FMS: Transitions and Challenges
(This is the second of three articles on changing trends in FMS.)
Foreign Military Sales (FMS) is one of many security cooperation tools used with partners to develop their capabilities. FMS for Air Forces in 2020 — 2022 is characterized by a transition to developmental programs, challenges in developing and integrating electronic warfare systems, and the need to balance protection of critical U.S. warfighter technology with partner requirements for capable interoperable systems.
Developmental programs. The old model of FMS was based on partners buying weapons systems already developed and fielded by U.S. forces, where the U.S. paid for expensive development and testing, and also shared the operating procedures and tactics needed to operate the system. With the exception of the F-35 which follows this classic model, our partners now buying fighter FMS platforms (F-16 Block 70, and advanced F-15 variants) are developing and buying weapons systems that are not fielded by the U.S., and ahead of the U.S. in capabilities. Because these platforms are not fielded by U.S. forces, they are not Programs of Record (NPORs) and have not gone through carefully-managed DoD-led developmental milestones. As a result, this new approach depends on contractors to fully develop and deliver the capabilities they advertised, without extensive DoD milestone-management, and with much less USG oversight.
Electronic Warfare (EW) Integration. The most significant challenge faced by partners buying or upgrading advanced 4th-generation weapons systems is integrating EW capabilities like radar warning receivers and jammers with active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars. While advanced AESA radars provide partners incredible threat detection and situational awareness, the AESA’s speed and power overwhelms most legacy EW suites, degrading their effectiveness. Integrating the EW and AESA systems requires building robust internal communications between the EW and AESA systems, and conducting extensive testing to perfect the integration. Effective EW integration requires partners to invest significant time and money to develop the advanced 4th-generation capabilities they need, and effective contractor performance to deliver fully-integrated systems.
Technology protection. The U.S. provides partners with the most advanced-technology weapons systems available. Protecting this technology means ensuring partners have the security systems in-place to protect the technology flown by the U.S. and its partners around the world, and our collective security depends on maintaining this technological edge over strategic competitors. However, building secure facilities to store and operate advanced equipment, including protecting commutations networks from exploitation, is expensive and adds costs and time to already complex FMS cases. Our partners understand the need to protect their edge, and commit significant effort to establish security needed to protect U.S. technology.
Our security depends on effective partners flying capable and interoperable weapons systems. Enabling partner success in executing this new model of developmental FMS programs, integrating electronic warfare systems, and protecting advanced technology will demand changes in how the U.S. develops and delivers FMS programs. But these changes are needed to give our partners the capabilities they need to deliver the vision of security described in the NDS.
