83 FR 10442 - Arms Sales Notification

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 47 (March 9, 2018)

The Department of Defense is publishing the unclassified text of an arms sales notification.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 47 (Friday, March 9, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10442-10445]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-04796]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

[Transmittal No. 17-78]


Arms Sales Notification

AGENCY: Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Arms sales notice.

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pamela Young, (703) 697-9107, 
[email protected] or Kathy Valadez, (703) 697-9217, 
[email protected]; DSCA/DSA-RAN.

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 17-78 with 
attached Policy Justification and Sensitivity of Technology.

    Dated: March 6, 2018.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN09MR18.004

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Transmittal No. 17-78
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 Kuwait
    (ii) Total Estimated Value:

Major Defense Equipment *................  $ 0 million
Other....................................  $259 million
                                          ------------------------------
  Total..................................  $259 million
 

    (iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or 
Services under Consideration for Purchase:
    Major Defense Equipment (MDE): None
    Non-MDE: Four (4) King Air 350ER ISR aircraft with enhanced PT6A-
67A engines and one (1) engine spare; four (4) AN/AAQ-35 WESCAM 
MXndash;15HDi Electro-Optical & Infrared Imaging Sensor Turret; four 
(4) Selex Seaspray 7500E Active Electronically Scanned Array Radars 
(AESA); AN/AAR-47 Missile Warning Systems (MWS); AN/ALE-47 
Countermeasure Dispenser Systems; secure communications, cryptographic, 
and precision navigation equipment; Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) 
Systems; aircraft modification and integration for ISR mission systems; 
facility design and construction; ground data processing systems and 
support equipment; spares and repair parts; support and test equipment; 
simulators, training and training equipment;

[[Page 10444]]

publications and technical documentation; U.S. Government and 
contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services; and 
other related elements of logistical and program support. Additionally, 
one of the four aircraft will be further modified to accommodate VIP/
senior leadership personnel for transport and Med Evac capability or 
command and control, and other related elements of logistical support.
    (iv) Military Department: Air Force (KU-D-SAB)
    (v) Prior Related Cases, if any: None
    (vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed to be 
Paid: None
    (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: February 21, 2018

    *As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.

