2.08.2007
Posted
4:07:00 PM
by MacMarv
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http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=2510657&C=europe
British RAF Receives Sentinel Surveillance Aircraft
Raytheon has delivered the first Sentinel R1 battlefield surveillance aircraft to the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force (RAF).
The system, fitted in a modified business jet, flew to its base at RAF Waddington Jan. 25. The aircraft is undergoing checks ahead of being accepted by the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The second of five aircraft, ordered by the British in late 1999, is due to be delivered in the spring. Two ground stations and a training system were delivered last year.
Despite that, the MoD says the in-service date of the aircraft could be delayed 12 months until late 2007 or early 2008. Originally, two aircraft, support capability and the provision of sufficiently trained manpower should have been available by last November to declare the Sentinel in service.
The program, costing around 1 billion pounds ($1.97 billion), will give Britain an unrivalled capability in Europe to undertake long-range ground surveillance and target acquisition.
The Sentinel — featuring an upgraded ASARS-2 scanned array radar with synthetic aperture and moving target indicator capabilities — is expected to be pushed into operation over Afghanistan as soon as possible to bolster the surveillance capabilities for British forces fighting in the south of the country.
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