The Joint STARS
program began as the result of the consolidation of separate
Army and Air Force MTI programs. The Air Force was pursuing a
system known as Pave Mover that provided MTI and SAR surveillance,
and included a weapons guidance mode that could guide tactical
aircraft or missiles to targets. The Pave Mover program was preparing
to enter full scale development before the consolidation. The
Army had built a system called SOTAS, a helicopter-based, MTI-only
system that had run into cost and technical problems during full
scale development. In 1982, the Undersecretary of Defense for
Research and Engineering (USDRE) combined the SOTAS and Pave
Mover efforts into a joint program, later designated Joint STARS.
The Air Force’s Electronic Systems Division (ESD) was designated
as the lead service for the program.
From 1982-1984, the services, OSD, and Congress wrestled over
the development of requirements for the joint program, as well
as the appropriate platform for the sensor. At the time, one
option under active consideration was a two-phased program in
which the radar would initially be deployed on ten conventional
aircraft, with subsequent production focused on a stealth platform
derived from the TACIT BLUE test aircraft. In May 1984, the Chiefs
of Staff of the Air Force and Army made the final decision to
put the Joint STARS radar on a 707 platform and include both
MTI, SAR, and weapons guidance capabilities. In September 1985,
the Full Scale Development contract for the system was awarded
to Grumman Aerospace Company, with the radar development portion
being subcontracted to Norden Systems. The contract included
the production of two developmental Joint STARS aircraft with
a plan for 10 production aircraft, and support for developmental
testing and a European Field Test Demonstration.
During 1986 and 1987, the program further defined the Joint STARS
system through multiple Preliminary Design Reviews and Critical
Design Reviews. In addition, the Grumman personnel involved in
Joint STARS relocated to a new plant in Melbourne, Florida.
In April 1988, Grumman was able to put together an E-8A Joint
STARS prototype on the first rebuilt Boeing 707 and complete
a test flight without the radar sensor. The Norden radar was
later integrated onto the airplane, and the first full test flight
using the radar occurred in December. Also in April 1988, the
Defense Acquisition Board made major program changes. It increased
the number of E-8 aircraft to be built to 22 from the 10 originally
planned, and approved a program plan to use new Boeing 707 aircraft
[the E-8B] instead of used platforms. The first two E-8A development
airplanes were 20-year-old commercial Boeing 707s, whose conversion
difficulties and questions of remaining service life pushed the
board toward having subsequent aircraft be new E-8B airframes.
By late 1989, however, the cost of newly built E-8B airframes
jumped because of a production gap between the last 707-based
British Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft in 1991
and what would be the first production version Joint STARS two
to three years later.
In November 1989, the Pentagon approved the re-baseline of the
program to use the used 707 airframes in the E-8C configuration.
The program office had examined other platform options, including
the 757, 767, and MD-11, but these were all cost prohibitive
and the change in configuration would have jeopardized the initial
operational capability (IOC) date of 1997.
The E-8A preproduction model was owned exclusively by Northrop
Grumman Corp. Although still under development, two aircraft
deployed in 1991 to participate in Desert Storm. Joint STARS
was praised for tracking mobile Iraqi forces, including tanks
and Scud missiles. The crew flew 49 combat sorties accumulating
more than 500 combat hours. Two particular examples are best
remembered from Joint STARS’ missions in the Gulf War. First,
Joint STARS provided surveillance support of the battlefield
during the battle for the town of Khafji. Joint STARS detected
a follow-on force of 80 Iraqi vehicles heading toward Khafji.
This follow-on force was engaged and stopped by tactical airpower
and the Marine ground commanders knew that additional Iraqi forces
would not enter the battle. The second example was the Joint
STARS surveillance of the Iraqi retreat from Kuwait City. Joint
STARS provided real-time information of the retreat to the air
operations center. This information allowed commanders to use
tactical airpower to interdict and destroy the slow-moving Iraqi
mechanized columns as they used the roads out of Kuwait City.
After the Gulf War, the Senate pushed to accelerate the production
schedule of Joint STARS. The SASC wanted to authorize the production
of six aircraft by 1994 (The Air Force plan was for three aircraft
by 1994.). The Air Force felt that the effort in the Gulf War
had not alleviated the need for operational testing and further
enhancements, but rather illuminated areas that needed more attention
in development. One problem was that the production configuration
for Joint STARS was not used in the Gulf War. In November 1990,
the Air Force had awarded a follow-on full scale development
contract for a third developmental aircraft in the full production
configuration. This configuration included system enhancements
that the two aircraft deployed to the Gulf did not have.
