Investigation Reveals Secret NATO Client for Israeli Spy Planes
An investigation into publicly available ministry documents
by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz disclosed what Israel Aerospace Industries
(IAI) wanted to keep a secret: the Italian defense ministry contracted the
company to purchase two conformal airborne early warning and control (CAEW)
aircraft for $550 million.
In late July, IAI announced a $200-million CAEW sale to a
European NATO country without revealing the customer’s identity.
The firm also withheld the client’s name two years earlier
when announcing a $350-million sale of the aircraft.
It’s now been revealed that the Italian Air Force is
acquiring the planes as part of a multi-stage procurement program to replace
its fleet of special mission aircraft and reinforce its aerial intelligence
fleet based at the 14th air wing near Rome, Haaretz wrote.
The first phase of the program is expected to run until
2032, while the aircraft are expected to remain in service until at least 2040,
possibly until 2056.
10-Year Support, Maintenance Deal
Documents accessed revealed a 10-year deal signed in May
2020 “for the purchase of support and logistical services from Elta (IAI’s
subsidiary) for the ground station associated with the spy plane fleet and for
their maintenance.”
The latest deal takes the number of special mission aircraft
IAI will have supplied to Italy to four, with two already in service.
IAI supplied the first two early-warning aircraft to Rome
under a contract signed in 2011, Haaretz wrote.
Italy’s Procurement Plan
A total of eight Gulf Stream jets are to be procured (in
addition to the two already in service) and gradually converted for various
special missions, according to an Italian Defense Ministry plan approved by
Parliament in 2021.
Citing The Aviationist, the Israeli newspaper
added that Rome would buy six more aircraft frames after the recent Elta deal
and have them converted into special mission planes by US firms such as
L3Harris Technologies.
The Italian government wants one early warning aircraft in
the air at all times, which would require a fleet of four such aircraft, the
outlet reported, citing the government plan. Italy plans to purchase up to two
aircraft each for aerial defense and signals intelligence.
Business Jet Outfitted With Military Systems
Elta Systems Ltd. develops four types of special mission
aircraft to perform air-to-ground surveillance; maritime patrol; signals
intelligence, early warning, and air control.
The aircraft are modified business jets outfitted with military
systems, including advanced radar, sensors, and intelligence-gathering systems.
The CAEW plane Italy has bought is based on a modified
Gulfstream G550 business jet airframe.
The aircraft is equipped with AESA radar, Identification, a
Friend or Foe system, signals intelligence, and communication systems for air
and maritime situational awareness.
According to Air Force Technology, the aircraft “provides
rapid target acquisition and target information with total 360° coverage…by
using the placement of a number of conformal antennae combined with dynamic
beam allocation to the targets.”
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