Northrop Grumman’s [NOC] E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) testbed aircraft, equipped with a new JT-8D propulsion system, successfully completed flight testing, according to a company statement.
The completion of the flight testing program represents a major milestone in Joint STARS re-engining program and is a key component of the Military Airworthiness Certification (MAC) process, according to a statement. The new propulsion system includes Pratt & Whitney JT-8D engines previously certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for Boeing [BA] 707-300 aircraft. It also includes mounting pylons and other provisions supplied by SevenQSeven, in a joint venture with Pratt & Whitney, and a specialized pneumatic system to support the large ground surveillance radar and other mission equipment carried onboard the aircraft, according to statement.
Pratt & Whitney is a division of United Technologies Corp. [UTX].
Outfitting the fleet with new engines will give the Air Force-owned Joint STARS platform increased takeoff performance, longer time-on-station and higher maximum altitudes for increased mission capable rates, according to a statement.
Dave Nagy, vice president of military aircraft systems at Northrop Grumman, told Defense Daily yesterday in a phone interview the JT-8D propulsion system provides significantly more thrust, around 21,000 pounds per foot. The current Joint STARS engine, the TF33-102C, provides 19,285 pounds per foot, according to a company spokesman.
“What that does for Joint STARS is increases fuel efficiency upwards of 17- to 20-percent, which is huge,” Nagy said. “It allows the aircraft to fly longer unrefueled, so you can fly longer missions (and it) enables the aircraft to fly at higher altitudes, all of which provide operational leverage.”
The new engines will also lower maintenance costs.
“When you look at the sustainment side, the engines, because they are so reliable, their depot overhaul intervals are measured in intervals of eight-to-10 years per revisit, which is significantly better than what we see today,” Nagy said.
Once the testbed aircraft with the new propulsion system obtains MAC, operational Joint STARS aircraft can be outfitted with the new engines, according to a statement. Steve Bond, director of C2 & ISR business development for battle management and engagement systems division at Northrop Grumman, told Defense Daily yesterday in a phone interview the re-engining program is on hold while Northrop Grumman waits for Pentagon fiscal year 2013 funding to complete the program.
The MAC is comprised of flight tests, data analysis and approval for the propulsion system to be used on operational aircraft such as those that support worldwide operations out of Robins AFB, Ga., according to a statement.
“(The) operating cost-side of the equation is significantly less than what we see today,” Nagy said. “So it’s a big cost savings, it’s a fuel savings (and) it’s an operational advantage. That’s what new engines do.”
Joint STARS is an airborne battle management, command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C2ISR) platform. Its primary mission is to provide theater ground and air commanders with ground surveillance. Joint STARS is capable of developing a 120-degree field of view that covers nearly 50,000 square km and is capable of detecting targets at more than 250 km, according to an Air Force statement.