extensible open mission system architecture capable of rapidly integrating new capabilities delivered more capability to the warfighter than extension of the lower operational frequency range of the EC-37B alone. The open architecture implementation on Compass Call is referred to as SWORD-A (System-Wide Open Reconfigurable Dynamic Architecture). FY2022 RDT&E efforts will concentrate on BL4 development and test activities while performing limited work on BL5 initiatives for PME upgrades and integration. Activities encompassed within PME upgrade may include, but not limited to, aircraft system integration, assembly, test and checkout; mission system upgrades, external communications upgrades, software development, systems engineering, test and evaluation, flight test, training systems, training events, support equipment, and program management administration (PMA) costs. Specific mission system developmental activities of interest include studies and analyses for future capabilities; maturation of higher Technology Readiness Level (TRL) technologies for future insertion; QRC application development for integration onto the Compass Call Software Defined Radio (SDR) capability; low band developmental test; power expansion; transmit and receive development; Size, Weight, Power and Cooling (SWAP-C) reductions; implementation of Obsolescence and DMS/Vanishing Vendor Items (VVI) that drive developmental redesign of impacted hardware; transition of Compass Call PME to open architecture compliant standards; and continued migration of the Compass Call Operating System (CCOS) to an agile software construct. Due to the rapidly changing threat environment encountered during Compass Call's prolonged commitment to overseas operations, the acquisition program manager has the authority to redirect funding as necessary to meet current stated and emerging requirements. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver Orion capability. The use of such programs funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program element 0605831F. In FY20 $0.000M and in FY21 $0.000M is forecasted for civilian pay expenses in this program element. This program is in Budget Activity (BA) 07, Operational System Development because this BA includes development efforts to upgrade systems that have been fielded or have received approval for full rate production and anticipate production funding in the current or subsequent fiscal year. This requirement supports performance of a full financial audit as required by title 10 U.S.C. Chapter 9A, Sec 240-D This program is in Budget Activity 7, Operational System Development because this budget activity includes development efforts to upgrade systems that have been fielded or have received approval for full rate production and anticipate production funding in the current or subsequent fiscal year.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2022
- Source ID
- 674804_0207253F_7_3600_PB_2022
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