Boeing says its subcontractor EADS has started a series of system enhancements on the first of 17 NATO AWACS aircraft. The upgrades are part of a $1.32 billion mid-term modernization program. (The US Air Force AWACS E-3 aircraft already are undergoing a similar upgrade. DR 9/14/05). EADS is working on the NATO birds in Manching, Germany. Boeing says the first aircraft should be done by November, with the entire fleet completed in 2008.
Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, nominee to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Defense Department needs to upgrade its electronic warfare capability and its EW training ranges; just as his predecessor said at his own confirmation hearing.