Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom AFB, Mass., has added a system called Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below to the repertoire of the E-8 Joint STARS to enable the ground surveillance aircraft to “see” friend vs. foe. The Army uses the system to get updates on the location of friendly troops in near real time by continuously transmitting actual locations over the network, and then sends progress reports to a tactical operations center. Five Joint STARS aircraft now have laptop computers that will receive regular updates from the FBCB2 system. Using special software, the laptops will send the data to the E-8 mission operator consoles. ESC plans to outfit the remainder of the fleet, starting this spring.
House, Senate Unveil Competing Proposals for 2026 Budget
July 11, 2025
Lawmakers from the House and Senate laid out competing versions of the annual defense policy bill on July 11, with vastly different potential outcomes for some of the Air Force’s most embattled programs.