Jay Clemens
Boeing seeks to increase the engine power of its 737 aircraft over the coming years as it looks to replace the U.S. Air Force‘s joint surveillance target attack radar system aircraft, Defense News reported Monday.
Aaron Mehta writes that Boeing has determined that the 737 airframe requires a 10-member crew, an extra seat and two pilots to fulfill operational demands after the company performed an analysis.
Rod Meranda, business development lead for the Boeing JSTARS program, told reporters at the Air Force Association conference that the next JSTARS aircraft will operate for 30 years, according to the report.
He said the bigger structure design for the aircraft could benefit the client, Defense News reports.
Meranda also told reporters that the 737-700 airframe’s tail-to-tip length is 10 feet longer than that of the 737-550 design, the report says.
He said the 737-700’s existing worldwide infrastructure and in-flight refueling system are intended as an added benefit for customers, Mehta reports.
