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https://www.realcleardefense.com/20...wn_new_jstars_on_day_one_of_a_war_302127.html
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/...ld-shoot-down-new-jstars-on-day-one-of-a-war/
Air Force secretary: China, Russia could shoot down new JSTARS on day one of a war
By: Stephen Losey 2 days ago
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/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com/public/VI6L4XAGUVBU5BDIQHNTRJQ4AQ.jpg)
An E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System from the 93rd Air Control Wing flies a refueling mission over the skies of Georgia. (Tech. Sgt. John Lasky/Air Force)
Even a new version of the Air Force’s JSTARS battlefield management and control aircraft would be vulnerable to being shot out of the sky during the opening salvo of a conflict with Russia or China, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson told lawmakers Thursday.
As part of its proposed fiscal 2019 budget, the Air Force wants to cancel the program to recap the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft, which previously sought to buy 17 new Boeing 707-sized planes to replace its old inventory.
But some lawmakers aren’t thrilled with that plan, and are putting up roadblocks.
Last month, the House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee included a provision in its portion of the 2019 defense authorization bill that would make life difficult for the Air Force if it doesn’t recap JSTARS.
This provision would cap funding for its proposed Advanced Battle Management System program ― which the service envisions as a possible alternative to the recap ― at 50 percent, until the Air Force moves forward with the JSTARS recap.
House lawmakers move to stop Air Force from canceling JSTARS recap
If the Air Force wants its battle management system of systems, it may have to move ahead with JSTARS recap.
By: Valerie Insinna, Joe Gould
In her testimony before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on defense, Wilson said that a new JSTARS would not be able to get close enough to a fight against an advanced military ― especially against Russia ― to do any good.
“Russian and Chinese surface-to-air missiles have more range, and the plane would be shot down in the first day of conflict,” Wilson said.
/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ANJN6KNFCJCUFCGZXYQOKVN7XE.jpg)
JSTARS aircraft sit on the flightline at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, on Oct. 31, 2017. (Air Force)
Wilson instead floated a middle ground that incorporates the Air Force’s alternative, which would fuse data collected from a combination of manned, unmanned and space-based platforms. But, she said, it would cost billions more.
“The question rises, could we do both?” Wilson said. “It could be recapitalize JSTARS, and also build an advanced battle management system that could operate in a contested environment. Yes, we could do both, and it costs about $7 billion more than what we propose in our budget.”
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http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2018-05-20/doc-ihaturft2554961.shtml
美媒称美军新型指挥机难敌中国 若开战很快会被击落
2018年05月20日 15:34 海外网
0
图为美国空军一架E-8C“联合星”指挥机的资料照。（图源：空军时报）
海外网5月20日电 United States Air Force Secretary Wilson近日向国会议员表示，中俄地对空导弹的威力已经超出他们的想象和预期，如果有一天美国与中俄发生冲突，即便是新型的E-8C“联合星”指挥机也很容易被击落，更具体地说，“面对中俄先进的军事设备，新型E-8C‘联合星’指挥机甚至连近身作战的可能都没有。”
据《空军时报》报道，美国空军部长威尔逊在参议院国防拨款委小组员会的听证会上表示，美国在空军作战上面临着很大的威胁和挑战，“中俄地对空导弹射程更远，面对中俄先进设备，新型的E-8C“联合星”指挥机根本无法近身作战，甚至可能会在开战的第一天就被击落。”
对此，威尔逊提出了一种新的方案，即在翻新“联合星”指挥机的同时，还需要在充满竞争的环境中建立更为先进的战斗管理系统。不过，这需要美国空军在2019年度的预算提案中再多花数十亿美元。
据悉，E-8C“联合星”是诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司为美国空军研制的一款空中指挥机，由波音707-300发展而来，装备特殊的雷达、通信设备、任务控制设备等子系统。该机集机载地面监视、战斗管理、指挥及控制功能于一身，可以跟踪地面车辆及部分飞机、收集图像、向地面和空中的指挥人员传递战术图像。阿富汗战争和伊拉克战争中，E-8指挥机就曾扮演过关键的角色。（编译/海外网 张莎莎）
关键字 : 威尔逊美国空军地对空导弹指挥机
https://www.defensenews.com/breakin...program-for-new-battlefield-management-plane/
Air Force to kill JSTARS recap program for new battlefield management plane
By: Valerie Insinna February 10
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The Air Force has decided not to fund a replacement aircraft for its legacy E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) airborne battle management and command and control platform. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman were all competing for the right to produce the new aircraft. (Tech. Sgt. John Lasky/Air Force)
SINGAPORE — The Air Force intends to cancel the JSTARS recap program in its fiscal year 2019 budget submission, tanking one of the service’s few remaining aircraft production opportunities still in contention.
