Weapons Innovation and Joint System Development: A Case Study of the Joint STARS Program.
Abstract
The Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) is an airborne system developed jointly by the Army and Air Force to provide real-time battlefield surveillance of stationary and moving ground targets. The developmental system made its debut in Desert Storm, where it was praised for its ability to provide wide area surveillance of armored vehicle movements in Iraqi territory. Joint STARS is a joint program that survived in a military where joint programs are very rare. The initiation of the Joint STARS took place at a time when the Army and the Air Force were trying to build a more integrated battlefield doctrine, and the civilian military leadership was seeking to bring the services together on more joint system developments. This atmosphere is not too different from today, and a study of this joint effort offers insight into the process of weapons innovation and joint system development. Despite the widely publicized success in the Gulf, the system has experienced significant cost, schedule, and operational support difficulties throughout its existence. This thesis examines the difficulties of joint system development and the creation of non-traditional missions, and the effects these had on the Joint STARS program. This study begins with the early efforts of the individual services to develop their own, distinctive airborne ground surveillance systems and ends with the decision to move into full scale development as a joint system in September 1985. Currently, the joint 19-aircraft program is estimated to cost $20 billion and is entering its thirteenth year of development and production since the full scale development decision in September 1985.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 08, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA328991
Entities
People
- Stephen W. Hill
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology