Conductor of the orchestra

Information concerning the new ISREW capability remains scant, but it seems probable the aircraft are being acquired to complement and eventually at least partially replace the electronic intelligence (ELINT) capabilities of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) AP-3C Orion, which in its maritime surveillance role is set to be replaced by the Boeing P-8A Poseidon and the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system.

It is understood that the G550 fleet is being acquired for the RAAF under a project that seems to have been variously referred to as AIR 555 Phase 1 G550 Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare (ISREW) and AIR 555 Phase 1 AP-3C Replacement Electronic Warfare, and which might be known as DEF 555.

“The [Australian] government entered into a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) arrangement through the United States Air Force for the procurement of two Gulfstream G550 aircraft,” a spokesperson for Defence told sister publication Australian Aviation on January 7 in a statement.

“The aircraft will be modified to provide an airborne intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and electronic warfare (ISREW) capability to support ADF operations for Australia. Further details on the capability will be provided in the Integrated Investment Program due for release this year with the Defence White Paper.

“The acquisition was undertaken through Foreign Military Sales because the ISREW program, and its interoperability with other Defence capabilities, is only available through the USAF.”

Minister for Defence Senator Marise Payne has explained that the Integrated Investment Program is the project guidance document that is intended to bring together all Defence capability-related investments in major equipment, infrastructure, information and communication technology, and personnel over the next decade. The Defence White Paper is expected to be released in the first quarter of this year.

Emerging capability

Defence told Australian Defence Business Review on January 14 that the US$93.6 million contract includes the purchase of two “standard” G550 aircraft and the cost of maintenance work until 2017, with the price for the conversion still to be determined.

Gulfstream Aerospace, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, declined an opportunity to comment on the Australian procurement, citing confidentiality agreements the company said it signs with customers and potential customers alike.

The G550 aircraft will be based at RAAF Base Edinburgh north of Adelaide, Defence confirmed on January 28, and will be operated within the RAAF’s Surveillance and Response Group (SRG), which has responsibility for developing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and electronic warfare (EW) capabilities, among other tasks.

Intriguingly, these initial two ISREW business jets might not represent the full story, given that a spokesperson for Defence told Australian Defence Business Review that the “final” fleet size would be specified in the Integrated Investment Program.

The original announcement from the US DoD gave little away. “L-3 Communications Mission Integration, Greenville, Texas, has been awarded a US$93,632,287 firm fixed price undefinitized contract action task order for [Australian] government G550 aircraft procurement and maintenance,” the notice stated. “Work will be performed at Greenville, Texas, and is expected to be complete by November 30, 2017.”

The US DoD noted that contracting authority is being delegated to the 645th Aeronautical Systems Group (645 AESG or ‘Big Safari’) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

The involvement of L-3 and Big Safari in upgrading USAF manned reconnaissance systems might provide a clue as to what the modification work entails, in light of the Defence spokesperson’s insistence that access to the ISREW program is only available through the USAF.

The RC-135V/W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft; RC-135S Cobra Ball, which collects optical and electronic data on ballistic targets; and the RC-135U Combat Sent, which provides strategic electronic reconnaissance information, are all maintained and kept technologically relevant through an incremental upgrade strategy, with quick-reaction capability developments acquired through Big Safari.

And it plays a similar role with regard to the EC-130H Compass Call, which is intended for EW, suppression of enemy air defences and offensive counter-information tasks.

According to its website, L-3 Mission Integration’s expertise spans the design, development and integration of advanced avionics, special-purpose airborne systems, and aircraft maintenance and modernisation for government and military customers around the world.

Its core business is said to include the integration of special-mission EW and intelligence-gathering systems; depot-level overhaul and maintenance; and installation, upgrade and certification work for complete government or military aircraft. Mission Integration also produces and assembles major aerostructures, aircraft self-protection systems, and advanced antennas and sensors for ISR applications.

L-3 Communications also declined to comment when approached by Australian Defence Business Review.

Special mission

As for the aircraft itself, the G550 from Gulfstream Aerospace is perhaps better known as a business jet with a maximum range of 6,750nm at Mach 0.8 that can carry up to 19 passengers, but nearly 200 Gulfstream aircraft operate in 37 countries in support of government and military special missions.

The Israeli Air Force operates three Special Electronic Mission Aircraft (SEMA) for ISR missions that feature an integrated signals intelligence (SIGINT) system provided by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and two Conformal Airborne Early Warning & Control (CAEW) aircraft that include the ELW-2085 system from IAI subsidiary ELTA Systems installed in the Gulfstream G550.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force operates four Gulfstream-based CAEW aircraft, and IAI is supplying two G550 CAEW aircraft, ground support systems and a logistical support package for the Italian air force.

In the US, the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) stated in October 2014 that it intended to award a contract to Gulfstream on an other than full and open competitive basis for the procurement of a G550 with CAEW structural modifications for delivery no later than the fourth quarter of FY2017.

The Gulfstream G550 CAEW was said to be the only known aircraft that would satisfy the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division’s sea range support requirements without significant engineering, development, modification, test and certification effort.

And separately, Northrop Grumman stated in June 2015 that it is working with Gulfstream and L-3 as it pursues the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System recapitalisation program that will see the USAF’s E-8C Joint STARS airborne battle management, command-and-control and ISR platform being replaced. Boeing and Lockheed Martin have each also been awarded funding for pre-engineering and manufacturing development efforts under this program.

Back in Australia, Defence has emphasised the importance of interoperability with other capabilities, and how this can only be achieved through collaboration with the US, but it is not clear what this might mean.

Perhaps it is a reference to the G550 fleet working closely with the E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control platform, as well as Poseidon and Triton; perhaps this refers to interoperability with existing ELINT capabilities.

It will be fascinating to see what further details emerge about the new ISREW capability in the coming weeks and months, following the release of the Integrated Investment Program, and to see whether any links to current or future USAF programs become evident.