The Army’s Program Executive Office for Aviation (PEO Aviation) yesterday said it accepted the transfer of the Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System, also known as EMARSS, on Oct. 1.
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| EMARSS First Flight Photo: Boeing |
EMARSS, executed by Boeing [BA], provides the Army with the ability to detect, locate, identify and track surface targets, day or night, in almost any weather condition and provides Soldiers with ISR capabilities with a high degree of timeliness and accuracy.
Under PEO Aviation, EMARSS will be managed by the Fixed Wing Project Office.
The transfer comes as part of the October 2011 directive by the Army Acquisition Executive that mandated all manned fixed wing aircraft, current and future, be transferred to PEO Aviation for standardization in safety, airworthiness certification, and maintenance.
EMARSS is the last ISR program to formally transfer to PEO Aviation and the Fixed Wing Project Office, the office said in a statement.
“We are pleased to have this valuable asset under our command. The EMARSS program will provide protection to our ground troops by detecting and identifying those who wish us harm,” said Maj. Gen. William Crosby, PEO Aviation. ”Just as that ISR program helps to keep our ground troops safe, the Fixed Wing Project Office will provide a safe platform through airworthiness assessments and certifications.”
The EMARSS program had been managed previously by the Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors (PEO IEW&S) and the Project Manager for Airborne Reconnaissance Exploitation Systems (PM ARES).
“PM Fixed Wing and PM ARES have been working together on this program and will continue to deliver the most effective ISR capabilities to the Soldier,” said Col. Brian Tachias, fixed-wing project manager. “With EMARSS under our management, we will continue to provide operational end users with persistent ISR capabilities while ensuring that all assigned aircraft remain safe to operate through continuous airworthiness oversight and certification.”
The relationship between the project offices will continue as the responsibility for the aircraft sustainment and integration transfers to the Fixed Wing Project Office, while PM ARES will retain responsibility for the sensor mission equipment package (MEP) and the processing, exploitation, and dissemination (PED) architecture, the statement said.