Posted on 10/01/2009 11:55:35 AM PDT by Never on my watch
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE - Frankly, the future of Joint STARS at Robins Air Force Base is sitting precariously between a rock and a hard place.
On one side, the cantankerous, underpowered, 40-year-old JT3D engines that power the ground surveillance jet must be replaced in short order. Heroic -- and very expensive -- maintenance to keep the vital system flying can't continue indefinitely. Degraded aircraft availability, diminished flight efficiency and inadequate onboard power will eventually push the weapon system past the point of viability.
On the other hand, the rising cost of re-engining...
(Excerpt) Read more at warnerrobinspatriot.com ...
JT8’s have been around for along time and are not very current. Why can’t they put a more current CFM’s like are on the KC-135’s?
JT8’s have been around for along time and are not very current. Why can’t they put a more current CFM’s like are on the KC-135’s?
Sorry for the double post.
Rather than having new JT8D’s manufactured from a dormant production line, wouldn’t it be easier to:
(1) install CFM-56’s like on the KC-135R’s and DC-8(70 series). Those engines are still being made for 737’s; or
(2) buy some old DC-9’s and MD-80’s and pull the JT8D’s off.
When the process to re-engine the plane started, The JT8s were probably the newest technology. ;)
I am not sure about all of the technical considerations, but the E-8 is a heavy SOB with a lot of electronics equipment requiring a lot of engine driven generators. Maybe the JT8s met that need better?
Park Air Force One for a week an we can pay for a new JSTAR’s .......
Joint STARS is the imaging radar. Correct?
It is a converted 707 with a phased array radar in a canoe-shape radome on the underside of the aircraft used for tracking ground targets.
put in new LLP's and wear components and slap them on. It shouldn't cost more than 2-3 million/engine.
3 million X 4 Engines X 20 Aircraft (spares) = $240 Million, leaving $3/4 Billion for "integration" and "profit".
I can’t tell you why the only engine options on the table seem to be ‘new JT8s or retire the plane.’ But I am sure the engineering studies that would go into other engine alternatives at this late stage would be far too late to meet the need.
And with a a 40 year old airframe, new wings and fusalage/structure repaires will be needed in the not too distant future.
JSTARS is a real antique. As long as we plan to continue to put a manned system up for enemies to shoot down, the most logical choice, IMHO, would be to move the electronics suite into a larger, newer civilian airframe. It’s not like there aren’t plenty of newer airliners around.
There was a plan for that on a 767. I think it was going to be called an E-10. Don’t know what happened to that initiative. I am sure it is DOA while Obama is in office. You can bet that there won’t be any movement on it while next generation tanker saga drags on.
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