April 1, 2009

I am requesting funding for the Current Force Common Active Protection System (APS) Radar in fiscal year 2010.  The entity to receive this program is the Raytheon Company, located 2501 West University Drive, McKinney, TX 75071. 

APS is an externally mounted vehicle protection system that identifies, discriminates, and intercepts rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), mortars, antitank guided missiles and artillery projectiles after they are launched toward a combat vehicle.  The system fuses the Multi-Function Radio Frequency (MFRF) radar, launchers, fire control processors, and countermeasures into one package optimized for combat vehicle crew protection.  Funds are needed to adapt the Future Combat Systems (FCS) Active Protection System (APS) for integration into current force vehicles, such as the Abrams tank, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and Stryker family of vehicles. Additional funds would be used to define requirements for APS on Abrams and Bradley; begin modification of software and hardware to adapt MFRFS for current force applications; develop cooling and packaging for current force integration; and build hardware for dedicated Stryker integration testing that would commence in late FY10.  This hardware would be reusable for integration onto the Bradley and Abrams platforms during FY11.

This request seeks to integrate a critical FCS technology, the Active Protection System (APS), into the Army’s Current Force combat vehicles.  Vehicle survivability and protection of our Soldiers are paramount concerns for the Army, especially in ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The Army’s Abrams, Bradley, and Stryker vehicle programs all have requirements for APS.  Additional federal funding is warranted to meet these requirements and enhance force protection.