POLICY JUSTIFICATION

Kuwait--Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance King Air 350ER

    The Government of Kuwait has requested a possible sale of four (4) 
King Air 350ER Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) 
aircraft with enhanced PT6A-67A engines and one (1) engine spare; four 
(4) AN/AAQ-35 WESCAM MX-15HDi Electro-Optical & Infrared Imaging Sensor 
Turret; four (4) Selex Seaspray 7500E Active Electronically Scanned 
Array Radars (AESA); AN/AAR-47 Missile Warning Systems (MWS); AN/ALE-47 
Countermeasure Dispenser Systems; secure communications, cryptographic, 
and precision navigation equipment; Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) 
Systems; aircraft modification and integration for ISR mission systems; 
facility design and construction; ground data processing systems and 
support equipment; spares and repair parts; support and test equipment; 
simulators, training and training equipment; publications and technical 
documentation; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical 
and logistics support services; and other related elements of 
logistical and program support. Additionally, one of the four aircraft 
will be further modified to accommodate VIP/senior leadership personnel 
for transport and Med Evac capability or command and control, and other 
related elements of logistical support. The estimated total case value 
is $259 million.
    This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and 
national security of the United States by helping to improve the 
security of a friendly country. Kuwait plays a large role in U.S. 
efforts to advance stability in the Middle East, providing basing, 
access, and transit for U.S. forces in the region.
    The proposed sale will enable Kuwait to gather its own airborne ISR 
data. This capability will improve Kuwait's situational awareness, 
armed forces posture, and armed forces capability to respond to 
threats. Enhancing Kuwait's Command, Control, Communications, 
Computers, & Intelligence (C4I) capability will result in the potential 
for greater burden sharing. The proposed sale of items and services 
will establish Kuwait's first dedicated airborne ISR fleet. The King 
Air 350ER ISR is part of the Kuwaiti Air Force's rapid expansion and 
modernization efforts, and is a priority for Kuwait and the United 
States. Kuwait 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 contractor will be Sierra Nevada Corporation, 
Hagerstown, MD. There are no known offset agreements proposed in 
connection with this potential sale.
    Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the long term 
assignment of any additional U.S. Government representatives to Kuwait. 
There will be U.S. contractor field representatives relocating to 
Kuwait in order provide day-to-day maintenance and logistics support.
    There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a 
result of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 17-78
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. King Air 350ER is an Intelligence, Surveillance, and 
Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft, a specifically modified B350ER, capable 
of operating in austere environments while providing real-time ISR. It 
is equipped with an integrated electro-optical and infrared (E.O./IR) 
which gives it a day/night ISR capability. Additionally, the aircraft 
will have a signal intercept system capable of searching, direction 
finding (geo-locating), collection, and on-board analysis of simple 
signals of interest in the very high frequency (VHF) and ultra-high 
frequency (UHF) broadcast bands. It will also have synthetic aperture 
radar (SAR) to provide spot and strip ground mapping along with ground 
moving target indicator (GMTI) modes. It will also have onboard 
workstations that will control the intercept system and E.O./IR system. 
The system will provide voice and data communication with personnel on 
the ground to share collected data. Aircraft hardware and software are 
UNCLASSIFIED; technical data and documentation to be provided are 
UNCLASSIFIED.
    2. Small Tactical Terminal (STT) KOR-24A is a two-channel radio for 
Link 16 networks and tactical wideband UHF or legacy VHF/UHF systems. 
The Link 16 command, control, communications, and intelligence (C3I) 
system incorporating high-capacity, jam-resistant, digital 
communication links for exchange of near real-time tactical 
information, including both data and voice, among air, ground, and sea 
elements. Hardware is UNCLASSIFIED. Technical data and documentation to 
be provided is UNCLASSIFIED.
    3. AN/AAQ-35 WESCAM MX-15HDi Electro-Optical & Infrared Imaging 
Sensor Turret is a gyro-stabilized, multi-spectral, multi-field of view 
E.O./IR system. The system provides color daylight TV and nighttime IR 
video with a laser range finder and laser pointer through use of an 
externally mounted turret sensor unit and internally mounted sensor 
control. Video imagery is displayed in the aircraft real time and may 
be recorded for subsequent ground analysis. Hardware is UNCLASSIFIED. 
Technical data and documentation to be provided are UNCLASSIFIED.
    4. Selex Seaspray 7500E is a multi-mode radar combines a state-of-
the-art Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) with Commercial Off-
The-Shelf (COTS) processor. It provides strip and spotlight SAR imaging 
and ground moving target indicator (GMTI) capability for all-weather 
and wide range surveillance. Hardware is UNCLASSIFIED. Technical data 
and documentation to be provided is UNCLASSIFIED.
    5. AAR-47 Missile Warning Systems is a small, lightweight, passive, 
electro-optic, threat warning device used to detect surface-to-air 
missiles and automatically provide countermeasures, as well as audio 
and visual-sector warning messages to the aircrew. Hardware is 
UNCLASSIFIED. Software is SECRET. Technical data and documentation to 
be provided are UNCLASSIFIED.
    6. ALE-47 Countermeasure Dispenser Systems (CMDS) provides an 
integrated threat-adaptive, computer controlled capability for 
dispensing chaff, flares, and active radio frequency expendables.

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The AN/ALE 47 uses threat data received over the aircraft interfaces to 
assess the threat situation and determine a response. Expendable 
routines tailored to the immediate aircraft and threat environment may 
be dispensed using one of four operational modes. Hardware is 
UNCLASSIFIED. Software is SECRET. Technical data and documentation to 
be provided are UNCLASSIFIED.
    7. AN/APX-119 Identification Friend or Foe combined transponder 
interrogator system is UNCLASSIFIED unless Mode IV or V operational 
evaluator parameters, which are SECRET, are loaded into the equipment.
    8. This sale will involve the release of sensitive and or 
classified cryptographic elements for secure communications radios, 
cryptographic equipment, and precision navigation equipment. The 
hardware is UNCLASSIFIED, except where systems are loaded with 
cryptographic software, which is classified up to SECRET.
    9. If a technologically advanced adversary were to obtain knowledge 
of specific hardware, the information could be used to develop 
countermeasures which might reduce weapons system effectiveness or be 
used in the development of a system with similar or advanced 
capabilities.
    10. A determination has been made that Kuwait can provide 
substantially the same degree of protection for sensitive technology 
being released as the U.S. Government. This proposed sustainment 
program is necessary to the furtherance of the U.S. foreign policy and 
national security objectives outlined in the policy justification.
    11. All defense articles and services listed on this transmittal 
are authorized for release and export to the Government of Kuwait.

[FR Doc. 2018-04796 Filed 3-8-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 5001-06-P