Photo: BAE Systems
In the world of business jets, the name Gulfstream G550 speaks volumes. Introduced in 2004, hence a relative newcomer to aviation, the plane is so successful it recently marked an important milestone: one million landings.
The number applies to the worldwide fleet of G550s, of which some 600 of them are still in operation at the hands of various operators around the world. I say still because officially Gulfstream pulled the plug on the plane about two years ago and no longer makes new ones.
It's unclear whether the achievement announced by the aviation company includes the military-spec versions of the plane, because yes, the G550 is used for military ops as well. Or, more precisely, it soon will, as it's scheduled to replace the aging EC-130H Compass Call as one of the U.S. Air Force's electromagnetic attack (EA) platforms.
The EC-130H is based on the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, and it has been around since the early 1980s. Together with the Boeing EA-18G Growler and F-16CJ Fighting Falcon it formed the backbone of electronic warfare for the U.S. ever since.
The USAF is presently in the process of phasing the plane out, and its replacement will be the Gulfstream G550. Or, a version of it converted to look anything other than a VIP jet, and packing some serious hardware.
It's unlikely the plane will be significantly different from its civilian counterparts when it comes to engines and performance. In the standard configuration, it is powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce BR710 engines that develop 15,385 lbf of thrust each.
The plane can travel at subsonic speeds of 614 mph (988 kph), and can keep going for as much as 12,500 km (7,700 miles).
For use as an EA platform, the G550 is being converted by BAE Systems and L3Harris Technologies with the inclusion of something called the Compass Call Airborne Electromagnetic Attack mission system.
That's a collection of hardware and capabilities that can be used to disrupt "enemy communications, radars and navigation systems, and suppresses enemy air defenses by preventing the transmission of essential information between adversaries, weapon systems and command-and-control networks." What exactly that means and how it's done is, of course, a secret.
BAE Systems announced this week that the first Gulfstream G550 packing the Compass Call Airborne Electromagnetic Attack system was delivered to the USAF for testing. In this modified form the aircraft will be known as the EC-37B Compass Call.
The plane will be followed in the coming years by nine others in the same configuration, but an exact timeline for the exit of the EC-130H and its replacement with the EC-37B is not known (most likely the shift will begin around 2025)
The estimated cost of all ten of these babies is $1.45 billion.
It's unclear whether the achievement announced by the aviation company includes the military-spec versions of the plane, because yes, the G550 is used for military ops as well. Or, more precisely, it soon will, as it's scheduled to replace the aging EC-130H Compass Call as one of the U.S. Air Force's electromagnetic attack (EA) platforms.
The EC-130H is based on the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, and it has been around since the early 1980s. Together with the Boeing EA-18G Growler and F-16CJ Fighting Falcon it formed the backbone of electronic warfare for the U.S. ever since.
The USAF is presently in the process of phasing the plane out, and its replacement will be the Gulfstream G550. Or, a version of it converted to look anything other than a VIP jet, and packing some serious hardware.
It's unlikely the plane will be significantly different from its civilian counterparts when it comes to engines and performance. In the standard configuration, it is powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce BR710 engines that develop 15,385 lbf of thrust each.
The plane can travel at subsonic speeds of 614 mph (988 kph), and can keep going for as much as 12,500 km (7,700 miles).
For use as an EA platform, the G550 is being converted by BAE Systems and L3Harris Technologies with the inclusion of something called the Compass Call Airborne Electromagnetic Attack mission system.
That's a collection of hardware and capabilities that can be used to disrupt "enemy communications, radars and navigation systems, and suppresses enemy air defenses by preventing the transmission of essential information between adversaries, weapon systems and command-and-control networks." What exactly that means and how it's done is, of course, a secret.
BAE Systems announced this week that the first Gulfstream G550 packing the Compass Call Airborne Electromagnetic Attack system was delivered to the USAF for testing. In this modified form the aircraft will be known as the EC-37B Compass Call.
The plane will be followed in the coming years by nine others in the same configuration, but an exact timeline for the exit of the EC-130H and its replacement with the EC-37B is not known (most likely the shift will begin around 2025)
The estimated cost of all ten of these babies is $1.45 billion.
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