The Gulfstream G550 series of business jets has proven itself a popular and capable airframe in more ways than one with some 550 aircraft built to date (2018). In the middle of the last decade, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) teamed up with Elta Electronics Industries (EEI) to modify this same jet to serve the AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning & Control) role for the Israeli Air Force (IAF). The work involved outfitting the existing aircraft with the Elta EL/W-2085 "Eltam" dual-band sensor radar suite as well as installing its applicable control stations, sensors and systems to produce the IAI EL/W-2085. The dorsal fin saw a series of antenna and sensors fitted and a bulging pod was added to the top of the vertical tail fin. Perhaps the most noticeable change was the slab-sided structures to the fuselage which are used to house the radomes in conformal installations.
The EL/W-2085 series aircraft entered service with the IAF in April of 2012 and are used to provide combat warplanes with real-time information on the current battlescape. These aircraft succeeded the aging (and expensive) Boeing Model 707s equipped (with EL/M-2075 series radr) for the same AEW&C role. The aircraft also serves the Singapore Air Force. Upcoming operators of the EL/W-2085 system include Australia, Italy and the United States.
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Specifications
Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) - Israel / Gulfstream Aircraft - USA Manufacturer(s)
Australia (planned); Israel; Italy (planned); Singapore; United States (planned) Operators
SPECIAL-MISSION: AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING
Specially-equipped platform providing over-battlefield Command and Control (C2) capability for allied aerial elements.
SPECIAL-MISSION: ELETRONIC WARFARE
Equipped to actively deny adversaries the ElectroMagnetic (EM) spectrum and protect said spectrum for allied forces.
96.8 ft (29.50 meters) Length
93.5 ft (28.50 meters) Width/Span
25.9 ft (7.90 meters) Height
48,502 lb (22,000 kilograms) Empty Weight
91,492 lb (41,500 kilograms) Maximum Take-Off Weight
+42,990 lb (+19,500 kg) Weight Difference
2 x Rolls-Royce BR710 turbofan engines developing 15,383lb of thrust each. Propulsion
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