Driven by the operational demands of the Israel Air Force (IAF) and customers worldwide, IAI ELTA division, pioneered the design and development of high-performance Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft based on business jet platforms.
In the 1980s, IAI pioneered AESA technology, leading to the advanced B-707 Phalcon AEW&C aircraft, the first to use electronically steered narrow beams for aerial threat detection. Initially, IAF Special Mission Aircraft (SMA) relied on older platforms like the B-707 SIGINT and Grumman E-2 Hawkeye AEW&C. By the mid-’90s, the aging B-707 and E-2 airframes required replacement. Seeking cost-effective performance, IAI and IAF explored high-performance business jets, with the Gulfstream G-V/G-550 chosen as the basis. This led to the ELI-3001 AISIS and ELW-2085 CAEW aircraft, incorporating AESA technology. However, the G-550 became unavailable for new production. IAI then identified the Embraer Praetor 600 as an optimal replacement due to its compact size and performance attributes.
Embraer Defense & Security and IAI ELTA division, established a Strategic Cooperation
Agreement to introduce the P600 AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning & Control). In this
cooperation, IAI is to provide the AEW Digital Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA)
radar/IFF, SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) and other electronic systems and system integration while Embraer Defense & Security is to provide the air platform, ground support, communications systems and aircraft integration.
The ELW-2096 P600 is a super mid-size business jet which flies higher, faster and longer than large commercial jet. The aircraft’s ability to fly at 40,000 feet, above commercial aviation traffic, enables it to undertake missions with minimal friction with Air Traffic Control (ATC), enhances “standoff” range, and improves performance over challenging terrain and mountainous regions.
Moreover, it’s performance and reliability offer numerous additional advantages: quicker
dispatch times, faster ascent to mission altitude, shorter turnaround time, the ability to use
shorter runways, and lower operating cost. Coupled with IAI’s 5th generation digital GaN AESA radar system and miniaturized electronics the P600 AEW&C offers a winning combination of mission performance, reliability and sustainability while keeping size and weight to a minimum.
The P600 AEW&C’s mission suite is an evolution of the operationally proven system first
introduced in 2008 with the IAF, and which has since entered service with NATO. It employs
advanced digital AESA solutions developed by IAI. With the latest Gallium Nitride (GaN)
technology the P600 AEW&C has unparalleled ability to simultaneously detect, classify and track more threats under aircraft maneuver while keeping size, weight and aerodynamic impact to a minimum. It offers uniform coverage and an instrumented detection range of more than 350Nm across 240⁰.
The system features the latest advances in automation technology, including Artificial
Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). This means that fewer actions are needed to
achieve an equivalent work load, while improving mission performance. This facilitates greater crew availability while lowering operating and training overhead. Smaller crews are but one of the many unique benefits of this system, which benefits from IAI’s operational experience and rich AEW&C system legacy.
The P600 AEW&C is a flexible system that delivers enhanced situational awareness and battle space management. It performs surveillance of airborne targets from low to high altitudes, over any terrain, in all weather conditions, and at very long ranges. Furthermore, the aircraft features autonomous and hybrid modes, which enable operation as an independent airborne Command and Control (C2) post or in conjunction with ground control. Its software driven architecture ensures that future capabilities can be added as needed and upgrades easily and affordably introduced as new technologies are introduced. Its baseline mission suite already includes radar, IFF, ESM/ELINT, ADSB, and AIS.
The combination of class-leading aircraft platform and IAI’s highly evolved mission suite enable P600 AEW&C to deliver crucial capabilities in a solution that constitutes an ideal balance of performance, reliability, and value.
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