SIGINT battle - U.S. Navy gears up for long-awaited EPX intel aircraft competition

http://www.c4isrjournal.com/story.php?F=3146195

The U.S. Navy has asked U.S. defense contractors to design and
ultimately build a new signals intelligence (SIGINT) platform to replace
the service's aging fleet of Lockheed Martin EP-3E Aries II turboprops.
Although the number of aircraft in the potential "EPX" order is
relatively small by U.S. procurement standards - 14 to 24 is a popular
estimate - the final selection could have a significant influence on how
first-tier militaries conduct maritime surveillance for decades to come.

Not only will EPX be the newest Navy aircraft devoted to eavesdropping
on enemy communications, it also will be the first to serve as the
SIGINT element of a networked ISR system incorporating manned and
unmanned aircraft, satellites, ground stations and surface combatants.
Detailed technical requirements are closely held, although the Naval Air
Systems Command (NAVAIR) revealed the basic considerations to
prospective bidders at a recent EPX industry day conducted at Naval Air
Station Patuxent River, Md.

Kristine Wilcox, a NAVAIR spokeswoman, said EPX will be a manned ISR and
targeting aircraft capable of operating in a SatCom-constrained
environment, in concert with the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft
and the UAV ultimately selected for the Navy's Broad Area Maritime
Surveillance (BAMS) bid. Wilcox said the competition is open to all
interested parties and is expected to attract a diverse range of
platform and sensor providers.
"Nothing is decided," she said. "We plan to work with industry to find
the best solution."

...

CONNECTING AN ISR TRIAD

Although the ability to process SIGINT data in real time may have a
strong influence on the final EPX systems configuration, forging robust
electronic links with P-8A and BAMS could have equal weight in the
hardware/software procurement arena...

MOVEMENT TOWARD MULTI-INT

Mission systems providers are conducting their own EPX trade studies on
two parallel tracks. One assumes that the Navy will seek only to
replicate EP-3E with a more modern platform, with machines replacing
humans in some on-board roles. The second - and some say more likely -
approach is that the service will regard the Aries II as merely a
launching point, with EPX emerging as the first true multi-Int aircraft,
and one with networking capability, as well...