Gulfstream, Bombardier, Boeing All Expected To Compete

As the Air Force fleet of 16 E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) airplanes continues to age, the service is considering several platforms as their replacement.

The current JSTARS aircraft are based on Boeing 707 airframes built in the 1960s. And while they were refurbished in the 80s and 90s, they are still old airplanes with the highest number of hours of any aircraft in the Air Force fleet ... yet they carry some of the most modern technology, according to Col. Henry Cyr, Commander of the 461st Air Control Wing at Robins Air Force Base, GA. Currently 11 of the 16 airplanes in the fleet are operational.

The website DoD Buzz reports that, according to Col, Cyr, the Air Force has placed $70 million in its FY2015 budget for a JSTARS recapitalization program with a goal of deploying a new aircraft by 2022.

Col. Cyr said that the service is currently completing its Capabilities Design Document for the recapitalization program, which will indicate what type of platform will best fill the mission of the aircraft, as well as crew and equipment requirements.

DoD Buzz reports that among the platforms under consideration are Boeing's 737-700, the Gulfstream G650, and Bombardier's Global 6000. Military.com reports that Northrop Grumman, the company that currently builds the JSTARS aircraft for the Air Force, is testing the technology aboard a G550 airframe.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.af.mil