JSTARS Flashcards
JSTARS MISSION
JSTARS provides an airborne, stand-off range, surveillance and target acquisition radar. The primary mission of JSTARS is to provide simultaneous command and control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C2ISR) support to air and ground commanders.
C2 - supports attack operations, provides support for ground commander’s requirements and contributes to interdiction efforts
ISR - JSTARS acts as a theater asset, conducting surveillance of the enemy ground situation
JSTARS supports the JFACC, the JFLCC, and to a lesser extent the JFSOCC & JFMCC
JSTARS (F2T2EA)
finds, fixes, tracks, targets, engages and then assesses
Find, fix, and track are the ISR pieces of the kill chain
Target and engage are the C2 pieces of the kill chain
Support to Joint Force Air Component Commander (JFACC)
Air Interdiction (AI)—JSTARS supports AI by applying the kill chain. The surveillance section AOTs detect moving entities and the AWOs provide attack support to the shooter via modified 9-line
Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD)/Destruction of Enemy Air Defense (DEAD)—JSTARS can assist with SEAD/DEAD by detecting mobile SAMs/AAA by using MTI to detect rotating antennas
Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR)—JSTARS is a force multiplier in the event of a CSAR. JSTARS can act as the airborne mission coordinator (AMC) and direct CSAR forces
Quickdraw (a warfighter-worn personal transceiver with GPS)
Support to Joint Force Land Component Commander (JFLCC)
ASOC—JSTARS can serve as an airborne extension of the ASOC by assisting with line-of-sight (LOS) communications, providing procedural deconfliction or CAS stacks, passing MTI and SALT (size, activity, location, time) data to TACPs.
CAS—Action against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces and require detailed integration with fire and movement of those forces. JSTARS contributes to CAS by providing attack aircraft with target briefings, threat updates and procedural deconfliction
Joint Forcible Entry (JFE)—Joint forcible entry operations seize and hold lodgments against armed opposition. JSTARS assists the Army throughout the five phases by providing over-watch and information about the ground situation.
Support to the JFSOCC & JFMCC
SOF—JSTARS can support both air and ground special operations. JSTARS can provide ingress/egress route screening and sanitization for airborne assets and targeting data for AC-130 operations. Ground teams are supported through IPB prior to operations, early warning for ground teams in the field and communications relay.
Joint Littoral Operations—JSTARS can track and report maritime movement, monitor beaches and pass activity prior to landing, provide information on counter-special forces maritime operations, and provide attack support information to maritime strike assets
Airborne Interdiction of Maritime Targets (AIMT) and Maritime Air Support (MAS)
E8 Aircrew
The flight crew is composed of individuals responsible for safe ground and flight operations of the E-8. They are the aircraft commander (pilot), co-pilot, navigator, and flight engineer.
Instead the navigator rides in the forward fuselage
The navigator works with the on-board intelligence staff to manage possible air threats. He or she also works with the MCC to optimize the orbit location for the best radar presentation.
E8 Mission Crew
The mission crew is composed of individuals responsible for the command, control, surveillance, communications, electronic, and management functions, to include sensor management, internal and external communications management, and limited onboard systems maintenance.
E8 Mission Crew Commander (MCC)
The MCC oversees the entire mission crew, has overall command of the mission and is responsible to the AOC combat ops division
E8 - Army Section
Deputy mission crew commander (DMCC)—The DMCC is an Army Capt to Lt Col or Chief Warrant Officer and is subordinate to the MCC. The DMCC will also backup the MCC as needed. The main responsibility of the DMCC is to serve as the ground force representative on the jet.
Airborne target surveillance supervisor (ATSS)—The two ATSSs are Army enlisted members and are subordinate to the DMCC. Their main responsibility is to coordinate with the CGSs and operate and monitor SCDL.
E8 - Systems Technicians
Communication system technician (CST)—There are two CSTs onboard. They are responsible for programming the communications system, operating and maintaining the system, and establishing/maintaining the data links.
