Jane Edwards
Northrop Grumman has received a contract to update radio terminals aboard the U.S. Air Force’s fleet of E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft.
The company said Tuesday it will install the Air Force Tactical Receive System-Ruggedized terminal that works to help JSTARS detect and monitor hostile ballistic missile and air defense threats through collection of data feeds derived from overhead and aerial electronics intelligence systems.
The integration of AFTRS-R terminals with E-8Cs aims to upgrade the Integrated Broadcast Service as well as address diminishing manufacturing source and cryptographic issues associated with existing Commander’s Tactical Terminal/Hybrid-Receive Only radios aboard the aircraft.
Bryan Lima, director for manned C2ISR programs at Northrop’s aerospace systems business, said the AFTRS-R modification seeks to demonstrate the commitment of the company and the service branch to fleet sustainment and mission support delivery efforts.
Northrop secured the contract as a separate delivery order under the JSTARS Systems Improvement Program III indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract awarded to the company in 2013.
Other modification works on the JSTARS fleet awarded under the JSSIP III IDIQ contract include the Automatic Identification System and the Global Imagery Server.
The JSTARS aircraft fleet has logged at least 130,000 in flight hours since 9/11 and works to provide situational awareness to battlefield commanders.
