And that offers little assurance for the 3,000 men and women of the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins Air Force Base, the only Air Force unit flying the ground surveillance weapon system.
Essentially – and perhaps understandably in an era of intense competition for limited resources – Air Force officials are holding the program hostage until they decide whether ground surveillance can best be accomplished by an enhanced Joint STARS or possibly an unmanned system with a state-of-the-art radar.
Unquestionably, Joint STARS is offering yeoman service today in Iraq and Afghanistan. Using the aircraft’s 24-foot, belly mounted radar and sophisticated computers and communications gear, the 18-person mission crew onboard the aircraft can detect, identify and track moving targets on the ground over a 150-mile area and provide real-time, precise targeting information to airborne and ground commanders.
But that can’t go on forever with sluggish, faltering, 40-year-old engines. Replacing them has been the number one priority for years. Joint STARS pilots have had to fly the aircraft at reduced power for fear of burning up an engine, take off with less fuel to reduce weight, in-flight refuel more often and spend less time than they need to over the target area. Engine malfunctions drive maintenance costs through the roof and account for most of the system’s down time.
An $800 million re-engining program was designed to end that madness and the program appeared on track when a testbed aircraft was rolled out with considerable fanfare last December. It sported new JT8D engines – a power plant with a proven record of more than a million flight hours in commercial aviation.
But a number of factors have taken the shine – and the optimism – away from that hopeful occasion. Program delays, a shift from a commercial to a military-specification version of the JT8D and a growing tide of support for unmanned systems have driven up costs and extended timelines.
That $800 million has grown – some have said – to $1.4 billion, although the re-engining prime contractor, Northrop Grumman, has reportedly submitted a fixed-price offer of $1.1 billion.
The 116th was to see the first re-engined, operational aircraft in 2010. It will now be 2011 at the earliest.
And the overall program could be scrapped if a current Air Force study to develop a “holistic solution for surveillance both now and in the future” does not support sustaining Joint STARS.
An Oct. 1 “sense of the Senate” amendment sponsored by Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., and included in the Senate’s version of the 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill said the Air Force “should proceed with currently planned efforts to re-engine Joint STARS.”
A Sept. 30 letter from Ashton Carter, the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, directed the Air Force to “proceed with Joint STARS re-engining to include expenditure of procurement and research, development, test and evaluation funds.”
While both initiatives are helpful, they are not conclusive. The 2010 program called for $16 million in RDT&E funds and $205 million for procurement. That will give the program momentum but not certainty.
Northrop Grumman officials, the Air Force’s prime support contractor for Joint STARS and a partner with Pratt and Whitney for re-engining, are cautiously optimistic.
“While not progressing as fast as we would like, it is moving in the right direction,” said company spokesman, Jim Stratford. “Additionally, we appreciate Sen. Chambliss’ considerable support to maintain this unique surveillance capability.”
As of now, the program is delayed about two years. Flight testing of the one, JT8D testbed aircraft must be completed. Research and development work also must be accomplished and documented.
Engines for two aircraft are in production due to previous funding with an anticipated deliver date of 2011. Four more are planned for purchase in 2012.
But there remains little certainty, scant firm expectation and a broad scope of uncertainty as Joint STARS supporters gaze at the future.
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