Airborne mission system specialist (AMSS)—The two AMSS’s handle all aspects of the computer and radar systems.
E8 Intellligence- airborne intelligence officer/technician (AIO/T)
The AIO/T provides intelligence expertise to the mission crew and participates in the voice product net (VPN) with AWACS and RIVET JOINT.
E8 - Senior Director
The SD is qualified as a surveillance officer (SO) and an air weapons officer (AWO), which enables him/her to take over the responsibilities of either as needed. Specifically, the SD directs the employment of the weapons systems, which could be fighter aircraft, UASs, or other aircraft capable of non-traditional ISR (NTISR).
The SD will coordinate with other C2 platforms such as AWACS or the ASOC to request strike aircraft when needed.
E8 - AWO
Weapons -The AWOs control strike aircraft by passing modified 9 lines. They are the voice of JSTARS to the tactical aircraft. AWOs also assist the surveillance section to find and track potential targets to recommend to the SD for investigation. One of the AWOs on the crew will also operate the radar and manage the radar timeline; he or she is known as the sensor operator (SO).
E8 - Surveillance
Senior Surveillance Manager (SSM)—The SSM ensures proper tracking and logging of significant events/details. He/she also supervises Link-16 operations.
Air operations technician (AOT)—They are the tracking experts and collect, display and disseminate surveillance data. They also work closely with any tactical air control party (TACP) to find tracks of interest in areas where the TACP is located
E8 MPC
The MPC is a support team that stays on the ground. They prepare the mission folders with the ATO, ACO, SPINS and other documents required for mission execution. The MPC will provide the mission step briefs to crews prior to flights to prepare them for each mission.
The MPC chief is responsible to the detachment director of operations (DETDO).
JSTARS Platform
Boeing 707-320C
Pratt & Whitney TF33-102C engines (thrust reversers)
The E-8C is the fleet standard aircraft. All 17 USAF JSTARS aircraft are E-8C models. The USAF is the only country that operates JSTARS.
E8 Airspeed
390-510 knots
Optimum cruise 450 knots (Mach 0.67)
E8 Altitude
service ceiling of 42,000 feet. The optimal flight altitude is 34,000-42,000 feet with a normal operating altitude of 31,000 feet
E8 Endurance
10 hours without refueling, up to 24 hours with multiple refuelings
E8 Radar
AN/APY-7 radar
E8 Operations & Control System (O&C)
primary mission equipment hardware and software
O&C includes a data processing computer and 18 operator work stations (OWS). Each OWS provides the interface between the operator, radar and computer system.
E8 CGS
Army Common Ground System (CGS)
The CGS system is the ground component that makes JSTARS a joint platform. It consists of two M1113 (Army) or M1097A2 (USMC) high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWVs or ‘Humvees’) with one acting as a mission shelter and the other as a support vehicle
CGS is employed in combat units from echelons above corps (EAC) to the brigade combat team (BCT) and fires brigade level.
receiving moving target indicator (MTI) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR)/fixed target indicator (FTI) data from the E-8C via the surveillance control data link (SCDL).
E8 JSWS
The joint service work station (JSWS) is a modular and portable workstation with the same software, hardware, capability, and functionality as a CGS if it is equipped with comparable communications equipment.
Augments AOC with** **data from multiple real-time sensors and platforms including MTI, SAR, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), imagery intelligence (IMINT) platforms, and signal intelligence (SIGINT) from RIVET JOINT and GUARDRAIL.
E8 Radar
JSTARS uses the AN/APY-7 radar
side looking, planar array radar / operates in the X-Band
steered electronically in azimuth by phase shifters on the antenna array
steered mechanically in elevation
operates in two modes; MTI and SAR
two radar modes cannot operate concurrently, but instead interrupt each other
E8 MTI
MTI is the primary radar mode and is used to detect moving ground targets
MTI identifies the pulse Doppler shifts in the radar returns. MTI can be low resolution or medium resolution.
