ASTOR makes operational debut

The RAF's Airborne Standoff Radar (ASTOR) has made it's operational debut in Afghanistan after a 2 year delay. This is the UK's counterpart to the US' JSTARS and will support ground operations with it's synthetic aperture radar and ground moving target indication sensor. The 2 Sentinel R1s plus ground sites entered operational service today. The RAF has 2 other Sentinels with a 5th due to be handed over by Raytheon before the end of the year (which is close!) The system was supposed to enter service in November 2006 but has suffered a number of delays as is common with all MOD projects.