UAE: Intrigue Surrounds Heavily Modified Global Business Jet

[The SC]

An advanced electronics and signals intelligence-gathering (elint/sigint) derivative of
Global 6000 business jet has broken cover in the UK

An aircraft enthusiast filmed the radically modified aircraft being towed at Cambridge Airport near London on April 27 as it emerged from the hangars of maintenance, repair and overhaul company Marshall Aerospace and Defense

This is thought to be the first of two aircraft in this configuration. They arrived in Cambridge as green airframes in 2012 and worked has been quietly going on. This first aircraft is expected to act as an aerodynamic test vehicle before being kitted out at a later date.

The airplane is one of a growing number of Global Express-family aircraft that have been converted to a special-mission role, the best known of which is Britain’s fleet of five Sentinel aircraft carrying the Raytheon Airborne Stand-Off Radar reconnaissance system. The type is also the basis for the U.S. Air Force’s E-11 Battlefield Airborne Reconnaissance Node, while India operates a single Global 5000 fitted with an Israeli-developed sigint system. This new derivative spotted in Cambridge is the most radical yet.

A large canoe fairing extends back to the center of the wingbox. Behind the wing is a large antenna farm with 10-15 aerials. Further aft, under the engines, are several dielectric panels, three on either side of the aircraft, perhaps for electronic surveillance measures. The enlarged fairings feature two antennas and sensors. Two ventral fins have been added for stability, as per other special-mission variants of the aircraft, and what appear to be a pair of warning receivers have been attached to the back of the tail cone

One notable feature is a squared-off, vertically facing aperture in the center of the canoe fairing that might be a retractable sensor.

On top of the fuselage are an apparent semi-conformal satellite communications antenna and several nonstandard ones. On the port side of the fuselage, next to the engine, there appears to be a nonstandard intake, presumably for the cooling of onboard equipment

Initial analysis suggested the aircraft could be carrying a large ground surveillance radar in the canoe, but the fairing does not seem to be made from a dielectric material. Sources suggest the aircraft will be used to perform both the elint and sigint mission in the same airframe—essentially a combination of RC-135V/W Rivet Joint and RC-135U Combat Sent

While external views can be misleading taken at face value, the image appears to show a high-end platform intended for the sigint/elint role,” says Douglas Barrie, senior aerospace fellow at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. “Whether the aircraft can also carry some form of electro-optical sensor remains an open question,” he says

The two aircraft were delivered to Cambridge bearing an M (Isle of Man) registry, often used as a flag of convenience. At the time, they were registered to a Swiss company, AGT International, which in the following months assigned a large team of engineers and specialists to work on them

Subsequently, it seems that the work may have been undertaken by a second entity, possibly Spec Ops Technology, a U.S., Netherlands and United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based company with expertise in airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms. The company has not responded to queries about the project.

At the end of January, the aircraft were reassigned from the Isle of Man listing to the UAE.. It seems likely the Gulf state’s air service, which has been investing in intelligence-gathering and reconnaissance capabilities, will be the final customer

The UAE has already helped fund development of the Saab Swing-Role Surveillance System (SRSS), also based on the Global Express 6000, which will carry airborne early warning (AEW) and surface-search radars in a single platform. Possibly the UAE wants a single-platform type for special missions.

When the Global 6000 was chosen for the SRSS, it was suggested that its high-altitude performance and endurance had been key selling points. The platform’s 6,000-nm range and more than 50,000-ft. operating height will aid elint/sigint collection as well

Another clue suggesting the UAE is the customer is the aircraft’s designation, No. 1326, which does not correspond to its manufacturing serial number but is similar to UAE ISR aircraft codes. One of the UAE Air Force’s Saab 340 Erieyes AEW aircraft is No. 1331, while a Bombardier Dash-8 Q300, used for maritime patrol, is No. 1321.

A spokesman for Marshall Group said no program details could be discussed but noted the aircraft is “currently undergoing a series of ground and flight-test trials over the next few months following modification"