NAVAIR receives modified Gulfstream G550
The US Naval Air Systems Command’s (NAVAIR) Tactical Airlift Program Office (PMA-207) Commercial Modifications and Range Support team has accepted delivery of a new Gulfstream G550-derivative aircraft.
The modified Gulfstream G550 has been adapted to house specialised telemetry equipment, unique to the navy’s application. The G550 will serve as the replacement for an aging P-3 range support aircraft operated out of Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in Point Mugu, California.
The aircraft’s airborne early warning structural modifications will allow the installation of a telemetry system and additional equipment to support future missions.
Raytheon, the aircraft’s Phase II integrator, will now receive the aircraft and develop, procure and integrate systems that will give the aircraft a multi-role capability in telemetry data collection, range safety and surveillance and communications relay.
The aircraft is expected to be delivered for initial operating capability by August 2021.
More from Naval Warfare
-
Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition
Australia’s mine countermeasure capability remains in flux as the Huon-class nears retirement, but accelerated investment in autonomous systems is opening a path for industry.
-
Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.
-
How could Rheinmetall’s GMF 140 fit with ongoing programmes in North America?
With Canada committed to its River-class replacement and the USN pursuing a lower-cost frigate, Rheinmetall will need to demonstrate where the GMF 140 can fill a capability gap in the North American fleet.
-
Australian industry programme builds pipeline for Virginia-class sustainment
Australian businesses can now bid to support Virginia-class submarine sustainment in Western Australia, as momentum around the Henderson Defence Precinct also builds.
-
South Korea, Japan and Turkey vie for US shipbuilding access in future frigate contest
Washington’s search for a foreign-built frigate could hand South Korea, Japan and Turkey a larger prize than a double-hull order: a foothold inside the US shipbuilding industrial base.