Slow Pace Of New Air Force Radar Plane Could Prove Fatal To U.S. Soldiers (From Forbes)

The Air Force’s fleet of 16 Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) planes is on its last legs.  At any given time, half of the fleet is unavailable due to maintenance needs.  It won’t be long before all the planes must retire.  But the Air Force’s program to replace the planes is exhibiting little sense of urgency about fielding new airborne radars before the old ones are gone.  If JSTARS Recap, as it is called, doesn’t get moving, soldiers on the ground will be deprived of life-saving information about nearby threats.  It shouldn’t take over a dozen years to buy 17 off-the-shelf jetliners and install mature radar technology in them.  I have written a commentary for Forbes here.