What was E-Systems doing on KC-135s for Iran?

[Kiltonge]

Flight, December 1979:

E-Systems sues Iranian Government
...
The claims relate to a 1977 contract to modify two Boeing KC-135 aircraft
for installation of communication and navigation equipment.
...
No work is now being performed on the aircraft other than that required to
preserve it from deterioration.

The value of the contract, originally set at $28 million, had escalated to about
$35 million by the time of default.

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1979/1979%20-%204616.html

Sounds a little like the work that was performed to create '135Qs. Possibly linked to the proposed sale of F-12s to Iran? Alternatively, E-Systems did a lot of work on the RC- variants for the USAF... No,much too expensive for something so simple.

Aside: It seems that Iran had 10 'standard' KC-135s on order, despite numerous publications over the years stating that they had been denied export permission. The order dates prior to 1975. It's difficult to pick this apart from the order for 12 707 transport / tankers. Did the latter succeed the former?

 

[Kiltonge]

E-Systems, Inc. v. Islamic Repub. of Iran, 491 F. Supp. 1294 (N.D. Tex. 1980) (failure to pay for modification, repair, and improvement of two aircraft);

This lawsuit arises out of a contract struck on December 23, 1973, between an American manufacturer and the Imperial Iranian Government Ministry of War. E-Systems agreed to modify, repair, and improve two aircraft owned by Iran.

http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=13510596564509676277&q=E-Systems,+Inc.+v.+Islamic+Repub.+of+Iran,&hl=en&as_sdt=2006&as_vis=1

Very curious; assuming they were indeed KC-135s, Iran actually owned them. If only there weren't > 700 airframe histories to check to identify them!

 

[Kiltonge]

At least one IIRAF 707 was converted to ELINT under Project Ibex, but that was back in 1975 and it was delivered. Perhaps this was a supplementary pair that someone mis-identified as KC-135s?

 

[Eagle2009]

ALCON,


Per Project Ibex between the IIAF and E-Systems, at least two Boeing 707s and C-130E/Hs were fitted with ELINT-type equipment (the C-130s were then renamed "RC-130H"), which were used to spy on Soviet electronic activity along the Iran-Soviet border regions. It is generally believed the 707s were modified by E-Systems starting in 1975 and were functional (along with ground-based ELINT sites operated in-conjunction with the NSA) for several years before the Revolution.


The Boeing 707s are distinguishable by large box-like structures at the point where the wing means the fuselage. These aircraft of the same variant of the dedicated tankers/cargo aircraft already imported (12-14 total airframes), and it is generally believed the two Ibex aircraft were taken from this original fleet.


The "RC-130s" are a bit more difficult to identify but can be distinguished by the presence of a small dome on the underside of the aircraft just forward of the main landing gear.


Of these aircraft, both Boeing 707s can be positively identified today as still flying and at least one RC-130 can also be identified. Whether any of these aircraft still operate as ELINT aircraft is unknown.