Delivers 16th Joint Aircraft To USAF
Northrop Grumman
Corporation has delivered the 16th E-8C Joint Surveillance Target
Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft to the U.S. Air Force, a
month ahead of schedule. The company is the Air Force's Joint STARS
prime contractor. Like all Joint STARS aircraft, the new aircraft,
designated P-16, will be assigned to the Georgia Air National
Guard’s 116th Air Control Wing, a "blended wing" with both
active duty Air Force and Air National Guard personnel. The Wing is
based at Robins Air Force Base (GA).
"This delivery marks Northrop Grumman's 12th consecutive early
delivery of a Joint STARS aircraft," said Dave Nagy, the company's
Joint STARS program vice president. "Our track record of exceeding
our customer's expectations is especially significant given the
accelerating pace of operational demand on the 116th Wing personnel
and equipment."
Northrop Grumman claims the E-8C Joint STARS is the world's most
advanced airborne ground surveillance, targeting and battle
management system. From a standoff position, it detects, locates,
classifies, tracks and targets hostile ground movements,
communicating real-time information through secure data links with
Air Force and U.S. Army command posts.
All Joint STARS aircraft, which are based on a Boeing 707
airframe, undergo a $40 million refurbishment program at
Northrop Grumman's production facility at Lake Charles (LA). The
refurbishment program consists of extensive inspection, treatment
and elimination of corrosion and the replacement of structural
components and panels as required. The aircraft are rewired
and fuel tanks are stripped and re-sealed to increase aircraft
availability by preventing fuel leaks. The aircraft is also
brought into compliance with all outstanding Airworthiness
Directives/Service Bulletins and Supplemental Structural Inspection
Documents.
In addition, the JSTARS' Wing Structural Integrity Program
(WSIP) addresses widespread fatigue damage that has been a problem
for other 707 airframes. WISP replaces stressed lower wing planks
and stringers. "We've invested significant time, energy and
resources in making the Joint STARS fleet the most airworthy
platforms in service today," explained Nagy. "It's given the Air
Force the confidence that Joint STARS will be able to meet the
commitments of the warfighter until at least 2025 or beyond as
specified by Air Combat Command in the Joint STARS Weapon System
Master Plan."
The Joint STARS P-16
aircraft is the sixth aircraft produced in the so-called Block 20
configuration. The configuration features an integrated, commercial
off-the-shelf computing and signal processing architecture that can
be easily upgraded with new technology. This open architecture
allows the E-8C's hardware and software to be cost effectively
upgraded to meet future surveillance, targeting and battle
management requirements. Northrop Grumman is currently performing
the Block 20 upgrade on the first 10 Joint STARS aircraft delivered
to the Air Force. To date, four Block 10 aircraft have been
upgraded to the Block 20 configuration, with three more in
progress. "By the time we deliver the last of 17 Joint STARS
aircraft next year, all of the original Block 10 aircraft will have
been upgraded," said Nagy.
"At that point, the entire fleet will have the same flexible,
open system configuration, clearing the way for affordable mission
upgrades well into the future."
Besides the increased processing capability of the Block 20
configuration, P 16 is the first production Joint STARS to be
delivered with a new Global Air Traffic Management capability known
as Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum. Using Reduced Vertical
Separation Minimum, the Joint STARS aircraft can reduce the
required distance between it and other aircraft sharing the same
airspace. This capability will allow Joint STARS aircraft to safely
fly more optimal routes, gain fuel savings and increase airspace
capacity.
In addition to producing Joint STARS aircraft, Northrop Grumman
provides a broad range of logistics and training support to the Air
Force under a Total Systems Support Responsibility contract. The
contract is a unique partnership between the company and the Air
Force that maximizes the operational availability and mission
reliability of the E-8C Joint STARS fleet. It has also helped
assure a seamless transition to the "blended wing" concept under
the 116th ACW.