The Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) is an airborne platform equipped with a long-range, air-to-ground surveillance system designed to locate, classify and track ground targets in all weather conditions. Its capabilities make Joint STARS effective for dealing with any contingency, whether actual or impending military aggression, international treaty verification or border violation. Joint STARS consists of an airborne platform - an E-8C aircraft with a multi-mode radar system and U.S. Army mobile ground station modules. The E-8C, a modified Boeing 707, carries a phased-array radar antenna in a 26-foot canoe-shaped radome under the forward part of the fuselage. The radar is capable of providing targeting and battle management data to all Joint STARS operators, both in the aircraft and in the ground station modules. These operators, in turn, can call on aircraft, missiles or artillery for fire support.