The Air Force had planned to buy 17 new JSTARS recap planes to replace its legacy inventory of E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System battlefield management and control aircraft, with Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman — the three major U.S. military aircraft manufacturers — all vying for the prime contractor slot.
Instead, it will push forward with a system-of-systems approach that will link together existing platforms to track ground targets and do command and control, sources with knowledge of the budget told Defense News.
The Air Force’s decision to terminate the recap program will come as little surprise to those closely watching the competition. News of the potential cancelation broke in September, when a handful of lawmakers released a letter to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis that condemned the Air Force’s plans to explore alternate options for the airborne command and control mission.
US Air Force official: Northrop’s JSTARS program still needs ‘heavy lifting’
Northrop Grumman is still having trouble moving E-8C JSTARS out of its depot despite improvements in quality control, and aircraft availability is suffering as a result, the head of Air Force Materiel Command said Wednesday.
By: Valerie Insinna
In recent months, the service seemingly doubled down on the system-of-systems approach, with top officials from the Air Force’s top civilian to the head of Air Combat Command all questioning — in public — whether a JSTARS recap made sense given future threats.
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson repeatedly argued that a more distributed solution could be used to meet demands. The legacy JSTARS fleet currently meets only 5 percent of the requirements of combatant commanders, she said, and by the time the recap system would be fielded, it would meet “less than one percent” of those needs, she said in November.
Gen. Mike Holmes, the four-star in charge of Air Combat Command, noted similar concerns during the Air Force Association’s annual conference this September.
“The question really is, how long do we continue to fund the GMTI [ground moving target indicator] capability in the classic way we’ve done it: with an integrated platform that has a sensor and air battle managers onboard,” that then communicate in the line of sight with people to take on tasks, he said.
“How much of our threat environment in the future will allow us to do that?”
Industry setback
The decision comes as a major blow to Lockheed, Northrop and Boeing, all of which hoped to win the estimated $6.9 billion contract for engineering, manufacturing and design of the plane. Each of the companies have invested millions of dollars of their own funds to hone their designs and were awaiting source selection by the government.
Proponents of the program on Capitol Hill have already noted that taxpayers have invested more than $265 million thus far in early research funding. About $400 million in additional funding has also been approved in the 2018 national defense authorization act, but congressional appropriators — who actually hold the purse strings — have not yet settled on how much to allocate.
Lawmakers have already put some limits on whether the Air Force will be allowed to go through with their plan to cancel the program. The 2018 NDAA stipulates that, should the service at any time terminate the program, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis must submit a report at the time of the budget request laying out why it was canceled and how the service will continue to meet the mission. He must also certify that a capability gap will not be caused by the decision.
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Now, the T-X training jet and UH-1N Huey helicopter replacement program — both also in source selection — stand alone as the service’s major aircraft modernization opportunities. Boeing and Lockheed are competing in both contests.
Of the three primes, Northrop, the prime contractor on the legacy E-8C JSTARS, is the most hurt by the program’s cancellation.
The company dropped out of the T-X competition last year and does not manufacture helicopters. It also had won a battle against Raytheon to produce the radar for the JSTARS recap program, which would have given it a win even if it had not nabbed the EMD contract.
Boeing also had high hopes for its JSTARS recap bid, envisioning its 737-based offering as the start of a line of 737-derived special mission aircraft that could eventually replace planes like the E-3 AWACS or RC-135 Rivet Joint.
During an interview at the Singapore Airshow on Tuesday, Orlando Carvalho, the head of Lockheed’s aeronautics division, said that source selection activities were continuing and that competitors had not been briefed on the fate of the program. However, he indicated that Lockheed would not fight the cancellation of the program, if that was what was decided.
“If ultimately the Air Force decides to not go forward with that program, clearly we will respect that decision. And frankly, we understand,” he said during an interview Tuesday at the Singapore Airshow. “Having insight into some of the operations that have been going on in the Middle East, things like that, we can appreciate the tradeoff that the Air Force is trying to make.”
