Editing Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS (section)

==Development==
{{Expand section|date=November 2023}}
Joint STARS evolved from separate [[U.S. Army]] and [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] (USAF) programs to develop technology to detect, locate and attack enemy armor at ranges beyond the [[front line]] of a battle.<ref name="USAF factsheet attribution">{{US Air Force|article= Factsheets: E-8C Joint Stars |url=http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/FactSheets/Display/tabid/224/Article/104507/e-8c-joint-stars.aspx |author= |accessdate=29 August 2014}} August 2013.</ref> In 1982, the programs were merged and the USAF became the lead agent. The concept and sensor technology for the E-8 was developed and tested on the [[Tacit Blue]] experimental aircraft.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.airforcemag.com/article/0896tacit/ |access-date=10 March 2020 |title=The (Tacit) Blue Whale}}</ref> The prime contract was awarded to [[Grumman|Grumman Aerospace Corporation]] in September 1985 for two E-8A development systems.

In late 2005, Northrop Grumman was awarded a contract for upgrading engines and other systems.<ref name=Re-engining_E-8>{{Cite web|url=http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Re-engining-the-E-8-JSTARS-04891/ |title=Re-engining the E-8 JSTARS |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924110007/http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/re-engining-the-e-8-jstars-04891/ |archive-date=2016-09-24 |work= Defense Industry Daily |date= 23 March 2010 }}</ref>  [[Pratt & Whitney]], in a joint venture with Seven Q Seven (SQS), was contracted to produce and deliver [[Pratt & Whitney JT8D|JT8D-219]] engines for the E-8s. Their greater efficiency would have allowed the Joint STARS to spend more time on station, take off from a wider range of runways, climb faster, fly higher, all with a much reduced cost per flying hour.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.usnook.com/english/military/aircraft/earlywarning/2013/0929/63616.html |title=Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS---Usnook---The first portal of US info |website= usnook.com |access-date=2018-11-26}}</ref>

In December 2008, an E-8C test aircraft took its first flight with the new engines.<ref name=Re-engining_E-8/>  In 2009, the company began engine replacement and additional upgrade efforts.<ref name=Re-engining_E-8/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/usa-spending-532m-to-upgrade-its-e8-jstars-eyes-in-the-sky-01527/ |title=USA Spending $532M to Upgrade its E-8 J-STARS Eyes in the Sky |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919143119/http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/usa-spending-532m-to-upgrade-its-e8-jstars-eyes-in-the-sky-01527/ |archive-date=2012-09-19 |work=Defense Industry Daily |date=23 November 2005}}</ref>  The re-engining funding was halted in 2009 as the Air Force began to consider other options for performing the JSTARS mission.<ref name=Re-engining_E-8/><ref>[http://www.spyflight.co.uk/767%20mc2a.htm Boeing 767-400ER E-10A] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111021070451/http://www.spyflight.co.uk/767%20mc2a.htm |date=2011-10-21}}. Spyflight, June 2008.</ref>