IAI ELTA to offer Eitam G-550 CAEWS to Indian Navy

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has send its Gulf stream G-550-based conformal airborne early warning and control (CAEW) system (Eitam G-550) to the Aero India 2009 expo in Bangalore as part of its bid to promote the CAEWS to the Indian navy for its requirement of land based AEW&C. Indian air force have purchased Ilyushin Il-76 based Phalcon AEW&C. Request for proposals is expected in next few years. Other competitors for the deal are Northrop Grumman E-2D Hawkeye, Ilyushin Il-76 Phalcon AEW&C, Indian DRDO EMB-145 AEW&C and Wedgetail AEW&C which is based on Boeing 737 like P-8I which were ordered by Indian navy recently.

CAEWS has been ordered by Israel and Singapore, with the first Israeli platform being delivered in February 2008 and the second following in May 2008. Singapore has ordered four such platforms that will be delivered through to 2010.

Eitam G-550 CAEWS with large arrays on the fuselage sides and uses small array at the nose and tail which operates in operates respectively in L and S bands (1GHz to 2GHz and 2GHz to 4GHz). Together, these give 360° airspace coverage without drag of a rotodome above the fuselage. Each CAEWS carries six operators with Windows-based, operator stations with 24in color monitors that are installed in the rear half of the main cabin and also has ESM antennae under the tail and wingtips, and above the nose, with a SATCOM array atop the vertical tail.

The Gulfstream G550 introduces advanced aerodynamic improvements over GV business jet with a 250 nautical miles increase in range. G550 is powered by two Rolls Royce BR710 turbofan engines rated at 15,385-lb of thrust. Taking off from New York (USA) the G550 jet spends 14 and half hours to Tokyo (Japan) flying at an altitude of 51,000-ft (15,000+ meters) high above commercial traffic, weather and adverse wind.

On August 28, 2003, the Israeli Ministry of Defense and Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation signed an accord with a potential value of $473 million for the purchase of four Gulfstream G550 business jet and two additional aircraft as option. The contract also included logistics support for 10 years at $18 million and additional 10 years at $26 million as option. These aircraft will be the first military application of G550 intended for Compact Airborne Early Warning (CAEW) by the Israeli Air Force.

Compared to the original G550, the CAEW redesigned aircraft has an increased zero-fuel weight, a modified structure, additional cabling, three (instead of one) power generators and a liquid cooling system to accommodate the mission equipment. One particular specification is the aircraft's low drag aerodynamic profile.

June 2005, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) ordered a new Compact Airborne Early Warning & Control (CAEW&C) aircraft based on the Gulfstream 550 which are developed by IAI's Elta Systems Group. The new platform, called the G-550 CAEW&C, includes phased array radar, phased array IFF, Signal Intelligence (SIGINT), and a communications system. The communications system includes a data-link and satellite communication (SATCOM) system for secure high-speed connectivity with ground stations. The G550 CAEW&C aircraft was designed to operate in network-centric environment.

The Israel Air Force G550 CAEW aircraft is the third generation of Airborne Early Warning and Control systems developed by Elta since mid-80s. Elta is a leader in radar and AEW&C technology and an international pioneer in the development and deployment of AEW&C utilizing state of art phased-phased array technology.

Posted in: AWACS,India,israel