The Boeing Company today announced that it has submitted a proposal to deliver an affordable airborne intelligence collection, processing and targeting support system to the US Army.

The Enhanced Medium-Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System (EMARSS) is being procured by the Army's Program Executive Office (PEO) for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors.

The Army's EMARSS request for proposals calls for a persistent capability to detect, locate, classify/identify, and track surface targets in day or night, near-all-weather conditions with a high degree of timeliness and accuracy. The service is expected to announce the award in late September. Boeing submitted its proposal on May 25.

"Boeing has a deep appreciation for the challenges soldiers face in Iraq and Afghanistan and understands the critical and urgent capability that EMARSS will bring into theater," said Dennis Muilenburg, president and CEO, Boeing Defense, Space & Security. "We are committed to delivering early and to providing a mission system that works as promised to bring soldiers home safely."

The EMARSS system will consist of a commercial derivative aircraft equipped with an Electro-optic/Infrared Full Motion Video sensor, a Communications Intelligence collection system, an Aerial Precision Guidance system, line-of-site tactical and beyond line-of-site communications suites, two operator workstations and a self-protection suite. EMARSS will operate as a single platform in support of tactical missions.

"With this proposal, Boeing brings the value of a large system integrator that also is able to work at a fast pace to place tools in warfighters' hands as soon as possible," said Muilenburg.

"We have extensive knowledge and experience integrating airborne sensor and communications systems on existing aircraft for programs like the US Army's Apache Longbow, the US Navy's E/A-18G Growler and P-8A Poseidon, and US Air Force's Airborne Warning and Control System."

Source: Boeing