The Joint Target Surveillance and Attack Radar System (JSTARS) is a U.S. Air Force and Department of the Army project. JSTARS serves as a theater battle management and command and control intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C2ISR) platform that provides support to joint, interagency, and multinational commanders and components (“Northrop Grumman,” n.d.). JSTARS includes air and ground components and connectivity. The airborne component consists of E-8 series aircraft and includes radar, operations and control, and communications subsystems. The system is capable of providing a near real-time picture of the situation on the ground, as well as determining the direction, speed and patterns of military activity. JSTARs have deployed effectively and efficiently in support of numerous military and interagency operations (“INSCOM,” n.d.). The JSTAR fleet should be maintained as it evolves so that it can continue to produce high-demand intelligence and remain an extremely valuable asset in the field. The JSTARS E-8 series aircraft was first introduced into the US Air Force in 1996. The Boeing 707 -300 series aircraft serves as the JSTARS airframe, and its propulsion system consists of four Pratt turbojet engines & Whitney JT3D-3B, each providing 18,000 pounds of thrust. JSTARS is capable of a flight endurance of 11 hours or 20 hours with in-flight refueling and has a surface altitude of 42,000 feet (13,000 m). JSTARS uses wide area surveillance, fixed target indication (FTI), synthetic aperture radar (SAR), moving target indicator (MTI) and target classification modes. JSTARS aircraft have secure voice and data links to Army ground command and communications stations and Air Force command centers. The planes are still... mid-paper... another 25 years on the E-8 platform. Budget constraints and engine upgrades are the main factors holding the system back. The JSTARS must be retained to maintain its place as an airborne intelligence powerhouse. Works Cited Northrop Grumman (n.d.), E-8C Joint STARS Capabilities. Retrieved from http://www.northropgrumman.com/Capabilities/E8CJointSTARS/Pages/default.aspxUnited States Army Intelligence and Security Command (n.d.), Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar Systems. Retrieved from http://www.inscom.army.mil/MSC/JSTARS.aspx?txtMode=trueAir Force-Technology.com (nd), JSTARS - Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System, United States of America. Retrieved from http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/jstars/ Army.com (nd), Joint Ground Station Operator. Retrieved from http://army.com/info/mos/common-ground-station-operator