JointSTARS and GMTI: past, present and future

The concept of airborne surveillance of enemy ground forces with a Ground Moving Target Indicator [now called GMTI] radar capable of detecting moving ground vehicles and helicopters was proposed in 1968 and resulted in a DoD program to realize its potential. This article traces the program history starting with the Army´s Stand Off Target Acquisition System [SOTAS] as it evolved through the Small Aerostat Surveillance System [SASS] and the Assault Breaker/Pave Mover programs into the currently fielded Joint Surveillance and Target Attack System [JointSTARS], which, in prototype form, more than proved its worth in the 1991 Gulf War. New developments and trends in GMTI radars are also discussed together with other potential platforms