File:Georgia Guard senior leader receives brief on Boeing’s Airborne Ground Surveillance program (6103445817).jpg

CLAY NATIONAL GUARD CENTER, Marietta, Ga., Aug. 12, 2011 – “Buy capability, not development” was a key message delivered to Maj. Gen. William T. Nesbitt, Georgia’s Adjutant General, during his recent visit to Puget Sound, Wash., to learn more about The Boeing Company’s P-8 Airborne Ground Surveillance (AGS) platform.

Boeing is proposing the P-8 AGS to the U.S. Air Force as it conducts an analysis of alternatives on how to modernize its fleet of 17 aging, Joint STARS 707 surveillance aircraft. Right now, those aircraft – designated as the E-8C by the Air Force – are flown by the Georgia Air Guard’s Warner Robins-based 116th Air Control Wing.

As head of the Georgia National Guard, Nesbitt oversees the units activities as it operate and supports the Joint STARS program.

Highlights of the tour included a visit to the P-8A production line in Renton, the P-8 Mission System Installation and Checkout facility in Seattle, and the Multi-intelligence Operational Lab Environment in Kent.

Jim Eisenhart, Boeing’s senior manager for business development for surveillance and engagement, said the P-8 AGS leverages the Department of Defense’s six-billion-dollar investment in the U.S. Navy’s P-8A Poseidon program, and it provides a more capable, affordable and reliable system based on the Boeing family of 737 military derivative products. He also says it aligns with the Pentagon’s acquisition reform initiatives.

“P-8 AGS could save taxpayers $500 million-a-year in operating and sustainment costs, which translates to $20 billion in savings over the life of the program,” Eisenhart said.

He adds that modernizing today’s fleet of 707s could cost anywhere between $10 billion to $15 billion, and that price does not include new aircraft. He says the AGS, on the other hand, based on a next-generation 737, would cost around $5.5 billion.

Story by David A. Sloan Photo by Marian Lockhart Communications Department