Spending bill gives JSTARS $405.5M for exclusive recap work

The fiscal year 2018 omnibus spending bill, signed into law by the president this week, appropriates $405.5 million for the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System recapitalization and blocks the Air Force from using it for anything else unless lawmakers approve a reprogramming request.

The service must also submit a report within 90 days of the budget's passage detailing its plan for sustaining and retiring the legacy JSTARS fleet, whether it is technically possible to buy more-survivable aircraft through the recap program, and the cost and schedule of the Air Force's alternative plan if the recapitalization ends, among other things.