Thursday, December 04, 2008

ASTOR

IOC: Monday, December 01, 2008
Total Production: 5
Total Program's Cost: USD$1.3 billion

Sentinel R Mk 1

Unitary Cost: USD$260 million

Also Known As
ASTOR

Origin
United Kingdom

Contractor/s
BAE Systems
Bombardier
Cubic Corporation
General Dynamics
L-3 Communications
Raytheon *
SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems

Derived from:
Global Express XRS

Power plant:
BR710 (2)

Protection Systems:
DASS-2000

Description: The Airborne Standoff Radar (ASTOR) program was launched by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (MoD) to provide day/night, all-weather imagery of the ground over a large area. The intelligence imagery should be analyzed on board the aircraft and passed in near real-time to ground stations and other military systems.

The ASTOR airborne platform was designated the Sentinel R MK1. Its key system is a dual mode, long-range radar capable of delivering both Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery and Moving Target Indicator (MTI) data. The critical information provided by this surveillance system can be transmitted to ground-based stations via data-link in support of brigade and division level operations.

The first ASTOR airborne platform, a modified Bombardier Global Express twin-engine jet aircraft, is expected to be delivered to the Royal Air Force (RAF) after 2005 achieving an Initial Operational Capability (IOC) by 2006. As of June 2005, the ASTOR equipped with dual mode radar first flight was expected in September 2005. The RAF plans call to deploy up to 5 ASTOR aircraft before 2010.

Specifications
Accommodation: Crew 2

Engine/s Performance: Thrust 29,500 lb (13,381 kg)

Other: Number of Engines 2

News
ASTOR Enters Service in UK

ASTOR Surveillance Aircraft Enters Service with the RAF

Raytheon Completes ASTOR Capabilities Testing With UK Ministry of Defence

British Sentinel Program Enters Flight Testing

First Dual Mode Radar Installed onto UK ASTOR

ASTOR Aircraft Completes its First Flight

Operators

United Kingdom / 5

Image Gallery

Notes
(*) lead contractor
IOC: Initial Operating Capability
FOC: Full Operating Capability
CEP: Circular Error Probable
Comm: Commissioning Date
Meters (m) Kilometers (km) Nautic Miles (nm) Inch (in) Yard (yd) Foot (ft) Millimeter (mm)
Pound (lb) Kilogram (kg) kN (KiloNewton) Ton (t)
Meters per Second (mps) Kilometers per Hour (kph) Knot (kt) Miles per Hour (mph)
Liter (l) Galon (gl)
Year (yr) Minutes (min) Second (sec)
Shaft-Horse-Power (shp)

Last Updated: Monday, December 01, 2008

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