E-8 Joint STARS

E-8 Joint STARS (Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System) – 17

Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman

Introduction: 1991

Number built: 17

Unit cost: $244.4 million in 1998

Developed from: Boeing 707

General characteristics

Crew: 4 flight crew

Capacity: 18 specialists (crew size varies according to mission)

Length: 46.61 m

Wingspan: 44.42 m

Height: 12.95 m

Empty weight: 77,564 kg

Max takeoff weight: 152,407 kg

Powerplant:

4× Pratt & Whitney TF33-102C low-bypass turbofan engines, 8,668 kgf (85 kN) thrust each

Performance

Cruise speed: 722 km/h to 945 km/h

Optimum orbit speed: 723 km/h to 945 km/h

Endurance: 9 hours

Service ceiling: 13,000 m

Avionics

AN/APY-7 synthetic aperture radar

E-8A: Original platform configuration

E-8C: Production Joint STARS platform configuration converted from second-hand Boeing 707s (1 from a CC-137)