This month, the Air Force will seek the blessing of Frank Kendall, Pentagon acquisition, technology, and logistics chief, to proceed with a new program to replace the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System fleet. If the program is approved, US AF could have the first of a new generation of ground surveillance radar aircraft serving by 2023, and-if the ambitious schedule holds-potentially replace the entire E-8 JSTARS inventory by the end of 2026. Known for now simply as the "JSTARS Recap"-for "recapitalization"-the project surfaced a year ago, when Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, Air Force Chief of Staff, said replacing JSTARS had become the service's fourth highest acquisition priority, after the F-35 fighter, KC-46 tanker, and Long-Range Strike Bomber. Air Combat Command chief Gen. Gilmary Michael Hostage III, now retired, said in September that JSTARS operating costs "are eating us up," and finding a replacement is urgent.
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