JSTARS Requirements Release

The program office overseeing the Air Force's Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System recapitalization effort is due to provide a draft requirements document to industry today that will define the future platform's functional and performance requirements.

The service intends to replace its relatively small fleet of E-8C JSTARS aircraft, based on large Boeing 707-300s, with 17 modern, smaller platforms, and a competition for the engineering and manufacturing development phase is due to begin in the third quarter of fiscal year 2015.

Several aerospace companies including Boeing and Northrop Grumman are lining up to compete for the prime contractor position and the draft systems requirements document (SRD) the program office plans to release will help inform the companies' offers. An award for the development phase is due in early FY-16.

In an Oct. 2 notice on the Federal Business Opportunities website, the JSTARS Recap program office at Hanscom Air Force Base, MA, wrote that qualified companies would be provided with the classified SRD document today, Oct. 6.

The notice states:

The SRD covers an initial set of DRAFT requirements for the JSTARS Recap Weapon System. It must be noted that these are DRAFT requirements and although extensive: 1) have not been officially approved by the Milestone Decision Authority; and 2) may change based on market research or warfighter needs as coordination works through the Joint Staff process. The Government's intent for the draft SRD is to 1) provide industry early insight into the draft detailed requirement being considered for the JSTARS Recap program and; 2) seek industry feedback on the feasibility of satisfying these requirements as written with mature existing technology.

The JSTARS recapitalization effort is funded in the Air Force's FY-15 budget request, and a number of early risk-reduction efforts are currently being supported to ensure all elements of the follow-on JSTARS platform -- the battle management and command and control segment, sensor and communications equipment and aircraft -- are mature enough to combine and move to development in FY-16.

The current program of record calls for the delivery of two test jets by FY-18 and initial operational capability with four battle-ready JSTARS aircraft in the FY-22 time frame. So far, Boeing has proposed a 737-700 design and Northrop has built a demonstration aircraft based on a Gulfstream G550.