Italian air force g550 caew n554ga 14-12 dep shannon
29/6/16 - by FQ350BB (brian buckley)
Italy’s second Gulfstream early warning
aircraft takes flight
By: Tom Kington
ROME — The Italian Air Force has started operational
flights using one of two Gulfstream G550 conformal airborne early warning
aircraft purchased from Israel, according to Italian defense sources.
Delivered in December 2017, this G550 aircraft is now
flying from Pratica di Mare Air Base, south of Rome, alongside its counterpart,
which was delivered in December 2016.
The G550 delivered in 2016 has flown in exercises
alongside Italian F-35s, M-346 trainer jets and Eurofighters, and it has also
used its air-to-air radar and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
capabilities in operations believed to have taken place in international waters
near to Italy.
The two aircraft were ordered from Israel Aerospace
Industries in 2012 as part of a swap deal under which Israel purchased 30 M-346
trainers from Italian firm Leonardo.
Under the deal, Italy also acquired a high-resolution
optical military satellite for Earth observation called OpSat-3000, built by
IAI/MBT Space Division.
Israel already operates its own Gulfstream early warning
aircraft, which offer a capability that Italian Air Force generals have long
coveted. In 2011, during air operations over Libya, Italy was frustrated by its
own reliance on NATO early warning assets.
The new aircraft offer L- and S-band antennas, satellite
links, 10-hour endurance, a 12,000-kilometer range, and a speed of 0.88 Mach.
The Italian Ministry of Defence currently flies a leased
King Air aircraft from Italian islands in the Mediterranean, which provides
signals intelligence capabilities. The U.S. also recently flew the aircraft
type in the area to intercept signals in North Africa.
The Italian-leased King Air has replaced a Gulfstream III
SIGINT leased from Lockheed Martin, which was acquired following the retirement
of Italy’s G222 SIGINT aircraft.
Original post: defensenews.com
Related articles:
Gulfstream G-550 AEW: HERE
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