The E-8C is the production model owned by the Air Force. Approval
for low-rate production of five E-8C aircraft was granted in
1993. This decision was supported by developmental testing of
the aircraft, called the System Level Performance Verification
(SLPV). Approval was also granted in 1993 for the low-rate production
of 12 MGSMs. Prior to the decision, a Limited User Test of the
MGSM was conducted. The MGSMs were subsequently fielded with
contingency forces and used as training equipment. Currently,
the Army has no plans to acquire additional MGSMs.
The Army approved the low-rate production of 10 LGSMs following
a Force Developmental Test and Evaluation (FDT&E) that was
conducted in August and September 1994. An IOT&E was tentatively
scheduled for 1997 to support a FSD decision for the CGS.
The Joint STARS aircraft was scheduled to begin its initial operational
test and evaluation--referred to as the Joint STARS multi-service
operational test and evaluation --in November 1995. That testing
was delayed and then changed because of the deployment of Joint
STARS assets to the European theater to support Operation Joint
Endeavor in Bosnia. The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation
Center (AFOTEC) and the U.S. Army Operational Test and Evaluation
Command conducted a combined development and operational test
of Joint STARS from July through September 1995 and an operational
evaluation of the system during Operation Joint Endeavor from
January through March 1996.
From December 1995 to March 1996 a testbed E-8A and a production
E-8C showed their supported the NATO peacekeeping mission in
Bosnia-Herzegovina. Operation Joint Endeavor proved Joint STARS
is effective despite adverse weather conditions and rough terrain.
Crews flew 95 consecutive operational sorties and more than 1,000
flight hours with a 98 percent mission effectiveness rate.
Joint STARS returned to support Operation Joint Endeavor in October
1996 when the first production E-8C from the 93rd Air Control
Wing and a testbed E-8C from Northrop Grumman Corp. deployed
to Germany. As NATO rotated troops stationed in Bosnia-Herzegovina,
crews flew 36 operational sorties in November and December for
more than 470 flight hours. The second production aircraft joined
the first after it was delivered to the Air Force in December.
On September 25, 1996, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition
and Technology signed an acquisition decision memorandum approving
the Joint STARS program's entry into full-rate production with
a total planned quantity of 19 aircraft. But the JSTAR's performance
during its combined development and operational test and the
operational evaluation done in Bosnia did not support a decision
to commit the system to full-rate production. The system's operational
effectiveness and suitability were not demonstrated during the
operational testing.
The system did not meet its overall suitability requirements
during Operation Joint Endeavor. The OD Director of Operational
Test and Evaluation stated that:
"In the current configuration, the [Joint STARS] aircraft
has not demonstrated the ability to operate at the required maximum
altitude; adequate tactics, techniques, or procedures to integrate
[Joint STARS] into operational theaters have not been developed;
[Joint STARS] exceeded the break rate and failed the mission
reliability rate during [Operation Joint Endeavor]. During [Operation
Joint Endeavor], [Joint STARS] did not achieve the effective
time-on-station requirement."
DOT&E also noted that the limited power of the engines "made
it difficult to reach the aircraft's normal operating altitude
of 36,000 feet, much less the 42,000 feet maximum altitude it
is required to reach." It further reported that during Operation
Joint Endeavor, the aircraft required approximately 11,000 feet
of runway when taking off with 140,000 pounds of fuel and concluded
that "this may pose a significant challenge to operational
commanders because the NATO standard runway length is 8,000 feet."
The degree of contractor involvement required during the operational
evaluation indicatedincreased program risk and made the reported
Joint STARS performance appear better than it would have otherwise.
Joint STARS failed to meet its maintainability criteria during
an operation less demanding than combat, even with such significant
contractor involvement beyond that planned for in combat.
The first E-8C flew in March 1994 and serves as the preproduction
test-bed. The two E-8A test aircraft will be upgraded to C standard
and will be the last to be delivered. The first E-8C was accepted
by the 93rd Air Control Wing at Robins AFB, GA on 11 June 1996
and the second on 13 December 1996.
Nation og Orgin: USA
Contractor: Northrop Grumman Corp.
Primary Function: Ground Surveillance
Crew: 21 - 34 depending on mission
Length: 152'11" (46.6 m)
Height: 42'6" (12.9 m)
Wingspan: 145'9" (44.4 m)
Weight:336,000 pounds (152,408 Kg)
Power Plant: Four JT3D engines
Speed: 0.84 Mach
Service ceiling 42,000 feet
Range: 11 hours -- 20 hours with air refueling
Armament: None
