((Picture by Grays Harbor))
Crew: 2 (pilot/co-pilot) + 20 Specialists (15 Air Force and 5 Army/Marines), Up to 15 others for Battlefield Command
Height: 24.1m
Length: 74.4m
Wingspan: 79.75m
Empty Weight: 276,800 kg
MTOW: 590,000 kg
Max Fuel Weight: 250,000 kg
Speed: 885 Km/h
Endurance: 13-18 Hours Un-Refueled
Ceiling: 13,100 m
Propulsion: 4x Trent 900
Thrust: 322 Kn Each
Radar: Lockheed AN/APY-10 with GMTI, FTI, and SAR Modes, LIDAR for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Detection
AN/APG-67 for Navigation and Collision avoidance
Radio: Anywhere from 1-20 Radios of the Operators Choice
Countermeasures: flare and chaff pods
Unit Price: 295 million standard dollars
The E-9 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System Mark II is an aircraft designed to replace the Venerable E-8 JSTARS for battlefield management and ground vehicle Detection. Designed using the Airbus A380 Fuselage, the E-9 is a very large aircraft, with almost all of its internal spaces dedicated to its stated role, that of Battlefield management.
The Main radar for the Aircraft is the Lockheed AN/APY-10 Radar system, with GMTI, FTI and SAR Modes available for it. The GMTI (Ground Moving Target Indicator) Mode allows the aircraft pick up any moving vehicle on the ground, after which it is immediately plotted on a Digital Wall Map, which can be set up to represent just about anything, from a country’s borders and geographical features, to the wide open ocean. The GMTI Mode uses a Doppler radar system to detect moving objects on the ground. After the moving object is detected, it is than assessed by both a Team of Air Force and Army/Marine personnel, who will than determine if it is a Airborne unit, like a low flying helicopter or UAV, which, if it is one, will then be reported to a nearby AWACs, such as the E-4A “Warner”, and the data will be cross linked for the Airborne Units, allowing them to show up on the AWACs radar screens, even if the AWACS itself cannot see the units.
The Fixed Target Indicator (FTI) Mode allows the aircraft see a non mobile unit, such as a entrenched Tank or a stationary Artillery piece. After detection using this mode, it will be ascertained as to whether it is a Enemy, Friendly, or Neutral Contact.
The final mode on the radar, the Synthetic aperture Radar mode, allows the E-9 to have up to date topography readings on the land in its radar range. This mode also allows the Aircraft to detect hidden mines that are not detectable using a metal detector, such as Plastic Anti-Personnel and Anti-Vehicle mines that are buried underground, allowing the E-9 to also be using in a Minefield detection and allow a ground unit to move in and clear it out. This mode can also be used to an extent to detect underwater mines, though it is not very good at this.
If the object is not a airborne object, and is indeed a moving ground object, it will then be represented as a White dot on the Digital Wall map, where the Army or Marine Specialists will determine if it is either (A) Civilian (B) Army-Hostile © Army-Friendly (D) Army-Neutral or (E) Unknown/Unable to be Identified.
(A) Civilian
If it is a Civilian contact, than the White dot representing it will either turn Grey, representing a Neutral Contact, or will disappear from the Map.
(B) Army-Hostile
If it is determined to be a Army-Hostile Contact, than the white dot will be replaced with a Red one, and one of the Specialists will either inform the Command Unit in the back of the aircraft of this, or will radio a ground station, to inform the Nearest Brigade or Battalion Level Commander of the discovery.
© Army-Friendly
If the Contact is ascertained to be a friendly Army Unit, than the White Dot representing it will either be replaced with a Blue Dot, representing that the ground unit is from the same Country as the E-9. If the ground unit is not from the same nation as the E-9, than it will be replaced by a green dot, representing that the unit is of a different nationality, but is allied.
(D) Army-Neutral
If the contact is found to be a Army unit, but is neither allied or hostile to the E-9, than the white dot will be replaced by a Black Dot, representing that the Unit is that of a Army, but is Neutral in the conflict.
(E) Unknown/Unable to be identified
If the contact is unable to be indentified for whatever reason, whether it being because the aircrafts crew cannot get into contact with a ground unit to find out if the contact is friendly but the Army/Marine Specialists cannot be certain that the contact is enemy, the White Dot will be replaced by a Cyan Dot, representing that the unit cannot be safely identified.
Depending on what the unit is decided to be, one of multiple things will be done. If the unit is found to be a Civilian Contact, than the data will be transferred to all other E-9s, and they will automatically transform their Contact on the Wall map for this unit to a Grey dot. If it is found to be a hostile Army unit, the same thing will occur, only with a Red Dot being put in the White Dots place. If the contact is found to a friendly Army Unit, the same thing will occur, with a Blue or Green dot being put in the White Dots place. If the unit is found to be a Neutral Army Unit, the same thing will occur but with the white dot being replaced by a black dot. Finally, if it turns out to be a UTBI (Unable to be Indentified) contact, the same thing will occur, with the white dot being replaced by a Cyan Dot.
The final Sensory ability for the E-9 is a LIDAR System, which can be used for various reasons, but was intended to be used as a NBC Detection unit, able to detect a Nuclear Weapon, Chemical Agent or a Biological Agent from very long distances.
Due to the sheer size of the Airbus A380 Airframe, and the fact that it is a double deck Airliner, the top deck of the Aircraft is reserved for the Radar systems and Specialists, allowing for a very efficient work space for them to work in. The forward half of the Top deck is allocated for the Radar Screens and Radio Equipment, plus their operators, while the after half of the top deck is allocated for the 5 Specialists and their equipment, so that ground contacts can be identified with a good deal of Certainty.
On the Lower Deck, depending on what the Operator wishes to have, it can either be cargo or Passenger space, for a reserve crew or other things, or an airborne Command post. If the passenger lower deck is chosen, it is possible to put as many as 100 people in the lower deck. If the cargo arrangement is chosen, the aircraft can lift up to 6,000 square feet (1828m squared) of cargo floor space. It is possible to switch between these 2 Arrangements in about a half a hour, as the only difference between the 2 is the Removal or inclusion of 105 Seats that are merely bolted in with 4 bolts.
The last option for the lower deck is that of a Airborne Command Post. In this arrangement, the forward 1/4th of the lower deck is allocated to Beds and to a small kitchen, while both floors have bathrooms. The after 3/4ths of the Deck is than allocated to a specially designed Airborne Command Post, which can support anywhere from Regiment to Army Commanders, with a degree of ability that is only slightly worse or better than a ground post, depending on how you look at it. Having the command post aboard a E-9 allows for better battlefield awareness, as the commander would be getting immediate updates on where up to 2000 vehicles are, and, thanks to some computer programming, small stuff such as trucks, cars, and 4 wheel drive Off-road vehicles can be written off of the Commanders Digital Wall map, allowing him to see solely the larger vehicles, such as MBTs, IFVs, APCs and Artillery, or, if he is looking to disrupt enemy supply lines, he can have all of the MBTs, IFVs, APCs and Artillery pieces written off, in exchange for the trucks, cars and Off-road vehicles. The potential type of a contact is determined by the size of the Radar return, which is than analyzed by the Army/Marine Specialists, who will than Determine the type, and will have a pair of letters added next to the dot, showing what it is believed to be.
The Radios onboard the aircraft can number anywhere from 1-20 radios, though the exact type is to be determined by the operator, and installed themselves when they take delivery of the aircraft.
This Aircraft, along with others, is availiable at Pennsylvanian Aerospace Incorporated
