The first of the Royal Australian Air Force’s Gulfstream/L3Harris MC-55A Peregrine Electronic Support aircraft has arrived at L3Harris’ facility at Greenville, Texas to be equipped with its mission systems. Built in 2016, the business jet was extensively modified by Gulfstream at its Savannah, Georgia factory with the addition of various apertures and antennas it will require for its future military role. The other three aircraft were built prior to 2020, and are undergoing their external modifications also at Savannah.
After an initial flight test campaign – where the handling qualities are assessed and declared as safe – the aircraft was ferried to Greenville in late May, with the others expected to follow at regular intervals.
The heavily-missionised MC-55A is based on Gulfstream’s popular G550 platform, more than 600 of which were produced between 2003 and 2021. The Gulfstream family of business jets, in particular the GV and G550, have become popular with military operators due to their long range, large cabin and a ready availability of commercial off-the-shelf spares and sustainment support.
But one of the key performance characteristics that make these aircraft so attractive for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions is their ability to fly at altitudes of 50,000 feet at speeds of Mach .90 or faster. This is not only well above commercial air traffic and weather, but it also provides a much greater horizon and field of regard for the aircraft’s various electronic and optical sensors, thus allowing a larger area to be surveyed in a single mission.
There are several other missionised versions of the G550, including C-37B VIP transport jets used by senior US military commanders; the C-550/E550 conformal airborne early warning (CAEW) aircraft operated by Singapore, Italy, and Israel; the new NC-37B range-control aircraft operated by the US Navy; and the EC-37B Compass Call II electronic warfare aircraft currently under development for the US Air Force. Italy has also announced it intends to acquire an electronic support version of the G550 with capabilities reportedly similar to those of the MC-55A.
This is an excerpt from APDR. To read the full story, click here.
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