EMARSS


EMARSS, or Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System, is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system installed on United States Army fixed-wing aircraft based on the twin-engine Beechcraft [Super King Air 350ER] modified MC-12W Liberty aircraft. The system, now manufactured by L3Harris Technologies, Inc., has tailored Distributed Common Ground System – Army software to facilitate processing, exploitation and rapid dissemination of intelligence derived from sensors. Its architecture ensures interoperability with multi-service / joint systems that comply with DoD information technology standards and Defense Information Systems Network for data transfer and dissemination. EMARSS is specifically designed for aerial exploitation battalions within US Army Intelligence and Security Command for command and control, mission planning, sustainment support and deployment

Description

As an ISR platform, EMARSS provides persistent capabilities for detection, location, classification/identification, and to track surface targets in day/night, near-all-weather conditions with a high degree of timeliness and accuracy. The system consists of a military purposed Super King Air 350ER aircraft equipped with an electro-optic/infrared sensor, full-motion video cameras, an imaging sensor called Wide Area Surveillance System, communications intelligence and signals intelligence collection sensors, a precision geolocation sensor, line-of-sight tactical and K/K-band beyond line-of-sight communications suites including datalinks, two DCGS-A workstations nicknamed Big Iron, and a self-protection suite. The original EMARSS aircraft would eventually be called EMARSS-S to distinguish it from other variants.
The system includes an integrated Northrop Grumman AN/ZPY-5 Vehicle and Dismounted Exploitation Radar active electronically scanned array synthetic-aperture radar pod with Ground [Moving Target Indicator] or with Dismount Moving Target Indicator developed in an Air Force-led project in 2009. The pod had the distinct advantage over earlier GMTI radars in that it could identify multiple targets over a wide field of view. DMTI specifically refers to the ability to identify human-sized targets moving as slow as walking speed, as opposed to GMTI which usually refers to larger sizes and greater speeds.

History

In 2010, Boeing was awarded a contract by the US Army to build the first four EMARSS aircraft. But by 2012, budgetary concerns by the Government Accountability Office put the project on hold, resulting in the Army canceling the project entirely for a savings of billion. The four planes delivered up to that point were to be handed off to the US Air Force, but that did not happen.
The first EMARSS prototype made its maiden flight in June 2013. While EMARSS was due to already be in service, further programmatic protests and inter-service differences over ownership delayed its introduction.
Low rate initial production was finally approved in August 2014. The Army disclosed its initial plan to field 12 EMARSS, although it was unclear precisely how many of these will be converted MC-12Ws and how many will be new-builds. Of the 42 MC-12W "Project Liberty" aircraft procured, Janes Information Services believed between 8 and 12 would eventually be brought up to the EMARSS-M variant standard. As originally set out, the 18-month MC-12W to EMARSS-M modification contract included a 12-month system design and integration phase followed by a 6-month airworthiness and operational acceptance testing period.
In March 2015, a 12-month prototype modification contract worth million was awarded to then L-3 Communications to upgrade a single MC-12W Liberty aircraft to an EMARSS-M configuration for flight and operational acceptance testing. The project was expected to complete by September 2015.
November 23, 2015, then L-3's Mission Integration division was awarded a contract worth million to modify 13 aircraft with the EMARSS system. The four year modification contract was expected to be completed by November 2019. Altogether designated as EMARSS-FVM, aircraft to be modified included the MC-12W designated as EMARSS-M, with Constant Hawk and Tactical Operations-Light Detection and Ranging aircraft to be designated EMARSS-G. This contract was intended to bring these aircraft configurations up to the MC-12S EMARSS counter-improvised explosive device standard previously developed by Boeing.
On Mar 12, 2017, Scout Media reported at least four EMARSS-S planes were operating in the United States Africa Command and United States Southern Command theaters. The EMARSS-G/M/V aircraft were still in follow-on operational test and evaluation at Fort Huachuca, Arizona at that time.
In October 2025, KeyAero reported all existing 24 EMARSS aircraft, operated by the 224th Military Intelligence Battalion from Hunter Army Airfield, Fort Stewart, Georgia, were scheduled to be retired by the end of 2025.

Variants

Originally called simply EMARSS, in its final form, a total of 24 aircraft were configured into four variants including:EMARSS-G – 8 aircraft for geospatial intelligence collecting data using the Wide Area Surveillance System, light detection and ranging, and day/night high definition full-motion video for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. These were originally Constant Hawk and TACOP-LiDAR aircraft.EMARSS-M – 8 aircraft multi-intelligence platform with SIGINT capabilities and HD FMV capabilitiesEMARSS-S – 4 aircraft conducting SIGINT with broad spectrum capabilities and HD FMV. The S- variant is installed on MC-12S (EMARSS-S) aircraftEMARSS-V – 4 VADER capable aircraft with SIGINT and HD FMV capabilities

Aircraft

As of July 2015, the Army reported the following EMARSS special electronic mission aircraft types and locations:
LocationTail #Aircraft #Base ModelModelLocation
Fort Huachuca1300282FL-797MARSSB300-
Fort Huachuca1300283FL-797MARSSB300-
Fort Huachuca1100265FL-731MC-12MC-12S-
Fort Huachuca1100266FL-734MC-12MC-12S-
Fort Huachuca1100267FL-736MC-12MC-12S-
Fort Huachuca1100268FL-738MC-12MC-12S-
Hunter Army Airfield1100282FL-456Constant HawkB300-
Hunter Army Airfield1200278FL-388Constant HawkB300-
Hunter Army Airfield1200279FL-416Constant HawkB300-
Hunter Army Airfield1200280FL-449Constant HawkB300-
Hunter Army Airfield1200281FL-450Constant HawkB300-
Hunter Army AirfieldN6351VFL-751Project Liberty AircraftMC-12W-
Hunter Army AirfieldN8007UFL-737Project Liberty AircraftMC-12W-
Hunter Army Airfield1100283FL-716TACOP-LiDARB300-
Hunter Army Airfield1100284FL-757TACOP-LiDARB300-
Hunter Army Airfield1100285FL-758TACOP-LiDARB300-
Fort HoodLPA1TBDProject Liberty AircraftMC-12W-
Fort HoodLPA2TBDProject Liberty AircraftMC-12W-
Fort HoodLPA3TBDProject Liberty AircraftMC-12W-
Fort HoodLPA4TBDProject Liberty AircraftMC-12W-
Fort HoodLPA5TBDProject Liberty AircraftMC-12W-
Fort HoodLPA6TBDProject Liberty AircraftMC-12W-
Fort HoodLPA7TBDProject Liberty AircraftMC-12W-
Fort HoodLPA8TBDProject Liberty AircraftMC-12W-
Fort Hood1100286FL-780MC-12MC-12S-
Fort Hood1100287FL-834MC-12MC-12S-