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Northrop Grumman has received a US$302 million ($440 million) contract from the US Air Force for continued support of the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) platform.
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The 2020 contract executes the Total System Support Responsibility (TSSR) program for the E-8C Joint STARS fleet with Northrop Grumman as the prime systems integrator of all nine components of support and sustainment.
Janice Zilch, vice president, manned airborne surveillance programs, Northrop Grumman, said, “The capacity and technology of the Joint STARS weapon system make it unique in the multi-domain command and control arena.”
Joint STARS delivers real-time battle management situational awareness and wide area search essential to the warfighter through continued investment and development in its mission systems hardware and software.
It combines high fidelity wide-area moving target detection, synthetic aperture radar imagery and robust battle management systems to locate, classify and track surface targets in all weather conditions from standoff distances.
“The capacity and technology of the Joint STARS weapon system make it unique in the multi-domain command and control arena,” Zilch added.
The E-8C Joint STARS fleet has flown more than 150,000 hours in support of combatant commands around the globe.
Joint STARS, is an airborne battle management, command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform.
Its primary mission is to provide theatre ground and air commanders with ground surveillance to support attack operations and targeting that contributes to the delay, disruption and destruction of enemy forces.
Joint STARS evolved from Army and Air Force programs to develop, detect, locate and attack enemy armour at ranges beyond the forward area of troops.
The first two developmental aircraft deployed in 1991 to Operation Desert Storm and also supported Operation Joint Endeavor in December 1995.
Team Joint STARS men and women have contributed tremendously to overseas contingency operations, flying more than 85,000 combat hours in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn Odyssey Dawn, and Unified Protector.
Their operational resume includes support of six Combatant Commands including US Pacific Command, US Northern Command and US Southern Command, US Africa Command, US Europe Command.
Team Joint STARS was the first organisation in the US Air Force to activate under the Air Force's Total Force Initiative as a "blended" wing.
America's first "Total Force" wing, the former 93rd Air Control Wing, an active-duty Air Combat Command unit, and the 116th Bomb Wing, a Georgia Air National Guard unit, were deactivated 1 October 2002.
The 116th Air Control Wing was activated blending Guard and active-duty airmen into a single unit. In October 2011, the Active Associate construct was formed by the newly activated 461st Air Control Wing as a member of Team Joint STARS.
Team Joint STARS through the 116th ACW is the only unit that operates the E-8C and the Joint STARS mission.
Northrop Grumman is a global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, space, strike, and logistics and modernisation to customers worldwide.
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
