Northrop to upgrade JSTARS radio terminals
Northrop Grumman has received a contract from the US Air Force to upgrade radio terminals aboard the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) fleet, the company announced on 8 August.
The current Commander’s Tactical Terminal/Hybrid-Receive only (CTT/H-R) radio will be replaced with new Air Force Tactical Receive System-Ruggedised (AFTRS-R) terminals.
AFTRS-R assures capability for the Joint STARS fleet and those interacting with the weapon system to receive intelligence reports, including threat warnings in hostile environments, for undiminished battle management in support of warfighters in the air, on the ground and at sea. The terminal provides data feeds from airborne and overhead electronics intelligence collectors and will allow JSTARS to detect and track a host of mobile threats, including enemy air defence and ballistic missile assets.
These terminals will modernise the Integrated Broadcast Service and address cryptographic modernisation and diminishing manufacturing source issues with the CTT/H-R radio.
The AFTRS-R contract is a separate delivery order under the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity JSTARS Systems Improvement Program III contract awarded by the air force to Northrop Grumman in October 2013.
Joint STARS provides battlefield commanders with real-time situational information, while simultaneously transmitting target locations to aircraft and ground strike forces.
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