E8 SAR
SAR is the highest resolution of radar operations and can be high, medium or low resolution. A SAR is basically a radar “picture” of the surface
terrain analysis, change detection, and limited battle damage indication (BDI). A fixed target indicator (FTI) is a SAR that shows radar returns above a certain threshold. FTIs are used to locate stopped MTI tracks by showing red pixels where the brightest radar returns are located.
E8 Radar Service Requests
Radar Reference Coverage Area (RRCA) sector radar job that moves w/ A/C. System Cal. Lo Res / Lo Priority
Ground Reference Coverage Area (GRCA) large area RSR used to detect pockets of activity/inactivity and determine lines of communication. GEO FIXED / Low Res / Low Priority (40-60 s)
Sector Search (SS)medium-sized RSR that can be used to “spotlight” areas to search for targets and can provide a more accurate assessment of MTI. Lo-Med Res / Med Priority (10-15 s)
**Attack Planning (AP) and Attack Control (AC) **smallest RSRs available. (AP - MTI counts / AC - attack Support) Med Res (2-5 s)
Typically 60s Timeline decided by ARMY
E8 Orbits
The mission planning SO and navigator determine the best possible orbit that will optimize radar coverage and data-link connectivity while also providing the best protection from threats. The important orbit placement factors are line of sight for the radar, possible terrain masking, comm requirements, and time in the turns.
JSTARS turns are 5NM while AWACS turns are 15NM
E8 Racetrack Orbit
Advantages—provides optimum orientation to threat axis for the longest period of time
Disadvantages—predictable, difficult to maintain group speed in adverse winds, may turn into threat
E8 Figure 8
Advantages—provides near-optimum orientation to threat axis and enable E-8C to make turns away from threat. Possible to maintain ground speed in adverse winds
Disadvantages—predictable, more time spent in turns
E8 - Closed Random
Advantages—point-to-point pattern used for extreme terrain problems/staying on confined areas, coastal areas, least predictable
Disadvantages—not able to use for standard surveillance with GRCA
E8 Named Area of Interest (NAI)
NAIs are defined as an area at which enemy activity is expected. In mission planning, the SO will ensure that the radar game plan he/she develops will cover all NAIs requested on the collection deck from the AOC. On the jet, the surveillance section will be tasked to maintain tracking in these areas using the information provided in the collection deck.
E8 Collection Deck
Document created by AOC ISR Division. Each request is submitted through collections managers located in theater. The collections managers take inputs from the ground units and Air Force units and prioritize these requests.
Prioritized Inputs
E8 Radar Coverage Area
MPC will determine the best orbit and radar coverage area using the collection deck. The collection deck will specify how frequently the area must be updated and the SO will adjust the RSRs to meet these requirements.
E8 RSR Plan
SO develops / briefs / sets boundaries / ensures plan meets task / coordinates changes as req’d
E8 RSR Operations
While on-station, the SO must balance approving jobs while maintaining the mandated timeline.
JSTARS Communications
Each crewmember can listen to five external radios
(left internal / right radios)
**2 **AN/ARC190 HF radios
1 AN/ARC 201D VHF-FM radio (SINCGARS)
3 AN/ARC-186 VHF-AM/FM (Army Troops / Aviation)
12 AN/ARC-225 UHF radios - 3 **SATCOM - **All KY-58 - HQ on NON - SATCOM UHF
J-Voice - INMARSAT - mIRC - SIPRnet
E8 Data-Links
Link 16 and surveillance control data link (SCDL) are the two data links used by JSTARS.
E8 Data Systems
improved data modem (IDM) - IDM is used between JSTARS and Army Apache Longbows attack helicopters
SATCOM gives the CGSs the ability to receive SARs
Blue Force Tracker (BFT) Army’s version of LINK-16 and provides SA on friendly Army positions. BFT can also be used to pass text messages to Army attack aviation.
E8 Basing
Robins AFB, Georgia
