© Gulfstream
Israel already has military versions of the G550 - the CAEW and SEMA
Posted on 11/20/2006 7:12:57 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
IAI and Gulfstream study tanker version of G550 By Arie Egozi Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and Gulfstream are developing an air-to-air refuelling concept based on the G550 business jet.
The idea is to offer a small, agile tanker that would improve the flexibility of aerial refuelling operations. According to IAI, the G550 would be able to carry 25,000kg (55,000lb) of fuel.
If needed, full-size tankers would be able to refuel a G550 tanker to extend its mission. IAI says it is studying the concept in response to requests from potential customers. The company is expanding its tanker business and is working on the design of a Boeing 767 tanker that an IAI source says "will be a multi-mission platform with very advanced systems". These will include a fly-by-wire boom.
The Israeli air force, which now uses Lockheed Martin C-130 and 707 tankers, is studying the 767 concept. The service has asked IAI to develop a system that will enable the air-to-air refuelling of unmanned air vehicles.
Israel already operates military versions of the G550, having taken delivery earlier this year of its first Conformal Airborne Early Warning (CAEW) special-mission aircraft.
The air force also received its first Special Electronic Mission Aircraft (SEMA) last year, which is based on the GV, from which the G550 was developed.
© Gulfstream
Israel already has military versions of the G550 - the CAEW and SEMA
Thats Sweet, buy me one. I'll be your best friend
I guess if your Air Force does not need to fly halfway around the planet, the G550 makes perfect sense!
Just to Iran and back.
Hmmmm, I wonder why Israel would want extended range aerial refueling capability.
Hasn't Elta put a Phalcon on these for the Chilean Air Force?
Imminent threats keep you focused on what is needed and not what would be nice to have.
Possibly. Here's a link http://www.algebra.com/algebra/about/history/AWACS.wikipedia. There's a recent thread about the first G-550 delivered to the IAF with AWACS.
IAF receives first new Gulfstream AWACS plane
Globes Publisher ^ | 9/20/06 | Amnon Barzilai
Posted on 09/20/2006 3:05:19 PM CDT by Jack_1
If you want on or off my aerospace ping list, please contact me by Freep mail.
Nope,the Chilean PHALCON is mounted on Boeing 707s.& the Indian ones will be on Russian built IL-76s.Pretty interesting that the PHALCONS serving for 3 countries will be on 3 different platforms!!!!
Interesting aerodynamic design... Are those sides flat? Doesn't look like it would carry much payload?
I would guess a small tanker based on a business jet would be much easier to "hide in plain sight" in the air traffic in and out of the Gulf States than would something based on a large commercial jet platform. That and you could pre-position in a friendly emirate while allowing your host to maintain plausible denial of supporting an attack on Iran.
That's not the tanker. It's the G-550 with the Phalcon radar system installed. The regular G-550 has a round fuselage. It might not carry as much fuel as a KC-135, but it probably has subsonic flight characteristics closer to that of high performance fighters it would refuel than a large transport based tanker. Perhaps a larger tanker would top off the small tankers that could then fly closer to the combat area.
I would also like to see the length of the boom. One would think it would be pretty short on an aircraft that size.
I've seen weirder things, though. NAVAIR is currently playing with adding refueling to the E-2C. The picture they put out showed an E-2 tanking off a Super Hornet.
My bet is they're looking for it to be able to escort to within 340 miles of Iran's nuclear processing plants, 340 miles being about the combat radius of an F-16.
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