PARIS — Lockheed Martin will partner with Bombardier and Raytheon to compete for the US Air Force's next-generation Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) replacement, the defense giant announced Tuesday in Paris.
The Lockheed-led team's platform would be based on an ultra-long-range Bombardier jet, which its producers hope will enjoy a competitive advantage by being able to deploy farther and stay in the air longer without refueling. The entry will also feature open architecture, allowing for future technological upgrades as needed.
The 18 E-8 JSTARS currently in operation use long-range radar to locate, track and classify ground vehicles from a distance of up to 124 miles, according to the Air Force. The current platform is a modified Boeing 707-300, but Boeing no longer produces the commercial airliner, which may push upkeep costs higher. The Air Force has also decided to recapitalize the fleet to take advantage of the technological advances since the current fleet went operational.
"Our track record of performance in systems integration and leadership in Open Mission Systems, combined with our teammates' relevant products and in-depth experience, give us confidence that we can provide the Air Force the best possible solution," said Rob Weiss, executive vice president and general manager, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Advanced Development Programs, also known as the Skunk Works, in a prepared statement.
Last week, Northrop Grumman announced that it will partner with Gulfstream and L-3 on its entry, based around the Gulfstream G550 business jet. Northrop produced the current fleet, working with Boeing, but the two companies will not be collaborating on a new entry. While Northrop's design, like Lockheed's, will be built around a smaller business jet, Boeing has indicated that it will use a modified 737-700 commercial airline for its entry.
In 2014, Rod Meranda, business development lead for the Boeing JSTARS program, told reporters that they opted for a bigger aircraft in order to meet future requirements.
"Smaller jets have a harder time based on the size of the engine to go ahead and produce the power and the cooling" that future requirements may need, Meranda said. Northrop emphasized its design's "open architecture and commercial, off-the-shelf technologies" to provide capacity for future adjustments and upgrades.
Email: aclevenger@defensenews.com
Twitter: @andclev