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/...ld-shoot-down-new-jstars-on-day-one-of-a-war/
Air Force secretary: China, Russia could shoot down new JSTARS on day one of a war
By: Stephen Losey 2 days ago
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An E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System from the 93rd Air Control Wing flies a refueling mission over the skies of Georgia. (Tech. Sgt. John Lasky/Air Force)
Even a new version of the Air Force’s JSTARS battlefield management and control aircraft would be vulnerable to being shot out of the sky during the opening salvo of a conflict with Russia or China, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson told lawmakers Thursday.
As part of its proposed fiscal 2019 budget, the Air Force wants to cancel the program to recap the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft, which previously sought to buy 17 new Boeing 707-sized planes to replace its old inventory.
But some lawmakers aren’t thrilled with that plan, and are putting up roadblocks.
Last month, the House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee included a provision in its portion of the 2019 defense authorization bill that would make life difficult for the Air Force if it doesn’t recap JSTARS.
This provision would cap funding for its proposed Advanced Battle Management System program ― which the service envisions as a possible alternative to the recap ― at 50 percent, until the Air Force moves forward with the JSTARS recap.
House lawmakers move to stop Air Force from canceling JSTARS recap
If the Air Force wants its battle management system of systems, it may have to move ahead with JSTARS recap.
By: Valerie Insinna, Joe Gould
In her testimony before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on defense, Wilson said that a new JSTARS would not be able to get close enough to a fight against an advanced military ― especially against Russia ― to do any good.
“Russian and Chinese surface-to-air missiles have more range, and the plane would be shot down in the first day of conflict,” Wilson said.
JSTARS aircraft sit on the flightline at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, on Oct. 31, 2017. (Air Force)
Wilson instead floated a middle ground that incorporates the Air Force’s alternative, which would fuse data collected from a combination of manned, unmanned and space-based platforms. But, she said, it would cost billions more.
“The question rises, could we do both?” Wilson said. “It could be recapitalize JSTARS, and also build an advanced battle management system that could operate in a contested environment. Yes, we could do both, and it costs about $7 billion more than what we propose in our budget.”
AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookShare to TwitterShare to Google+Share to Email
http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2018-05-20/doc-ihaturft2554961.shtml
美媒称美军新型指挥机难敌中国 若开战很快会被击落
2018年05月20日 15:34 海外网
0
图为美国空军一架E-8C“联合星”指挥机的资料照。（图源：空军时报）
海外网5月20日电 United States Air Force Secretary Wilson近日向国会议员表示，中俄地对空导弹的威力已经超出他们的想象和预期，如果有一天美国与中俄发生冲突，即便是新型的E-8C“联合星”指挥机也很容易被击落，更具体地说，“面对中俄先进的军事设备，新型E-8C‘联合星’指挥机甚至连近身作战的可能都没有。”
据《空军时报》报道，美国空军部长威尔逊在参议院国防拨款委小组员会的听证会上表示，美国在空军作战上面临着很大的威胁和挑战，“中俄地对空导弹射程更远，面对中俄先进设备，新型的E-8C“联合星”指挥机根本无法近身作战，甚至可能会在开战的第一天就被击落。”
对此，威尔逊提出了一种新的方案，即在翻新“联合星”指挥机的同时，还需要在充满竞争的环境中建立更为先进的战斗管理系统。不过，这需要美国空军在2019年度的预算提案中再多花数十亿美元。
据悉，E-8C“联合星”是诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司为美国空军研制的一款空中指挥机，由波音707-300发展而来，装备特殊的雷达、通信设备、任务控制设备等子系统。该机集机载地面监视、战斗管理、指挥及控制功能于一身，可以跟踪地面车辆及部分飞机、收集图像、向地面和空中的指挥人员传递战术图像。阿富汗战争和伊拉克战争中，E-8指挥机就曾扮演过关键的角色。（编译/海外网 张莎莎）
关键字 : 威尔逊美国空军地对空导弹指挥机
https://www.defensenews.com/breakin...program-for-new-battlefield-management-plane/
Air Force to kill JSTARS recap program for new battlefield management plane
By: Valerie Insinna February 10
AddThis Sharing Buttons
Share to Facebook1.1KShare to TwitterShare to Google+Share to EmailShare to More140
The Air Force has decided not to fund a replacement aircraft for its legacy E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) airborne battle management and command and control platform. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman were all competing for the right to produce the new aircraft. (Tech. Sgt. John Lasky/Air Force)
SINGAPORE — The Air Force intends to cancel the JSTARS recap program in its fiscal year 2019 budget submission, tanking one of the service’s few remaining aircraft production opportunities still in contention.
