Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS (JSTARS) Airborne Battle Management Platform - History, Specs and Pictures

Authored By Staff Writer | Last Updated: 2/7/2013

A Joint STARS Changes Heading.

Follow Military Factory on Facebook:

Trending on Military Factory:

Compare Aircraft
You Know You Want To

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles of the World Listing

UAVs
Eyes in the Skies

Top 10 Fighters
The Best of the Best

World War 2 Aircraft
Age of the Metal Monoplane

World War 1 Aircraft
Of Canvas and Wood

Vietnam War Aircraft
Last of the Gunfighters

Korean War Aircraft
Dance of the Jets

Recent Articles:

The BAe Systems Mantis Unmanned Aerial Vehicle serves as an important technology demonstrator for Europe

Lightweight by no means, the 7.58cm Minenwerfer was the most portable of the German trench mortars of WW1

Amidst budget constraints, the French Navy has managed to lease the all-modern L'Adroit P725 patrol vessel

The M108 of 1952 preceded the more famous M109 Paladin self-propelled gun series and saw action in Vietnam

Born as the M1 during World War 2, this howitzer became the M114 in 1962 and saw widespread use around the globe

The German invasion of 1941 was eventually undone with Soviet artillery such as the 100mm M1944 dual-role series

The EX 41 from Naval Ordnance Station Louisville became an abandoned multi-shot grenade launcher project

Whether known as the Blooper, Bloop Tube, Thumper or Thump-Gun, the M79 grenade launcher proved its worth

Temporarily unable to net itself F-16s or F-20s, Taiwan moved on to develop its own F-CK-1 "Ching-Kuo" fighter

When losses to IEDs started to mount, the US military turned to such MRAPs as the Navistar MaxxPro

A product of the Northrop Grumman Corporation, the E-8 "Joint Stars" series of aircraft provides the United States Air Force with electronic "eyes" over the battlefield in the way of aerial surveillance. The aircraft is based on a highly-modified version of Boeing's 707 civil transport plane and retains the basic fuselage shape and four engine low-monoplane wings. Deployed in a limited capacity in 1991, the system saw full operational service by 1996 and continues playing a vital role with American forces through the 116th ACW, which retains 17 such aircraft.

The E-8 Joint Stars system was developed to a US Army and US Air Force requirement for an aircraft platform that was capable of tracking enemy ground targets along frontlines. The contract was awarded to Grumman and two Boeing 707-300 types were chosen for extensive modification. The platform would be powered by four Pratt & Whitney TF33-102C turbofan engines and feature a host of specialized tracking, communications and radar equipment that could assist ground commanders in providing them with near-real time information with a limited ability to track aerial threats.

The most notable design feature of the E-8 is the long fuselage attachment on the forward bottom of the aircraft. This assembly houses a positional side-looking phased array antenna of the Northrop Grumman (Norden) APY-3 type, providing crews and commanders alike with varying fields of view and target detection well over 250 kilometers. The system can track up to 1,000,000 kilometers in one 8-hour sortie (mission endurance time for the aircraft is 9 hours). Pulse Doppler modes are also available, assisting the crew in tracking moving targets. Information gathers by E-8 entities are then relayed to ground control links and, from there, the information is assessed by proper officials. Crew accommodations amount to a full compliment of 4 flight crew personnel, and additional 14 Air Force specialists and three US Army specialists. Of course this can vary based on mission type.

The E-8 was deployed in a basic developmental form during the 1991 Persian Gulf War to which the two aircraft flew a total of 49 sorties. It would later be fielded in support of NATO during the war in Bosnia/Kosovo and more recently in operations Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Iraqi Freedom (Iraq). Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
MilitaryFactory.com does NOT sell equipment/weaponry. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information. Our disclaimer. Email corrections / Comments to MilitaryFactory at Gmail dot com.

Picture of Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS (JSTARS)

Pic of the Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS (JSTARS)

Image of the Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS (JSTARS)

View All Images (5)

Specifications for the
Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS (JSTARS)
Airborne Battle Management Platform

Country of Origin: United States
Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman Corporation - USA
Initial Year of Service: 1996
Production: 17

Focus Model: Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint STARS (JSTARS)
Crew: 4 + 18

Length: 152.89ft (46.6m)
Width: 145.67ft (44.40m)
Height: 42.65ft (13.00m)
Weight (Empty): 0lbs (0kg)
Weight (MTOW): 336,004lbs (152,409kg)

Powerplant: 4 x Pratt and Whitney TF33-102C turbofan engines generating 19,200lbs each.

Maximum Speed: 587mph (944kmh; 510kts)
Maximum Range: 0miles (0km)
Service Ceiling: 42,001ft (12,802m; 8.0miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 0 feet per minute (0m/min)

Hardpoints: 0
Armament Suite:
None.

Variants:
E-8A - Prototypes converted from Boeing 707-300 airliners; two such models produced.

E-8B - New production aircraft models proposed; 22 ordered by the USAF but later dropped in favor of the second-hand build E-8C model.

E-8C - Latest Production Model of which 17 were produced for the United States Air Force.

Operators:
the United States of America

ALL AIRCRAFT CATEGORIES

BY DECADE:

• 1900 to 1909
• 1910 to 1919
• 1920 to 1929
• 1930 to 1939
• 1940 to 1949
• 1950 to 1959
• 1960 to 1969
• 1970 to 1979
• 1980 to 1989
• 1990 to 1999
• 2000 to 2009
• 2010 to 2019
• 2020 to 2029
• VIEW ALL