vertical tail with a large top fairing. Powered
by two 14,750lb/st BMW Rolls-Royce
BR710-48 turbofans, it provided ultra-long
6,500nm (12,038km) range, which was 54%
more than the Gulfstream IV. Gulfstream
made the rst ight of N501GV (c/n 501) on
November 28, 1995 with certi cation and
rst deliveries following on April 11, 1997.
Three years later, the aircraft was upgraded
as the GV-SP, which had the main entry
door moved forward giving a larger interior
cabin with an extra window on each side.
This model was renamed as the G550
and it remains in production today. Range
was increased to 6,750nm (12,501km) and
Gulfstream also offered a shorter-range
G500 version, but this never attracted any
customers. The G550 had improved systems
which progressively included a PlaneView
cockpit with a Honeywell glass ight deck and
Enhanced Vision System (EVS). The 550th
example of the highly successful G550 was
delivered in July this year.SPECIAL MISSIONS
Gulfstream Aerospace claims that nearly
200 aircraft are operating on special
missions with 37 countries. There is a wide
variety of applications including signals
intelligence, airborne early warning, search
and rescue and medical evacuation, navaid
checking, sheries and coastal patrol and
priority personnel and cargo tasks.The company’s rst order from the US
military involved the Gulfstream I for the
US Navy which were used as trainers. As
mentioned the GIII/C-20 went on to establish
Gulfstreams as the general utility and VIP
transport of choice for the US Government,
replacing existing C-140B Jetstars and, to
some extent, T-39 Sabreliners. As each
new model came along, orders were placed
for the new version and the C-20G was
purchased as a derivative of the GIV for the
US Navy. It was tted with a large starboard
side forward cargo door, facilities for pallet
loading and handling and high-density
seating for up to 26 passengers – or lower-
density VIP seating.
Additionally, Gulfstreams are used by
other US Government agencies. NASA
employed a pair of GIIs (c/n 146 and 147)
as Shuttle Training Aircraft (STAs), modi ed
to replicate the Space Shuttle’s handling
qualities and approach pro le during
re-entry. They also had a GII research
test aircraft tted with a large nacelle on
the port wing for its Transonic Ultra-High
Bypass Propulsion propfan programme. The
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) used a GIVSP as aplatform for its research into the behaviour
of hurricanes and tornadoes. In Germany,
another G550 (D-ADLR c/n 5093) is used
by the German Aerospace Center (DLR)
for high-altitude and long-range research
exploring the atmosphere. The C-37A is a
military version of the GV and later aircraft
are C-37Bs based on the G550. Currently,
the USAF operates 15 C-37s, the US Navy
and Marine Corps have four and two are in
service with the US Coast Guard.
In 1984, Gulfstream developed the SRA-I
special missions demonstrator, based
on the GIII and this led on to the SRA-IV,
which used the GIV airframe and attracted
the attention of several air forces. The rst
order was from the Swedish Air Force which
acquired two specialised signals intelligence
platforms that received the designation
and name S.102B Korpen. They featured
a recon gured nose, belly-mounted SLAR
(side-looking airborne radar) pod and a
modi ed tail with a ventral n. Two GVs
were delivered to the Japanese Coast Guard
for ocean patrol with a belly radome tted
with a FLIR (forward-looking infrared) system
linked to the aircraft’s search radar.
The G550 has become the platform for
advanced surveillance and intelligence
missions with the air forces of Singapore,
Israel and Italy. In 2005, a SIGINT G550
was introduced by Israel. The Shavit is
equipped with an Israel Aircraft Industries’http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 61Over 40 Gulfstream jets have been acquired by the US military. The US Navy
C-20G is based on the GIV, which features a large cargo door. Key CollectionIsrael chose the G550 for its airborne early
warning aircraft named Eitam (foreground)
and the Shavit electronic intelligence
gathering platform. Photo courtesy of
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.58-63_gulfstreamDC.mfDC.mfDC.indd 61 04/08/2017 14:15