Aerial Common Sensor The Lockheed Martin Aerial Common Sensor ( ACS ) platform was a reconnaissance aircraft airframe , for the United States Army and Navy . The aircraft would have been able to detect troop movements , intercept enemy communications and radar transmissions , and communicate with other aircraft . It would have had synthetic aperture radar , electro - optical and infrared detection instrumentation . The program was cancelled on January 12 , 2006 . The Army intended to acquire 34 units , with 19 going to the Navy . The initial contract , awarded on August 3 , 2004 , was valued at $ 79 million , but total contract value through 2010 would have been $ 879 million . Beyond that , the total program cost was to reach $ 7 billion , with only 20 – 30 % going to the platform vendor . The ACS would have replaced three existing Army and Navy platforms — the RC - 7 ARL , RC - 12 / RU - 21 Guardrail , and EP - 3E Aries II . Testing was to begin in 2006 , and full - rate production would have begun in 2009 . While the Army was fully committed , the Navy was not and may instead opt for a modified version of the P - 8 Poseidon . The Lockheed Martin entry beat a consortium of Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics Gulfstream , using the G450 platform . The competing entry attempted to play up nationalist sympathies , and give the impression of a security risk by using a Brazilian airframe , provided by EMBRAER , using their more affordable , reliable , and cost effective ( the latter two being questioned ) ERJ 145 platform — Gulfstream ' s airframe did have longer range and could fly at higher altitudes but the acquisition and operational costs ( main requirements of DoD for ACS platform ) of ERJ 145 were considered much more attractive . Both electronics packages were equivalent and had no major influence in this decision . It was later decided that the ERJ 145 would not suffice due to weight constraints , and thus , while Lockheed was to retain the system integrator role , the Army attempted to re - bid platform entry among several larger aircraft . EMBRAER was to produce the first five airframes in Brazil ( based upon the commercial ERJ 145 ) , while final assembly on following units would have taken place in Jacksonville , Florida , to satisfy Department of Defense workshare requirements . Electronics integration will be conducted by Lockheed Martin at an unannounced site . Lockheed has faced criticism from the Department of Defense , and specifically , the U . S . Army , for not being able to properly forecast weight issues with the system . The Army claimed in an August 11 , 2005 article in " The Wall Street Journal " that Lockheed could potentially lose the contract if they did not resolve the issue . ACS was cancelled on January 12 , 2006 . The Department of Defense paid a contract termination fee of $ 200 million , nearly all of which was passed on to subcontractors such as Argon ST , Harris Corporation , and L - 3 Communications . Most Lockheed Martin and Army personnel were reassigned to other projects . On November 2 , 2006 the US Army revealed it has plans to revive the ACS program in 2009 , and conducted an Industry Day in mid - October . The Army continues to envision the ACS program as capable of meeting US Navy ISR needs for a replacement of the EP - 3E Aries II . Boeing is pitching a modified version of the P - 8 Multimission Maritime Aircraft to fill the ACS role . The ACS project has since been superseded by EMARSS , based on a smaller aircraft .