Lawmakers approve Limited Interim Missile Warning System reprogramming request

By Jaspreet Gill / February 3, 2020 at 2:33 PM

Congress has partially approved the Army's request to reprogram funding for the Limited Interim Missile Warning System Quick Reaction Capability, granting the service a $60 million total increase for the program.

The Army on Oct. 23 asked to realign $34 million of research, development, test and evaluation funding in the Overseas Contingency Operations account to detect enemy man-portable air defense systems and $30 million in procurement funding to facilitate fielding of LIMWS QRC A-Kits and B-Kits.

Lawmakers approved only $29.6 million of the $34 million request, as the Senate Armed Services Committee denied a $4.5 million transfer from another RDT&E project in the base budget called "Environmental Quality Technology."

The rest of the funding was made available from night vision systems; air defense command, control and intelligence; Army tactical command and control hardware and software; and management support, all in the base budget, according to the request.

The service plans to use the additional $30 million in procurement funding to install LIMWS A-Kits for the first unit equipped in fiscal year 2020 and for production of 100 B-Kits to complete fielding to the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade as part of a directed requirement approved on March 26, 2017, the request says.

Congress is allowing the Army to transfer the money from the Common Missile Warning System program, as a Nov. 16, 2018 directed requirement transitioned a part of that program to LIMWS "for improved threat detection capabilities for rotary wing platforms."

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