116th Air Control Wing  Receives
17th and Final Joint STARS Aircraft

JSTARS (file copy)

The 116th Air Control Wing received its 17th and final E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft Friday at arrival ceremonies at Robins AFB..

The ceremony included remarks from: Brig. Gen. George ‘Tom’ Lynn, 116th Air Control Wing Commander, Maj. Gen. David Poythress, The Adjutant General for Georgia; The Honorable Jim Marshall, U.S. House of Representatives; Mr. Dave Nagy, VP and Program Manager for Joint Stars, Northrop Grumman and special guest speaker The Honorable Saxby Chambliss, U.S. Senate.

In special commemoration the tail number of this aircraft reflects national events that took place Sept. 11, 2001. This final Joint STARS aircraft wears the tail number 02-9111.The 116th ACW is the only home to the 17 Joint STARS aircraft and is the first wing to combine Air National Guard and active duty members into a single unit.

The E-8C Joint STARS is the world's most advanced wide area airborne ground surveillance, targeting and battle management system. From a standoff position, it detects, locates, classifies, tracks and targets hostile ground movements, communicating real-time information through secure data links with Air Force and U.S. Army command posts.

All Joint STARS aircraft are based on a Boeing 707 airframe. Each aircraft went through a $40 million refurbishment program at the Northrop Grumman production facility at Lake Charles, La.