AirForces Monthly – September 2019

Compass Call Gulfstream

L3 Technologies, now being rebranded

as L3 Harris Technologies, confirmed

in Paris that the first two aircraft from

a USAF requirement for ten Gulfstream

550 EC-37B Compass Call platforms

are now being built at the Gulfstream

facility in Savannah, Georgia. Compass

Call is a USAF airborne tactical

electronic attack weapon system

that disrupts enemy command and

control, communications and radars.

The new jets are set to replace the

existing fleet of EC-130H Compass

Calls serving the 41st Electronic

Combat Squadron (ECS) and 43rd

ECS at Davis-Monthan Air Force

Base, Arizona, with the first deliveries

expected in 2023, according to L3.

BAE Systems is prime contractor for the

mission system and the lead agency for

its engineering, integration and testing.

Working with L3, BAE is now transferring

the Compass Call electronic warfare

capabilities from the ageing EC-130H

to the special-mission G550 in what

it terms the ‘cross-deck’ initiative.

L3 also confirmed that airframes

for the first two Royal Australian Air

Force Gulfstream 550s are now being

modified at Savannah. AFM was told

that engineers and scientists are

working on the rigs and systems

in a laboratory at Greenville, Texas.

Once these structures are complete

the aircraft will be flown there, and

the equipment will be integrated.

development. Germany has eight

P-3Cs assigned to the navy, while

Finland operates two Do 228s

serving its border guard. In Greece,

five refurbished P-3Bs – locally

designated P-3HNs – are being

transferred from the Hellenic Air

Force to the Hellenic Navy. Ireland

has two CN235M-100Ms equipped

with the Airbus Fully Integrated

Tactical System (FITS) serving the

Irish Air Corps. Italy operates a

mix of two ATR 42-400MPs and

one ATR 42-500MP assigned to its

coast guard, two ATR 42-400MPs

and two -500MPs with the

customs police, while three of four

P-72As (ATR 72-600MP/ASW) on

order for the Italian Navy have been

delivered (C4ISR at sea, p76-79).

Norway has operated four P-3C-IIIs

since mid-1989, with two P-3Ns

following in 1990-91, but all are

set to be replaced by five P-8As

acquired in March 2017, with

deliveries expected in 2022-23.

Poland flies a mix of M28 Bryzas

serving its navy and in need

of replacement in the medium

term. Portugal has five C295

Persuaders equipped with the

Airbus FITS and five P-3C CUP+

aircraft, all serving the Portuguese

Air Force. Spain operates three

CN235-300MPA Persuaders

with its maritime rescue agency,

plus eight CN235M VIGMAs

with the air force. Finally, Turkey

has had six ATR 72-600 TMPAs

on order from Leonardo for the

Turkish Navy since 2005, but the

programme has been dogged by

integration issues; currently, three

CN235M-100MSA aircraft serve

with the coast guard, while the

navy flies six CN235M-100MPAs.

SIGINT

The RAF operates three RC-135

Rivet Joint intelligence-gathering

aircraft, via No 51 Squadron at

RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire –

the future home of the E-7s. The

Rivet Joint focuses on the collation

of signals intelligence (SIGINT) –

picking up the electronic (ELINT)

and communications intelligence

(COMINT) traffic from possible

enemy threats. These can include

mobile phones, computers and

the radar signals of surface-to-

air missiles. Detractors point

out that the Rivet Joints were

very old platforms when they

were delivered, but as an L3

Technologies spokesman told AFM,

one example is overhauled every

three years, which includes an

upgrade of their onboard systems.

Otherwise, there’s a surprising

shortage of SIGINT platforms

serving European countries,

and there is no joint NATO force

comparable to the NATO Airborne

Early Warning & Control Force.

Other countries with assets in

this class include Finland (one

C295M, although Sweden has

recently offered two GlobalEyes),

France (two C-160G Gabriels),

Italy (two Gulfstream E-550As)

and Sweden (two Gulfstream

S 102B Korpen aircraft).

The UK’s ISTAR Force also

includes four Sentinel R1 ASTOR

(Airborne Stand-Off Radar)

aircraft, which were notably

successful in tracking the forward

edge of the battlefield during

the 2011 intervention in Libya.

The future of these aircraft is

less certain, the proposed out-

of-service date most recently

having been extended to 2021.

Civilian conversions

at Paris

While the UK opts for bespoke

ISTAR platforms, customised

special mission aircraft are

now playing a bigger part than

ever in support of the military.

At this year’s Paris Air Show,

Luxembourg-based CAE Aviation

An artist’s impression of the EC-37B in USAF service, together

with the aircraft that it’s replacing – the EC-130H Compass Call.

Around 70% of the systems used on the EC-130H will be retained

on the EC-37B, according to BAE Systems offi cials. BAE Systems

Above: An impressive line-up of E-7A Wedgetails from the Royal Australian Air

Force’s No 2 Squadron on the tarmac at RAAF Base Williamtown in July. The

Wedgetails’ almost constant support to Australian Defence Force activities

around the globe means it’s rare for all six aircraft to be together at their

Williamtown home base. CPL Craig Barrett/Commonwealth of Australia, Department

of Defence

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #378 September 2019 // 33

Airforces

Intelligence

‘In association with ....’

airforcesintel.com

30-34 Intel AFM Sep2019.indd 33 8/5/2019 9:39:32 AM