Page 29 - Australian Defence Magazine May-June 2020

MAY/JUNE 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
EW AIR555 29
“We can talk about our requirements with some of our close allies and this is a US capability that we’re buying so we’re talk- ing with the US quite a bit about what we might be doing here.
“People like to pigeon-hole ISR or EW but the Peregrine is a multi-intelligence capability; as we move into the 5th Gen- eration air force we need to think about making as many ef- fects as we can with all our capabilities. Peregrine has a range of sensors so it can do many things and can be really flexible.”
TIMELINE
Project Air 555 was formally revealed in the 2016 Defence White Paper as part of a wider requirement to improve electronic support capabilities across all domains. The as- sociated Defence Integrated Investment Program included $2-3 billion over 2017-2024 for the acquisition of up to five long-range electronic warfare support aircraft.
In June 2017 the US State Department approved the po- tential sale to Australia of five G550s. According to the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the US$1.3 billion sale would include spares; aircraft modification and integration; ground systems for data processing and crew training; ground support equipment; publications and techni-
cal data; US government and contractor engineering; techni- cal and logistics support services; flight test and certification; and other related elements of logistical and program support.
In July 2018 the US Department of Defence awarded L3 Technologies a US$83 million contract through Big Safari for the upgrade of two G550s to the MC-55 configuration for the RAAF – although no official confirmation of the aircrafts’ acquisition had yet emerged from Canberra.
And finally, in March 2019, the government formally an- nounced that four G550s would be acquired for $2.46 bil- lion under Project Air 555, describing Peregrine as a new airborne EW capability that would provide a critical link between ADF platforms.
Then-Defence Minister Christopher Pyne said these in- cluded the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter, E-7A Wedgetail air- borne early warning and control aircraft, E-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft, naval surface combatants and amphibious ships, and ground assets.
ABOVE: The Peregrine program will provide a never before seen capability for the RAAF.