Aircraft

Raytheon Systems has again delayed the delivery schedule for the UK's remaining Sentinel R1 battlefield reconnaissance aircraft, but says the slip will help squadron training ahead of the type's planned entry into operational use late this year.

Confirming that its already-delayed plan to have all five Sentinel airframes handed over by the end of last year has been adjusted in agreement with the Ministry of Defence, RSL says: "System integration activity has been extended to enable radar and mission software to be optimised and final performance verified."

The Airborne Standoff Radar programme's second aircraft was accepted at Royal Air Force base Waddington, Lincolnshire, on 29 November, and the service's 5(AC) Sqn is now using the two aircraft and one ground-control station supporting US-based development activities in Greenville, Texas.

© Craig Hoyle/Flight International

"This plan allows the squadron to get training value from the remaining aircraft flight testing, and also allows customer involvement in the operational testing phase," says RSL.

The company says the MoD has agreed to receive its third aircraft before 1 April, with the remaining two - the latter of which is now completing build at RSL's Broughton site in the UK - will be delivered in the second quarter, "following a concentrated focus on tasking for aircraft three and four".

Ordered in December 1999, the more than £900 million ($1.76 billion) ASTOR system had originally been contracted to achieve an in-service date of September 2005, but with the UK having accepted its first Sentinel airframe only in January 2007 this milestone has now been pushed back until December 2008.