Four of the UK's five Sentinel R1 Airborne Stand-off Radar (ASTOR) platforms are pictured at Raytheon Systems' Broughton plant in Wales, following the arrival of the last three unmodified Bombardier Global Express business jets late last month. The programme's first airframe is being prepared in Greenville, Texas and will be delivered to the UK early next year, where it will join the four aircraft to be modified at Broughton.
To provide battlefield reconnaissance services to the Royal Air Force and British Army, the ASTOR system remains on track for service entry in September 2005, says Raytheon.
The company is promoting a further development of the ASTOR system to meet part of NATO's Alliance Ground Surveillance requirement.
Source: Flight International