The Air Force had planned to buy 17 new JSTARS recap planes to replace its legacy inventory of E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System battlefield management and control aircraft, with Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman — the three major U.S. military aircraft manufacturers — all vying for the prime contractor slot.
Instead, it will push forward with a system-of-systems approach that will link together existing platforms to track ground targets and do command and control, sources with knowledge of the budget told Defense News.
The Air Force’s decision to terminate the recap program will come as little surprise to those closely watching the competition. News of the potential cancelation broke in September, when a handful of lawmakers released a letter to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis that condemned the Air Force’s plans to explore alternate options for the airborne command and control mission.
US Air Force official: Northrop’s JSTARS program still needs ‘heavy lifting’
Northrop Grumman is still having trouble moving E-8C JSTARS out of its depot despite improvements in quality control, and aircraft availability is suffering as a result, the head of Air Force Materiel Command said Wednesday.
By: Valerie Insinna
In recent months, the service seemingly doubled down on the system-of-systems approach, with top officials from the Air Force’s top civilian to the head of Air Combat Command all questioning — in public — whether a JSTARS recap made sense given future threats.
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson repeatedly argued that a more distributed solution could be used to meet demands. The legacy JSTARS fleet currently meets only 5 percent of the requirements of combatant commanders, she said, and by the time the recap system would be fielded, it would meet “less than one percent” of those needs, she said in November.
Gen. Mike Holmes, the four-star in charge of Air Combat Command, noted similar concerns during the Air Force Association’s annual conference this September.
“The question really is, how long do we continue to fund the GMTI [ground moving target indicator] capability in the classic way we’ve done it: with an integrated platform that has a sensor and air battle managers onboard,” that then communicate in the line of sight with people to take on tasks, he said.
“How much of our threat environment in the future will allow us to do that?”
Industry setback
The decision comes as a major blow to Lockheed, Northrop and Boeing, all of which hoped to win the estimated $6.9 billion contract for engineering, manufacturing and design of the plane. Each of the companies have invested millions of dollars of their own funds to hone their designs and were awaiting source selection by the government.
Proponents of the program on Capitol Hill have already noted that taxpayers have invested more than $265 million thus far in early research funding. About $400 million in additional funding has also been approved in the 2018 national defense authorization act, but congressional appropriators — who actually hold the purse strings — have not yet settled on how much to allocate.
Lawmakers have already put some limits on whether the Air Force will be allowed to go through with their plan to cancel the program. The 2018 NDAA stipulates that, should the service at any time terminate the program, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis must submit a report at the time of the budget request laying out why it was canceled and how the service will continue to meet the mission. He must also certify that a capability gap will not be caused by the decision.
Get breaking news in your inbox
Don't miss the latest breaking news from the Defense Industry. Sign up today
Now, the T-X training jet and UH-1N Huey helicopter replacement program — both also in source selection — stand alone as the service’s major aircraft modernization opportunities. Boeing and Lockheed are competing in both contests.
Of the three primes, Northrop, the prime contractor on the legacy E-8C JSTARS, is the most hurt by the program’s cancellation.
The company dropped out of the T-X competition last year and does not manufacture helicopters. It also had won a battle against Raytheon to produce the radar for the JSTARS recap program, which would have given it a win even if it had not nabbed the EMD contract.
Boeing also had high hopes for its JSTARS recap bid, envisioning its 737-based offering as the start of a line of 737-derived special mission aircraft that could eventually replace planes like the E-3 AWACS or RC-135 Rivet Joint.
During an interview at the Singapore Airshow on Tuesday, Orlando Carvalho, the head of Lockheed’s aeronautics division, said that source selection activities were continuing and that competitors had not been briefed on the fate of the program. However, he indicated that Lockheed would not fight the cancellation of the program, if that was what was decided.
“If ultimately the Air Force decides to not go forward with that program, clearly we will respect that decision. And frankly, we understand,” he said during an interview Tuesday at the Singapore Airshow. “Having insight into some of the operations that have been going on in the Middle East, things like that, we can appreciate the tradeoff that the Air Force is trying to make.”
