US Army finalizes $554 million deal for intel-gathering planes

News, US November 17, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

The U.S. Army has finalized a $554 million deal with Sierra Nevada Corporation, a U.S.-based aerospace national security contractor, to develop and produce intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft.

The deal has been finalized under the U.S. Army’s Theater Level High Altitude Expeditionary Next Airborne ISR-Signals Intelligence or ATHENA-S project, Sierra Nevada’s RAPCON-X would convert Bombardier business jets into intel-gathering planes. The company announced in a statement that each aircraft would go through a complete overhaul to enhance its aerial spying and targeting capabilities.

The multi-year contract, initially teased last month at the Association of the U.S. Army convention in Washington, is worth $554 million. Sierra Nevada spent millions of its own dollars refining its aircraft, which is capable of curing in on electronic transmissions and collecting target signatures on the ground.

To ensure readiness to meet the Army’s deadline, Sierra Nevada took possession of two Bombardier Global 6500 BizJet planes in 2022, which provided an edge to the company in making the aircraft operational by the third quarter of 2024. In a recent statement, the company said that the planes have been undergoing engineering integration for more than 20 months through Sierra Nevada’s internal investment channels.

“This award is the direct result of SNC’s commitment to putting ‘skin in the game’ and staying one step ahead by anticipating challenges and innovating solutions years in advance,” Tim Owings executive vice president for mission solutions and technologies, said in a statement. “Our born-digital design process and engineering techniques place RAPCON-X among the most capable and rapidly configurable A-ISR platforms worldwide,” Owings added.

RAPCON-X ISR aircraft — *^{Sierra Nevada Corporation RAPCON-X intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft. (Image Credit: SNC)}*

The U.S. Army is revamping its aerial reconnaissance and electronic warfare arsenals. It is moving away from Cold War-era planes and their limitations and toward a future where battlefield insights are gleaned from a dramatic distance, with long-reaching firepower to match.

The Army pays particular attention to monitoring targets from farther away and with finer precision. The large-scale ISR investments come as the U.S. Department of Defense prepares for a potential conflict with Russia and China.

Bombardier Global Jets

Sierra Nevada is not the first defense firm to utilize Bombardier’s business jets as the airframe for its ISR planes. Saab’s GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft is also based on the Bombardier Global 6000. It is equipped with Swedish-made Saab Erieye Extended Range Radar which has a range of more than 550 kilometers. Bombardier’s Global Series business jets are significantly smaller in size compared to the Boeing 737-700 series aircraft, which are the basic airframe for the U.S.’s E-7 AEW&C

Swedish and Finnish air forces are the two most prominent users of the GlobalEye surveillance jets in Europe while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the only country outside Europe to operate the aircraft. UAE currently operates three of these AEW&C aircraft while two additional units are scheduled to be delivered by 2025.

*^{Sweden ordered Saab GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft based on the Bombardier Global 6500. (Image Credit: Chad Slattery/Saab)}*

Bombardier Global jets series has a range of 6,000 nautical miles with an operating altitude range of 45,000 feet. The plane has a sharp, sloping nosecone assembly that provides extended circular vision outside of the cockpit.

Key physical features of the planes also include ventral fuselage design and T-style tail arrangement. The engines are mounted at the rear of the plane. The plane is powered by two BMW-Rolls-Royce BR710 turbofan engines.