Tuesday, October 07, 2014

Air Force Works to Replace JSTARS Fleet



By By  DoD Buzz website

The Air Force is looking at a range of airframes from Gulfstream jets to Bombardier airplanes and Boeing 737–700’s — as potential replacements for its aging fleet of 16 E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, or JSTARS, airplanes.

The service has allocated $70 million in its fiscal year 2015 budget request for its JSTARS recapitalization program, an effort which seeks to build and field a new version of its surveillance planes by 2022, said Col. Henry Cyr, Commander of the 461st Air Control Wing, Robins Air Force Base, Ga.

“The next-generation JSTARS will replace airframes built in the mid to late 60s. They have the highest number of flying hours on them of any plane in the Air Force. They were refurbished in the 80s and 90s, but they are still old airplanes with some of the most modern technology inside,” Cyr said.

Read the entire article online at http://www.dodbuzz.com/2014/10/03/air-force-works-to-replace-jstar-fleet/